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 May 2016
Sutras, Mantras and Root Texts > Sutras and Sutra Commentaries > Diamond Cutter Sutra
Advice from Rinpoche, given when many sick nuns were showing signs of spirit harm.
Family and Relationships > Marriage and Divorce > Separation and Divorce
A student wrote that he was having a hard time after breaking up with his partner and was finding it difficult to practice.
Contemporary Issues > Dharma in Daily Life > Understanding the Suffering of Samsara
After seeing images of the suffering of many people on television, Rinpoche made these comments.
Contemporary Issues > Financial Difficulties > Practices for Financial Problems
A student was losing money every month and could not make a living any more. He had followed Rinpoche’s previous advice and had done 80 Vajra Armor sadhanas, but his situation had not improved. He said it seemed that the black magic Rinpoche had...
Contemporary Issues > Natural Disasters > Earthquakes
Rinpoche gave this advice to help pacify earthquakes in California, Nepal and worldwide.
Sickness and Health > Cardiovascular and Respiratory > Cardiovascular Disease
A student had experienced three heart stoppages in one month and had been unconscious for some time. He continued to have many health problems and several months later he was admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties. His airway had...
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Retreats > Retreat Advice
A student wrote to Rinpoche about his experiences during a recent retreat. Rinpoche advised to continue with a light retreat, doing sessions in the morning and evening, and going to work during the day.
Sickness and Health > Cancer > Various Cancers
Rinpoche checked and advised the following practices for a student who had cancer of the stomach.
Working for the Dharma > Service and Support of the Dharma > Rinpoche's Thank-you Cards, Letters and Gifts
Rinpoche sent this card thanking a benefactor for helping the FPMT.
Working for the Dharma > Advice to Dharma Centers > FPMT Service
A letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche for the FPMT Annual Review 2015.
Advices posted during the month of April 2016
Working for the Dharma > Service and Support of the Dharma > Offering Service
A student wrote that she was pregnant. Rinpoche sent her this letter.
Sickness and Health > Brain and Nervous System > Insomnia / Sleep Disorders
Rinpoche advised these practices for people who are unable to sleep.
Contemporary Issues > Politics and Conflict > Advice and Practices for Various Countries
A student wrote that she was a feminist who strongly believed in democracy and women's power. Rinpoche said the best leader is the Buddha, or a bodhisattva who "cherishes everybody and is able to guide with wisdom and compassion, not with...
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Retreats > Completion of a Retreat
A student wrote offering a three-month Vajrasattva retreat, which he said had a tremendous effect on his life. The retreat was completed at Kopan Monastery and the student had also gone on pilgrimage to many holy places in Nepal.
Sickness and Health > Healing and Pacifying Illness > Eliminating Life Obstacles
An old student had life obstacles. Rinpoche advised him to read the Diamond Cutter Sutra and do prostrations every day.
Death and Transitions > Caring for Others at the Time of Death > Practices at the Time of Death
A student’s mother was very close to passing away, and was in a lot of pain.
Contemporary Issues > Financial Difficulties > Practices for Financial Problems
A student had lost all his money in the stock market, and he had became dependent on someone else for financial help. He was very, very worried about his financial situation and he asked Rinpoche if there was anything he could do to improve his...
Buddhist Practices > General Practice Advice > General Practice Advice from Rinpoche
Rinpoche sent this letter to a student he had met at the airport.
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Retreats > Retreat Advice
A student asked for guidance on what retreat to do. Rinpoche offered this advice on how to plan the daily sessions.
Death and Transitions > Preparing Oneself for Death > A Happy and Peaceful Death
A student close to passing away wrote to Lama Zopa Rinpoche saying she didn’t get to finish her preliminary practices and was not clear what to think and practice.
Family and Relationships > Relationship Problems > Disharmony in the Family
A student asked for life practices. Also, he wanted to become a translator, but his parents didn’t want him to go.
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Guru Devotion > When the Guru Manifests Illness
After manifesting a stroke in April 2011, Rinpoche dictated this letter while still in hospital to a student who had written to him. The student was concerned about Rinpoche’s condition and sent wishes for him to get better.
Advices posted during the month of March 2016
Buddhist Practices > Tantra and Deity Practice > Various Deity Practices
Rinpoche gave a photo of Chenrezig [Skt: Avalokiteshvara] to a waitress he met at a restaurant in Darjeeling, India. Later, he sent her this advice, which includes an explanation of the visualization, the numberless benefits of reciting OM MANI...
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Bodhicitta > Advice on Developing Bodhicitta
Rinpoche gave this advice to a student about how to make life most beneficial for others, now and in the future.
Death and Transitions > Other Transitions > Various Transitions
Rinpoche wrote to ask some students to send sunflower seeds to a home for the elderly at the Tibetan settlement in Hunsur, South India. He advised that the red flowers growing in the garden there were inauspicious.
