Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Online Advice Book
Death & Transitions :
Other Transitions
- Reincarnation of Spiritual Teachers
- Other Transitions
- Caring for Dying Animals
Reincarnation of Spiritual Teachers
| Teacher Passes Away | |
| Rinpoche sent the following advice to a Dharma center after the resident teacher passed away. | |
Dear Institute Director, most dear Nina, kind dear members and students,
My letter is not meant to disrespect Geshe-la, who showed the path to enlightenment especially to the Italians. His qualities included being learned and goodhearted, and his life was a great example of the Vinaya. He was always very inspiring to his students and others, and his students never complained about him. He was very sincere and like a father, solving everyone’s problems. He showed incredible kindness to the center and the FPMT, as well as to Lama Yeshe and me.
Now we are looking for Geshe-la’s incarnation, and we are also trying to create the cause for that. The continuation of the Master’s Program is very important, and we have a great teacher coming to teach: Khensur Rinpoche Jampa Tegchog.
Khensur Rinpoche needs a place to stay, and I think it is good for him to be in Geshe Jampa Gyatso’s room. We cannot keep the room empty forever. Of course, once Geshe-la’s incarnation is educated then he can stay at the center, but now the room is needed for Khensur Rinpoche. Please understand this. Thank you very much. Each time a teacher passes away we cannot leave a room empty.
I think everyone will enjoy Khensur Rinpoche’s teachings. Everywhere he has taught before, the people are very happy. I wish everyone a happy, healthy and very long life.
With much love and prayers...
| Recognition of Tulku | |
| Rinpoche gave the following advice to a person who had been recognized as a tulku. | |
Dear Lee,
I recently had a discussion about your enthronement. I think if you would renounce the householder’s life and become a monk, then you could be of great benefit to sentient beings, especially to Chinese society and even more so, to mainland China.
As you know, the most important thing is your motivation of great compassion for sentient beings—bodhicitta. Then, spread the teaching of Lama Tsongkhapa.
With love and prayer...
| Incarnate Lama | |
| The following is a letter from Rinpoche to Hardong Khangzen at Sera Je Monastery, regarding an incarnate lama. | |
This letter is to explain the following matter mainly to the sublime Geshe Drukda, who is endowed with loving kindness and incomparable kindness, and all the students of the Hardong Khangzen.
The incarnate lama, Lobsang Tenzin, who is incarnation of the 91st Ganden Tripa, checked with dreams about the child, Tsering Tharchin. He dreamed that outside Tsering Tharchin’s home there are two trees, and two khatags were trying to go in through the window of the house.
Also, in my observation it came out very well that this child is the incarnation of Geshe Thubten Tashi.
So, this is to explain that the principal, main objective for looking for the incarnation of the teacher is to be of benefit to the teachings, Buddha, and sentient beings, and to make the child pure in morality (having subdued, peaceful conduct) and good-hearted. On that basis, then he should study the extensive scriptures of the Buddha.
So, this is my request.
I, Thubten Zopa, having the name of incarnation, offer this with a prayer.
| Recognition of Lama Zopa Rinpoche | |
| A letter and e-mail had been circulated to FPMT centers claiming Rinpoche had been recognized in his current incarnation by Shugden, which is incorrect. Rinpoche sent the following letter providing the correct information regarding his recognition. | |
To my very dear friends and students,
I heard there is some misunderstanding about how I was recognized, so I just want to give you the details here.
The main disciple of the Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe (who it is said was my previous incarnation) was Ngawang Chopel. He did many retreats during his life and he also followed the Buddha’s example of offering his own body (charity) to the insects and animals for seven days. This was quite amazing, as he completely offered his body, and they ate parts of it, and he had to be taken to hospital. Later, Ngawang Chopel also built a monastery in Maritika near a Guru Rinpoche cave (considered one of the most holy places of Guru Rinpoche, where it is said he achieved immortality). Ngawang Chopel was with the Lawudo Lama at the time of his death. The Lawudo Lama explained the signs happening during the death process to him as he was dying.
I was born in a very poor family. There was doubt by some whether I was the incarnation, mainly on the part of Lama Kunsang Yeshe’s son. When Ngawang Chopel heard this he went immediately to Tibet to consult high lamas, and all six lamas confirmed without doubt that I was the incarnation of the Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe. Two of the six high lamas were His Holiness Trulshig Rinpoche (one of the teachers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama) and his root guru the great Lama Rongpu Sangye. So, at an early age, long before going to Tibet and the monastery at Pagri (a small branch of Domo Geshe’s main monastery), I was recognized. Before I left for Tibet, Lama Kunsang Yeshe’s son accepted me as the incarnation and promised to return to me the cave and texts, etc. belonging to his father after I returned from Tibet.
I was taken to Tibet by two uncles; both were my alphabet teachers. Why did I have two alphabet teachers? The first one was from Thami, near Lawudo; he took care of me. When I was very small (maybe four years old) I was always escaping and running home, so my mother sent me far away to the monastery in Rolwaling, a very isolated place high in the mountains near Tibet. There I was in the care of another uncle, Ngawang Gendun, who also taught me the alphabet (Tibetan). I stayed with him in Rolwaling for seven years, memorizing, reading texts, and doing pujas called shi-trol.
These two uncles took me to Tibet. In Tibet, I stayed with another uncle. He was in the Indian army, then he met a Tibetan woman from Tsang and they married and lived in Pagri, Tibet. Pagri was a very busy place for traders from Bhutan, Kalimpong, Lhasa, etc. The three uncles, with some other Sherpas, left me in the care of my auntie while they went on pilgrimage to Lhasa. They didn’t take me, as they thought the journey would be too difficult and I could die, as I was still very young. After living in Pagri for some time, I met a very tall monk outside my house, who, externally, did not appear to know me. Immediately, he asked me if I would be his disciple (there must have been very strong karma with him). I answered him immediately “yes.”
Next day, in the morning, my aunt made a very nice thermos of tea and put some bread in a bamboo container inside a basket, and took me to the small branch monastery (of Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s main monastery), about 15 to 20 minutes’ walk away, where I met the tall monk again. He was the Lopon of this small monastery. The Lopon had heard stories about me from people in the village, that I was a tulku from Lawudo, near Thami. So, the Lopon, for his own benefit, asked the oracle of the monastery if this was true.
With much love and prayers...
