Center Frequently Asked Questions

	I just want to explain simply how meaningful it is that we have Dharma centers so that we can help so many sentient beings while they have this most precious human body by awakening them to the unmistaken causes of happiness and suffering through explaining the Buddha's teachings on karma, which is our experience, not merely belief. By offering this education we open their lives to all happiness - not just that of this life, but that of future lives and the ultimate happiness of liberation from samsara and the peerless happiness of full enlightenment. How fortunate and happy I am! How fortunate and happy we are!
–Lama Zopa Rinpoche

What does it mean to be an FPMT Center, Study Group, Project or Service?

If a center, project or service is affiliated with FPMT, it means that it follows the spiritual direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.  It means that centers and study groups use FPMT's educational programs and material, created in the unique lineage of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Each FPMT center, project or service is incorporated individually (is a separate legal entity) and is responsible for its own governance and finance.

All FPMT centers, study groups, projects and services follow the FPMT Ethical Policy. 

FPMT study groups are groups which are using this status as a probationary period before a group becomes a legal entity and a full FPMT center or project.

FPMT study groups are not yet affiliated with the FPMT, and therefore do not have the same responsibilities as a center or project, financially or administratively. FPMT study groups are required to plan to become an FPMT center or project within a period of two years.

There is no FPMT center or study group near me - how do I find a local Dharma center?

You could contact your nearest FPMT center and ask them if they know of any Dharma centers near you - usually FPMT centers will be familiar with other groups in their local area.

I'm interested in starting an FPMT Study Group - how do I go about it?

REPLY FROM CLAIRE ISITT, CENTER SERVICES DIRECTOR.
Thank you very much for your interest in the FPMT. I am happy to provide you with some information about what it means to be an FPMT center/study group. I am the FPMT Center Services Director, which means that I provide assistance for new and existing FPMT study groups and centers. This assistance includes providing FPMT policy and guidelines, and also help with getting teachers, interpreters, and other resources (not funding).

I will explain a few things about our organizational structure, to let you know how most FPMT centers/study groups start, and tell you some of our most recent thinking on how centers can begin most successfully.

Our policy is that centers begin as informal “study groups” before they apply for center status. This is to provide a probationary period to see whether developing according to FPMT guidelines is working for the coordinator, the group and for the group's harmonious coordination with other FPMT centers before becoming a full FPMT center. This period also gives the people involved some time to build up a base of support before they begin to think about having a permanent facility for the center, inviting a resident teacher, and so on.

Most of our centers are founded by a student with some connection with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, often by a student who meets Rinpoche on a teaching tour, or at the annual one-month course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, or through connection with another one of our centers. The student often has the wish to open a center in order to bring Dharma to people in their local area, and have that support themselves. If you have not yet taken teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, it is important to see if you have a connection with Lama Zopa, as Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of the Foundation, and the personal karmic connection is quite important. So it would be very good if you could actually meet Rinpoche at some point. Rinpoche is always requested to check whether it is beneficial for a new study group to join the FPMT.

In order to start an FPMT Study Group, we recommend that the group accept a guiding center - an existing FPMT Center, who agrees to take responsibility for helping and guiding the group. This includes helping with teachers and the spiritual program, and checking that the group comply with FPMT policy and guidelines. The Study Group would support the center by recommending that study group members might become members of the center, and so on. I would help this relationship begin.

It may be important at this stage to point out that FPMT Centers follow a policy concerning teachers. This means that we generally only invite teachers who are in the Tibetan Gelug tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa. When considering inviting a teacher, the director needs to contact the Education Services for guidance before issuing the invitation. Also, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as Spiritual Director of all the FPMT centers, appoints permanent resident teachers for FPMT centers. Similarly, for obvious reasons any FPMT group should be using FPMT education programs, rather than alternative programs, which may be excellent, but are not in the unique lineage of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

The FPMT International Office, located in Portland, Oregon, USA, is Rinpoche's office and the world-wide headquarters of the FPMT organization, especially in terms of communication between Rinpoche and the centers. The International Office can offer a lot of support to help the study group organize a spiritual program, set up membership systems, and get non-profit status: unfortunately there is nothing in the way of financial support for a starting center - the local students are responsible for the center financially.

In addition to the FPMT International Office, the FPMT also has regional and some national offices. We have periodic meetings of FPMT center directors - one international meeting of all directors happens about every 18 months, and there are also more frequent regional meetings. It might be useful, in this initial phase of you exploring what the FPMT is for you to try to attend one of the regional or national meetings. This will give you a better understanding of what it means to be an FPMT center.

In addition to attending the meetings if possible and  establishing contact with nearby centers, as mentioned above we require that new study groups have a one-two year “trial” period to ensure that they are comfortable operating under the auspices of FPMT, and that there is enough local support for their activities, and so on. During this time the group is encouraged to plan to become a full FPMT center, and to affiliate with FPMT Inc. according to FPMT policy and local law.  Each FPMT center and group is responsible for itself legally and financially - you would be responsible for creating a separate, appropriate legal entity, based on the guidelines which we provide.

Do get back to me if you have any questions, or if you feel that would like to take this further. Don't feel that there is any hurry - it is good to be very familiar with FPMT before going further - for example by studying one of our correspondence courses - Discovering Buddhism at Home, or Foundations of Buddhist Thought; and attending teachings/retreats at existing FPMT centers, especially if Lama Zopa Rinpoche is teaching.