Projects

Lama Yeshe with children and students in California, 1983. Lama Yeshe’s proposal for education was to draw on the “heritage of wisdom” that resides in the great religious and philosophical traditions of the world to create a new kind of Universal Education. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

FPMT’s founder, Lama Yeshe, established what he called “Universal Education” which was an education of human hearts focusing on the universal language of compassion and wisdom, rather than emphasizing a strictly Buddhist approach. 

Lama Yeshe’s view was that the aims and methods of many modern education systems over-emphasize intellectual achievements and are too limited in their scope. As a result, they fail to enable children, young people and adults to fully develop their potential, to lead a fulfilled and meaningful life, and to play their part in creating a more peaceful world.

Lama Yeshe’s proposal was to draw on the “heritage of wisdom” that resides in the great religious and philosophical traditions of the world to create a new kind of Universal Education. 

You can watch a video of Lama Yeshe discussing the purpose of Universal Education in 1982. 

The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDWC) brings Lama Yeshe’s message of Universal Education forward through programs and resources which promote:

• mindfulness and self-awareness
• emotional intelligence and resilience
• empathy, kindness and social responsibility
• harmonious and caring relationships
• a greater sense of well-being and purpose

The Education and Preservation Fund was pleased to recently offer US$50,000 toward the incredible ongoing work and annual budget of FDCW. 

You can learn more about the work of FDWC, get involved, or explore the resources available to you. 

The Education and Preservation Fund supports Dharma study and contributes to the development of homestudy programs, online Buddhist education programs and the preservation of the Dharma through the publication of Dharma practice materials and translations. 

School children and staff of the Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School.

After receiving an appeal (below) from the Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School, the Social Services Fund raised $US39,200 to assist with a desperately needed hostel for young Nepali school  children. After raising this money to help, Nepal suffered the 7.9 magnitude earthquake and the school also endured considerable damage. The grant offered to the school will now, not only need to assist with the hostel, but also to help with repairs needed elsewhere on the property. 

The school put together a beautiful video about the school, its history, aims, and needs.

Report from Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School

In the remote mountainous areas of Nepal, such as Rolwaling, many children are sadly deprived of a crucial and empowering education. Ngawang Lapsam Rinpoche was inspired to address this problem, establishing a free school with a special philosophy for children in the remote Dolakha District to attend. The school aims to provide a quality education, covering general academic and life skills through a traditional Buddhist education.

Starting with six children and one teacher in 2010, the school now successfully educates 15 children from poor families across the Dolakha District of Nepal at the primary school level and provides free boarding, medical attention, clothing and other needs to its students.

Children living as far away as Kathmandu (three days walk and 10 hour bus journey) where schools are numerous, live away from home in order to receive this special education which follows a curriculum approved by the government enables them to pursue further studies if they wish.

The school is currently managing its operation using limited Nepalese Government support which covers only staff wages, donations from the villagers, and some other support from sponsors.

However, these funds only cover the children’s food, clothing and medical care, leaving the school and its community with huge challenges while trying to provide an education to these children who are attempting to break the cycle of poverty.

The building for the Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School is need of a hostel and repair due to the earthquake.

Initial funding for building work only covered the school building itself. By adding the classrooms, an office and a very small (and cramped kitchen/dining hall) there is currently nowhere for the children to sleep as all but one live away from home to attend the school.

Arrangements for them to sleep with local families and then in a local house sadly didn’t work out for a number of reasons, so the children now need to sleep on classroom floor and kitchen floors if they wish to continue to receive a quality education.

These children and their families know this is the best education they can receive in the district so the children endure these difficult circumstances to keep their dreams of a better future for themselves and their families alive.

Besides the obvious discomfort caused by needing to sleep on floors while living in such a harsh remote Himalayan environment, it also poses other problems for the school. Girls are currently unable to attend if they don’t live in the nearest village (which no primary school age girls currently do) as there is no room for them to have their own private space in which to sleep, essential at their age and when living away from home.

In addition to the school being unable to teach girls, using two classrooms as bedrooms with mats on the floors for sleeping means they cannot be used for teaching. In turn, this limits the number of students which can be accepted by the school despite a current waiting list of over 20 children from across the district wanting to attend.

The school aims to provide a quality education, covering general academic and life skills through a traditional Buddhist education.

