Stories About Rinpoche
Stories from around the world about the life of our founder Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche - truly a modern-day saint and an inspiration on how to make life incredibly meaningful, unbelievable beneficial, rich in beauty and emotion, and full of surprise! (Pictures from T.Sangpo at Archana Cards ph. 431-1992)
Chenrezig
on the Roof
While driving at night in the mantra-van
Venerables Roger and Holly noticed that thousands of insects were being
smashed into the windscreen. After a while, however, they noticed that
the bugs stopped hitting the windscreen
- instead they were coming towards the car, but rather than hitting the
windscreen the streams of insects were flying past either side of the
car.When they arrived at their destination, as as (Lama Thubten Zopa )
Rinpoche got out of the car he said, 'When I noticed all the bugs being
killed, I tried to visualize Chenrezig on the roof of the car, blowing
wind to blow the bugs away from the car".
What Rinpoche Does in his ‘Spare Time’
Rinpoche has been offered a house for retreat in rural USA, and is there
now. Ven Holly Ansett offers us this picture of life there. Lama Zopa
Rinpoche has transformed his log cabin retreat house into a pure land.
There are Buddha photos all the way from the walls to the ceilings (which are 17 feet high). There is one wall of Medicine Buddha photos, thousands of them, one wall of the life deeds of Lama Tsong Khapa, repeated many times, half the ceiling in his room is Lama Chopa merit fields and the other half 1000 arm Chenrezigs, then there is another room where one wall and ceiling is 35 Buddhas, one wall of 21 Taras and one wall of 16 Arhants. The ceiling has 41 deeds of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's life, as well as many many pictures of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All the windows are lined with photos of the Shakyamuni Statue in Bodh Gaya, that face inside and outside (so the birds can see the Buddha as well) then there is a beam with many photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and soon one whole section will be photos of Rinpoche's Gurus (all of this has been done very tastefully under Rinpoche's direction).
The ceiling has 1,000 colored icicle lights the entire length, and then on the 2 long beams that run the length of the room there are garlands of lights, two 7ft high light Christmas trees sparkling and numerous other light offerings, in all there are about 3000 light offerings, and the walls are lined with altars with now over 350 large water bowls. Above the staircase there is a giant relic table, full of the Buddha's relics, stupa tsa tsas, pictures of Buddhas and deities, and the entire Kangyur and Tengyur (in CD form) as well as many CD's of lungs, teachings, the Prajnaparamita (8000 verses) lined in pure gold, so the entire table is full of holy objects.
In between Rinpoche's retreat he is painting a Tara photo, tsa tsas, offering jewels in the form of sparkly glue on stupas and making small animals (yak, goat and sheep) out of molding clay that are needed for incense pujas.
We
had a brief visit from one Lhasa Apso who lived with Rinpoche for one
week (until his owner made contact). We found him lost in the local Wal-Mart
car park, he was quite scared of us but as soon as he saw Rinpoche he
went straight over and sat at the head of the table with Rinpoche. Rinpoche
offered Jangsem (his temporary name) his own fleece blanket. Each day
he was here Rinpoche ran with Jangsem - picture Rinpoche hiking up his
shemtab and dog running full speed with ears flapping...Rinpoche laughing
so hard.
Rinpoche seems extremely relaxed going from one holy activity to another. The house has many, many insects such as hornets and beetles that we all collect in jars and Rinpoche jogs (for exercise) around the relic table 8-10 times before releasing them outside (except now it is snowing outside so Rinpoche has made a house in a box for the insects as he is worried they will die if they go out in the cold). Rinpoche has now picked the site where he would like to build a 30-35 ft high Namgyalma stupa for his Gurus' long lives. Rinpoche wants it on the mountain so that it can be clearly seen by people driving by at the foot of the mountain. It will also have a small gompa underneath.
One day before the retreat Rinpoche said he would like to go shopping, so we all piled into the car and drove the 30 minute drive to the local Wal-Mart...half way down Roger asked Rinpoche what we were shopping for ...Rinpoche then explained that he was shopping for a particular kind of jar in order to catch the bugs in, so that it was not too tall, not too small, not too thin, so that it wouldn't harm the bugs when they were put inside. As we drove down we had the Sanghatasutra lung playing full blast, Rinpoche sitting bolt upright, hands in the mudra of prostration for the whole time, window open (so the insects outside would be able to hear the lung) even though it was actually snowing outside, 2 deer ran across the road and Rinpoche was extremely pleased as they may have heard 4 words of the Sanghatasutra (it says to hear the Sanghatasutra is more powerful than offering 13 times to the amount of Buddhas as there are grains in the Pacific Ocean)
There
are texts open everywhere, on all spaces and art projects happening, Roger
has the tormas going, John (Ven John Jackson) is painting tsa tsas, Rinpoche
is painting tsa tsas, Chosang (Ven Lhundrup Chosang) is framing Buddhas
and cooking and there is silence and unbelievable sunsets.............
