Lama Zopa Rinpoche News Archives
February 2003
- Rinpoche's Current Activities and Schedule
- Practices for the Current World Situation
- What Really Helps in Troubled Times?
- What To Do When Natural Disasters Happen (new booklet)
- Outbreaks of Contagious Disease (new booklet)
- Rinpoche Records CDs to Help with Pain
- New Photos of Rinpoche
RINPOCHE'S CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND SCHEDULE
Rinpoche is currently in California, resting.
Rinpoche will then teach at Tubten Kunga Center, Florida between April 8 - 13th, before going to Institut Vajrayogini, Toulouse for the Four Kadam Deity Retreat (April 18 - May 11). Rinpoche then goes to Moscow, Russia to teach for the first time there from May 19 - 29th.
Then it's time for EEC 4 in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia! (The Enlightened Experience Celebration No. 4, June 1 - July 7). Rinpoche wants EEC 4 to be held in Mongolia so that young Mongolians can see non-Mongolians appreciate the benefits of their native religion. This will encourage them to look into Buddhism again. It will be another amazing EEC, with teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Choden Rinpoche, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche and of course Lama Zopa Rinpoche. You can participate for as little as two weeks of the event and we encourage everyone to attend. For more information and to book, please go to http://www.fpmt.org/eec
Rinpoche will teach at the annual Kopan November course.
In 2004, Rinpoche is likely to teach in Taiwan, Australia (including attending a week of the Mani retreat at Chenrezig Institute), New Zealand, Italy and Nepal.
PRACTICES FOR THE CURRENT WORLD SITUATION
This Newsheet includes links to all the advice which Rinpoche has given which is relevant to our current troubled times.
Specific advice on practices to do during this time of war against Iraq: please read all the advice which Rinpoche gave after Sept 11th, as this is all relevant right now. That advice is available to read or download at http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice - just click on Advice for the Present World Situation Following Sept 11th
As Rinpoche keeps saying, we have to think of a practical alternative to war, we can't just keep saying peace. If we are going to demonstrate, also think of demonstrating against terrorism, that is the real issue ...... how do we stop terrorism? Terrorism is a real threat.
If Rinpoche gives any new advice, we will let you know immediately.
RINPOCHE WHAT REALLY HELPS DURING TROUBLED TIMES
Rinpoche recently sent this card to a new study group, which is relevant to all centers, study groups and projects:
'My very dear fortunate ones,
whose heart is opened for liberation and to bring others, who are numberless, to liberation, full enlightenment. I am very happy to hear the group is stable, continuing to learn the path to enlightenment and practice.
Please continue to learn from your resident teacher as much as possible while he is there. Later you will rejoice so much, even after you have achieved enlightenment and after you have enlightened all suffering beings, still you will enjoy the Dharma, even at that time there is nothing in the life better than meditating on the Lam-rim (practicing Lam-rim) this is the best life because it is not suffering and you get everything from this, you can give all the happiness to all suffering beings.
With much love and prayers for all of you to have meaningful lives.
Zopa'
WHAT TO DO WHEN NATURAL DISASTERS HAPPEN
(Extracts from some recent advice by Rinpoche, available in full at http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice
'Even though these kinds of problems are so big, even though there are numberless buddhas, yet if someone with a very sincere heart takes refuge one-pointedly, without doubt, in even one buddha such as Chenrezig (Compassionate Eye Looking One), Padmasambhava, or Medicine Buddha, if someone takes strong refuge and prays to even just one buddha and recites the mantras (such as the name mantra), by doing this it can change the situation completely, it can change natural disasters and prevent war. Whatever problems there are can be loosened and even completely stopped. The weather can change in that very hour or in the next hour by the power of one person making prayers.
There are many stories of the power of bodhichitta. How it can control and affect the elements. There are even examples in Christianity, as well as many examples in Buddhism. There is one story about the great St. Francis of Assisi. One time he was living and meditating in a cave with his disciples. His disciples asked St. Francis to stop the water that flowed inside the cave and that was disturbing their meditation. St. Francis went to the place where the water was flowing down the mountain and said, "Sister, my disciples can't meditate." Then the water stopped flowing from that time until the present day. It would be considered very inauspicious if the water would start to flow again. So the water stopped flowing due to the power of St. Francis's bodhichitta.
Some years ago in Florida it was reported in the news that a hurricane was going to hit Florida. One long-time student, George Propps, rang me to ask me to do prayers. I did some Mickey Mouse prayer then I gave him a job (even though he had asked me to do it). I gave him the job of reciting the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha's mantra. He made strong prayers by taking refuge in the Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha. The hurricane didn't hit Florida but went around. He was so astonished that he rang me and said, "It worked!"
There are so many various methods, but here are some drops for you to get some idea what to do when these problems arise. This is not only to protect yourself and your property, but also if there are problems happening in other places, other countries, you can definitely help by doing these practices, or whatever you can do, with a sincere heart, full of faith.
This will help save the lives of so many numberless people as well as so many animals, so much property, into which people put so much money, and also it helps the government. Even if we are not in danger, we have the responsibility to protect other sentient beings.
As far as what the scientists say about the disasters of the elements, they never mention the mind, the creator who experiences. They merely explain the external evolution of how it happens. Even if this is correct, it is only a short-term explanation. It doesn't really explain why the whole evolution happened in the first place, why it had to happen. Similarly, why is a baby born handicapped to a particular family? It's the same question. Why did that baby have to be born to that family? Even if this is explained by genetics, why wasn't that child born to a different family with proper genetics? There are no answers to these questions, as long as we don't mention the mind.
In the simplest teachings of Buddhism you can understand where the hurricanes and earthquakes come from. They come as a result of the ten non-virtuous actions'.
OUTBREAKS OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASE
This is advice given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for situations where there is an outbreak of a virus or contagious disease, like Ebola or other very harmful diseases that affect many people over a large area, and which have no effective cure. Specifically Rinpoche wanted this made available so that one day maybe students could go to the affected areas and do the practices. To download this booklet, please go to http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice
'The best practice to avert war and also to avert or prevent diseases like Ebola is Logyönma (Loma Gyonma). If people gather and do the practice of Logyönma many times, this can prevent the spread of such diseases or of war.
Students can go to places where there is an epidemic and do these practices. They can recite them and teach them to others in order to change the karma. They can chant the mantras aloud so that people can hear them and this can help them.'
Also, Rinpoche recommended the Prayer Liberating Sakya from Disease (included in this booklet) to help against the new flu virus in Hongkong and China (or wherever people are affected).
Rinpoche recently sent this card to a new study group, which is relevant to all centers, study groups and projects:
'My very dear fortunate ones,
whose heart is opened for liberation and to bring others, who are numberless, to liberation, full enlightenment. I am very happy to hear the group is stable, continuing to learn the path to enlightenment and practice.
Please continue to learn from your resident teacher as much as possible while he is there. Later you will rejoice so much, even after you have achieved enlightenment and after you have enlightened all suffering beings, still you will enjoy the Dharma, even at that time there is nothing in the life better than meditating on the Lam-rim (practicing Lam-rim) this is the best life because it is not suffering and you get everything from this, you can give all the happiness to all suffering beings.
With much love and prayers for all of you to have meaningful lives.
Zopa'
We have put some new photos of Rinpoche up on the website! Please go to http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/ to see photos of:
Rinpoche's house in California (a pure land devoted to offerings, just as you would expect!)
Rinpoche in Hongkong, during an animal liberation and a Maitreya puja
Rinpoche with Kopan monks
With love,
Claire
International Office
March 21st, 2003