The inability to accept new students also poses the risk of being unable to meet government targets of a new intake of students each year. If this target isn’t met, staff funding could be stopped resulting in closure of the school.

A new hostel and kitchen/dining hall will solve many of these problems providing the students with a warmer, and therefore more comfortable and safer place to sleep while freeing up classroom space to enable the school to accept new students. This can mean a quality education for girls in the district while accepting new students from their waiting list each year helping to ensure government the continuation of government funding, securing the future of the school.

You can support the Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School directly:http://www.rolwalingmonastery.org/support-us

The Social Services Fund contributes, as funds allow, to many charitable and beneficial activities, particularly in India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. You can support this work or learn more about previous grants and support offered. 

Extensive damage to the Lawudo Gompa was sustained due to the 7.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks of April.

For students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lawudo, which is situated high in the Himalayan mountains of eastern Nepal, holds particular significance. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama, Lama Kunzang Yeshe, who lived and practiced in Lawudo until his passing at age 81. The Lawudo Retreat Centre was built over several years and completed in 1972 under direction from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The gompa was built so that young monks in the area could receive a good education with favorable conditions. Since that time, Rinpoche’s mother (who passed away in 1991), sister Anila Ngawang Samten, and brother Sangay Sherpa have cared for the Lawudo Lawudo Retreat Centre and welcomed pilgrims, retreatants and locals to this extremely blessed and remote place. 

The Lawudo Library is in desperate need of repair.

The property, which includes the gompa as well as a retreat houses, a library and prayer wheel, suffered extensive damage from the 7.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in April of this year. Fortunately, those living at Lawudo are all okay. They have been living in tents outside. However, it is getting very cold and proper accommodation will be required as soon as possible. 

Renovations need to be completed as soon as possible so that those living in Lawudo have protection from the monsoon season’s extreme weather.

When Sangay Sherpa surveyed the damage at the end of May he reported:

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s brother, Sangay Sherpa in Solu Khumbu, Nepal. Photo by Ven. Katy Cole.

I have inspected all the damages in Lawudo and am ready to start renovation work. Due to damages from the earthquake it is very difficult to find workers but I luckily found a builder and carpenter so I have booked them. 

I am rushing to do the renovation work because in monsoon season, due to heavy rain, the damaged parts will be made worse and may collapsed more. Then, after monsoon season, the Winter starts and as you know in Winter no work can be done in Lawudo. So I should finish the renovation work as soon as possible. I have targeted to finish the renovation of retreat houses. I am planning to renovate all damages very finely so it cannot be damaged by upcoming normal disasters. So we don’t have any problems in future. Due to the remoteness of Lawudo we can’t organize renovation work again and again. We should be confident about the strength of this renovation work.

The Nepal Earthquake Support Fund offered US$50,000 toward this much-needed renovation work in Lawudo. So many generous donors have contributed to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund making this offering possible. Additionally, Australian nun Ven. Katy Cole recently traveled to Lawudo to help facilitate this work and thanks to the kindness of Effie Fletcher and Amber Bamjan Tamang, a kitchen tent, tarp and rope were brought to Lawudo by helicopter. Please rejoice in the kindness offered by many to help rebuild from damages sustained. 

All are welcome to donate to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund. 
https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/

You can learn more about Lawudo Gompa and the history of Lawudo. 
http://www.lawudo.com/About.html

Twenty years ago, Lama Zopa Rinpoche established the Puja Fund as a way to sponsor ongoing prayers and practices dedicated to the success and longevity of the entire FPMT organization. One puja that Rinpoche advised was particularly important for FPMT is the Extensive Most Secret Hayagriva Puja. 

Every month, on the Tibetan 29^th day, the Puja Fund sponsors about 40 of the most senior monks of Sera Je Monastery, who specialize in the practice of Most Secret Hayagriva, to offer the Extensive Most Secret Hayagriva puja (Hayagriva Tsog Kong). This is an all day puja with an elaborate torma offering and extensive prayers and meditation. Please rejoice that twelve months of sponsorship for this monthly puja was just offered to Sera Je. 

The Puja Fund makes a small offering to the 40 monks who perform the puja; offers breakfast, lunch and dinner; and covers the cost of extensive torma offerings (pictured above) for the puja.

Every Tibetan 29th day, you can remember that there are over 40 monks performing the Extensive Most Secret Hayagriva Puja as they have for over twenty years. You are welcome to contribute to this ongoing offering which benefits the entire FPMT mandala of centers, projects, services, students, volunteers, benefactors, and all beings. 

