Virtual Watch Party for HH Dalai Lama’s Long Life Puja
with Venerable Robina Courtin
Join us for a Zoom watch party with Venerable Robina Courtin to participate in a meaningful and important Long Life Puja for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, offered by FPMT. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very keen to have this puja occur.
The start time for this puja will be May 23 at 10:30pm EDT, but as His Holiness is known to often begin events earlier and since Venerable Robina will host our watch party, we will begin at 10pm EDT.
Shantideva Center is part of the mandala of FPMT, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. FPMT will have the incredibly precious opportunity to offer this puja at Namgyal Monastery in Mcleod Ganj, India. This puja was offered to His Holiness on behalf of the FPMT by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in his meeting with His Holiness in November 2022.
The purpose of a 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. Lama Zopa Rinpoche also mentioned regularly that offering long life pujas is a cause for one’s own long life.
On behalf of our students and members, Shantideva Center has sponsored one of 1000 Shakyamuni Buddha Statues that will be offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during this puja. One of our core volunteers will also be in person in India, representing Shantideva Center.
The FPMT has prepared a text that will be used in this long life puja for His Holiness. All are welcome to download this text and follow along during the event.
If you wish to participate in the puja independently of our watch party, live webcasts will be available in English, Tibetan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, German, Mongolian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French and Spanish: www.dalailama.com/live.
“To understand why a long life puja is essential, we must understand the value of the Guru. He is our guide in this life, the bardo, and future lives. He is immensely important. It is not a case where if we ask him to live he will, and vice-versa, but that to offer such a ceremony purifies our own broken samayas.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has also noted: The essential practice for creating the cause for the guru’s long life is harmony between students. Additionally, our devotion to our teachers is best expressed by following their advice, which includes offering service. By maintaining harmony, following the teachers’ advice and offering long life pujas, students accumulate the merit needed for our gurus to stay in the world with us for a long time.
Live-Streaming / Recording
About the Teacher
Venerable Robina Courtin has worked full-time for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, since her ordination in the late 1970s. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom. Venerable Robina is known for her straightforward and energetic teaching style, helping people discover the potential of their own minds with clear explanations about Tibetan Buddhism and how to apply it to their lives.
Visit her website at https://www.robinacourtin.com.
