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Charitable Activities
New Padmasambhava statue built for Lawudo gompa.
In 2011 the Padmasambhava Project for Peace offered US$14,000 toward the creation of three Padmasambhava statues at Lawudo Retreat Center, Nepal.
Lawudo is an incredibly special location for FPMT. The cave of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s previous incarnation, known as the Lawudo Lama, is situated there, 14,000 feet up in the mountains of Nepal. Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s brother, Sangye Sherpa, is the current director of the Lawudo Retreat Center and has been rebuilding the gompa. Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised that these new statues should go into the new gompa.
We are very happy to report that the statues are now finished.
Please rejoice that we are now three statues closer to fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche wish for many large Padmasambhava statues to be built around the world!
You may donate any amount to the continued building of more large Padmasambhava statues around the word:
New Padmasambhava statues built for Lawudo gompa.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche met Panchen Otrul Rinpoche during his recent visit to Mongolia and was very inspired by the many charitable projects Panchen Otrul Rinpoche has initiated. These projects benefit hundreds of people now suffering as a result of the ever increasing poverty resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2001 Panchen Otrul Rinpoche formed Asral NGO to help both individuals and communities. Please rejoice that the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund was able to offer US$10,000 toward this array of beneficial activities.
Asral NGO has provided many benefits to the Gachuurt community of Mongolia, particularly to women, poor children and bedridden elderly including efforts in the broad areas of: training, children, medication, aid:
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Many households in Mongolia are now headed by women, who are typically the poorest members of society. Asral NGO is committed to supporting these women and their families to achieve sustainable livelihoods, working closely with community leaders, to provide access to education, skills training and family support.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche visiting a women’s prison in Mongolia.
- Asral NGO address the specific needs of children, and their social workers work closely with local governors and community organizations to help make education, healthcare, nutrition and family support available to young children. The Hot Meal and Sponsorship Programs provide children with meals, equipment, clothes and school supplies.
Children’s Hot Meal Program.
- Poor living conditions, malnutrition, lack of warm clothes and pollution are all major causes of respiratory, heart and kidney disease. Asral NGO works with the local medical center, providing supplies, medical care, vitamins, clean and safe water supplies and public training in disease prevention programs.
- It is estimated that one third of the population of this area live below the poverty line. Over the last two decades, up to thirty thousand people moved each year to the city, resulting in the vast shanty district surrounding Ulaanbaatar. Asral NGO supports people in need with homes, stoves, fuel, food and emergency aid, particularly in the harsh and difficult winters.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche visiting an elderly bedridden woman suffering from a stroke and cancer. Rinpoche hand-delivered free medication to this woman.
- In addition to the organized charitable activity, Panchen Otrul Rinpoche also visits prisons, orphanages, schools and individuals in need.
You can learn more about Panchen Otrul Rinpoche and his Asral NGO project in Mongolia.
Monks of Sera Je Monastery who benefit from the Sera Je Food Fund
Tremendous thanks to everyone who participated in the recent Sera Je Food Fund Campaign!
Please Rejoice!
Due to the kindness and generosity of many, we raised just over a quarter of the food fund’s annual budget. That’s more than 750,000 meals provided to monks studying at Sera Je Monastery!
You are still welcome to donate any amount to this campaign.
Monks of Sera Je Monastery engaged in debate.
For over ten years the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund has sponsored a special annual oral examination of Sera Je Monastery’s top scholars who have shown incredible aptitude for memorization. 223 students were awarded new robes and khatas (cost of US$3,268) for their accomplishments of memorization.
Memorizing any of these texts is considered an incredible feat, two of the scriptures were memorized by just a few scholars. The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund is very happy to be able to recognize and support these monks in this way.
- 83 students memorized The Essence of Eloquence on the Art of Interpretation (Dang-Nge)
- 98 students memorized The Clear Meaning of the Paramita (Drelpa-Don-Sel)
- 7 students memorized Skab Dangpoi Spyi Don by Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen
- 1 student memorized Collection of the Six Treaties on the Middle Way
- 25 students memorized Shantidava’s The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
You can catch a glimpse of the effort needed to memorize texts like these listed above, as well as the incredible dedication needed for scholars at this level, by reading an account published in Mandala from Ven. Tenzin Gache (Brian Roiter) who became one of the very few Westerners to participate in the rik chung debate held at Sera Je Monastery.
If you would like to contribute to the offerings to these top scholars:
Long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, US, September 29, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.
A long life puja was held for Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Sunday, September 29, 2013 at Land of Medicine Buddha in California. Dagri Rinpoche, Yangsi Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Dakpa as well as Tenzin Ösel Hita all attended the puja along with students and members of the FPMT, Inc. Board of Directors.
