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Monks debating during last year’s Winter Debate. April 2013: The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund offered US$22,396.26 for the 2012 Winter Debate (Jang Gun-choe). 635 of the top debaters from Sera Je traveled to Drepung Monastery to participate with 8,000 monks from 11 different monasteries. The main participating Institutes were Sera, Drepung, Gaden, Tashi Lhunpo, Gyuto, Gyudme, Rato and Dhakpo Shedrup Dhargeyling monasteries and they met to debate two sessions a day for a minimum of seven hours. Many monks debated until the wee hours of the night.
The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund covered the cost of travel and food for the 635 monks from Sera Je Monastery to attend the month-long debate.
Monks debating during last year’s Winter Debate. The Great Winter Debate has been an integral part Tibet Buddhism and dates back to the time of Lama TsongKhapa. The debate mainly consists of the most earnest and competent scholars from the great monasteries. The primary course of study during the Winter Debate is Pramanavartika (Tsema Namdrel) by Acharya Dharmakirti on subjects such as epistemology, valid cognition, dialectics, and the Art of Liberation.
Learn more about the Winter Debate.
The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund also offered a full set of monk’s robes to 27 top scholars who memorized Shantidava’s The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and an additional full set of robes to another 196 monks: 94 who successfully memorized The Essence of Eloquence (Dang-Nge), 91 who memorized The Clear Meaning of Paramita (Drelpa-Don-Sel), 10 who memorized Skab Dangpoi Spyi Don by Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen, and one who successfully memorized The Collection of Six Treaties on the Middle Way.
Students of Central School for Tibetans.April 2013: Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund recently donated US$30,000 for the complete renovation of a school kitchen at the Central School for Tibetans in Bylakuppe in South India.
The school was established in 1971 and caters to children of nearby Tibetan settlements. The school has 350 students and 32 teaching and non-teaching staff. Over the years the 
The kitchen in desperate need of renovation. school has constantly achieved good academics. Besides emphasizing excellence in its academic program, the school stresses equal importance on the all around development of the students. Activities such as sports, literary activities, music, dance, and more are offered.
The school also emphasizes the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture and positive values among the students through a series of initiatives including inviting eminent speakers and participating in various functions and festivals in the settlement. In 2010 His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with the children from this and other Tibetan schools in the area.
Long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Taiwan, March 2013April 2013: Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund offered US$65,187 to the FPMT Puja Fund, which sponsors ongoing pujas at the great monasteries in India and Nepal, with over 9,000 Sangha participating. All the pujas are dedicated for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and to the success of all the FPMT centers, projects, students, benefactors and those serving the organization in any way. Some of this offering was accumulated from what was offered to Rinpoche at the recent long life pujas in Singapore and Taiwan.
Long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Singapore, March 2013Through the sponsorship of ongoing pujas, creating merit through the practices, as well as making offerings to the more than 9,000 sangha who participate in the pujas, the FPMT Puja Fund is very important to the success and removal of obstacles to the whole organization.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life puja at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 29, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Senior monks and nuns of Kopan Monastery and Nunnery in Nepal recently requested Lama Zopa Rinpoche to accept a special long life puja, out of concern for Rinpoche’s health and in support of other pujas that are being organized. The special long life puja was offered the morning of Monday, April 29. Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la) attended the puja and made offerings to Rinpoche.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la having lunch after puja, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Kopan Monastery and Nunnery have taken on the responsibility to offer pujas throughout the year for Rinpoche’s good health and long life. Each month they are saving a few goats from slaughter and also fish. Some of the pujas, like Tugchuma, will be done daily for the rest of the year.
Ongoing improvements are made year round to Sera Je Monastery Kitchen through the Sera Je Food Fund. A new wood burning steam boiler was purchased for the Sera Je Kitchen to cut down on the usage of LPG gas cylinders. A new rice cooking vessel was also recently purchased.
You can donate any amount to these ongoing efforts.
A look at a typical daily offering of breakfast provided by the Sera Je Food Fund to the monks studying at Sera Je Monastery.
You can also view a typical day’s menu including breakfast and lunch.
Please take a moment to rejoice in this incredible offering of which you can be a part by donating any amount to the Sera Je Food Fund today.
A look at a typical week’s worth of lunches provided by the Sera Je Food Fund to all the monks studying at Sera Je Monastery.
You can also view a typical day’s menu including breakfast and lunch.
Please take a moment to rejoice in this incredible offering of which you can be a part by donating any amount to the Sera Je Food Fund today.
Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Ladakh, India. April 2013: The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund was very happy to be able to offer US$15,720 for food offered in 2013 to 35 students studying at Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Ladakh, India.
Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh in a small village called Saboo. The campus is spread over 20 hectares of deserted land which eventually will be turned into an oasis of learning.
Students of Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics enjoying food offering. The main aim of this organization is to empower and enrich the poor and needy remote area students by imparting a combined learning of both modern scientific knowledge and ancient Buddhist wisdom. It was founded by the Ladakh alumni of Sera Jey Monastery in South India. In 2007 Geshe Lharampa Tsewang Dorje was invited to take full responsibility for this project.
Geshe Tsewang Dorje eagerly accepted and began to gather resources needed to start the construction of hostels for girls and boys, a library, and the primary classroom building. Classes are now in session.
There are now 35 children (ages 6-14 years old, both boys and girls) staying in the hostel and attending the school from different parts of Ladakh and the border of Tibet. The Ngari Institute is taking care of all their daily needs, offering free room, board, covering their tuition fees, books and clothing allowances, and access to medical care. The students are following the standard government educational curriculum during the day and learn about Tibetan Buddhism and culture during after-school hours.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very happy to support this extremely beneficial project and to be able to offer the entire cost of the food fund for the 35 students and staff, three meals a day for the whole year. In addition, the money is also covering the cost of the students’ shelter, clothing, basic education, and training in nutrition and hygiene.
To rejoice and to learn more about the Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics
2010 Meeting of Geluk Committee in Nepal.April 2013: The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund is very happy to be able to offer US$11,500 towards 2013 Special debate held in Nepal in August 2013.
This year the special debate will be held at Kopan Monastery for fifteen days. There will be 450 monks attending from ten different Gelug 
2010 Meeting of Geluk Committee in Nepal.monasteries in Nepal. These are the top debating students from each monastery. In addition this is the first time ever that nuns are participating in the special debate and there will be 90 nuns participating from two Gelug nunneries in Nepal, one of them being Kopan’s own Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery.
This is the fifth year the special debate has been held in Nepal for the Gelug monasteries. Each year a different monastery hosts the actual debate.
For more information on the annual winter debate, its history, the texts debated and the overall incredible importance of the debate please read more here.
Please rejoice that we can make this offering and thank you to all the kind donors of the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund. The support given by FPMT’s Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund ensures that the Mahayana teachings are preserved for the benefit of all sentient beings and is critical to FPMT’s mission of transmitting and preserving the Mahayana Buddhist teachings worldwide.
You can also read Geshe Thubten Sherab’s account of a typical day at Sera Je Monastery here.
Some of the Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns undertaking 100 Million Mani Retreats.April 2013: Lama Zopa Rinpoche just received this message from the Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns who are currently doing their 2nd 100 million mani retreat:
The Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns wanted to send their heartfelt thanks to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and donors who are supporting them and caring for them like their own lovely children.
The nuns wanted to say that they would have no other food or support if Lama Zopa Rinpoche had not requested them to offer the 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and support them during the retreats.
You can learn more about the 100 million mani retreats offered by the Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns every year.