Special Mailing: Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Final Meditation

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Root Institute, India, January 2009. Photo: Ven. Roger Kunsang.

As you may have already heard, Lama Zopa Rinpoche entered his final meditation at 9:30am on Thursday, April 13th in Nepal. Rinpoche had been up in the mountains in the Tsum Valley, and on arrival back in Kathmandu, Rinpoche stopped breathing.

Earlier today, FPMT shared the following update which reads, in part:

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is still in the meditation stage in his room in Kopan Monastery. A short video of Rinpoche in clear light meditation is available on Youtube if you would like to view our precious guru at this time.

In the room next to the room where Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s holy body sits in meditation, Kopan monks immediately started and are continuously engaged in twenty-four hour prayers, pujas and self-initiations, and in Kopan’s main gompa prayers are being offered continually. The prayers are being livestreamed and you can connect with that now on Youtube.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama advised on the prayers and practices to be done in Kopan, and also immediately accepted to compose a swift return prayer for Rinpoche’s students.

You can read FPMT's original announcement and updates in full on the FPMT website.

Prayers and Advice from Our Teachers

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has adviced offering Cittamani Tara pujas, and Nalanda Monastery has set a schedule for pujas which you can follow on YouTube here.

Many FPMT Centers around the world are organizing prayers and practices during this time. Check with your local FPMT Center for any plans they may have.

As mentioned in FPMT's announcement:

Khadro-la has advised that this is a most important and precious time for students. Khadro-la went on to advise that the best thing for the students to do at this time is to practice bodhicitta in particular, as well as impermanence in the context of the lamrim, and then also as much as one can to help fulfil the guru’s holy wishes.

Khadro-la insisted that we should take this opportunity to try to achieve all or some of the lamrim in our own practice. Meditating and praying to the guru to receive his blessings and guidance is very important. And to try as much as possible to complete Rinpoche’s projects and holy wishes, so already to generate that wish that we’ll be able to do that.

You many find reading Rinpoche's teachings on lamrim, as well as Rinpoche's teachings at the annual Kopan Lamrim Courses, helpful at this time.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with koala bear in Adelaide, Australia, 1983. Photo: Wendy Finster.

Impermanence and death don’t wait for us –

Every moment, we are so close to death.

Every moment of this life is to prepare for death.

Every moment of this life is to free ourselves from suffering.

Every moment of this life is to achieve peerless happiness.

Every moment of this life is to make the greatest purification.

Every moment of this life is to accumulate extensive merit,

with the thought of impermanence and bodhicitta,

and with the practice of guru yoga,

seeing our own mind as one with the holy mind of the guru and the deity,

which is the wisdom of non-dual bliss and voidness.

This is crazy Zopa’s advice for students and friends, forever,

until enlightenment is achieved.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche's advice on how to make the best use of our lives.