This entire puja, including the special dance of the five dakinis and a very moving offering of praise from Tenzin Ösel was captured on video.
Some highlights in the video: Dakinis enter @52 minutes, Tenzin Ösel reads praise to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at @3.00 hours, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching @3.16 hours.
In addition to hosting the long life puja, Land of Medicine Buddha hung dozens of Tendil Nyersel prayer flags. FPMT centers, projects and services are encouraged to continue to do the practices for Lama Zopa Rinpoche as advised by Khadro-la, which include hanging the Tendil Nyersel prayer flags as well as reciting Most Secret Hayagriva mantra and organizing animal liberations. More information is available on the page “Rinpoche’s Health – Official Updates and Practices.”
You may contribute to future long life pujas for Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
14-foot Auspicious Stupa of Many Doors at Milarepa Center, Vermont, USA.
In 2007, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave advice about several of his Vast Visions for the FPMT organization spanning lifetimes into the future.
One of his wishes is for the organization to build 100,000 stupas around the world. About this initiative he said, “The plan is to build stupas all over the world, individual people or centers [can do this], no matter how many years one puts effort into building stupas, the benefit that this gives to sentient beings every day in so many ways is unimaginable.”
The Stupa Fund is very pleased to present you with a new page dedicated to showcasing and keeping count of this incredible effort happening around the world to fulfill Rinpoche’s wishes.
The Sera Je Food Fund Kitchen crew work together to provide thousands of daily meals.
Mandala magazine recently published the October-December 2013 issue which featured the Sera Je Food Fund in their Cooking with Bodhichitta section. The piece, written by Ven. Ngawang Sangye is a fantastic overview of the daily kitchen schedule for the Sera Je Food Fund, complete with some recipes of the healthy vegetarian meals offered to the monks and many photos.
“The Sera Je Kitchen serves food to a large resident monastic population of 2,500. Various people are involved with feeding the monks in different organizational aspects. For all of them it is a very satisfying, and at times, very challenging experience.” More….
“Kitchen work begins at 4:00 a.m. every day. The on-duty cooks initiate all the preparatory work like pre-heating the hot plate used to make bread. All resident monks enrolled in the geshe studies program, with the exception of those in the very senior classes, have to take turns to help with kitchen work for two days every month. Every day, between 50 and 70 monks are assigned to kitchen work.” More….
The Stupa Fund was delighted to offer US$50,000 in 2011 toward the building of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia. Recently a video was produced with a camera attached to a mini-drone and shows the incredible awe-inspiring 50-meter [164-foot] stupa’s progress.
More details on this ambitious and beneficial stupa can be found on Mandala‘s blog.
Some of the 2,500 monks of Sera Je Monastery.
Each month, the Sera Je Food Fund offers an incredible amount of food to the monks of Sera Je Monastery. In July, 1,308,787 Rs. (approximately US$20,872) were spent on food for meals offered at breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. The expenses this month were lower than usual because some unused food was sold back to markets. Additionally, some of the pujas where food was offered were sponsored, therefore, there was no cost to the Sera Je Food Fund for those meals.
Foods and supplies offered this July included:
- Nearly 17,150 bananas were offered
- 4,931 pounds of rice and 2,866 pounds of dahl were prepared
- 7,619 pounds of baking powder and flour were incorporated into recipes
- 2,002 bundles of green vegetables and 4,362 pounds of combined other vegetables were served
- 63 bottles of soy sauce were utilized
- 2,785 cups of cooking oil and 56 gas cylinders were needed
Cooking with Bodhchitta
The October-December 2013 issue of Mandala published several recipes from the Sera Je Food Fund kitchen in their Cooking with Bodhichitta online blog. Here we include a recipe for a traditional and satisfying Tibetan dish, Vegetable Noodle Soup (Thukpa). NOTE: This recipe is meant to feed 2,500 people, so adjust accordingly!
Vegetable Noodle Soup (Thukpa)
Food is prepared in large pots and equipment able to fold food for 2,500.
Ingredients:
- diced mushrooms
- sliced radish
- spinach and other green leafy vegetables
- a freshly prepared mixture of ground turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise (about 1 kilogram [2.2 pounds])
- sliced onions
- tomatoes
- refined sunflower oil (about 15 liters [4 gallons])
- salt
- dark soy sauce
- desiccated coconut
- noodles (made in our kitchen)
Preparation:
The noodles used in the Vegetable Noodle Soup are made in our kitchen. Refined white flour is kneaded with a consistency that is slightly firmer than what we have for the bread. This dough is then run through a noodle-making machine. First the dough is run through the machine to press it into flat layers. These are then rerun through the machine until the required thickness is achieved. Once it reaches the desired thickness and firmness, the flat layers are run through a cutting machine that cuts out thin long strands of noodles. These are then dried for a day.
