Item Id: E-LIPM3

Email a friend Review Add to wish list

In this course, Lama Zopa Rinpoche makes certain that we understand the most fundamental and profound truth of Buddha's teachings: how ignorance creates our problems and how wisdom creates our happiness. We are given practical ways to apply impermanence, karma, and emptiness in daily life, and catch the hallucination of true existence in the moment that ignorance projects it. These teachings are extracted from the Light of the Path Retreat, September 2009 in North America taught by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

"When we say belief it looks like it is something that is not true. Here, we are talking about a belief that accords with reality. When you understand what fundamental Buddhist philosophy, practice, and belief is. Woooow!." - Lama Zopa Rinpoche

When you purchase this course, you will receive an email with a link to download a PDF, which contains the enrollment key required to access this course on the online learning site at http://onlinelearning.fpmt.org

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS COURSE

Session One: Your Mind is the Creator

• Your mind is the creator
• Refuge and bodhichitta prayer from Lama Atisha, the goal of full enlightenment is to help others unmistakenly
• Only a buddha can see the subtle details of karma: the story of Kyimdag Pelgye
• “The various worlds are born from karma.” – a quote from the Abhidharmakosha
• What makes a flower?
• Everything comes from your mind, your karma
• Analogy of a movie
• The evolution of appearances: example of the Letter A
  

Session Two: Appearances Come from Karma

• How we experience the world depends on our karma
• Preta and hell realm experiences
• Non-virtues and their particular karmic results: environmental, experiential, and habitual results. Killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
• Importance of meditation on Dharma so you can apply it when you need it
• Averting suicide by reflecting on reincarnation and karma
• Lying and its result
• The karmic results of living in vows, the morality of abstaining from negative karma.
• Protect your life by practicing mindfulness.
  

Session Three: Choosing Happiness over Anger

• Recall Refuge and Bodhichitta protect your life, this is related (!)
• If you wish for happiness and do not want suffering, you need to stop anger by practicing patience
• Who gives you the chance to practice patience
• People help a kind, compassionate person
• Merits are blown up by anger
• Choosing happiness by practicing patience
  

Session Four: How the Mind Can Change

• Ignorance
• How a real I must exist – as one with or separate from the aggregates
• How the Buddha liberates beings
• The importance of realizing dependent-arising
• Realizing emptiness
• Becoming free from the bondage of ignorance
• Three types of Eight Worldly Dharmas
• The mind can change from attachment to peace
• Losing the I

Session Five: Ignorance versus Reality

• Like a star, verse from Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha
• Ignorance has its own view
• What the omniscience mind sees
• “Like a star”
  
• “Like a defective view”
  
• “Like a butterlamp”
  
• “Like an Illusion”
  
• “Like a dew drop”
  
• “Like a water bubble
• “Like a dream”
  
• “Like lightning”
• “Like clouds”
  

Session Six: Basic Buddhist Belief

• Recall the verse from the Praise to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. Review of analogies.
• How can you say “I” am more important?
• The best kind of holiday
• Vacation from the self-cherishing thought
• Vacation from ordinary appearance and concept
• Bodhichitta turns ka-ka into gold
  
• The body is the view of your karma
• This is the view of my karma
• First – the appearance is your karma
• Second – the label comes from the mind
• Third – the hallucination of true existence - that it is coming from the side of the object; but it is a total mistake
• Importance of mindfulness practice
• The basic thing is it came from your mind: it came from your karma
• The four Buddhist seals
  

ACCOMPANYING VIDEO EXCERPTS

• “The Various Worlds are Born from Karma” (12 min)
• “Analogy of a Movie” (9 min)
• “Evolution of Appearances” (9 min)
• “Appearances Come from Karma” (10 min)
• “Analogy of the Rope and the Snake” (14 min)
• “Object to be Refuted” (13 min)
• “Ignorance & Wisdom” (10 min)
• “How the Buddha Liberates Beings” (7 min)
• “Freedom from Bondage” (8 min)
• “Losing the I” (26 min)
• “Ignorance has its Own View” (14 min)
• “Like a Magician’s Illusion” (24 min)
• “The View of Your Karma” (21 min)
• “It Came from Your Mind” (14 min)
  

OTHER MATERIAL IN THIS COURSE

• A reading pack in PDF format
• Meditations & Practices
• Mindfulness exercises for daily life
• Service component or karma yoga exercises
• Questions for discussion for student/facilitator review & assessment
• Suggested readings
  
• Helpful resources