KOPAN THE MOTHER

By Kabir Saxena

Within a week of approving our then imminent move to a new location, Lama Zopa Rinpoche had told just-appointed director Uldis Balodis to plan for an opening ceremony that would introduce the center to the Nepali community, and reflect a new era of growth for the center.

And so it was on February 13, [1997] almost exactly nine weeks after our first faltering repair and upgrading work on the building and grounds, that the new phase of the Kathmandu city center was formally and spiritually sealed by the compassionate presence of Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Himalayan Yogic Institute, Lama Yeshe’s name for us when we started in 1982, officially transmuted into Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center, though even Rinpoche, out of affection perhaps, still refers to us as Himalayan Yogi Meditation Center.

The main motivation behind such an opening was to reach out to Nepali people and to have Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche, whom Rinpoche twice in a week praised as “None other than the Buddha Hevajra,” place his holy feet on the center property.

Rinpoche has always wanted the center to offer Buddhadharma in the motherland of the Buddha. Lama Osel Rinpoche, whose twelfth birthday was a day before the opening, had to suddenly depart for Dharamsala to receive his getsul ordination from His Holiness, so could not be present.

The speeches by the director, Rinpoche, and Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche harmoniously wove together the themes of our history and Rinpoche’s wishes for the center.

It was a truly inspirational event and none of the 175 or so present will forget the beautiful stage with the paintings of the Buddhas and flowers, Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche’s old and venerable face, alternately serene and smiling, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s totally concentrated and intensely humble guru devotion and the aura of indestructible Buddha activity that was being radiated to the audience and beyond. Some of the black and white photographs of the lamas on stage could be out of old Tibet, and indeed the resonance of the event has stayed on in our consciousnesses, generating the strong wish within us here at the center to nurture well and to disseminate something very old, rare and infinitely precious – the forever meaningful experience of the Dharma – to as many beings as have the karma to receive it.

All Happiness is Due to Cherishing Others

By Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche

Since the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese communists in 1959, Tibetan Buddhism has flourished all over the world, especially due to great masters like Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who has established the FPMT centers worldwide, which benefit countless sentient beings. This is one of the FPMT centers that we are opening here today, which has a great opportunity to benefit many sentient beings.

Due to the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and Bön have been established here and throughout the world. Through the kindness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe a great many centers have been established, also here in Nepal. Kopan Monastery has many monks and nuns who have a good education program and who practice the Dharma. Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center is a branch of Kopan Monastery and benefits many sentient beings. Through the help of the Nepalese government and King Birendra there are many Buddhist activities in Nepal.

We have here the name Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center, which is very suitable for us. The “Meditation” part gives a title that suits our practice. If one is able to come here to meditate and practice, it will become easier to make oneself familiar with meditation practice. As Venerable Zopa Rinpoche explained, through hearing and contemplating, meditation becomes more important, the crucial thing in one’s practice. That is what I used to advise in my center in Lumbini and in other places – the importance of meditation. Without meditation one cannot gain realizations. When one is familiar with meditation one’s realizations develop and gradually increase.

The crucial point of Buddha’s practice is having faith in the Three Jewels – Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As Buddha said, all suffering comes from self-cherishing and all happiness from cherishing others. If we contemplate on this it helps us to train our minds. It is said that all happiness we experience is due to the mind of altruism or cherishing others, and all suffering arises due to self-cherishing. The reason that we have more suffering when we have this self-cherishing mind is that one is always thinking of self.

In brief, all sufferings in this world are due to cherishing oneself, having the selfish attitude. All positive experience is due to having an altruistic attitude. It is obvious that through cherishing and benefiting others one receives the positive results and through having selfish mind there are so many miseries. If one’s self-cherishing increases it creates the causes of suffering and all defects.

This logic shows that cherishing others is the only way to achieve full enlightenment. For that reason the more one practices cherishing others, altruism, the nearer one comes to enlightenment. Buddha has achieved his goal of enlightenment by following this advice.

The only thing one can rely on in order to follow the right path is the Three Precious Jewels. Having conviction in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and having the motivation of bodhicitta is the right way to practice.