View and Search Online Advice Book
Below is a listing of advices in the Online Advice Book. They are sorted and grouped by the date posted on our website, with the most recent additions showing first. You can enter a keyword to search for advices containing that term.
Advices posted during the month of November 2020
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Retreats > Long Retreat
A student wrote asking what to do on a one-year retreat. Rinpoche checked what was best for the retreat and advised the following.
Benefiting Animals > Non-harming > Thanksgiving
Rinpoche offered this advice on how to help the millions of turkeys being slaughtered for Thanksgiving each year, and also how to think about the tradition of killing and eating turkeys. Rinpoche gave this teaching in Switzerland in 2018. Edited...
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Lamrim Study and Practice > Training the Mind in Lamrim
A student wrote that she had fallen in love with a monk. Rinpoche responded with advice about renunciation, which can’t co-exist with attachment. Rinpoche also recommended lamrim study and practice, preliminary practices and recitation of 500...
Buddhist Practices > Purification Practices > Practices to Purify Negative Karma
Before taking refuge, a student was a commercial fisherman and had killed over 500,000 fish. The student wrote to Rinpoche, who advised several practices for purifying the negative karma of killing. Rinpoche advised how to bless all sentient...
Death and Transitions > Preparing Oneself for Death > Preparing for Death
A student was experiencing ill-health, had lost weight and was feeling weak and tired. A geshe had told the student that death was approaching. The student was afraid to die and asked Rinpoche for advice.
Contemporary Issues > Natural Disasters > Various Natural Disasters
Rinpoche offered this advice on how the centers and students can benefit those who suffered greatly from the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the tsunamis in Asia.
Advices posted during the month of October 2020
Buddhist Practices > Purification Practices > Nyung Näs
A student with life obstacles wrote to ask Rinpoche about doing 108 nyung näs. Rinpoche advised animal liberation and several pujas to remove the obstacles. He also emphasized the importance of meditating on lamrim and guru devotion...
Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts > Sutras and Sutra Commentaries > Various Sutras
When Rinpoche visited Brazil in 2015, he advised recitation of the following sutras for peace, happiness and success.
Sickness and Health > Cancer > Practice Advice for Cancer
A student had pancreatic cancer which was inoperable and metastatic. The cancer was successfully treated with chemotherapy and a radiofrequency operation, but later developed on the student’s right lung. She decided to fight the cancer and asked...
Buddhist Practices > Protection from Spirit Harm > Possessed by Spirits
A student wrote that her daughter was possessed by five spirits which had physically harmed her.
Sickness and Health > Cancer > Practice Advice for Cancer
A student who had been diagnosed with cancer wrote to Rinpoche for blessing, support and advice. The student was Catholic but had visited a Dharma center and learned a little about Buddhism. Rinpoche wrote this long letter, suggesting animal...
Contemporary Issues > Dharma in Daily Life > Attitude to Work
Rinpoche wrote this letter to a student who was using the three principal aspects of the path as a business model. The three are renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view (of emptiness).
Sickness and Health > Healing and Pacifying Illness > Practices for Pacifying Sickness
Rinpoche sent this message along with buddha images to an Indian man who owned a thali shop where Rinpoche had eaten a number of times. The photos were for the shopkeeper’s brother, who was having a lot of health difficulties including mental...
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Bodhicitta > Advice on Developing Bodhicitta
In this card sent to a student, Rinpoche writes about the benefits of bodhicitta and compassion.
Working for the Dharma > Advice to Dharma Centers > Working at the Dharma Center
A student requested guidance and asked Rinpoche whether they should focus on work, study or retreat. The student also asked Rinpoche to be their guru.
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Mind Training (lo-jong) > Mahayana Mind Training
Rinpoche sent this advice about mind training (lojong) to a family whose son was injured after falling out of a window.
Advices posted during the month of September 2020
Death and Transitions > Preparing Oneself for Death > Preparing for Death
Rinpoche sent this message to a student with atrial fibrillation who was being taken to hospital. The student thought they may not live as their heartbeat was extremely fast. Note: the student did survive.
Sickness and Health > Transforming Pain and Illness > Transforming Pain
Rinpoche sent this letter to an old student who had a debilitating illness and was in incredible pain.
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Bodhicitta > Advice on Developing Bodhicitta
Rinpoche sent a Tara prayer to a student and added this motivation.
Working for the Dharma > Serving as Center Director > Advice to Center Directors
A center director wrote he had dreamt of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In the dream Rinpoche was advising that students could find eight days for taking the eight Mahayana precepts and on those days they could recite the Sutra of Golden Light and...
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Karma > Purifying Negative Karma
A student wrote that he suffered from delusions which were now controlled by medication and meditation. The student’s relationship with his parents had previously broken down and due to his mental illness he had become violent and harmed his...
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Retreats > Retreat Advice
A student wrote to Rinpoche about the practices they were doing in retreat. Rinpoche gave this advice.
Holy Objects > Monasteries and Stupas > Stupas
Rinpoche sent this message regarding a tree which was to be planted near a Lama Yeshe stupa at the Dharma center.
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Guru Devotion > Offering Service to the Guru
A student wrote that he hadn’t started a Vajrasattva retreat because he had been serving the center and didn’t yet have the time. Rinpoche had advised him to do the retreat some time ago.
Sickness and Health > Cancer > Various Cancers
Rinpoche gave this advice to a student whose father had prostate cancer.