For the thukpa the noodles are boiled separately and then mixed with the vegetable soup and cooked together until done.
First, boil some water. Add the dry noodle strands to the boiling water and cook until nice and soft. Drain the water and keep aside.
In a separate vessel, heat some oil. Add the sliced onions. Cook until they turn slightly brown. Add the mixture of spices, salt and the dark soy sauce. Add a little water to prevent the spices from burning. Cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the cut tomatoes. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the vegetables. Then add the pre-boiled noodles. Cook together with the vegetables for another 30 minutes.
The annual cost to offer three delicious and nutritious meals every day to the 2,500 monks of Sera Je Monastery is US$280,000. Through the Sera Je Food Fund, you can easily set up monthly secure donations in order to support this project in an ongoing way.
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Ösel (right) with his teacher Geshe Gendun Chompel (middle), and his partner, Mai (left).
The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund recently offered US$14,463 for the roof repair of Tenzin Ösel Hita’s teacher, Geshe Gendun Chompel. Ösel requested that Lama Zopa Rinpoche help in this way because the roof was very old and extremely hot in the Summer, making it very difficult for anyone to remain inside.
Ösel is still taking teachings from Geshe Gendun Chompel, and said this about those teachings in 2013, “It is so wonderful to hear the Dharma in such simple and clear terms, while clearing so many doubts I’ve had during a long time of my life. Understanding the teachings without having to clarify with anybody but myself. I’m so grateful for the understanding and help I have received. Thank you for the time to find myself, thank you for the patience and dedication, dearest Gen-la. You are like my Father and Mother, and will always be in my heart.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche leads an animal liberation, Singapore, 2005.
Ven. Roger Kunsang recently requested that all FPMT centers need to begin, or continue, regularly offering animal liberations for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and long life. The Animal Liberation Fund sponsors weekly animal liberations as well as large animal liberations in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche designed this table as a prototype for animal liberation tables.
Animal liberation is a specific practice done for animals which would otherwise be killed. The practice involves taking the animals-in-danger around holy objects to leave positive imprints in their minds, reciting mantras for them, blessing water to sprinkle onto their bodies, and then releasing them. This differs from general animal blessings which involve blessing any animal with mantras or a holy object. Animal blessings are, of course, wonderful to do for animals, but this is not what is meant by “animal liberations.”
Please refer to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s full advice for benefitting animals.
“Like yourself, all sentient beings want happiness and no not want suffering, problems or discomfort.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche
You can order the Liberating Animals hardcopy or eBook from the FPMT Foundation Store.
Fred Cheong is offering Rinpoche a medallion smaller than a nickel with 1,000 Namgyalma mantras on it. Photo: Ven. Roger Kunsang May 4, 2013.
Rejoice!
Student Fred Cheong of Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, has to-date organized the liberation of 181.2 million animals for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life. He plans to liberate 200 million animals by end of 2014 and has committed to liberate 10 million animals total for Rinpoche’s health and long life! Please rejoice in this amazing effort and commitment!
You are also welcome to support the Animal Liberation Fund’s efforts to sponsor animal liberations around the world.
2,918 monks received 10 days worth of dried food from the Sera Je Food Fund this year in an effort to supply them with food during the Summer Rain Retreat.
Each year, the monks in Sera Je Monastery observe the Yarney or “Summer Rain Retreat” for 45 days according to the Monastic Rules and Practices. This year’s Summer Rain Retreat ended on September 4, followed by about 10 days of break or holiday from the monastery’s routine philosophical studies or school programs. During this period, the Sera Je Food Fund‘s main kitchen will be closed but monks will still be given about 10 days’ worth of dried food for them to cook either on their own or with their respective house groups or khamtsens.
Dried food offered by the Sera Je Food Fund to 2,918 monks.
A total of 2,918 monks received the dried food. Each monk has received about 4.5 pounds of rice, 6.6 pounds of flour and 2 cups of cooking oil: all fully sponsored by the Sera Je Food Fund! Rejoice!
You can see more photos of this distribution and keep up with life at Sera Je on the Sera Je Monastery’s Facebook page.
To read more about the daily activities of the Sera Je Food Fund kitchen, and also to enjoy some recipes of this delicious food, please read Mandala magazine’s “Cooking with Bodhichitta: The Sera Je Food Fund.“