Lama Zopa Rinpoche (1946–2023)

[Wisdom Energy: Basic Buddhist Teachings] by [[Lama Yeshe]] and [[Lama Zopa Rinpoche]]
Finished 7/19/12

This book is a collection of talks given by these two lamas on a tour of the U.S. in the 1970s. Although the teachings in the book are much the same as what I am learning in my Buddhism classes here at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal, the way they are presented is very different. Lamas Yeshe and Zopa tend to keep a lot of the more technical terms and lists of practice aspects out of the show more book and focus more on the basics: learning how to train the mind, how to deal with attachment and grasping, how to approach studying the dharma.

What I find most important about the dharma to me now is looking at how many of the thoughts and concepts we create about ourselves and the world around us are really reified delusions - things we invent but think are real. So we dislike another person for 'their' traits when in fact we project those traits onto them. We feel like we're unable to do something because we create a self-definition based on our inability. Seeing how this process of delusion creates and recreates itself in the mind is fundamental to being free from ignorant thoughts. Most importantly, the dharma is something to be taken in, internalized, reflected and lived out, not just memorized once and mastered in a formulaic way.

Overall, a useful book. Too bad Lama Yeshe has passed.

Rating: 5/5 show less

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, one of the great living masters of Tibetan Buddhism, guides us through one of the core practices of the bodhisattvas, using a classic, revered text as a guide.
The sixth chapter of Shantideva's classic A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is a beacon of inspiration that shows what patience--one of the essential actions of the bodhisattvas--can really mean, leading us to profound self-realization and a heightened determination for awakened action in the world.

Lama Zopa show more Rinpoche--a teacher whose very name means "patience"--explores Shantideva's teachings verse by verse, unpacking its lessons for the modern reader:

Overcoming anger
Accepting suffering
Respecting others and finding happiness in their happiness

In explaining this quintessential quality of a bodhisattva, Rinpoche shows us ordinary beings the profundity of the practice of patience and the relevance it has in our everyday lives.
"Shantideva was like us, but he worked on his mind until he became completely free from delusions . . . A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life has inspired countless people since it was written over thirteen hundred years ago. It tells us that we too can develop our mind to the levels of realizations that the great masters have attained--and it shows us how to do it."--Lama Zopa Rinpoche show less

A practical and actionable guide to the six perfections, a backbone of the Buddhist path, by an internationally beloved teacher.
The six perfections are the actions of the bodhisattvas--holy beings who have transcended selfless concerns. But they're also skills we can and should develop right now, in our messy, ordinary lives.

In this clear, comprehensive guide to the backbone of Mahayana Buddhist practice, Lama Zopa Rinpoche walks us through each of the six show more perfections:

-charity
-morality
-patience
-perseverance
-concentration
-wisdom

As he carefully describes each perfection, he not only reveals the depth of its meaning and how it intertwines with each other perfection, but he also explains how to practice it fully in our everyday lives--offering concrete ways for us to be more generous, more patient, more wise. With the guidance he gives us, we can progress in our practice of the perfections until we, like the bodhisattvas, learn to cherish others above ourselves. show less

An accessible, inspiring book on one of the most important topics in Tibetan Buddhism--bodhichitta, or compassion--written by one of its renowned masters who has an international following of thousands.

Bodhichitta is a Sanskrit word meaning “the mind of enlightenment” or “the awakening mind”—the mind that wishes to achieve enlightenment in order to lead all other beings into that same state. It is the attitude of the bodhisattva, of the person who makes the compassionate vow to show more save others from suffering. In this book, the renowned teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche shows us how to achieve it.

First, Lama Zopa gives a clear and comprehensive explanation of bodhichitta, its benefits, and its importance to the path. Then, he walks us through the two main methods for achieving bodhichitta: the seven points of cause and effect, and equalizing and exchanging self and others. Finally, the book closes with meditation instructions to guide and strengthen our practice.

Readers will find Bodhichitta to be a comprehensive guide to this core Buddhist principle, one rich in both accessible philosophical explanation and concrete advice for practitioners. show less