Big Love Teaching Excerpts

Big Love features many excerpts of teachings given by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Click on the links below to explore these teachings.

Chapter 9. 1971: The First Kopan Meditation Course

• The Suffering of the Lower Realms: Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the suffering of the lower realms of samsara (cyclic existence.)
• On Marriage: Lama Yeshe answers questions about marriage and relationships in this collection of teachings. 

Chapter 10. 1972: Unsurpassed Dharma Land of Enlightenment

• Refuge: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe advises that refuge is the first step on the Buddhist path. 
• Giving Up the Eight Worldly Concerns: Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how freedom from the eight worldly concerns creates real peace.
• Lama Yeshe on Ordination: Lama Yeshe teaches on the benefits of ordination and discusses the five lay vows and the bodhisattva vows. 

Chapter 12. 1974: Introducing Vajrsattva

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  The Benefits of Bodhicitta: Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches on the negative mind and the value of bodhicitta, especially for those wishing to cultivate world peace. 

• Introduction to the Kalachakra Initiation: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe stresses the understanding of three prerequisites before taking tantric initiation.
• The Cycle of Death and Rebirth: Lama Yeshe discusses the energy of consciousness and cyclic existence.
• Intention: Your Mental Attitude: While in Bodhgaya, Lama Yeshe discusses the problems that arise with the discriminating, narrow mind.

Chapter 13. 1975: we need an organization

• Transforming Our Surroundings: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe explains how we can be happy anywhere. 

Chapter 14. 1976: Heaven is Now

• A Simple Explanation of Karma: Lama Yeshe discusses karma and maintaining awareness of everyday life actions.
• Intellectual Understanding Isn’t Enough: In this excerpt, Lama Yeshe explains how we reinforce our delusions through repetition. 
• Heaven is Now!: Lama Yeshe talks about the conflicts that arise when we are burdened with limiting concepts.
• Internal Vehicles: Mental Attitudes: We are introduced to the meaning of yana by Lama Yeshe.

Chapter 15. 1977: The More Meditation, the More Happy

• The Meaning of Dharma: Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how Dharma provides us with a method to achieve happiness and avoid suffering.
• Realizing Ultimate Reality: Lama Yeshe presents the antidote to a fragmented, dualistic mind.
• Why We Need a Guru: In this excerpt, Lama Yeshe explains how the correct guru is the antidote to our confused minds.
• Recognizing Vajrapani: Lama Yeshe explains how students can transform projections of the dualistic mind into peace, bliss and joy.
• The Nature of Dissatisfaction: Here, Lama Yeshe advises that we must check up on our desire to be happy and to avoid suffering.

Chapter 16. 1978: Mahayana, Mahayana, Mahayana!

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  The True Nature of the Mind: Lama Yeshe discusses the meaning of "buddha" and how to become completely open and free from ignorance. 

• Living in Awareness: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe discusses the value of living in mindfulness of every moment, realizing the nature of our actions and how they relate to karma.

Chapter 17. 1979: Even Your Enemy Who Tries to Kill You Is Your Best Friend

• Tantra: Limitless Enjoyment and Freedom From Grasping: Lama Yeshe explains how to investigate the space-like nature of all phenomena and establish right view.
• Limitless Love: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe discusses cultivating bodhicitta and limitless love.
• The Sadhana Within: Lama Yeshe discusses the burden of taking on too many commitments.

Chapter 18. 1980: The Teachings Are All About You

• The Tantric Viewpoint: Lama Yeshe discusses the importance of recognizing and appreciating our divine quality.
• Understanding Delusion: Lama Yeshe talks about the nature of delusion and understanding relative conventional reality.

Chapter 19. 1981: Public Life and Private Time

• Powa: Transference of Consciousness at the Time of Death: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe explains the motivation and practice of powa, a special technique to gain rebirth in Amitabha's pure land.
• Actualizing the Perfection of Patience: Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend explains how to deal with situations in which strong emotions arise; Lama Yeshe teaches on this text and the importance of developing patience.
• The Blissful Wisdom of Vajrayogini: Lama Yeshe advises to make experiences beneficial by transforming all phenomena into Vajrayogini’s blissful nondual wisdom.
• Transforming into Avalokiteshvara: In this profound explanation, Lama Yeshe discusses the incredible benefits of transforming ourselves into Avalokiteshvara.
• The Wisdom of Renunciation: Lama Yeshe explains that we must use our wisdom to check up on the best way to produce happiness in our lives.
  

  

Chapter 20. 1982: A Celebration of the Enlightened Experience

• The Experience of Transformation: In this excerpt, Lama Yeshe discusses tantra—a realistic way of transforming our situation into the path to liberation or, at least, into a subdued and tranquil life.

Chapter 21. 1983: Lama’s Last Year

• The Importance of Retreat: Lama Yeshe explains the necessity of retreat and its role in promoting spiritual development, as well as the benefits of creating and working at retreat facilities.
• How to Let Go: In this teaching, Lama Yeshe discusses how every appearance in daily life is in fact a false dualistic projection of our own minds.
• The Source of Satisfaction: Lama Yeshe explains that our quality of life is our own responsibility and comes from our own perspective.