Our meeting the spiritual friend, the spiritual master, who reveals the right path, is like the stick that meets the gong.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this talk Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how the nature of our mind is the source of our freedom. It is simply a matter of gathering the causes and conditions to remove the temporary obscurations and reveal our mind of clear light. Like a stick hitting a gong, meeting a qualified teacher is essential to activate this potential for enlightenment. These teachings were given Singapore in January 1993. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/nature-mind-meeting-guru

 

 

There’s no other way to do this perfect work for others, so therefore one must actualize the steps of the path to enlightenment; to do that one must purify the obstacles, the negative karmas, obscurations, so therefore then one must do Vajrasattva practice which is the most powerful one by which any negative karma can be purified.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these profound teachings before a Vajrasattva initiation at Jinsiu Farlin Center in Taiwan in 1994. In these teachings Rinpoche explains the suffering realms of samsara and the benefits of immediately ending all our non-virtuous activities and working quickly to purify all past negative karma so that we may avoid the suffering realms while we practice the path and attain enlightenment for the sake of all. You can also read along with the transcript on our website-https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/benefits-purification-practice-audio-and-unedited-transcript

Because uncontrolled, undisciplined mind is opposite of knowledge-wisdom and happy, that nature is dissatisfaction. So your mind put such way, control, with your own wisdom, there is space, you can discover peace and joyful. So your life is becomes joyful, peaceful, no matter the outside world is up and down, up and down.

-Lama Yeshe

In Los Angeles, California in 1975, Lama Yeshe gave this introductory talk on the purpose of meditation followed by an informal question and answer session. Please read along with the transcript on our website here: https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/purpose-meditation-part

May the good heart, altruism, source of all the happiness, may it be generated within my mind, in the mind of the family, all sentient beings; those who have this altruism, bodhicitta, thought of full enlightenment to benefit others, to be developed due to all these merits, positive actions that one did in the past, in the present, future.

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this month’s podcast, Lama Zopa Rinpoche describes how the altruistic mind of enlightenment works and explains the great benefits from cultivating such a powerfully clear and pervasive mind. Rinpoche then explains in great detail how thought transformation practices are the very best way to deal with the inevitable stresses of modern life and the associated obstacles that repeatedly arise like waves as we move towards the mind of enlightenment for the sake of all beings. These teachings were given by Rinpoche in Bendigo, Australia, August, 1991. You can read the transcript of the teachings on our website at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/developing-altruism

With ignorant mind you cannot approach the omniscient mind. Like without the fuel in the car you cannot reach your destination. Even if you have the car, if you don’t have the fuel then you cannot reach to the desirable place.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this talk, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains why we work with so many different aspects of the Buddha during our practice. By taking refuge in these varied aspects of the Buddha’s enlightenment, we open ourselves to their particular attributes, guidance and inspiration. For example, cultivating a relationship with Manjushri creates the conditions to increase our wisdom-knowledge and with White Tara we can increase the span of our perfect human rebirth. Cultivating the appropriate conditions help us overcome our personal karmic obstacles on the path to enlightenment for the benefit of others. Rinpoche gave these teachings at the Fourteenth Kopan Meditation Course in 1981. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/lecture-2-manjushri-why-there-are-different-aspects-buddha

If we take care of others, work for their happiness, we are automatically taking care of ourselves. Trying to make others happy is the best way of loving ourselves.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Listen to this profound teaching by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on transforming everyday actions into the cause of enlightenment. Given during a four-day course at FPMT’s Tilopa Center in Decatur, Illinois, August, 1997, these teachings detail practical methods for developing compassion and wisdom in our everyday lives. The teachings in this podcast were ultimately published as Chapter 1 in Virtue and Reality bit.ly/Fulfilling-Lifes-Purpose

Lama Zopa Rinpoche answers questions from students on how to generate loving-kindness without generating attachment and does it mean to realize the yidam. Rinpoche also describes the many joys and benefits from living a meaningful life guided by the Dharma. These teachings given at Tse Chen Ling Center, in San Francisco, California USA, in November 2003. You can follow along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-two-questions-and-answers

The benefits of bodhicitta can never be finished explaining it is said in the teachings by Buddha, like limitless sky.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these lamrim teachings on the immeasurable benefits of bodhicitta at the 29th Kopan Meditation Course held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1996. You can also read along with the transcript by navigating to https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/benefits-bodhicitta 

So main thing is by practicing oneself as lower, then pride does not rise.

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Listen to Day Two from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s 2003 commentary on Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, an essential mind training text composed by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa. This teaching was given at Tse Chen Ling Center, in San Francisco, California USA. Rinpoche explains why we must purify the mind of pride, how to prepare our mind to be able to see ourselves as lower than all others and describes the great joy we will feel upon accomplishing this powerfully medicinal state of mind. You can read along with the transcript at https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/day-two-seeing-oneself-lower-others