Lama Zopa Rinpoche is currently in Australia until 23 October presenting a series of Dharma talks and leading a month-long retreat. The retreat is hosted by the joint organizing committee of Lama Zopa Australia from three centers—the Atisha Centre, the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, and the Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery—and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). The last two weeks are a continuation of Lama Zopa’s long-term plan over a number of years to gradually give the 305 Rinjung Gyatsa transmissions, which he first began in 2011.
Promotional material for 2014 Lama Zopa Rinpoche Australian retreat.
From www.stupa.org
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born in 1946 in Thami, in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, and is the FPMT’s spiritual director, overseeing all its spiritual activities.
For the 20th anniversary of the Chenrezig Institute in Queensland, Lama Zopa gave Dharma talks and the Great Thousand-Armed Chenrezig Initiation from 7–9 September. The benefits of this initiation are said to be immeasurable, encompassing all aspects of the path to spiritual enlightenment. This practice purifies the destructive habits of our minds, and nurtures positive emotions and thoughts.
Compassion, the wish for all others to be free of suffering and its causes, is the heart of the Buddha's teachings. Chenrezig (Skt Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion, embodies our innate capacity to feel loving kindness and compassion toward both ourselves and others.
On 20 September, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a public talk on “The Bodhisattva Attitude” at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion near Bendigo, about 200 km north of Melbourne. Mrs. Ai Kien Dang, the translator for the Vietnamese audience, said in relation to the event: “This was a great experience as this is the first time I've translated for such a great Tibetan lama. I've learned a lot, and the mood of our Vietnamese attendees was joyous—we all appreciated this beautiful teaching. The overall feeling was wonderful. A great inspiration.”
The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, near Bendigo. From www.stupa.org
The retreat, also to be held at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, runs from 25 September to 23 October and has two parts. “The first two weeks include commentary on Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara [The Way of the Bodhisattva], which is open to everyone,” explained Judith Ann, the spokesperson for the retreat’s organizing committee. “The last two weeks include the transmission of the rare Rinjung Gyatsa initiation, which is open to Highest Yoga Tantra initiates only.”
Rinjung Gyatsa, or The Precious Source of Attainment of an Ocean of Mind-Bound Deities, is a collection of sadhanas and initiation methods for 305 deities compiled by the Tibetan Jonang master Jetsun Taranatha (1575–1634), while Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara is revered within the Mahayana tradition as a commentary on the entire bodhisattva path.
The month-long retreat will be supplemented by practice and review sessions, discussions, and guided meditations by senior FPMT teachers.
This retreat provides an atmosphere conducive for practice. It is also a rare opportunity for new and older students to spend inspirational time with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in a focused way, in order to gain a real understanding of the variety and depth of the Dharma.