28 Precious Human Rebirth, Guru Devotion, And Impermanence 22-Apr-2004

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that human rebirth is more precious than all the wealth in the human and deva realms. It’s the basis for us to achieve liberation and full enlightenment. Therefore, before death, we must free ourselves from samsara. To do this depends on bodhicitta. Rinpoche explains that without bodhicitta, we cannot practice the tantric path. By cherishing one human being, we can achieve all the qualities up to enlightenment. After that, we can offer skies of benefit to each sentient being.
Rinpoche advises that if you really understand the mind and practice awareness, you’ll realize that there’s no inherently existent harm coming from sentient beings’ side. It’s your own negative mind (past karma) that has caused sentient beings to harm you back. If we analyze situations in this way, we see that the person who’s harming us is only an object of compassion.
Rinpoche reminds us to practice mindfulness of guru devotion. We should think about how the aspect of the guru, which is showing an ordinary aspect, is unbelievably important for us. Due to our impure minds, we can only receive guidance through this aspect. Thus, all the buddhas guide us through this ordinary aspect. When we obtain advice, we should think that this advice is all the buddhas’ advice.
Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (from Pabongkapa Dechen Nyingpo’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand). He reads parts 3, 4, and 5, which refer to an extraordinary meditation technique that will bring great progress, realizations related to leisure and fortune, and impermanence. Regarding impermanence, Rinpoche advises us to think seriously about our own death so that we pursue Dharma practice without any delay. Also, when other people die, it reminds us to pay attention to our own life and practice seriously. Rinpoche concludes by sharing some remarkable stories about the sudden death of one of the Kopan geshes, Geshe Losang Jamyang. He says that it was a great loss as he was a very humble and learned monk.
Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at fpmt.org/