Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

Every single phenomena is like that. There’s merely gathered, the base to be labeled, then due to that, then mere imputation, then only after that, then you have that appearance. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche In these teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche given during a lamrim retreat held at Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California, from August … Continue reading How We Name the World →

Compassion should be at the heart of our life, at the center of all our relationships and in all our practices. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives the transmission of the mantra and dharani of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion and explains why reciting these mantra helps us to develop compassion from the … Continue reading The Living Heart of Compassion →

If you don’t practice Dharma, don’t learn Dharma, don’t meditate, if you don’t pray to have realization of the path to enlightenment, at least even the path to liberation, if you don’t do that then so many sentient beings have to suffer for you to live, for your happiness, it is so unimaginable, unbearable, so … Continue reading The Power of the Object of Merit →

Don’t cheat yourself. Don’t deceive yourself. Don’t be distracted by sense pleasures. Exist where you are right now. Make your life worthwhile. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche This month’s LYWA podcast is a short spontaneous Dharma talk by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the importance of making this life worthwhile, given on April 20, 2000 while Rinpoche was … Continue reading Make Your Life Worthwhile →

You have to develop perfect power, so that you can reveal to all sentient beings the appropriate methods according to their level of mind. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains why practicing the good heart is so extremely important, the basis of all action. Recognizing the workaday world reality in which most of his … Continue reading Practicing the Good Heart →

Manjushri bodhisattva is the highest manifestation of being, the embodiment of all knowledge. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Ārya-mañjuśrī-nāma-saṅgīti (Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri) consists of 160 verses and mantra sentences, condensing an enormous tantric lore. Listen to Lama Zopa Rinpoche reciting the Ārya-mañjuśrī-nāma-saṅgīti in Tibetan. Rinpoche recorded this recitation in 2006, and asked for the … Continue reading Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri →

You have no enemy when you don’t have anger. Only when you have anger you have enemy in your life. So it’s all to do with your concept. It’s all in your mind. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the power of our perfect human rebirth are from a commentary Rinpoche … Continue reading It’s all in your mind →

If we don’t create good karma again, we cannot predict what will happen to us after this minute, after this hour, tonight, tomorrow, next year. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche From extensive teachings on karma excerpted from a lamrim course led by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Maitreya Instituut, Emst, in August 1990. Read along with the … Continue reading Contemplate Karmic Appearance →

One must understand that by hurting others, you are also creating the cause to be hurt by others. To really solve the problem one has to do something with the cause, which is within your mind. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how the self-cherishing thought seeking happiness negatively affects our karma. But the … Continue reading Renouncing the Self-cherishing Thought →

So, what is the way that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, what is his way of freeing the sentient being from suffering? By revealing the absolute truth, by revealing the nature of the existence. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how Guru Buddha Shakyamuni frees us from suffering by revealing the true nature of reality. But … Continue reading How Guru Shakyamuni Frees Sentient Beings →

We are released from confusion while we are aware of the reality of things. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche encourages us to live our life with a mind that is aware of the reality of things so that we avoid the confusion that leads to negative karma. Rinpoche also recites in English the Heart … Continue reading Karma in Everyday Life →

All our suffering is caused by our belief that even though the I is merely labeled on the aggregates, it exists from its own side. This sickness is the root of all our suffering and our cure is our wisdom. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives a short vivid explanation about how we circle … Continue reading We Are the Cure of Our Own Samsara →

The essence of the Dharma is to subdue one’s mind by taming the disturbing, obscuring, emotional thoughts that bring so much suffering to yourself and to others, from life to life. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche In this teaching from the 33rd Kopan Course in 2000, Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the classic Buddhist instruction “Engage in the … Continue reading The Essence of the Dharma →

As Buddha said, you are your own enemy or you are your own liberator. You can create a hell realm or you can create enlightenment. Everything depends on what you do with your mind. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche In these 2000 teachings given during the 33rd Kopan Course, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how everything is merely … Continue reading Everything Depends on Your Mind →

The meaning of the word ‘mantra’ includes the whole path to enlightenment. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche discusses the use of mantra in highest yoga tantra and explains how our minds should approach the practice of the mantra of Chenrezig. These teachings were given at the Twenty-Eighth Kopan Meditation Course in November 1995. Read along … Continue reading The Meaning of Secret Mantra →

The particular nature of the Dharma is that the more you study the teachings, the more the Dharma becomes deep and clear. And the holy beings, those who work for sentient beings, those who have accomplished the path, these holy beings are who bring the Dharma teachings to us. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche … Continue reading The Qualities of the Dharma and Its Teachers →

The Buddha of Compassion is the embodiment of all the buddhas’ great compassion that embraces and never lets go, never gives up on sentient beings even for one second. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche These teachings on the benefits of reciting the Compassion Buddha’s mantra were given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the Twenty-Eighth Kopan Meditation Course … Continue reading Buddha’s Compassion Never Gives Up →

How to live the life? First your attitude becomes Dharma. Then with that attitude one lives the life, one does the works, one does the activities. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche observes that we think we can rely on purification practices to deal with our negative karma. Rinpoche warns us against relying too much … Continue reading The Dharma Will Protect Us →

Do not be confused by people who try to disprove the existence of objects of faith like reincarnation or karma by simply labeling them as nonexistent. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche addresses how some people try to disprove the existence of reincarnation and other objects of Buddhist faith by labeling them as false views … Continue reading The Label Is Not Enough →

By developing the mind in patience, whatever happens to you, whatever harm others give you, you will never get angry. -Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the power of the mind of patience to bring happiness to all beings we encounter on the path to enlightenment. The most powerful way for us to develop … Continue reading The Enemy is the Kindest Person →