Thubten Zopa Rinpoche Explained

Region:Tibetan Buddhism
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Birth Name:Dawa Chötar
Birth Date:3 December 1945
Birth Place:Thangme, Nepal
Death Place:Kathmandu, Nepal
School Tradition:Gelug

Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (; born Dawa Chötar, 3 December 1945 – 13 April 2023) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama in the Gelug school. He is known for founding the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition and Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon.[1]

Biography

Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, also called Lama Zopa Rinpoche has an extensive biography of him in the book The Lawudo Lama by Jamyang Wangmo.[2]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was born in Thangme, Nepal, in 1945.[3] Early in life, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama Kunzang Yeshe, from the same region (hence the title "Rinpoche"). At the age of ten, he went to Tibet and studied and meditated at Domo Geshe Rinpoche's monastery near Pagri. He took his monastic vows at Dungkar Monastery in Tibet.[4]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche left Tibet in 1959 for Bhutan after the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Lama Zopa Rinpoche then went to the Tibetan refugee camp at Buxa Duar, West Bengal, India, where he met Lama Yeshe, who became his closest teacher. The Lamas met their first Western student, Zina Rachevsky, in 1967 then traveled with her to Nepal in 1968 where they began teaching more Westerners.[5]

Lama Zopa met Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama, in Nepal in 1986 and in Tibet.[4]

Lama Zopa is most noteworthy as the co-founder, with Lama Thubten Yeshe, of Kopan Monastery and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). In 1972 he along with Lama Yeshe founded Tushita Meditation Centre near McLeod Ganj at village Dharamkot in Himachal Pradesh.[6] Since the 1984 death of Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa has served as the FPMT's spiritual director. FPMT is involved with a number of charitable activities including "offering food to ordained Sangha; providing scholarships to study Buddhist philosophy; offering to the main teachers of the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition and sponsoring annual debates; offering grants for social services such as to old age homes, schools, hospitals and monastic institutions; providing comprehensive Dharma programs; translating Dharma texts; sponsoring holy objects: statues, stupas and prayer wheels, and saving animals."[7]

Death

From 10 April 2023, Lama Zopa Rinpoche stayed up in the mountains in the Tsum Valley. Due to altitude sickness he had to be brought down urgently. On arrival back in Kathmandu, Rinpoche stopped breathing. The main doctor at Karuna Hospital tried for some time to revive him, but was not successful. Rinpoche died at about 9.30 am Nepal time, 13 April 2023, at the age of 76.[8] [9]

Teachings

Lama Zopa Rinpoche's books are published by Wisdom Publications and Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Free transcripts of some of his teachings are available from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.[10]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered spiritual advice on a range of topics to students, many of which are available on the FPMT[11] and LYWA[12] websites.

Lineage

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was a Gelugpa lineage holder, having received teachings from many of the great Gelugpa masters.[13] His Root Guru is HH Trijang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso since he was a young boy studying in Buxa, India. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was a devoted student of the 14th Dalai Lama and has outlined that offering service to the Dalai Lama as much as possible and to be able to fulfill his wishes is the highest priority for the FPMT organization.[14]

Published books

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has a number of books published by Wisdom Publications and Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive including the following titles:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Official Homepage for Lama Zopa Rinpoche . 25 October 2015 . . 23 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151023082607/http://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa . live .
  2. Book: Jamyang Wangmo. The Lawudo Lama: Stories of Reincarnation from the Mount Everest Region. 2013. Wisdom Publications. 978-0-86171-890-0. 20.
  3. Web site: About Lama Zopa Rinpoche . www.lamayeshe.com . 8 April 2021 . en . 6 January 2015 . 18 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210418153256/https://www.lamayeshe.com/teacher/kyabje-lama-zopa-rinpoche . live .
  4. Book: Wangmo . Jamyang . The Lawudo Lama: Stories of Reincarnation from the Mount Everest Region . 2013 . Simon and Schuster . 9780861718900 . 314 . en.
  5. Web site: The Official Homepage for Lama Zopa Rinpoche – FPMT . fpmt.org . 8 April 2021 . 10 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410232452/https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/ . live .
  6. Web site: Tushita Meditation Centre. 25 October 2013. 19 May 2015. 8 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208160436/http://tushita.info/about-us/history-of-tushita/. live.
  7. Web site: FPMT's Charitable Projects – FPMT . fpmt.org . 8 April 2021 . 10 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410232520/https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/ . live .
  8. Web site: Kunsang . Roger . 13 April 2023 . VERY IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE . FPMT official site . 13 April 2023 . 13 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230413130323/https://fpmt.org/fpmt-community-news/announcements/very-important-news-about-lama-zopa-rinpoche/ . live .
  9. News: Sperry . Rod Meade . Buddhist teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche, co-founder of FPMT, dies at 76 . 13 April 2023 . Lion's Roar . 13 April 2023 . 13 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230413140615/https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhist-teacher-lama-zopa-rinpoche-co-founder-of-fpmt-dies-at-76/ . live .
  10. Web site: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. 25 October 2015. 21 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151021181828/http://www.lamayeshe.com/. live.
  11. Web site: Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche – FPMT . fpmt.org . 8 April 2021 . 10 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410191251/https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice/ . live .
  12. Web site: Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Online Advice Book . www.lamayeshe.com . 8 April 2021 . en . 11 July 2015 . 10 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410232453/https://www.lamayeshe.com/advice/lama-zopa-rinpoches-online-advice-book . live .
  13. Web site: Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Teachers – FPMT . fpmt.org . 21 December 2015 . 17 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151217035527/http://fpmt.org/teachers/lineage-lamas/ . live .
  14. Web site: Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Vast Visions for FPMT – FPMT . fpmt.org . 13 August 2019 . 13 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190513193639/https://fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#hhdl . live .
  15. Web site: How to Enjoy Death . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102532/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/how-to-enjoy-death/ . live .
  16. Web site: The Four Noble Truths . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102503/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/four-noble-truths-0/ . live .
  17. Web site: Bodhichitta . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102504/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/bodhichitta/ . live .
  18. Web site: Dear Lama Zopa . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102506/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/dear-lama-zopa/ . live .
  19. Web site: Ultimate Healing . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102504/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/ultimate-healing/ . live .
  20. Web site: The Door to Satisfaction . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813175902/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/door-satisfaction/ . live .
  21. Web site: Transforming Problems into Happiness . The Wisdom Experience . en . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813102534/https://wisdomexperience.org/product/transforming-problems-happiness/ . live .
  22. Web site: The Heart of the Path Book . www.lamayeshe.com . en . 29 January 2015 . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813101008/https://www.lamayeshe.com/shop/heart-path-book . live .
  23. Web site: Teachings From the Medicine Buddha Retreat Book . www.lamayeshe.com . en . 23 February 2015 . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813101155/https://www.lamayeshe.com/shop/teachings-medicine-buddha-retreat-book . live .
  24. Web site: Sun of Devotion, Stream of Blessings Book . www.lamayeshe.com . en . 8 August 2016 . 13 August 2019 . 13 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813101210/https://www.lamayeshe.com/shop/sun-devotion-stream-blessings-book . live .
  25. Web site: Rinpoche. Lama Zopa. 20 April 2021. How Things Exist – Teachings on Emptiness. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420045332/https://www.lamayeshe.com/sites/default/files/pdf/386_pdf.pdf. lamayeshe. 20 April 2021. 20 April 2021.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Thubten Zopa Rinpoche".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.