Kopan Course No. 35 (2002): Audio and Unedited Transcripts

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kopan Monastery, Nepal (Archive #1410)

The following are excerpts of the teachings given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the 35th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2002. The audio quality is only fair, but it gives a sense of the unique style of teachings given during this very popular course.

You can also read an edited excerpt, The Kindness of Other Sentient Beings, which was included in the July 2003 monthly e-letter.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Sera Je Monastery, Mysore, India, 2013-2014. Photo: Bill Kane.
The Need for Lam-rim in Daily Life

../ then holding onto the hallucination, that appearing to, as there is real I appearing from there, believing it is real and holding onto it. We let our mind to apprehend that this is true, and grasp, hold onto it. So, so that time we created ignorance, that time we created king of the delusions, root of samsara, the delusion. Root of samsara, king of the delusion, the ignorance that time. In our … in twenty four hours of our life, whenever, whenever we let our mind …  or apprehend this, this is real believing this is real, and that we are holding onto it, grasping it. So that time, so that is root from where the death comes. Where the death, where the death comes from, why we have to experience death. So that comes from, that comes from that root. This wrong concept. Believing the I in a totally wrong way. So death, old age, sickness … all the … death, rebirth, you know, all the sicknesses, cancer, AIDS, depression, all the relationship problem, first of all so much worry, fear, you know, unable to meet, unable to find. After found, then another suffering starts. After found, before there is another suffering, unable to find, then after it’s found, another suffering starts. Dissatisfaction, can’t get satisfaction. Then more and more mind gets dissatisfied. More and more the mind gets dissatisfied, unhappy. See more and more problems, experience.

So like that all these wars, whatever conflict, whether between religion or nations, however all these unimaginable disasters, all these, so that concept that you create in our daily life, all the time this concept, ignorance. So all came from, all caused by this, cause by this root. This is the root, everything came from this. The root.

When we go hospital, when we go to hospital that ... how many people in the hospital, you know, when you enter in the hospital so sad, the minute when you enter in hospital, so sad. So many people dying, so many people crying and so many people have pain, so many people in coma, not sure person is alive, you know, all these thousands of dollars each day the oxygen, oxygen, is that oxygen or…? So the family members not sure how long to take time, you know. However, someone having heart attack, all that. The families around crying, so worried, so sad and, you look in the hospital, if you look at in the hospital this … you don’t see people smiling in the hospital. People can’t do … entertaining or anything. Kind of sad. Anyway, you see people suffering so many different ways, so unbearable. So unbearable. Each person how their situation is. So, so painful, so unbearable. However, however all these, where it came from? The root is this wrong concept that I have just introduced, just come from that, that root, that ignorance, ignorance.

In our daily life every time not practicing, even there is no realization seeing emptiness but not practicing awareness, mindfulness, you see that which is empty. Just even example one phenomena, the I is empty, empty of existing from its own side, thinking that way or the I appearing to you, either I appearing to you the real one, the real I, a real I appearing, a real I appearing from there. So practicing mindfulness, that which is a hallucination, practicing mindfulness, looking at it hallucination as it is hallucination. Looking at it hallucination as it is hallucination. Looking at it hallucination that which is hallucination. So, or that the I is dependent arising, merely imputed by a thought. So neither any of this awareness, that is empty, neither that, neither that meditation nor this I, real I appearing from there it, this is hallucination, practicing mindfulness with this hallucination. Not even this. Even this is not there.

Then third, the reality, the reality how the I exists, existing in mere name, merely imputed, merely … there is I existing, I is functioning in mere name, merely imputed by mind. So even, also not that meditation, that mindfulness.

So neither any of these meditations. So then you have no protection, so you have no protection at all in your life. So lack of meditation, lack of mindfulness, these things, then there is appearance, then there is appearance this hallucination there, like the audience they have illusion, they have an illusion, you see, from here you have illusion this I, existing from its own side. The one that which, the I that which exist is empty from its own side, but I which, the I which you are illusion, the I that you, the I hallucinated, what ignorance, illusion, I that that ignorant, illusion to you, that is I, real I appearing from there, not merely imputed by mind.

