La Gug Part 2 Video: Preserving Your Healthy Vitality and Life force —— from a Weekend Medicine Buddha Healing Retreat with Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

Feature Contents

    In part one of this video series on La Gug Vitality Retrieval, the most Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche —spiritual head of several Buddhist Centres in Canada, the United States and Australia — explained how recognize the “symptoms your life-force is weakened.”

    Part 1 of this video series is here: “La gug Lifeforce Recovery Practice”>>

    In part two, Rinpoche teaches methods to preserve your valuable healthy vitality or life force — La, in Tibetan, Prana in Sanskrit — including lifestyle choices, meditation techniques and the importance of having “uplifting” goals in life. Please enjoy video 2 in the series below:

     

     

    The Secret to Living to 100

    Rinpoche tells the wonderful story of one of his own teachers, who lived to 100. His guru’s secret to very long life was having an “uplifting” goal. “Lamas don’t retire,” his teacher told him, and he explained the vital importance of having life goals that are beneficial to society and sentient beings.

    La Gug, literally translates as “life force retrieval”, and includes techniques proven over hundreds of years to extend life and improve life. How do you know if your life force is weakened, beyond the obvious loss with aging? In part one of the series, Rinpoche discussed how to determine if your La is weak. [Video 1 here>>] Some of the obvious ones included physical debility, lack of energy, sickness. The less obvious ones included “inability to make decisions”, poor self esteem, chronic fatigue, excessive fear, depression or self-criticism. In detail, he explained what to look for.

     

    Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche teaching Tibetan Buddhist La Gug.
    Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche teaching Tibetan Buddhist La Gug.

     

    In part 2, Rinpoche outlines some of the methods to ensure we do not lose any more La. In part 3 (coming soon), Rinpoche offers some proven meditations and techniques to actually “restore” or recapture lost La or vitality.

    Part 1 of this video series is here: “La gug Lifeforce Recovery Practice”>>

     

     

    Transcript of Video 2: “Part Two: Preserving Your La or Vitality”

     

    Buddha Weekly Presents

    Buddhist Teachings on La Gug

    Restoring Life Force Energy

    Part Two: Preserving Your La or Vitality

    From a Weekend Retreat in Owen Sound Spring, 2016

    Teaching from Venerable Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

    Hosted by Theodore Tsaousidis of Medicine Buddha Toronto

     

    Introduction

    La Gug literally translates as “Vitality Retrieval. For centuries, Tibetan Buddhism has perfected meditations which help you restore your vitality — also known as life force, Chi or Prana.

    Even modern medicine recognizes the healing power of meditation. Restoring vitality is one of the keys to good health and long life.

    In part 1 of this series, Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche described the symptoms of losing la or life force vitality. In part 2, Rinpoche teaches how to preserver your La.

     

    Buddha-Weekly-La Gug Meditation Good for Health-Buddhism

     

    Zasep Tulku Rinpoche:

    Teaching continues from video 1 (please view 1 first>>)

    “Then we have to protect the la more than ever before. When your la is regenerating and returning, we have to protect. That’s very important. Things we need to do to protect them … so of the things that’s very important to not go back to the old habit. Like a certain habit. Negative habit. For example, like when things are not very healthy for us like drugs or alcohol and some people do things like gambling. Maybe not so much here in the west but Asian people do gambling. Mostly men have gambling, which is not very healthy and actually really bad. So things like that.

    Then do purification mantras, meditation on a regular base. Meditate on a regular base. Every day. Morning or evening do some meditation sitting practice. You could do Mahamudra meditation, mindfulness meditation, Vipassana meditation, Zen meditation, Tonglen meditation, mantras … whatever. Whatever your practice is, you do that and that’s very important for your la and spirit.

    Do also exercise and yoga, fitness, and martial arts … whatever you do. It is very important. Also do something that is meaningful for your life and meaningful for your spirit and for your la.

    One of my spiritual mentors, Guru Dewa Rinpoche, he lived in Mongolia. He was one hundred and one month we he passed away. So he lived for a long time. Hundred, one hundred years. So I was with him six months before he passed away. His mind was very clear, very sharp, very good. One day I asked, “What is your secret of long life and good health and good spirit … good la.” So he said, “There is no secret”, and he hold my hand. He said, “Son. Listen to me now. I know you’re very strong but listen to me.” He said, “You should have goal, you should have project and … not projection, project.” So I was curious what is he going to say about it, and he said, “You should have spiritual project and do something that makes you feel very happy, makes you feel very meaningful, makes you feel very excited and you feel like ‘I want to do this until I die’.” Then he looked at me, he said, “Lamas don’t retire. Never retire.”

    How can you retire? Retire is just a term we use in the west when you’re working for the government, a hospital or schools and organization or some industry. Then you retire and they want to fire you anyway. They want to hire younger people or cheap labor and so on. “You’re too qualified, too old”, whatever. Anyway he said, “Lamas never retire.” He said, “Because you can do things all the time, doesn’t matter.” He said, “Look at me. You see what I’m doing right now?” I said, “I know, you do so many. I can’t imagine what you do.” You know, he’s doing something all the time. So you should have a project that makes good for you that benefit for Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and society, environment, and do something. You should have a project.

