Amitabha and White Tara Initiations and Retreat

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Taichung, Taiwan (Archive #1604)

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during Amitabha and White Tara long-life initiations and retreat at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan in February 2007. The teachings include the lung (oral transmission) of the Amitayus mantra and the long-life sutra. Lightly edited by Ven. Ailsa Cameron.

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.

You can also listen to the audio files and read the unedited transcripts here.  

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching in Singapore, 2010. Photo by Kunsang Thubten (Henri Lopez).
Amitabha and White Tara Index Page

Lam-rim Teaching; Amitabha Practice

  • Perfect human rebirth
  • Importance of Dharma
  • What is and isn’t Dharma
  • Studying lam-rim
  • His Holiness Chogye Trichen Rinpoche
  • Amitabha Buddha practice and pure land

Bodhisattva Vows; Amitabha Practice 

  • Bodhisattva vows
  • Holy days
  • Long-life pills
  • Long-life sutra

White Tara Initiation; Bodhisattva Vows

  • Long-life sutra; Diamond Cutter Sutra
  • What samsara is
  • Importance of studying emptiness
  • Buddha’s special days
  • Trehor Kyorpen Rinpoche; Gen Jampa Wangdu
  • Prison project
  • Bodhicitta motivation
  • Kindness of others: parents, enemy
  • Methods to prolong life
  • Lineage
  • Bodhisattva vows
  • Lung of Amitayus mantra and sutra

White Tara Sadhana; Refuge

  • White Tara sadhana
  • His Holiness the Dalai Lama's obstacle year
  • Refuge
  • Dedications

White Tara Sadhana; Purification

  • Manjushri’s advice to Lama Tsongkhapa
  • Four suffering results of killing
  • Benefits and dangers of living in vows
  • White Tara practice
  • Food offering

White Tara Sadhana; Offerings

  • End of confession practice: purifying in emptiness
  • Motivation: suffering of samsara
  • Refuge and bodhicitta motivation
  • White Tara practice: invoking from natural abode
  • Sprinkling water
  • Meaning of OM SVABHAVA….
  • Offering mudras
  • Vajarayogini left-side conduct
  • Emptiness of White Tara, body, mind
  • Visualization and mantra recitation 
  • Protector practices
  • Dedications