So then in our daily life, 24 hours, we always let our mind to apprehend that it is true, and that it’s true, you see, we let our mind hold onto it. So then like that, then that’s how we constantly create ignorance, create root of all the sufferings; create root of samsara; create root of all the samsaric suffering, root of hell … the unbearable suffering of the hell, if you went through that then all those, all those what is explained in teachings, root of all that and, and root of all the unbearable sufferings, oceans of suffering of the hungry ghost, those sentient beings, oceans of sufferings of animals, then as well as oceans of problems in human beings and sura, asura so forth and intermediate stage being. So creating root of all the … creating all these sufferings all the time. Root of all the delusion, karma, all that. So including, including this body, including this body, samsara .. this body nature of suffering, which is nature of suffering, the mind that which is nature of suffering, which experience the worries, fears, all these things, upsetness, you know, guilt, depression. So this ignorance, this concept that we are creating all the time is the root of all these, where all these came from.

So therefore now, this ignorance that we are creating, you know, constantly we creating this ignorance, this wrong concept, holding onto this truly existent I. So now, it leaves again negative imprint back on the mental continuum. This time we create ignorance, we leave negative imprint, negative imprint again on the mental continuum. You know, the same, each time attachment arises, it leaves, it plant seed of attachment on our mental continuum, plant. Each time we get angry, the seed of anger back on our mental continuum. So same all other delusion. So that’s what makes life difficult. That’s what makes life difficult. That what makes even, anyway, that what makes, you see, that makes … even everybody want, even everybody want realization, everybody want realization, want to achieve the whole path right now, you know, even one second anyway the whole path that as we wish cannot, that doesn’t happen that. It cannot happen like that according to wish, according to wish to complete the whole path, to have all the realization, right now but it cannot happen.

Anyway why … even we know, even we know very well intellectually the meditation techniques, the teachings, but why it’s difficult to practice, why difficult, why it’s difficult to put into action, say, to remember in daily life when you encounter problems, able to remember, able to remember, able to apply immediately. And many times … at the beginning, especially the beginning, many times forget, doesn’t remember, then after, after with delusion arising, delusion took over your, delusion already took over your mind, took over you and did all the works, delusion did all the works, delusion did all the works, all the activities, then after everything finishes then you remember the meditation. So delusion arising, finished create negative karma, what is insulting to, what is harming to others, whatever, then later you remember, maybe it disturbs your sleep as you remember, however, but not easy, so like that.

But of course, but of course, we have buddha nature in our heart, in the mental continuum, buddha nature and because of that, and the delusions and the seed of delusions are not permanent, not independent, they are dependent arising, dependent on the cause and conditions. They exist. They happened due to the cause and conditions. These delusions, these delusions, the seed of delusion happened, you created it, it happened. So because of that, because they are causative phenomena, depending on cause and conditions, so therefore you can change them. Due to another causes and conditions, you can cease them. So like that.

So it needs, so therefore it needs continual effort. Through continue effort, then, gradually … then even meditation practice, even Dharma practice, so beginning one needs, but by continuing everyday planning to practice and especially when one encounter, you see, where the delusion rises, when one encounter problems, to apply Dharma, meditation. So gradually able to practice more and more. Then later, then later when the mind is well trained, the minute the problem, the minute you encounter problem you have the method, you are able to use the method at the same time, immediately. So when the mind is well trained, like the person who is well trained, like the person who is well trained riding horse, when the horse runs, whichever way it runs, the person who is well trained how to ride, how to fit it, how to ride then if the person mind is distracted but ... somehow able to adjust, able to, know how to ride, naturally it happens, you know, it depends on the horse runs, moves. So without effort it naturally happens. So like that. Maybe not that example.

