Kopan Course No. 15 (1982)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kathmandu, Nepal 1982 (Archive #095)

These teachings were given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the Fifteenth Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November-December 1982. The teachings include a commentary on Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara [A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life.]  You may also download the entire transcript as a pdf file.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lake Arrowhead, California, 1975. Photo: Carol Royce-Wilder.
Kopan Course No. 15 Index Page

The Index Page provides an outline of the topics discussed in each of the lectures. Click on the headings below to go directly to a particular lecture.

Note that this transcript does not represent the entire course, just Rinpoche's teachings. During the first week of the course, discourses were given by geshes and Western students.  

 
Section One
18 Nov
  • Introductions
  • Introduction to Bodhicaryavatara
  • The Five Aggregates and the Concept of “I” as Self-Existent
19 Nov
  • The Essence of Wisdom (The Heart Sutra)
  • Dependent Arising—Mind and Outer Phenomena
  • Ignorance of True Existence
  • Compounding Action
20 Nov
  • The Lineage of the Bodhicaryavatara
  • Preliminaries to and Qualifications for Giving and Listening to Teachings
Section Two
21 Nov
  • Visualizations for Preliminary Prayers
  • The Mind Under the Control of the Disturbing Thoughts
  • Buddhadharma: Subduing the Disturbing Thoughts
  • Death is Definite to Happen
  • Continuation of Consciousness
  • Evolution of Samsara
  • Suffering of Suffering
  • Suffering of Change
22 Nov
  • Suffering of Change
  • Pervasive Suffering
  • The Means to the Cessation of Suffering
Section Three
23 Nov
  • The Requesting Prayers
  • Purification and Accumulation of Merit
  • Transforming Actions into Holy Dharma
  • Remembering the Kindness of Sentient Beings
  • Transforming Anger and the Selfish Attitude
  • Continuation of Consciousness
24 Nov
  • Preliminary Practices
  • Reincarnation: Question and Answer
  • The Kindness of the Mother
  • Benefiting Others
Section Four
25 Nov
  • The Three Kinds of Suffering
  • The Kindness of the Mother (cont'd.)
  • The Purpose of Meditating on Kindness
  • Training the Mind in Bodhicitta: The Two Methods
26 Nov
  • The Kindness of the Parents (cont'd.)
  • Using this Life to Practice Holy Dharma
27 Nov
  • Repaying the Kindness of Mother Sentient Beings
  • Karma
  • Where Does the Consciousness Reside on the Body?
Section Five
28 Nov
  • The Great Volitional Thought (The Sixth Cause of Bodhicitta)
  • Examining the Teachings of the Buddha
  • The Benefits of Bodhicitta
  • Training the Mind in Bodhicitta
29 Nov
  • Purpose of Listening to Bodhicaryavatara
  • “Guarding Alertness”—The Fifth Chapter of Bodhicaryavatara
  • The Six Paramitas
  • Charity of Dharma
1 Dec
  • Eight Mahayana Precepts: Introduction
  • The Four Attitudes and Levels of Motivation
  • Charity of Dharma (cont'd.)
  • Material Charity
  • Charity of Fearlessness
  • Protecting the Bodhisattva Vows
Section Six
2 Dec
  • Requesting Prayers to Pacify Outer and Inner Hindrances
  • Protecting the Bodhisattva Vows (cont'd.)
  • Moral Conduct: Three Aspects
  • The Morality of Working for Sentient Beings
3 Dec
  • The Heart Sutra: “There are no spheres of the ‘I’...”
  • Seeing All Phenomena as Merely Labeled
  • The Morality of Working for Sentient Beings (cont'd.)
  • Patience
  • Voluntarily Bearing Suffering and Harm
  • Karma: Four Outlines
4 Dec
  • The Heart Sutra; Recognizing All Phenomena as Merely Labeled
  • Emptiness: Question and Answer
  • Patience: Recognizing the Shortcomings of Anger
Section Seven
5 Dec
  • Eight Mahayana Precepts
  • Depending on the Kindness of Sentient Beings
  • The Virtuous Friend, the Guru
  • The Necessary Qualities of a Guru
  • Examining the Guru’s Qualities
6 Dec
  • Guru-Disciple Relationship: Eight Advantages and Eight Shortcomings
  • Dependent Arising—Outer and Inner Phenomena
7 Dec
  • Different Methods for Finding Happiness
  • Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s Methods of Helping Sentient Beings
Section Eight
8 Dec
  • The Benefits of Living in the Precepts
  • The Shortcomings of the Selfish Attitude
  • Dependent Arising of Suffering and Happiness
  • The Benefits of Cherishing Others
  • Ten Benefits of Bodhicitta
  • The Benefits of Cherishing Others
  • All Happiness is Dependent on the Kindness of Other Sentient Beings
  • Working for the Happiness of All Other Sentient Beings
9 Dec
  • Transforming Worldly Actions into Holy Dharma
10 Dec
  • Working for the Happiness of Others
  • Shortcomings of Self-Cherishing
  • Actions Done with Bodhicitta Motivation
11 Dec
  • Death Can Happen at Any Time
  • Shortcomings of Self-Cherishing
  • Exchanging Oneself for Others
  • Dedicating One’s Life to Others’ Happiness

Next Chapter:

Section One: 18-20 November »