Lama Zopa Rinpoche

particles of dust of the earth. Even if we gave all our human bodies numberless times from
numberless rebirths, it would not be enough to repay the kindness of our mother and father.
The second kindness is the kindness of protecting our life every day from hundreds of life’s
dangers. Our mother and our father have both protected us so much. And this is not the
first time; they have been doing this from beginningless rebirths. Even if we don’t
remember, this is what has happened. We cannot remember this because our mind is so
ignorant, so defiled, like a dirty cup or cloth that is so dirty that the many nice designs
covering it are invisible. To repay that kindness, even if we were to sacrifice our lives for
them equaling the number of dust particles of this earth, that is not enough; we cannot finish
repaying the kindness.
Then there is the kindness of bearing hardships. Parents undergo so many hardships for their
children. I just want to tell you about a couple from Hawaii who have now separated. This
was at Vajrapani, 38 on the first visit ever from Spain of Ösel Rinpoche, the reincarnation of
my guru, Master Lama Yeshe, who was kinder than all the three times’ buddhas.
After Lama passed away the Vajrapani students built a stupa and the day it was finished and
they were consecrating it the incarnation was able to be there. There was also Lati Rinpoche
from Ganden Monastery, Dharamsala, a great lama, a great scholar, a great practitioner.
Then there was Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe’s and my teacher, and the Ganden
Shartse geshe, Geshe Gyeltsen, as well as other lamas and geshes who came there to bless
the stupa. And Ösel Rinpoche, the incarnation, was able to come back to see the stupa.
I was staying in a room in a student’s house in the bush while the other lamas were down at
the center. The student, a carpenter, had the second highest house up the mountain from the
center. The highest house was Baba-ji’s, a Danish student who once lived in Nepal a long
time ago and cooked for Lama Yeshe. He painted thangkas in his house.
This is not to tell the story of Ösel Rinpoche, but he was just at the same place. While I was
receiving the oral transmission of the Lam-rim De-lam, The Path to Bliss Leading to Omniscience, 39
from Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, Ösel’s mother, Maria, was there with Ösel Rinpoche. He was so
small. I think he was very handsome, very cute. While we were receiving the lung, even
though he was very small he suddenly got up and did seven prostrations to Geshe Sopa. It
was surprising. I didn’t tell him to, nobody told him to; he did it by himself. He was very
small but this was the imprint from his past life because he is the incarnation of Master
Lama Yeshe. It just shows about past life’s imprints.
The main story is about this couple. They had lived in Dharamsala for a long time and the
last time Lama Yeshe was there they offered some land they owned in Hawaii. They had just
opened the Shantideva Center there, and because of this they invited me for lunch. The man
wasn’t there but the woman was, with their child. It was amazing. The boy could not sit still
for one minute, running everywhere, never still. If his mother had failed to watch him for
one minute he would have been dead. I thought about the patience she needed with him, to
tolerate him. It was incredible. He gave his mother no peace at all.
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