The children, the children they were, they were always reminded by parents, I guess must be especially mother, I think, always the mother also watches the children’s behavior, the table manners, always watching, always tell, always tell child, when they make mistakes. So for a long time everyday understand the table manners, how to eat, all those things. When your mouth filled with food not to speak; by taking mouth to eat, eat food but not to make noise, all these things. So then one day when they are grown up, when they have child, so that time they put effort to bring, because they got so habituated, so trained, so when they grow up, all these table manners, all behavior naturally what parents taught when they were child time. So this behavior, without thinking of it, it just naturally happens …

I thought just to mention a story. One student, her name is Vicki Brown, she is one that, she was working in New York, those very high buildings where there is banks, very high buildings, where there is this bank, New York bank. So one of these high buildings, on the very top floor there is a office, one very devoted business, Chinese business person, very big business person, very devoted to Dharma, Sangha and he build a monastery for His Holiness Karmapa in New York, few temples, you know, one of his small temples I gave … quite a number of years ago, I was invited there, one Chinese called Bodhicitta Foundation, one society, so invited me a few times to give initiation, so I gave a talk.

So Vicki Brown, this student, she is working in that office, translating sutra from Chinese into English. She requested this Chinese businessman, his name is Dr Shen, Dr Shen, she requested him to invite us to America. And this was our first , this is very, very first journey from Nepal to the West, straight to New York, from Kathmandu, from Kathmandu to, straight to New York. So when I saw the custom [officers] in New York I thought they were very efficient, I thought they are so good, so efficient.

I think, I think we spent eight months, first in New York, did one weekend course, there are some old students, and then Indiana and also Wisconsin, Madison where Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe’s teacher from Tibet and he was my teacher, first time I took teachings that time. So I think it took eight months. So she had Vicki Brown, she … I think before, before she invited us to New York, she had some sickness that she … little bit different each year, she had some sickness that she experienced each year. So she was here at Kopan, that time didn’t have monastery. It just an old building, very old building, built by the previous king of Nepal for his guru or astrologer, I think it’s astrologer, there was old house here and build in British style, the architect, nice house.

So I start, I start to give some Dharma talks in my room that time, tried to introduce, by drawing, by making drawing the five paths, the five paths to achieve the arhat stage and then the five paths to achieve enlightenment, I made drawing on rice paper, so I made five stories, the five bodhisattva stories. Then there is arhat one of them, and there is five other stories. Then there is a lift, I draw lift I am not sure so there are people standing there, then there is, I think, Buddha. There is a monk and some, some people there. Anyway, then there is samsara, the very sharp pointed mountain, to show the nature of samsara – there is no happiness, only suffering. So the mountain is very sharp and then there is some animals eating other ,something. So I made a big design and as I put on the wall there, people come through, the one little bigger room where is gompa.

Anyway, so I was trying to explain just little bit, try to give little bit teaching, so she was there that time. Then she got sick. She was sitting, never moving, just sit, she was sitting, never move or talk all day long. And never eat, never eat food. So on the … brought her outside, brought on the hill and I fed with spoon, by explaining how beneficial it is to eat the food and that, I think ate one or two. She was having some hallucination, some sickness. So even that time, even though she is sick, hallucination, total hallucinate but taking manner, you know, when she eats food, making noise, very nice this ___ even she was totally sick but because she was taught when a small child, the parents taught everyday, was so well trained, even thought she is sick but when she eat food, I don’t know this much, very nice eating without opening the mouth, very smooth. Anyway, I remember that, I remember the story. So when our mind is well-trained then Dharma practice, meditation, so like that. So like that.

So therefore the problems doesn’t, problem doesn’t take over you. You can, you can overcome the problem. Problem, problem doesn’t overwhelm you, doesn’t take over you, you can overwhelm the problem, because the Dharma practice, the meditation, when your mind is well trained, you see, doesn’t give … you can change that it can’t take over you, so like that.

What I was saying before?