    Then you have a purposeful live. Purpose to live. Makes your la good, strong and healthy and very dignified, inspiring, and uplifting. So you don’t have to say, “Oh I’m old, I’m retired, can’t do anything.” That’s when you decide, that’s what happens, because your says, “I can’t do, I’m not doing. I’m old.” You know, anyway, so he said that to me. That was back actually in 2008 he said that. Then I was very excited. I said to myself, “I would like to build a temple then. Okay, I will build a temple in Nelson.” I was so excited. Inspired. So my la got very strong. My la become like a wild horse. I feel I’m galloping. I said, “I’m going to build a temple. It doesn’t matter how much it takes, how much it costs.” I decided, because he’s inspiration.

    I come back, I told everybody, “Hey guys, I’m going to build a temple.” I talked to my friend who is an excellent architect and said, “Could you please draw blueprint. I want to build a temple.” He said, “Yes sir, I’ll do it for you and free. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.” And he worked for maybe 500 hours and get the building permit and all this and that. He’s now himself 87. He’s still working himself. He’s got some inspiration blessing from Guru Dewa Rinpoche. His la is very strong. So we started building the temple. We finished now, last year. Completed. Beautiful temple in Nelson, B.C. First Tibetan Buddhist temple built in Nelson area. So I feel my la was very inspired by my teacher, my mentor, Guru Dewa Rinpoche.

    So that’s what I’d like to suggest you. You should also have some kind of project. Say, “Okay, I’m going to help the earth, mother earth.” Right? “I’m going to help the first nation people up north. They’re suffering. They don’t have adequate water, no food, no medicine, no schools and they’re really suffering.” You know, and “I want to do something here in our land, our country where we live, the earth. We owe so for Canada, right? So, that’s very important. You don’t have to go somewhere far away, another country. Of course it’s good to go somewhere to help too, but it’s important to be here and do something.

    So that inspired us, you know. Anything like that, have a project. Or even some art, music, whatever. Something that really you enjoy, inspire you. Or you just write a book, a novel whatever and do Dharma practice. Do retreat. You say, “Okay, I’m going to do a 3 month retreat. I’m going to do a 3 year retreat.” Do 3 year retreat. If you decided, I’m sure there are very generous people who would like to help you, to support you to do the retreat. Some people will offering a place to go do retreat, right? Whatever. So these are very important for our la.

    Another thing is, also stay away from people who have bad habits and also stay away from abusive people. Stay away from abusive relationship. It’s a vicious cycle, on and on. What’s the point, right? Life’s too short. Then one day we’re gone. We’re expired. Expired, right? Expiring. So this is very important for us. For keep to la strong and keep going.

    Another thing is very important. To make a commitment, some kind of commitment. People who lost la, weakened la and la is wandering. They have hard tome making commitment to yourself. Certainly that spiritual commitment. I say do retreat or meditation or whatever, have hard time making commitment because you have no confidence in yourself. So hard to make commitment.

    Another thing one should also find spiritual mentor teacher. If you don’t have a spiritual teacher, mentor or what we call guru, whatever. If you don’t have one then you should have one, find one. That’s very important for your la, spirit. SO that your spiritual teacher, meditation instructor, master or mentor then will keep you going in your practice. Whenever your practice goes up and down and confuse about the practice and then you ask you teacher, “Please give me advice. Shall I keep doing what I’m doing?” You don’t have … Say your practice is going well, going smoothly and then you feel like, “Oh my practice going wrong, I should do practice.” Maybe you should find out, do I do more or not? Maybe I should just keep doing what you’re doing. You need instructor, advisor, a coach, spiritual coach for improvement our meditation and have a connection, contact.”

     

     

    About Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

    Rinpoche is popularly known for his approachable teaching style, strong humor and teachings based on a long lineage of great lamas. His own gurus included the most celebrated of Gelug teachers: His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, His Holiness Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, Venerable Geshe Thupten Wanggyel, His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, Venerable Lati Rinpoche, Venerable Tara Tulku Rinpoche and Venerable Khalkha Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche.

    Rinpoche is spiritual director of many temples, meditation centers and retreat centers in Australia, the United States and Canada. He was first invited to teach in Australia by Lama Thubten Yeshe in 1976.

    Interview with Zasep Rinpoche, Part 1:

    Part 1 of this video series is here: “La gug Lifeforce Recovery Practice”>>

     

     

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    Venerable Zasep Rinpoche

    Author | Buddha Weekly

    Rinpoche is spiritual head of many Dharma Centres, and teaches around the world. Originally from Kham province in Tibet (born 1948) Rinpoche has taught in the west since 1976, after he was first invited by Geshe Thubten Loden and Lama Yeshe to teach at the Chenrezig Institute in Australia. Today, he is spiritual head of the Gaden for the West centres in Canada, U.S., and Australia and also spiritual director of the the charities Gaden Relief Project (Canada) and Manlha Tus NGO (Mongolia). He is the author of three books, including his latest release in 2018 with a rare English commentary and practice instructions for Gelug Mahamudra.

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