You can learn more about the ongoing activities of the Puja Fund, or FPMT’s other extensive charitable activity. 

The young children of Central School for Tibetans are offered a healthy vegetarian meal for lunch every day, offered through the Social Services Fund.

For the second year in a row, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Social Services Fund, offered US$8,242 for lunch for all of the young children attending the Central School for Tibetans in Bylakuppe, South India.

In addition to this same offering last year of daily lunch, in April 2013 Rinpoche also offered US$30,000 for the complete renovation of this school’s kitchen. The children are offered a healthy vegetarian lunch that is prepared on-site in the renovated kitchen.

Please rejoice in this incredible offering which benefits young Tibetan children and their education. 

You can learn more about the Social Services Fund and its various beneficial offerings or keep up on news and updates from this fund. 
https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/social-services-fund/

It takes a tremendous amount of food and collective work to offer 8,300 meals every day to the monks of Sera Je Monastery.

Every day of every year the Sera Je Food Fund offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner to 2,500 monks studying at the Sera Je Monastery. An additional 800 monks join for breakfast every day. Offering this requires a tremendous amount of food and collective dedicated effort. For example, in addition to many other ingredients, approximately 65,900 pounds of rice are needed for daily lunches and dinners and 1,300 pounds of tea are required for breakfast for one year. 

Over the Winter, the food fund increased the normal offerings by approximately 25% for lunch and 50% for dinner due to the Winter Debate held at Sera Je and attended by the best Buddhist scholars of the great monasteries. During this time the Sera Je Food Fund provided food for over 1,000 monks.  This was also a time for school holidays for Sera Je School and most of the 800 young school monks also joined for meals.

The main additional expenses incurred by the food fund over the month of February was the dried food which is distributed to 2,610 monks for 12 days over the Losar holiday. 

Expenses of US$916 were also needed over February to renovate and repair the cold storage room in the food fund’s kitchen.

Sera Je monks help prepare meals for 2,500 in the Sera Je Food Fund kitchen.

Offering food to the monks of Sera Je Monastery, and others during special events, is possible due to the kindness and generosity of many. If you would like to contribute to to this daily offering of 8,300 meals, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Sera Je Food Fund. 

• US$10: Provides three vegetarian meals a day to one monk for one month
• US$120: Provides three vegetarian meals a day to one monk for one year
• US$780: Provides three vegetarian meals a day to all 2,500 monks for one day
• US$5,460: Provides three vegetarian meals a day to all 2,500 monks for one week
• US$280,000: Provides three vegetarian meals a day to all the 2,500 monks for one year

You can learn more about the Sera Je Food Fund:
https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/seraje

Explore FPMT’s many charitable projects and social service activities:
https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/

The monks of Sera Je Monastery offering puja.

Each year on Chokhor Duchen (commemorating Lord Buddha’s first teaching) the Puja Fund sponsors pujas and offerings all over the world dedicated to success of the entire FPMT organization. The practices are offered by up to 15,650 monks and nuns. This year Chokhor Duchen falls on Monday, July 20. 

The Prajnaparamita (short, medium and long versions) will be recited by the monks of Gyurme Tantric College, the entire Kangyur will be recited by Kopan Nunnery, extensive offerings will be presented to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus and holy objects in India and Tibet, among many other virtuous activities, prayers and pujas which have been advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

Some of the 15,650 Sangha who will be doing prayers on Chokor Duchen.

You are welcome to participate in all of this beneficial activity by mentally offering or rejoicing in these practices on July 20 and rejoicing that 15,650 monks and nuns will be doing these prayers, remembering that they are all “pores of the guru” and thus extensions of our teachers.  Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained:

Making offerings to the Sangha is a way of collecting unbelievable merit because all the sangha are the pores of the Guru. They are all disciples of the same Guru – His Holiness the Dalai Lama. By offering to pores of the Guru one collects more merit than offering to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, as well as numberless statues, stupas. If you offer with the recognition that they are the Guru’s pores then that is an unbelievable way to collect merit. When you offer to many Sanghas who have the same Guru then you are making offerings to that many pores of the Guru. So this is the easiest way to collect skies of merit by offering. By offering even just one candy, flowers or even one grain of rice to a statue of Buddha or even a visualized Buddha you collect skies of merit but here it is much more powerful than offering to the 3 jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) as well as all the statues, stupas and scriptures existing in all directions, so no question if offering to really the same Guru’s disciple. These benefits should be understood so that when you make offerings to the Guru’s pores you think correctly. This is the best business.