So the conclusion is that, so the ignorance, ignorance leaves … when each time we create ignorance leave, plant seed back our mental continuum, you see, to rise ignorance again. And that project hallucination. So goes on like that. So goes on like that, no end. So I would say, so I would say this, I would say this is the biggest suffering, in our life, this the foundation. So until, until we cease this ignorance, so what, what … only, only thing even though there are so many realizations, bodhicitta and so forth, only one that can eliminate this ignorance is by only the wisdom realizing the emptiness. It’s not, anything what’s called emptiness is not … there are four schools of Buddhist philosophers, each one talks about emptiness, each one has their own right views. I am going to mention Tibetan language, Tibetan name. Che tra ma ba, it has its own right view; do de pa, it has its own right view; and then sem tsam pa, Mind Only school, has its own right view; then Madhyamaka, which has two of, the first one, Prasangika … Svatantrika, it has its own right view, its own interpretation, its right view, emptiness. So not any of those emptiness. It has to be, what can cut this ignorance is only by the wisdom realizing only the Prasangika, Madhyamaka school, Prasangika School view emptiness. So if you don’t know this, if you don’t know, if one has no idea, no Prasangika School view, Madhyamaka School, Middle Way school, the second one Prasangika school, as long as one doesn’t know this there is no chance, no way to eliminate this ignorance, the root of all the suffering cause. So there are, maybe many books talking about emptiness but not in this way, it’s the right view, it’s the exact … wisdom realizing that can cut this ignorance. So like that.

So therefore, so this is only direct … only way that can cut ignorance is this. So therefore in the daily life, in our daily life antidote, to make, to not create ignorance, you know, to not … our concept, to not allow to become ignorant, you know, root of samsara, to not create and then to cease, to eliminate ignorance and to purify even the seed, which is nature of imprint, the seed of ignorance, even cease it completely, make it impossible to rise ignorance again, which is the, which is the liberation, the ultimate liberation, nirvana, sorrowless state. When our mind become free like that, pure like that then there is nirvana in our mental continuum. So the ultimate nature of our mind that which, totally clear, having cease this ignorance, including the seed that which is nature of imprint. So that’s nirvana, sorrowless state.

So therefore it becomes, therefore it becomes very important, very essential … you can see now how important it is to do, to study, to listen correct teachings on emptiness. And to reflect and to realize, then develop wisdom. However, in our daily life to practice those mindfulness which I mentioned. So becomes very essential. So that’s like atomic bomb, it’s like atomic bomb to, for ignorance, to destroy samsara that this meditation, mindfulness that I mentioned.

So now the conclusion, now the next conclusion.

So you can see, you can see in our daily life how it’s important, how it is emergency, urgency or emergency the daily life to practice meditation in the lam rim, such as this emptiness, like that. So with this mindfulness, wisdom realize emptiness, with this mindfulness then whatever meditation we do and whatever activity we do becomes antidote to samsara. Remedy to samsara, direct and that to cut the root of samsara, the ignorance.

And then with bodhicitta, any meditation we do, any Dharma practice we do and any activities we do in our daily life, including doing job, so forth, everything becomes cause to achieve enlightenment. Everything becomes cause, not only cause of happiness, not only cause of happiness future life, not only cause to be free from samsara, it becomes cause to achieve full enlightenment It become cause to achieve full enlightenment. So it becomes extremely important in our practice in our daily life. So now, so to really do, to really to benefit for other sentient beings, we need to learn, we need to have this realizations, this fundamental realizations. Therefore we need to practice, therefore we need to learn, like that.

So it took a long time, what I was going to say took a long time.

That was what I really would like to … what I would like to express was this, that took a long time to come to this conclusion

Anyway … that is to develop compassion, generate, practice compassion, develop compassion. So that becomes so essential, practice compassion, develop … become the most important, most important thing in our life. If you practice compassion to other, to other sentient beings, from this all your wishes get fulfilled, all your wishes for happiness, temporary, any temporary and all the ultimate, including enlightenment, everything happens. Everything you get, concerning your own happiness. And if one practices compassion all sentient beings get happiness from you, temporary, ultimate, enlightenment, including full enlightenment. They get all the, they get all these happiness from you, from your compassion and you are able to do that. You are able to offer that, because compassion derives, compassion, your… compassion to free others from suffering and causes is by you, including the gross, subtle defilements of others.

