Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of this precious human body. He says that it’s extremely rare to find. Therefore, while we have the opportunity to practice Dharma, we should secure a good rebirth, especially a perfect human rebirth, to continue to practice Dharma.

Rinpoche explains that rebirth in the deva realm makes it much harder to generate renunciation compared to the human realm. He likens this difference to the monks in Lhasa who came from wealthy families living nearby. They had a lot of distractions and often couldn’t complete their studies. In contrast, many of those from remote regions became great scholars. They lived a real ascetic life in the monastery; their whole attention was focused on study. He gives the example of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, who was not just a great scholar but also a great yogi.

Rinpoche says that real Dharma practice is letting go of the evil thought of attachment to the eight worldly dharmas. Due to self-cherishing, clinging to this life arises. When our actions are stained by clinging to this life, they become non-virtuous. Thus, the self-cherishing thought is so harmful, it makes our precious human life totally empty.

Rinpoche completes the last section of Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s discourse: “Part eight: How to combine the elements of taking refuge and reflecting on the suffering of the lower states in order to meditate on them jointly”. He explains that the main point is that if you have the right doctor and the right prescription, you need to follow them. Your goal is to achieve liberation from samsara; therefore, you need to realize true suffering, the true cause of suffering, and then actualize the true path. So, you start with the renunciation of samsara by relying on the one who reveals the path, the Sangha.

From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.

Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/