Yesterday was the first snow and while doing the Dzambala offering outside (at midnight before lunch!!) in gale winds and snow, one single Tibetan page (laminated) got swept away in the wind and flew off. The next morning we spent about an hour searching for this single piece of paper, Rinpoche insisting he was warm though only wearing a thin zen, while we were wrapped up to our eyes in jackets and hats.
One day Rinpoche came down to the kitchen and made everyone a snack of fried portabella mushrooms in massive amounts of butter and salt and Rinpoche named the snack Buddha Amitabha's snack and then proceeded to name the house Buddha Amitabha Pure Land. Rinpoche's vision for this retreat house and land is for some students when they get old to build retreat houses on the land and to live and do practice until they die. So, this is just a small picture from Buddha Amitabha Pure Land.
Nyung-Ne with Rinpoche
Ven. Gyatso writes from Mongolia that he would like to claim the FPMT
record for a last session of Nyung Ne - from 5.00 am until 9.30 pm, with
a two-hour lunch break and no other breaks!
Long
Life Puja with Rinpoche
Ven. Roger, Rinpoche’s attendant told us that they had just finished
the long life puja. It went very well, one very old lady came up at the
end who Rinpoche cured of a backache. She can hardly walk and had to be
helped. Rinpoche gave her this Mickey Mouse that someone had just given
Him, for a while Rinpoche had Mickey do a few tricks for the audience
and everyone was laughing.
Daily Offerings at Rinpoche's House
At Lama Zopa Rinpoche's house in California we have offerings happening
24 hours a day which Rinpoche offers wherever he is around the world everyday.
The offerings consist of about 300 giant saffron water bowls and about
100 smaller bowls, 150 tea lights, 7000 Christmas lights, fruit offerings,
tea offerings and flower offerings in the house and in the garden.
Each day there are Sangha making all the offerings, refilling all the water bowls, lighting the tea lights, turning on the Christmas lights, making the tea offering, changing the flower and fruit offerings. Also everyday a Sangha person makes 3 stupas (filled with mantras) for every person who has died and for whom Rinpoche has been asked to make prayers, as well as 7 Mitukpa tsa tsas and also various other tsa tsas dedicated to the success of Rinpoche's projects and to eliminate obstacles.
Also there are 2 Sangha members writing the Prajnaparamita in 8000 verses
on rainbow acid free paper. Tsering is writing it in pure gold and Tsenla
is writing it in pure silver. Both of these texts will be put inside the
heart of the 500 ft Maitreya statue.
As we have these amazing offerings happening constantly this is a reminder
that you are most welcome to offer all of these extensive offerings in
your daily practice.
Roadside
Attraction
While at Milarepa Center, Rinpoche led retreatants in walking meditation,
leading them off the Milarepa property and onto the main highway, thus
giving the meditators a real challenge for their concentration and all
those driving past something unusual to look at!
Model Potatoes
For health reasons, Rinpoche cannot eat many potatoes, despite the fact
that Sherpas traditionally love potatoes. So, when Rinpoche had a potato
at a restaurant on the road during the East Coast tour, he was so looking
forward to it that he asked Ven Roger to take a photo of it! Having created
some more design on the table, of course....
Divine Photocopying
Thirty copies of the Diamond Cutter Sutra needed to be made for Maitreya
Project, and in Rinpoche's observation it came out best if Rinpoche himself
made the copies. So he went off to the local photocopying center, and
made his very first photocopies. Rinpoche was so impressed by the technology,
only having to press one button in order to make all these copies of the
sutra, that he dramatically increased the number of copies from thirty
to one hundred, while explaining to the staff all the benefits of this
sutra!
A Bug's Life 1
At Milarepa Center Ven Annette was cooking for Rinpoche in a trailer,
and there were always about fifty flies sharing the space. The only way
to remove the flies was to catch them in a jar and take them outside.
Rinpoche saw this being done, and said the flies should be taken out and
circumambulated round the stupa - this became the retreat's nightly routine.
Rinpoche
then wanted to make a video of his teaching about the benefits we gain
from flies and mosquitoes - not only are we liberating them, but actually
they are liberating us. They are so kind because they are giving us the
opportunity to be kind and practice bodhicitta. Also seeing them buzzing
when caught in a glass jar gives us an indication of how we should feel
about getting out of samsara.