So therefore compassion pursues you, the word I was looking, pursue. Compassion pursues you to develop wisdom, to develop wisdom. Compassion pursues you to have all the qualification to be able to do perfect work, perfect work towards all the, towards all the sentient beings. Compassion persues, pursues to have all the qualities, qualifications, you know, all the realizations to complete, to complete the realization, to have omniscient mind, fully knowing mind and perfect power to reveal any method that need, that fits the sentient beings, all that. So to complete all the qualities. The compassion pursues you. So that’s how, you see, all the sentient beings receive all their happiness, able to receive all the happiness from you, from your compassion. And your compassion, so pursues you, yeah, to engage or to have all these realizations. So therefore, you see, including the wisdom, so like that. So from your compassion also the very important one is numberless other sentient beings, they receive … you are able to offer, you are able to cause all the temporal happiness and the ultimate happiness, including full enlightenment to numberless other sentient beings.

And that one, this one I am talking very, you know, broad way, broad way that covers all sentient beings. Now that is talking in a broad way, covers all, covers all the sentient beings. What I want to, what I want to say that, you see, the world, the world is suffering so much. Look at even in Nepal here, we have been peaceful for so long, for so many years, just the country, beautiful country, beautiful … as unbelievable precious holy place. And peaceful for so many years. Even, even thinking, even concerns Nepal so that there is all this violence and so many people got killed all the time, even in Kathmandu and especially outside. So like that, you see, no question about, other in the rest of the other world. So I am, I have met quite a few from Israel, I think one that coming that night, I have met, I have met quite a few from Israel, so like that you see, quite a few of you came from Israel, so as you can see how much world is suffering like that, confusion. Hatred, filled with hatred. Unending war, killing unending, so difficult, unbelievable difficult to bring, you know, peace. Not only, not only Israel, not only Israel. Pales… where? I read so many times but I can’t pronounce correctly. Palestine. So Israel and Palestine. Anyway, not only that, there are many, many different parts of the world so much killing, there is so much suffering. So much suffering. Russia. Many parts of the world, so much killing and so much hatred, you know, like that.

So therefore how to bring peace in the world is by generating compassion, with oneself and causing to generate the compassion in other’s mind. Oneself learn the compassion and teach other, inspire others to generate compassion, inspire others. Showing one’s own example, you know, and inspire others, practice compassion. So like that. So only through this, only through this you can bring peace in the world. Only through this. The real peace that comes, peace that, peace and happiness comes from your free will. Peace and happiness comes from within, from within you, you know, individual heart, from the, from compassion comes.

So therefore, so therefore the reason, so therefore the reason why I said in the beginning how it is … remember what I said, that you made best decision, what I said at the beginning and how important, how extremely so essential here to, here to do meditation course, not just any kind of meditation but meditation on lam rim, the complete answer how to develop, which has complete answer how to develop compassion. I am not just wishing to have compassion, but here, here explaining how to develop compassion. The complete explanation how to develop compassion. So we are doing meditation through these stages, that which leads to compassion. Not only that, bodhicitta, then, beginning with this then whole path to liberation … whole path to enlightenment.

There is a group of people in America who, scientists who experimented, people who have good heart, people who have good heart, you see, they discovered, that it is proved to, by this crucial finding, by testing, by checking through … with the highly developed technology, the people, people who have good heart in daily life, very generous, very kind to others, very generous, very kind to others, they discovered there is a heart problem, something I don’t remember exactly they, they labeled, there is something subtle one. So they don’t … people who have good heart in the daily life, very kind, very generous, everyday life to others, it is proved that they don’t have this, some heart sickness, something with the heart, I think, don’t remember, do you remember? No, you don’t. I don’t remember . You don’t remember?

