Kopan Course No. 28 (1995): Audio and Transcripts

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kathmandu, Nepal 1995 (Archive #1019)

These teachings were given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the Twenty-Eighth Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in November 1995. Included are oral transmissions of the Heart Sutra, the Thirty-five Buddhas Confession Prayer, and Pabongka Rinpoche's Heart-Spoon [now revised and renamed The Heart's Utmost Need].

Download or listen online to the audio recordings of Lectures 1-3 and 6-9, and read along with the transcript. You may also download the entire transcript in a pdf file.

Kopan Course No. 28 Index Page

This set of lectures does not represent the entire course, just primarily Rinpoche's teachings. During the early part of the course, discourses were given by geshes and Western students.

The teachings were recorded on audio tape, so you will notice some comments related to the tapes within the transcript.

The Index Page provides an outline of the topics discussed in each of the lectures.

Contents

Lecture One: Compassion
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  • Introduction to Great Chenrezig initiation
  • Buddha’s compassion is all-embracing and non-discriminating
  • Because of compassion, Buddha is a reliable guide
  • The benefits of compassion and the need to develop compassion
  • Rinpoche’s mother and Lama Yeshe
  • Benefits of practicing tantra
  • Importance of dedication

Lecture Two: The Tantric Path
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  • Recitation and visualization of Chenrezig mantra
  • The benefits of practicing tantra
  • The four classes of tantra
  • Vajrayana the “result vehicle”
  • Accumulating the two types of merit
  • Generation and completion stages
  • Unification of clear light and illusory body
  • Reason to practice tantra is only compassion
  • Origination of the universe and its inhabitants
  • Why tantra is precious and rare
  • Important to be aware how the maras disturb Dharma practice
  • All buddhas attain enlightenment through tantra
  • Meditations to help depression
  • Oral transmission of Heart-Spoon [now revised and renamed The Heart's Utmost Need]
  • Motivation and preparation of Great Chenrezig initiation

Lecture Three: The Compassion Buddha's Mantra
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  • The meaning of Vajrayana
  • The importance of lam-rim as a basis for tantric practice
  • Dangers of not having lam-rim as a basis
  • Meaning of secret mantra
  • The benefits of reciting Chenrezig mantra
  • Rinpoche’s mother recited OM MANI PADME HUM
  • Checking dreams
  • Everything is hallucinated appearance

Lecture Four: Dedication

  • Dedication after taking precepts
  • Benefits of the eight precepts

Lecture Five: Buddha Potential

  • Buddha potential
  • Purifying obscurations
  • Karma, four possessed results of
  • Covetousness

Lecture Six: Dharma in Daily Life
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  • Shopping with lam-rim awareness
  • Emptiness, the four philosophical schools
  • Need to realize the Prasangika School view of the refuting object
  • Hallucinated appearances
  • Wisdom and the specific ignorance that is the root of samsara
  • Daily attitude without the three principal paths is deluded
  • We need lam-rim in every aspect of life
  • Importance of motivation and bodhicitta in daily life
  • Why there is no fulfillment in the heart

Lecture Seven: Karma
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  • Results of ordained and lay people’s negative actions
  • Results of actions done with bodhicitta motivation
  • Importance of Vajrasattva daily recitation
  • Introducing bodhisattva and tantra vows
  • Vajrasattva purifies everything
  • Start of Vajrasattva initiation

Lecture Eight: Oral Transmission
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  • Incomparable merit of meditating on emptiness
  • Understanding samsara
  • Oral transmission of the Heart of Wisdom Sutra
  • Oral transmission of the Thirty-five Buddhas Confession prayer
  • The power of Medicine Buddha practice
  • Medicine Buddha practice to cure heavy sicknesses
  • Healing stories
  • Good to be pure vegetarian

Lecture Nine: The Nature of the Mind
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  • Continuity of aggregates
  • Nature of the mind
  • Continuity of delusions
  • Importance of taking refuge and actualizing lam-rim
  • Obscurations removed on the five Mahayana paths
  • Refuges of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
  • The Hinayana two causes of taking refuge
  • Mahayana refuge
  • Essence of taking precepts is to bring others happiness
  • Morality is the best basis
  • Living in the vows accumulates merit, even in a coma
  • So.jong ceremony and the sound of beating the wood
  • Vast difference in merits accumulated by people holding vows or not
  • Accumulating two types of merit
  • Taking refuge and precepts
  • Motivation
  • Contaminated aggregates cause future samsara
  • Absolute and conventional Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
  • Refuge and precepts ceremony
  • Dedication