A Bug' Life 2
While Rinpoche was in Deer Park for Geshe Sopa's teachings, Rinpoche was
circumambulating the car (which contained the stupas and texts Rinpoche
travels with) at about 3am. As Rinpoche returned to the house, he noticed
in the light of the front light that a spider had caught a moth, and was
holding the moth in its legs. Rinpoche was very worried and stopped to
say mantras to both insects. Rinpoche then remembered that there is a
mantra that frees one from fear, and thought: if the Buddha's words are
true, then this mantra must work.
So Rinpoche recited the mantra, and immediately the spider dropped the moth (which flew away) and ran off! Rinpoche said he was amazed, and then felt sad about having taken food away from the spider. Ven Holly asked Rinpoche which mantra he used, and Rinpoche responded with this translation of the Buddha's name (which is the basis of the mantra): 'I prostrate to the Tathagata who is the deva, who frees from all fears/dangers'.
Writing Scriptures in Gold...
For sometime now very late at night and in the early morning, Kyabje Lama
Zopa Rinpoche has been writing the Prajnaparamita in gold. Rinpoche is
also having it written in silver (with other crushed jewels), plus having
different sizes and versions of the Prajnaparamita being written in gold
and silver in Sera-Je, Kopan and Aptos. All these texts are to go in the
heart of the Maitreya Statue. Rinpoche has said it is one of the main
ways to create merit for the Statue to actually be built.
On the road with Rinpoche in Tibet
Rinpoche won everybody over. The authorities told Rinpoche that “he
wasn’t allowed to do anything that would inspire the people”.
But even though no-one knew who he was, and Rinpoche just looked like
an ordinary monk as he walked around, Rinpoche can’t hide - people
would come up to him. He was able to touch the heart and stir deep devotion
and faith in the hearts of every-one he met. To him every-one was precious.
He was there for every single being. Rinpoche was bringing back the hope
to Tibet.
Rinpoche took every student, every project, every centre, to Tibet with
him, and used every single opportunity to create the most extensive merit
all the time with all the holy objects. Rinpoche wouldn’t pass a
statue without making money offerings and prayers to it and dedicating
the merit to the whole organisation and every student. He made use of
every single opportunity in the holiest month in the holiest place to
make the most extensive prayers and dedications for every single student
and every single centre and project. He made each member of the group
be there for everyone too, wouldn’t let us waste a second.
Teaching on Geshe Langri Tangpa
We went to the Kadampa lama Geshe Langri Tangpa’s gompa, and everyone
was so happy to see Rinpoche, they opened the doors and showed the statue
which Geshe Langri Tangpa made of himself, and then Rinpoche taught the
entire Eight Verses of Thought Training with commentary in 20 minutes.
At the end Rinpoche said it’s very unusual for him to give such
a teaching in this way, it must have been the blessing of Geshe Langri
Tangpa!
Arranging travel arrangements - or not!
Recently, Rinpoche was meant to be catching a 9.30pm flight. However at
4.30pm Rinpoche started a puja for Maitreya Project which lasted for half
an hour. Then Rinpoche began an unexpected puja for a student who was
sick, and did the puja incredibly slowly and thoroughly. Meanwhile many
people had gone to the airport to see Rinpoche off, Ven Holly had Rinpoche's
bag and the car keys in her hand for hours, and Ven Roger kept mentioning
that they had to leave to catch the flight - but no response.Finally the
puja finished, and Rinpoche said “Oh, is it time to go?” Ven
Roger’s response was “we might need to do a puja for the airline!”-
they had missed the flight.
The next morning Rinpoche ‘found out’ that one of his gurus was giving a major initiation the next day, which Rinpoche could now attend - Rinpoche's comment was “how convenient”.
Rinpoche
writes to HH the Dalai Lama after returning from Tibet
“All the monasteries and nunneries that we visited were very happy,
the Tibetans there did their very best to show the holy objects, especially
in the Potala, where two monks took us into areas of the Potala not normally
shown to the public and explained many things. They showed many of the
rooms etc. that were not normally shown to the public. One of the monks
was a senior Namgyal monk he gave a lot of detailed explanations. At one
time he explained to us the story of the recognition of the 14th Dalai
Lama when Ketsang Rinpoche disguised met the small child and the child
said “I am the one working for all sentient beings” so at
that moment I couldn't control my emotions when I heard the Bodhicitta,
it is very rare for me to cry, my mind is normally like a rock, I don’t
remember ever crying since I was a small child but this time hearing the
Bodhicitta I couldn’t stop crying.
While Others Sleep...