So anyway, so they prove they don’t have that. They proved that person who, people who are very kind, generous, good-hearted towards others that they, that it helps so much for health, makes much better health than the person who, the person who is, who live life with self-centered mind, opposite. So they suffer more health problems. Their heart, I don’t remember the name, the heart sickness and so forth. So that definitely proves through western science, through their …

Also they check by questioning, there are three levels of question, one, right one then, then little bit more time, then most difficult one, you see. The first one, somebody who doesn’t have money, somebody who doesn’t have home or, somebody who doesn’t have money, can you give money, you know, can you help, give money to that person. So that’s first question. To check that, to check the person’s good heart, generous kind. Then next one, person’s yes. Then next one, they ask question, that person needs to stay, need this place to stay, can you offer place. So that’s the second question to check the person, how the mind is … kind. Then the third one, third one I don’t remember. It gets more and more difficult. Person to let go. They check, you know, the group these scientists they question to the people like that.

Then according to attitude then they check the health, you know like this. So they prove that with .. person living self centered mind, you see their heart conditions and many … many health problems. So then, so they saw very clear, make big difference in health.

So then they checked, then they asked, you see, Hindu religion, Muslim, Christian, I don’t know how many religions they checked. The techniques … they proved the compassion definitely helps for the health, so they want to know, to get the answer how to develop compassion. So they asked different religious … they could not find clear answer. They do not find clear answer, how to develop compassion. They checked different religious people.

So they, so they thought, so they thought Buddhism is one that has complete answer, how to develop compassion. So they, the groups or the scientists, they made, they discovered that. It’s only one that has complete answer how to develop compassion. So they wanted to make experiment to some of our … to students about compassion, by using their technology. So I did two days the bodhicitta, ___ bodhicitta. The seven techniques of Mahayana cause and effect, like that. Of course with the foundation, you know, I mentioned renunciation, the basis. I didn’t finish, I didn’t get done the bodhicitta techniques, exchange oneself for others, so that didn’t happen within two days. So later Ribur Rinpoche did that.

So this is, the students who are registered, who signed to do, to practice and later, then they will come to check the technicians, with the technology, they checked. They checked the … how much compassion the person was able to, able to develop. So three months training, three months meditation practice. So then two students from Switzerland they had to go back earlier, so they did very well already, the experiment and they seem to be, they seem to do very, very comments, good comments and so there are … how many, who did the …? About twenty-four students around California, so I am not sure whether they have finished experimenting or not, I am not sure.

So anyway, this is just side talk. So the idea is, after it’s proved that, that able to, people able to develop compassion. So they want to, you know, to prove or to explain to the world scientifically that, should explain.

So therefore what we’re, what you’ve been doing, what you can do, and what we are doing here especially as we were learning how to develop compassion, we are learning … one specific thing is learning the meditation developing compassion, based on discovering your own samsara, how it’s nature of suffering.

So therefore it’s not compassion only for poor people who has no food, no home, not like that. Only for animals, compassion only for animals, some people have compassion only for the cat they love cats, you see, only their love is cat. So compassion only cat. Anyway, some people compassion only for the pigs. anyway, so not that, not like that. Compassion, not only for poor people but also wealthy people. Compassion for everyone, not only to the friend that you love but also to the enemy. Compassion to all the living beings, without discrimination. Anyone who is suffering. So here what we are learning, what we are trying to develop is this compassion for all living beings.

So therefore, so this, everyone of you, you see, learning this, become best contribution for the world peace. Best contribution for all sentient beings happiness, peace and best contribution for this global peace and happiness. For every, for every country or for every person, every living being as well, is your best contribution. Your developing our mind to bring peace to the sentient beings, numberless sentient beings, to this world. That’s what exactly, that’s why exactly it is. So this, so therefore this becomes really, the most important, important thing in the life. The most, the most urgency, urgency, urgency, cannot wait, cannot waste time to learn, to develop, like that. So like that then we should do ourselves practice as much as possible generate compassion and develop … and we should, in our daily life we should use compassion as much as possible. Just normal conversation should bring up compassion as much as possible. Other people to hear compassion, name … to learn. Even normal conversation bring up how to bring compassion. …/