If you would like to make a donation toward the meritorious activities being sponsored by the Puja Fund on Chokor Duchen, you can do so by offering any amount you are able. 

The Puja Fund was established by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to provide resources for continuous pujas dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to the success of all the FPMT centers, projects, services, students, benefactors and those serving the organization in any way. You can learn more about the Puja Fund, or FPMT’s other extensive charitable activity. 

There are 2,500 monks benefiting from the Sera Je Food Fund (3,300 for breakfast) and the annual cost is US$280,000.

In November 2014, staff at Kurukulla Center in Medford, Massachusetts hosted a presentation introducing students and volunteers to FPMT’s unique culture, structure and history.

At the end of the presentation, Geshe Tenley, who is the resident geshe at Kurukulla Center and also in the past studied at Sera Je Monastery, discussed his experience living at Sera Je before the Sera Je Food Fund was started by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1991 and how the offering of food positively impacted the lives of all the monks, most of whom were extremely poor and without the ability to properly feed themselves.

Geshe Tenley explained that it is very wonderful to learn about FPMT, and the unbelievable the benefits of the organization. Geshe-la explained that he also really experienced the benefits when he was at Sera Je Monastery during the time Lama Zopa Rinpoche started the offering of food to monks. Geshe-la said in the very beginning (in 1991) the Sera Food Fund offered money once a month to all the monks for their food. The monks would wait and count the days until they were able to get the money for the food because they were so very poor. The food at the time was very bad, just rice and dahl and the dahl was like water, it didn’t cling to the rice at all. The monks had almost nothing to eat. Then in the evening, even though all the monks were so hungry, they still had to study till 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. and for dinner they just got black tea and a piece of bread. They thought the bread was very delicious because they were so very hungry all the time.

Then, as Geshe-la explains, Rinpoche started the food fund enabling more monks to live at the monastery and study. From that the Sera Food Fund started and was able to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, so from that there was such big benefit.

Geshe Tenley with Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kurukulla Center, 2012.

Geshe-la went on to say that FPMT is a very useful organization of which we are all a part, and is now also helping schools and so much more. 

Today there are 2,500 monks benefiting from the Sera Je Food Fund (3,300 for breakfast) and the annual cost is US$280,000. 

You can watch the whole video of the presentation, Geshe Tenley discussing the benefit of the Sera Je Food Fund starting at 1 hour 57 mins.

You are welcome to contribute to this offering of food to all of the monks of Sera Je Monastery. The Sera Je Food Fund has offered over 37,379, 600 meals since 1991 and is currently offering 3,029,500 meals every year. That is 8,300 every day!
https://my.fpmt.org/donate/serajefoodfund

Kopan monks and nuns worked with several charities and individuals to distribute much needed aid to villagers in upper Tsum.

The Tsum Valley, which is located in the northern border area of Nepal close to Tibet, was badly affected by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that struck Nepal earlier this year that toppled homes, temples and other buildings, resulting in the death of over 9,000 people across the country. Many charities have formed to help care and provide for those in need following the destruction. Recently, several individual charities have been working together to provide aid for the Tsum region of Nepal. 

Villagers in Tsum Valley experienced extreme devastation and this aid provided to them will make a huge impact on over 500 families’ ability to survive.

Aid of tents, sleeping bags, and cash were arranged for over 500 families in upper Tsum. The monks and nuns of Kopan have helped distribute this aid from Rachen Nunnery with the help of several charities including 16 Navigators Nepal Earthquake Relief Mission and individuals including Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Geshe Tenzin Lundrup, Dhawa Gyanjen Tsumba, and others. 

Please rejoice in this incredible collective effort of generosity and kindness.

With many contributing to a collective effort of aid, over 500 families from Tsum were supported.

You can offer your support to Kopan Helping Hands so that the monks and nuns can contribute to help distribute aid to those in Tsum Valley: http://www.kopanmonastery.com/earthquake

To learn more and offer support to FPMT’s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund, which will be used for immediate relief and rebuilding: https://fpmt.org/support/socialservices/

For “Prayers and Practice for Earthquake in Nepal,” see:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/prayers-and-practices-for-earthquake-in-nepal/

For continuing updates and news from Kopan Monastery and other FPMT centers and projects in Nepal affected by the earthquake, please visit our “Updates from Nepal after the Earthquake” page:
https://fpmt.org/nepal-earthquake/

Sixteen retired race horses were saved from death by Aquila Nera, an animal sanctuary in Italy. Photo courtesy of Aquila Nera.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Animal Liberation Fund, recently offered US$1,000 toward the building of a stupa for rescued race horses in Italy. These perfectly healthy horses were slotted to be put to death as they are no longer considered useful as race horses. Due to the kindness of a non-profit animal sanctuary, Aquila Nera, sixteen horses can now live the remainder of their lives freely roaming open land, listening to mantras, and creating merit by grazing around the new stupa. 

The horses at Aquila Nera can now live out the rest of their lives enjoying the open space and creating merit. A new stupa being built will allow them more opportunity to generate positive karma and purify negativities. Photo courtesy of Aquila Nera.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was extremely pleased to hear about the work being done for these animals. In a letter to managers of the sanctuary, Rinpoche praised their efforts:

Thank you for your letter informing me about your project saving horses.
Seeing the photos I think it’s really great, the horses look happy and are
enjoying. I am especially very happy with your idea of building a stupa for
them to circumambulate and generate lots of positive karma. It’s a cause for
them to meet the Dharma so that sooner or later they can be free from the
oceans of suffering forever and achieve the peerless happiness of
enlightenment.

I need to especially thank you and all your family who help them, who help
the horses to purify their negative karma created since beginnings time and
help them achieve peerless happiness. So for these reasons I am extremely,
extremely happy with what you are doing.

Although these retired race horses are perfectly healthy, they were slotted to be put to death due to them no longer being considered valuable. Photo courtesy of Aquila Nera.

You are welcome to offer any amount to the Animal Liberation Fund so that offerings such as this can continue. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given extensive advice on how to benefit animals. 

You can watch a video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing these horses in Italy. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arriving at the Main Tibetan Temple at the start of ceremonies honoring his 80th Birthday in Dharamsala, HP, India on June 21, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHD

An important priority for FPMT is offering long life pujas every year for our immeasurably precious teachers: His Holiness the Dalai Lama and our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. All FPMT centers, projects and services as well as many FPMT students contribute to these annual pujas.

A long life puja is a ceremonial long life offering to the spiritual teacher. This practice is done to request the spiritual teacher to live a long life for the preservation of the Buddhist teachings and the happiness of all living beings. Many enlightened beings such as Buddha Vajradhara have taught the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment according to the needs of individuals. In order to sustain the Dharma in the world for a long time and to benefit beings, the lamas incarnate as ordinary people. The lama serves as representative of all the Buddhas, benefiting others in ordinary form, as stated by Vajradhara:  

In the degenerate times, I will abide in the form of the spiritual master.
With the aim of benefiting sentient beings,
I will abide in ordinary forms.

Additionally, in early 2014, Lama Zopa Rinpoche translated this special quote from the Stainless Sky Sutra into English:

Ananda, the Tathagatas do not appear to the sentient beings, but the virtuous friend completely appears and reveals the Dharma and plants the seed of liberation; because of that, cherish the virtuous friend as more special than the Tathagatas. 

The tradition of offering the long life puja became prevalent in order for individuals to accumulate merit through sincere respect and devotion toward the guru, to create the cause for the guru to live long, and to help Buddha’s teachings proliferate.

Monks dressed in ritual costumes during the long life puja ceremony for His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on June 21, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Lama Zopa Rinpoche traveled to India to attend the long life puja offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on June 21, 2015, and on behalf of the entire FPMT organization, Lama Zopa Rinpoche made offerings to His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the elaborate long life puja. The long life puja offered was also in honor of His Holiness’ 80th birthday, and marked His Holiness’ actual birthday according to the Tibetan calendar.

Please rejoice in this offering and also in His Holiness’ 80 years of life tirelessly benefiting others.

You are welcome to contribute any amount to the Long Life Puja Fund for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from which FPMT contributes to a long life puja being offered to His Holiness every year. 

You can learn more about the Long Life Puja Fund or other ways to support our lamas through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund.