Letter to Lama Zopa from the Staff of FPMT International Office

January-February 1998

After being diagnosed in October as having adult-onset diabetes, Lama Zopa Rinpoche traveled from Singapore to Nepal to continue his teachings schedule at the annual November course at Kopan Monastery. No significant change has occurred, Ven. Roger Kunsang said, since Rinpoche’s blood levels were brought to less than half soon after the diagnosis.

The 11 staff members of the FPMT International Office in Sequel, California, wrote to Rinpoche on November 20, requesting him to decrease his traveling and stay, at least for a while, in one place so that his illness could be treated and brought under control.

Most Precious and Sublime Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche,

We thank you Rinpoche again and again for all your teachings, your guidance and your very presence.

Our present and future well-being are totally dependent upon your guidance; our understanding of the depth of that dependence deepens every time the mind attains a little more clarity.

Year by year it becomes clearer that your presence is the same as our hope and the way out of suffering for ourselves and all mother sentient beings. Please Rinpoche stay with us and guide us through the mass of obstacles and hurdles that we effortlessly and abundantly create every second that we stay here trapped in the vicious and extensive web of not- knowing.

Rinpoche, the continuing high blood pressure and now the sickness of diabetes, which are the manifestation that Rinpoche is taking on for us, require detailed sickness management. With such attention to diabetes, unlike almost any other disease, the lengthy list of heavily disturbing results that arise from this sickness can be almost entirely eliminated.

Such things as: regular eating times, controlled diet, physical exercise and a restful environment have a great impact on the condition.

In addition, Rinpoche’s traveling routine has a number of characteristics that are directly aggravating this illness. Also the past sickness of tuberculosis combined with diabetes is a very dangerous combination because of the serious scars that are left by TB and the power of diabetes to seek weaknesses and prevent healing.

We are now writing to request that Rinpoche will quickly settle in one place and use that base as a place where the daily schedule can be set up that will bring the sickness under control. After an initial period of establishing a program and stabilizing the condition it is possible for Rinpoche to travel again.

Rinpoche, this our request concurs with the advice that our Spiritual Father, the incomparably kind Venerable Lama Thubten Yeshe gave us so clearly and strongly on your behalf and which we have so poorly followed. Also with precious advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and advice from Venerable Geshe Sopa Rinpoche and from Venerable Ribur Rinpoche. In fact from all of Rinpoche’s teachers comes this same advice to your students of how we should be taking care. Please, Rinpoche settle in one place and set it up a base for retreat and recovery.

Please Rinpoche hear our request.

Rinpoche, a second request concerns the work of the organization. In the light of the ever-growing works that come to Roger for Rinpoche, some help for Roger has been desperately needed. Over the last 11 years while Roger has been serving as your assistant, there have been numerous attempts to add to the entourage that travels with Rinpoche and so provide help for Roger. For whatever reason this has not happened.

Regardless, the volume and importance of these major issues has grown over the years and this has now become unworkable for Roger. Roger spent many years expecting that it was the Board that should be helping him but this was not the solution.

A flash of new light for the organizational structure was seen during this recent period while Rinpoche was staying in this area close to the International Office. Roger said several times he had found enormous help and support from different members of the International Office and could begin to see that the International Office should act as a bridge from him to the centers.

With the support from our kind benefactor allowing the strengthening of the International Office, this looks like the right way to go.

This means that Roger must spend time at the International Office. In this way we can work out the way to appropriately empower the International Office be better positioned service the Centers and increase support for Rinpoche’s initiatives.

This leads us to three major issues which are now shouting unbearably in our ears:

1. The health and well-being of our most treasured teacher.
2. The health and well-being of Rinpoche’s most devoted attendant, secretary and assistant, Venerable Roger Kunsang.
3. The responsibility to care for the students and extensive projects that make up the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.

With our hands held together in a request from the depths of our hearts:

Rinpoche, please stop your traveling and set up residence in one place. Please Rinpoche, come back to stay close to your International Office so that Roger may get help. Please Rinpoche, come back with Roger now, we have a place that is ready now. With all the love and devotion that instantaneously arises in our hearts when we think of you,

International Office Staff

Ven. Sangye Khadro Reports from Singapore:

Upon hearing of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s bad health, one of his gurus, Ribur Rinpoche, sponsored a long- life puja for Rinpoche on November 2. At first Lama Zopa Rinpoche was reluctant to accept, saying that we should offer a long-life puja to Ribur Rinpoche instead, but Ribur Rinpoche was insistent. Ribur Rinpoche arrived at least an hour early to supervise the altar and arrange many beautiful offerings for tsog.

A van-load of animals had been bought in the market to be liberated, and upon his arrival at the center with Lama Osel Rinpoche, Lama Zopa said mantras and prayers for them. Four Kopan monks, wearing chögus and golden hats, played the horns, cymbals and conches to welcome Rinpoche.

During the puja Ribur Rinpoche himself got up and made the offerings: mandala, body, speech and mind, robes, alms bowl, etc. But Lama Zopa Rinpoche also got up and made a mandala offering with body, speech and mind to Ribur Rinpoche. During the course of the puja it seemed that everyone made offerings to everyone. It was very moving.