Ven Roger and Rinpoche have been driving from California to Madison for
Geshe Sopa’s long life puja. On the way, they drove till 4 am before
they stopped at a motel. Ven Roger went to get the room set up for Rinpoche
while Rinpoche continued turning the prayer wheel in the car (which is
full of relics, and two suitcases filled with texts). After half an hour
Rinpoche got out of the car and Roger rushed down to bring him to the
room but then Rinpoche started circumambulating the car, and carried on
for an hour, not just walking but almost jogging around, getting tired,
stumbling a bit, but still circumambulating...till about 5.30 am when
Rinpoche went into the room.
At a Restaurant in California
On this same trip, Rinpoche and Ven Roger stopped at a restaurant for
breakfast. A young waitress came up to greet and welcome them, asking
how their trip was going. Rinpoche was quite impressed with her kindness,
and wanted to give her a gift, so he checked initially about giving her
a small Tara card, but that didn’t come out in his observation and
what did come out was to give her an extremely nice glass orchid necklace.
So Rinpoche gave the waitress this present, and she was completely overwhelmed,
then rushed back later to thank Rinpoche again, she was so totally blown
away.
Then
one of the other ladies working there came up to say how beautiful the
necklace was, so Rinpoche reached around for his bag and came up with
another necklace for her...and proceeded to give gifts to many others
working in the restaurant. Everyone was so happy and so moved. This happens
quite often - in another restaurant, the waitress was particularly kind
and respectful to Rinpoche, so Rinpoche wanted to give her a mala, and
Ven Holly had to write the benefits of reciting the mantra on a napkin
for her.
A Divine Masthead...
While driving at night in the mantra-van a few days ago, Venerables Roger
and Holly noticed that thousands of insects were being smashed into the
windscreen. After a while, however, they noticed that the bugs stopped
hitting the windscreen - instead they were coming towards the car, but
rather than hitting the windscreen the streams of insects were flying
past either side of the car. When they arrived at their destination, as
Rinpoche got out of the car he said “When I noticed all the bugs
being killed, I tried to visualise Chenrezig on the roof of the car, blowing
wind to blow the bugs away from the car.”
Taking Dictation from Rinpoche
I was taking dictation from Rinpoche in Italy at about 3am in the morning.
Rinpoche would talk while I made notes and then I would read back my notes
for Rinpoche to check - and I was completely astonished at Rinpoche's
word for word recall of what he had just said. You know how you think
you have caught something correctly as you write it down, and then you
miss one or two words and lose the exact meaning? Well, Rinpoche would
repeat his sentence/paragraph almost exactly each time until I got it
right. Amazing (Buddha-full!!) memory. And of course the advice was beautiful,
practical and inspiring all at the same time. Claire Isitt From Jamyang
website
The Luckiest Bunny
I was travelling with Lama Zopa and a group of Westerners in Tibet. We
had stopped briefly in the desert; there was absolutely nothing around
us for miles. Just as the bus started again a rabbit leapt from the side
of the road. The luckless rabbit ran straight into the one vehicle that
passed each day and was badly injured. Lama Zopa immediately took the
rabbit on board, placing it tenderly in a box on his lap, doing extensive
prayers for it. He requested every student on the bus take the rabbit
in turn and say their owns special prayers for it as well. On return to
Rinpoche, the rabbit expired. Perhaps this ended up as the luckiest rabbit
in Tibet! Robin Bath From Jamyang website
A
Bug's Life 3
Rinpoche was giving a teaching during a weekend retreat on a Hong Kong
island when the room was suddenly invaded by flying ants. Soon there wasn't
one square inch of surface free of them and they were dying all around
us as they hit the overhead lights. Rinpoche asked us to switch off the
lights and took off his zen (the upper robe of a monk). With the most
delicate sweeping motion, he swept a path before him, saying mantras all
the time. I can guarantee not one ant was killed, his movements were so
precise. We all filed out in his wake along the insect-free path. The
room was relinquished to the ants and our teaching over. Then again, the
respect he showed for the lives of the flying ants was our teaching. Gordon
McDougall & Kay Cooper From Jamyang website
Attending Teachings with Rinpoche
Two or three o'clock in the morning, that time when the mind and the body
have both collapsed. All about you heads are nodding, and Rinpoche is
still teaching. Silently you are pleading for him to stop. Then, finally...
"I think I'll stop here." A collective silent sigh. Notebooks
rustle. Things are put away. "But what I really meant was..."
Said with a sly grin at the crowd before him. And he's off on at least
another hour's discourse. It's at moments like this that something often
happens to me. Something snaps and I realise he can't bear to let us go.
Here is something so vital for our happiness and we still haven't grasped
it. I realise I am looking at the epitome of that phrase "like a
loving mother for her only child." Gordon McDougall From Jamyang
website
Someone to Watch Over Me...
When Lama Zopa was teaching at Land of Medicine Buddha centre in California,
the evening session would often finish very late at night. I would go
back to my office to finish whatever was needful for the next day. Then
at about 2am I would shuffle off up the hill to our cabin to 'sleep at
last'. But there, in the quiet of the night, I would often find Rinpoche
walking round and round the prayer wheel, reciting and practicing long
after everyone else had fallen, exhausted, into bed. So quiet. The stars
overhead and the prayer wheel draped in the magical fairy lights that
Rinpoche loves. I felt like a child who rests easy knowing their parents
are awake and watching over them. Linda Gatter From Jamyang website
Taking
the Time...
A taste of how, as Rinpoche’s students, our priorities might shift
- Ven Roger says: “It doesn’t matter how busy things get,
if a sentient being appears in front of Rinpoche, he always stops and
has all the time in the world for that being - unlike me, who is always
trying to rush things through, always concerned about the schedule. “For
example, Rinpoche is currently attending Choden Rinpoche’s teachings
at Land of Medicine Buddha. The gompa is 20 yards from the van - and it
can take Rinpoche 2 hours to make that journey. The teachings finish at
9pm, but sometimes Rinpoche leaves after midnight, even though he wants
to do a specific retreat - because Rinpoche only thinks of the person
there in front of him. So now we take two cars - one for the workers who
can leave Land of Medicine Buddha immediately, and one for Rinpoche!”
Rinpoche Brings TV into the Path
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11th Rinpoche has been giving
more time than usual to watching the news on television. Recently, there
was a program about a journalist who spent a year in Afghanistan to get
the inside story on one tribe who were fighting against the Russians.
Among many video interviews, the journalist interviewed the tribe's executioner,
who smiled as he mentioned that he had beheaded
1,500 Afghani traitors, and that he had cut off many hands. Once the program
finished, Rinpoche went to the next session of the Medicine Buddha retreat,
sat on the throne, apologised for being late as he was watching TV, and
used the story as the basis for a teaching on karma, especially the karma
of killing.
How Rinpoche spends auspicious days…
On Chokhor Duchen, Rinpoche spent the morning and afternoon in prayers
and practices. He was scheduled to give the transmission of the Diamond
Cutter Sutra and to lead a Vajrayogini Self-Initiation at LMB at 7 pm.
So, Rinpoche arrived at LMB at 7.20pm, and what actually happened is that
Rinpoche began by giving a talk about compassion and cherishing others
for about 3 hours; then led a light offering for an hour; then gave an
introduction to the Diamond Cutter Sutra and emptiness until about 2 am.
Rinpoche then left LMB to go back to his house, where he gave everyone
there an offering of $100, then filled stupas till 4.30 am.
At this point Rinpoche exclaimed that he had nearly forgotten something - and rushed out to get Mani (the dog) and took her to circumambulate her stupa for an hour (till 5.30 am), then continued to paint the Prajnaparamita in gold (for the Maitreya statue) for the remains of the night. (Meanwhile, there were ordinary beings strewn about the house in varying stages of exhaustion and collapse).
Rinpoche
in Retreat
Rinpoche started out attending every session of the February Chenrezig
retreat in America - and was doing his own private retreat as well - but
stopped going to every session as it was making the sessions too long
for retreaters! Rinpoche decided to attend a session which was scheduled
from 2 - 5 pm. Rinpoche joined at 4 pm, and so the session carried on
until 3 in the morning! Rinpoche gave some amazing, down to earth, punch
in the gut commentary. He also chanted very beautifully in the huge, high-ceiling
gompa.
Rinpoche led everyone in a long dedication, which included “Please pray, while you're not asleep, to have lots of sleep!” and also “While you always pray to have the right conditions to practice the Dharma, you do have the right conditions but you don't practice” - and then laughed and laughed. When the session finished at 3 am (with the next session due to start at 4.30 am) the retreaters were so moved they got up to offer khatas to Rinpoche. And after a Heruka initiation which went from 8 in the evening until 9 the next morning, Rinpoche ended with the words - “For those who are still not dreaming, you can leave!”
Three Hour Offering to Rinpoche…
Ven. Roger tells us that when the group of Rinpoche's students from Chengdu,
China, came to Hong Kong for teachings, it took 7 students over 3 hours
to offer gifts to Rinpoche! This is because each present (such as honey,
chocolate) was offered with a heartfelt prayer related to the symbolism
of the object. Rinpoche was very moved.
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