Lama Zopa Rinpoche: second part of the official annual long life puja

Dear Friends,
The second part of the official annual long life puja for 2020 will be offered on behalf of FPMT centers, projects, services, study groups, and students, to our most kind and immeasurably precious spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, source of our inspiration and guidance, at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on April 19th.
This is the second of the long life pujas organized in accordance with the advice of Khadro-la, Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Dronme, who advised that there are obstacles for Rinpoche’s health and long life, and that two pujas are needed to help remove those obstacles.
This second long life puja will be another White Tara Long Life Puja, which will be preceded by seven days of preparation pujas at Kopan, led by Khadro-la.
Khadro-la began these preparations on April 12 at Kopan Monastery with the senior monks and Lama Gyupas. These seven days of practices are done in order to make the long life puja as powerful as possible. Each day sessions of White Tara practice are offered and many recitations of White Tara and Tara mantras are recited to eliminate obstacles to Rinpoche’s long life. They also are reciting a special mantra that combines the White Tara mantra with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s name mantra:

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE OM AH GURU VAJRADHARA MUNI SHASANA KSHANTI SARVA SIDDHI AYUR PUNYE JNANA PUSHTIM KURU SVAHA

The first was a White Tara Long Life Puja, offered to Rinpoche on December 25th, and also preceded by seven days of preparation pujas at Kopan, led by Khadro-la.

We rejoice in the merit of all who donated for these long life pujas. The names of affiliates, study groups and donors was given to Rinpoche during the first long life puja, and will be provided again during the puja on April 19th.

If anyone would like to donate again, you are welcome to do so – centers, projects, or services can make their annual donation for the long life puja of our precious guru via the secure site in the FPMT Affiliates Area. Individual donors can either give the center their donation, or can donate as individuals.

As you know, the purpose of the long life puja is for students to purify the mistakes that occur in relation to their teacher, and to create the causes and conditions to continue to receive benefit from that teacher for a very long time.

Harmony between students is the essential practice for creating the cause for the guru’s long life. Additionally, our devotion to Rinpoche is best expressed by following his advice, which includes offering service to manage, sustain and develop the centers, projects, and services which follow Rinpoche’s spiritual direction.

By maintaining harmony, following Rinpoche’s advice and offering long life pujas, FPMT students are accumulating the merits so that our precious guru will stay in the world with us for a long time. Having the continued guidance of the guru depends on the merits of the disciples. We need to create the cause for us to keep meeting with the precious guru in future lives until we attain the highest goal of enlightenment, for the benefit of all.

Rinpoche also regularly mentions that offering long life pujas is a cause for one’s own long life.