Obstacles to Retreat

Obstacles to Retreat

Obstacles to Long Retreat
Date of Advice:
February 2018
Date Posted:
February 2022

A student asked Rinpoche whether they should begin a three-year retreat. Rinpoche observed that there were life obstacles and recommended these practices.  

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
It seems in my observation that you have some quite heavy life obstacles. This is what came out in my observation.

  • Have the puja called mamo trü kang done for you four times, or if not, three times or at least twice.
  • Take a long-life initiation from the geshe there.
  • The Prajnaparamita text in one volume (Tib: gyetongpa) needs to be recited by the Kopan Lama Gyupas.
  • Arrange for 500 tsa tsas of the three long-life deities to be made. They are all on one mold. If you can, arrange for that to be done in Australia, for example, at Chenrezig Art Studio, or you can even do it yourself or ask someone else to do it.

Please make your life most meaningful with the thought of bodhicitta, day and night, and in every action you do.

See you soon.

With much love and prayers ...

Pacifying Obstacles to Three-Year Retreat
Date of Advice:
June 2017
Date Posted:
September 2021

A student was about to start three-year retreat and asked Rinpoche if there were obstacles and what to do.

My very dear one,
Thank you for your letter. I checked and according to my observation, you need to read the Vajra Cutter Sutra five times for success of the retreat.

The entire Kangyur needs to be read once by the Ganden Shartse monks. You can discuss with them whether they can do it and the cost, and if you are able to, you should sponsor the offerings of tea, money and bread for however many days it takes. So you have to discuss this with the monks, to see if you are able to sponsor it and cover the cost they are asking.

If you can’t afford it, then if they have other benefactors you can do it along with them. If you can’t completely sponsor it by yourself maybe there are other benefactors who need this also and you can join with them, then you make whatever offering you can—half or whatever you can do.

Make requests to the monks to dedicate and make strong prayers to pacify obstacles, for the retreat to be successful, for the retreat to become Dharma, and for Dharma to become the path to liberation and that becomes the path to enlightenment; for retreat to be most beneficial for every sentient being to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. So that method is for yourself to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible for that.

You need to recite Gyetongpa [Prajnaparamita in 8,000 verses] five times. It comes out best if you read this.

You should also recite the Verses for the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones. This is what is normally recited every morning, especially when beginning retreat, for success, especially before starting any project

The Four Mandala Offerings to Chittamani Tara puja needs to be done by the Kopan nuns.

Please try these, for the retreat.

With much love and prayers ...

Retreat and Life Obstacles
Date Posted:
November 2013

A student studying FPMT’s five-year Basic Program asked Rinpoche for advice about whether he should do a one-month lamrim retreat, which was scheduled as part of the course. The student had mixed feelings about doing the retreat.

My dear, most kind, precious one,
Thank you for your letter. I am very happy that you are enjoying studying the Basic Program. This is so important and meaningful for your life, both for yourself and for others, because what is done in this life will make everything so much easier in the next life.

Next life it will be so much easier to get realizations because of your study in this life. Then you can achieve enlightenment, and then you can do perfect work for the numberless sentient beings—you can free the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, suras, asuras and intermediate state beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to full enlightenment.

According to my observation, for your long life you need to liberate three animals that are in danger of being killed and read Amitayus Long Life Sutra [Tib: Tse.dö] twenty times. Do these things now.

The retreat doesn't come out in my observation, but these things also need to be done.

With much love and prayer ...

Life Obstacles
Date Posted:
November 2012

A student was about to start a three-month retreat, but both Khadro-la and Chöden Rinpoche had advised there were obstacles.

I checked extensively and yes, there are obstacles to the retreat; it seems difficult. So I checked and according to my observation you have life obstacles. If you can:

  • Take the long-life initiation of Amitayus. If you can, take the initiation four times, so this means the lama giving the initiation does the visualization and puts the torma on your head four times.
  • Liberate 80 animals. Use my book, Liberating Animals, which explains the practice. Liberate animals that are otherwise going to be killed.

When you are doing the Vajrasattva recitation that Chöden Rinpoche has advised, you can still meditate on lamrim even during that time. For instance, you can do a little meditation on Vajrasattva, then recite the mantra (some long and some short) and meditate on lamrim while you are reciting the mantra.  

So try what I have advised and finish what Chöden Rinpoche has advised. Also, I checked and it comes out very good for you to do the Masters Program.

I am making prayers for you. The essence is to make your life most useful, so you must study the lamrim, meditate on the lamrim and actualize the lamrim, develop guru devotion and live your life with bodhicitta as much as possible.

With much love and prayers...

Need for Harmony in Retreat
Date Posted:
November 2009

Rinpoche sent the following messages at the beginning of and during a retreat.

At the beginning of the retreat

Controlling anger is the most important thing, more important than recitation of anything good, which you believe in. Without anger there is no bad karma, no interference to your happiness, and nothing to be purified.

OK. Be wise.
Zopa

During the retreat

I am terribly upset with those people who are not concerned to keep the harmony. That’s very bad. It is extremely important to not get mixed up with the broken samaya brothers who do not feel comfortable with each other. Why do vajra brothers create broken samaya?

For all students to be harmonious is the most important cause for Lama’s quick return to guide us and all others. Even to not come in the evening time is very bad. More than this I cannot say, otherwise I cannot do retreat; it will be like a volcano breaking into atoms. Of course, someone cannot come if they have to do something at that time. Fighting each other right in front of Lama’s relic bones, only that is left for us to see.

So, many thanks to those who always come, not caring whoever leads the prayer, but holding the meaning or the practice in the mind. After each session, I dedicate the merits to them.

Obstacles in Retreat
Date Posted:
November 2009

Rinpoche sent the following advice to a nun in retreat, who was having obstacles.

My very dear oe,
Thank you for your kind letters and messages. I am sorry it took so long to reply. I have checked and there are some practices that you need to do:

These are strong purification practices and it is important to do all of them with a bodhicitta motivation.

It is very important that your whole retreat is based on lamrim meditation—this is the most important thing. Please read and meditate on the lamrim mindfully, not rushing, and relating it to your own life, to yourself.

If you can, read the Essence of Nectar and Essence of Refined Gold lamrim books a little each day and keep reading them, plus other lamrim texts. Carry on like this until you have stable realizations.

Please try to do everything with bodhicitta, the thought of benefiting all sentient beings, the thought to free all sentient beings from all sufferings and obscurations and bring them to enlightenment.

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa