Community prayers and recitation of Amitabha mantra at Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, under tents without a community hall.

Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, Kollegal, is in one of the most remote and underdeveloped Tibetan settlements in Southern India.

There are 46 Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, home to most of the 100,451 Tibetan refugees. These Tibetan settlements originate from the wish of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to set up settlements where Tibetan refugees could live as an exclusive community in order to preserve the unique Tibetan culture including language and the religious practices.

Dhondenling Tibetan settlement is located in the majestic Biligiri Rangam hills in Karnataka; it was established in 1974 with over 3,500 people.

The current population of the settlement is now 4,500. The settlement is scattered in 22 village clusters. There are eight small monasteries, a school, and a small care-home for elders (FPMT Charitable Projects has been supporting the elderly home for the past three years by providing 70% of the annual budget.) The elderly home has a capacity for thirty-two residents. There is also a hospital and a traditional Tibetan medicine clinic. These establishments cater to the religious, educational, and health-care of the residents of the settlement. The residents have formed a cooperative society to cater to the agrarian needs of the members. The principal livelihood occupation is agriculture raising mainly corn, with millet, potato, and garlic as optional crops.

Most Tibetan settlements in India, Nepal, and Bhutan have a multi-purpose community hall, as a central gathering place for all within the settlement to hold special religious and cultural functions. However, Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, being one of the poorest settlements, did not have a community hall and any gatherings held for the 4,500 residents would happen outside under tents or tarps.

Community prayers continue at Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement despite the lack of proper accommodation for participants.

The community gatherings that happen throughout the year consist of:

• Public prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and other religious heads, and world peace
• Annual OM MANI PADME HUM recitation retreat and 100,000 Praises to Tara that require public attendance for over 45 days
• Celebration of religious and social festivals
• Dharma teaching discourses for the residents in general and the younger generation in particular 
• Cultural programs and events by students to encourage children to participate in extracurricular activities
• Parent-Teacher interactive sessions to exchange ideas and development of partnership perspective concerning child upbringing and education

These gatherings and activities are vital for preserving the Tibetan cultural heritage and lineages and for providing community support for those living in the settlement.

Seeing the incredible need for this multi-purpose community hall in Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, and recognizing how important it is to preserve the unique Tibetan cultural heritage, in 2020 we applied for and received a grant for the purpose of building this community hall.

Site of the new community hall for Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement.

We were very happy to be a part of offering this support and US$158,741 was given to Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement for the building. In April 2020 they started the building process, buying necessary supplies for the foundations but quite soon due to COVID-19 restrictions which were strictly enforced by the government in South India, including in Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, all building work was stopped in May. The lockdown was lifted after a few months, but there were still building restrictions and also restrictions in regards to outside people entering the Tibetan Settlement.

There was particular concern due to the fact that many people in the Tibetan Settlement live in very poor conditions and in close proximity. It was decided not to continue the building work of the community hall until the end of year (December 2020) due to precautions and to ensure not having too many outside laborers entering the Tibetan Settlement. All the building supplies that had been bought were carefully secured and protected during this time.

Work begins on this important community hall for 4,500 Tibetans.

From December 2020 to February 2021, the building work again commenced on the community hall. The work is going slower than expected, but is progressing.

We are extremely grateful to all who support the Social Services Fund, so that we can offer support such as this to Dhondeling Tibetan Settlement multi-purpose community hall for religious and cultural preservation and for the benefit of the 4,500 residents. Thank you.

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure beneficial grants like this can continue. 

Some of the young monks of Samtenling School.

Samtenling School is part of Samtenling Monastery and provides the young monks of the monastery a modern, progressive, secular education in Boudhanath, Nepal. Out of 140 monks, 120 are age 6-26. The school provides education from kindergarten through eighth grade. Most of the monks are from Nepal and are primarily Sherpa and Tamang, but Tibetan monks also attend the monastery and school.

The school has been operating without classrooms or even a debate courtyard since it started. Education and activities have been held under tin sheets without windows, walls, and doors. Due to the climate, classes regularly have to be cancelled. During Summer, it is extremely hot under the tin roof and in Winter, it is extremely cold, with only one wall providing protection from the elements.

Samtenling monks performing ground blessing during the building process for success.

Seeing the incredible need for this small school to be able to provide basic needs for education for these young students, in 2020 FPMT’s Social Services applied for a grant from Unione Buddhista Italiana (U.B.I.), to build the school. In October we shared an update on the project, rejoicing that they had received permissions to start the building.

Work begins on the new classrooms.

In November 2020, many of the COVID19 restrictions were officially lifted in Kathmandu Valley and Samtenling School also received the final permissions from the building department to begin the school construction. As soon as the building was able to begin we issued grants in the amount of US$66,432. We will continue to administer the grants based on updates of the building work and work progress. The construction of the school is now well underway and the foundations have been poured.

Foundations are poured and construction begins on the new Samtenling classrooms.

Please rejoice that we are part of providing the students of this monastery with a much needed school building so that they can study and practice to the best of their ability. We look forward to sharing continued progress as this project reaches completion. 

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants to schools can continue. 

Lamp of the Path beneficiaries enjoying a community meal in 2019.

Lamp of the Path NGO (LOP), part of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, has offered social services to some of the poor and homeless living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the past seventeen years. The soup kitchen, which is its main program, offers food to those in need and free medical support is offered through a health clinic. LOP also helps bring awareness to the epidemic of alcoholism in Mongolia and offers tuberculosis checkups for the disadvantaged in the area.

In 2019 the soup kitchen offered to 50-70 people a day totaling 14,793 bowls of soup. Their vegetable garden expanded and they were also able to sell some of the vegetables in the market as well as using them in the soup kitchen.

Also in 2019 they distributed clothing and blankets to women and children in need as well as toothbrushes and toys. On the new year, all of their beneficiaries were offered a pair of winter boots; and the health clinic expanded and provided home visits, medical help and also transportation to local hospitals. 

Please take a few minutes to watch this moving short video of a day in the life of one Lamp of the Path’s soup kitchen beneficiaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7-zsdFcmpU

In Mongolia, the quarantine came into effect on January 27 and impacted Lamp of the Path immediately and directly. They were not allowed to operate the soup kitchen. In February, they arranged a “window soup kitchen” with distribution of food (mainly bread and instant noodle soup) through the window. They also shared a substantial amount of food with another NGO who is providing shelter for former alcoholics and people with disabilities. Since March, in cooperation with government social workers, they initiated a home visit project. Every week those from the NGO, or caseworkers, visit five poor families and distribute food. They have increased the number of beneficiaries since April by allowing one representative of a family to receive takeaway of soup from the premises once a week. In addition, they have distributed many items of second-hand clothing that were received from Switzerland to members of the Mongolian Blind Association.

The Social Services Fund was honored to offer US$29,400 to this incredible project this year. Since 2012, thanks to a generous donor and the support of many, we have offered over US$246,000 to the Lamp of the Path NGO.

Please rejoice in the ongoing work of this extremely beneficial social service project in Mongolia. 

The Social Services Fund contributes to many beneficial charitable projects as funds allow. You can learn more about these activities, or make a donation of any amount. 

You can offer directly to FPMT Mongolia to help ensure services such as these continue in Mongolia in the future. 

Goats being cared for at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary, Nepal.

Every day around the world millions of animals are killed and mistreated needlessly. In countries like Nepal, the care and management of animals is very poor and animal sacrifices are common creating tremendous suffering for the animals and those involved.

In his concern for the welfare of all living beings, Lama Zopa Rinpoche initiated the purchase of land near Kopan Monastery for the Animal Liberation Sanctuary to provide shelter and care for animals rescued from being killed, so that they may live out their natural lives in peace and attain a higher rebirth. The sanctuary benefits rescued animals, not only by freeing from impending death, but also by exposing them to Buddha’s teachings. They regularly hear mantras and are led around holy objects. The animals (seven cattle, 46 goats, and one sheep) are receiving shelter, food, veterinary care, kindness, and Dharma. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Shenphen and his brother, Pema, who is the caretaker of the Animal Liberation Sanctuary, Nepal.

In 2019 the sanctuary’s cow shed floor was replaced. The floor was concreted many years ago to improve cleaning, but unfortunately it has lead to lameness in most cows to varying degrees. Every attempt to soften the floor (mats, straw, new bedding, etc.) had not been successful so a complete replacement was needed.

A few goats were lost to illness in 2019, including the oldest goat, Mahakala, who was the last of the original goats at the monastery from before 2006. The other goats are doing well.

This year on World Animal Day (October 4), His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in a recorded message from his residence in Dharamsala, urged people around the world to move toward more compassionate and sustainable ways of living that rely less on the exploitation of animals. “It is very useful to promote vegetarianism,” His Holiness said. “We should pay more attention toward developing more vegetables [in our diet].” His Holiness likened animals to the ornaments of the world, lamenting the extreme exploitation of animals and the growing consumption of meat from industrial-scale livestock farms in countries such as the United States, which are “environmentally very harmful.” His Holiness also noted that, “In modern times, some people are really showing concern about animal rights. This is very, very encouraging.”

Please enjoy this video of the goats circumambulating the stupas on the sanctuary property:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnIoKRN2XaI&feature=youtu.be

Current goals for the sanctuary include: following up on some more much-needed construction and maintenance, extending the stupa landing area for the goats (to make it easier to circumambulate and providing a dry, leech-free area during monsoon); replace and improve the fencing around the goat shed; fix the internal pens for the safety of the resident animals; and add new fencing to allow the planting of fodder trees and shrubs (to increase locally available food sources, reduce imported food, and improve condition of the land).

Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommended that the animals at the sanctuary get more blessings so he gave co-directors Phil and Tania a red bag full of holy items with which to bless the animals. Photo by Ven. Thubten Choying.

The sanctuary has a main animal shelter designed to provide a healthy environment throughout Nepal’s seasons, it has facilities to separate weaker animals from the main flock, and it is designed to reduce water use and waste. The sanctuary has an animal shed, treatment and isolation building, quarantine area, and caretaker house. 

Since 2012, a very kind benefactor has worked with the Social Services Fund to issue annual grants for the ongoing work and care of the sanctuary. In 2020 we were very happy to be able to offer US$9,800, and since 2012 US$69,600 has been granted.

Thank you to all who work for the welfare of animals. May this small support toward the animals in Nepal create the causes for all animals to be free from suffering.

The Animal Liberation Fund supports weekly animal liberations and extensive dedications offered by Sangha at the residences of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in addition support is offered to the Animal Liberation Sanctuary in Nepal, MAITRI Charitable Trust in India and elsewhere. You are welcome to offer any amount toward this ongoing work. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visiting MAITRI for World Leprosy Day, 2019.

Since 1989, MAITRI Charitable Trust has been operating as a beneficial example of Dharma in action. MAITRI is a registered charitable trust in India working to support the poor and disadvantaged in the province of Bihar, India. This year, MAITRI continued their hugely impactful program benefiting those with leprosy and tuberculosis, and offering care to mothers and children, as well as animals in need.

Tuberculosis patients receiving their monthly food and supplements from the MAITRI.

42 new cases of leprosy were registered and help was given to 645 people total with this disease including education on self-care to prevent the risk of deformities as well as medical care for ulcers and other conditions. They also continued very important education program to raise awareness in identification and treatment of leprosy, going directly to 2,543 isolated villages, as well as addressing 28,822 school children.

They continued their annual blanket drive with 297 blankets offered to individuals with leprosy and 255 to mothers in need.  

Dogs being cared for at MAITRI.

The animal care turned shelter program continues to be vital for so many animals that are fortunate enough to find care at MAITRI.

The very important mother care program directly benefited 264 mothers, providing care and treatment and the safe delivery of 165 babies. The child care program helped 275 children with medical check-ups and treatment as well as milk powder. MAITRI also provided support to 71 young sick girls with monthly check-ups.

In a recent newsletter to supporters of MAITRI, director Adriana Ferranti reported:

The pandemic has meant a number of our generous benefactors are no longer able to give what they have in the past, while the demand for our services in Bodhgaya has increased.
 
COVID-19 has made Bodhgaya a deserted place, full of fear and despair. So many NGOs and charities are closed and the poor don’t know where to go. Government services have always been unreliable and inconsistent and the lockdown has exacerbated their ability to respond to the crisis.
 
MAITRI has continued to operate its hospital and animal shelter throughout the long, strict lockdown, as well as distributing food packages to villagers. However, it is clear that MAITRI’s normal programs are more important than ever. Our paramedical workers continue to go into the poorest areas and they report that the need is dire. We are desperate to find ways to meet this humanitarian tragedy. Our staff members are local people and simply bearing witness has never been the MAITRI way. We all want to help where it is most needed.

Please watch this short very moving video about the compassionate work of MAITRI: 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqLTXsodMvo&feature=youtu.be

The annual budget for Maitri Charitable Trust is $189,686 and donations can be made directly through their website. The Social Services Fund was honored to offer US$49,000 to this incredible project this year. Since 2012, thanks to a generous donor and the support of many, we have been able to offer over US$510,100 to MAITRI. 

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants to beneficial projects such as this can continue. 

Learn more about MAITRI Charitable Trust: www.maitri-bodhgaya.org/home 

Young monks of Samtenling Monastery.

Samtenling School is part of Samtenling Monastery, providing the young monks of the monastery a modern, progressive, secular education in Kathmandu, Nepal. Out of 140 monks, 120 are age 6-26. The school provides education from kindergarten through eighth grade. Most of the monks are from Nepal and are primarily Sherpa and Tamang, but Tibetan monks also attend the monastery and school.

The school has been operating without classrooms or a debate courtyard. Classes and debates are held under tin sheets which functions more like open space without windows, walls, and doors. Due to these conditions, disturbances of noises are common and students can easily get distracted. Due to the climate, classes regularly have to be cancelled as well.

Students of Samtenling Monastery have been able to continue philosophy classes during COVID-19.

Last year, FPMT Social Services Fund raised a substantial grant for the school to build actual classrooms. They were waiting to receive the permission from the building department for construction and then, unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and these plans were put on hold. The monastery was able to continue Tibetan philosophy and some language classes because those teachers live at the monastery, but the whole program of the school is not currently operating due to the lockdown and restrictions.

We are pleased to report that they have now received the building permission and will start building once restrictions are lifted in Kathmandu Valley.

Students of Samtenling Monastery, outside memorizing.

The school is taking the necessary precautions in response to the crisis such as: closing the main gate and asking other people not to visit and monks not to leave the property at this time and placing soaps and sanitizers in every corner of the monastery for accessible use. 

We look forward on updating you on the progress of the school classrooms as soon as they are able to continue this most important project. 

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants to schools can continue. 

FPMT Charitable Projects will continue updating you on how schools supported by FPMT Social Service Fund are navigating these challenging times.  

Students of Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School in Taplejung, Nepal.

Since 2012 the Social Services Fund has been offering substantial support to different schools in Nepal and India that are offering education to students of Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian heritage. Investing in education through schools is one way to help break the cycle of poverty in impoverished areas and we are pleased to offer support to nearly 1,000 children each year at this time.

2020 has been an unusual year for the schools due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the schools were required to temporarily close in March and April of 2020 and have remained closed due to local restrictions. Some of the schools have been able to offer some form of online schooling or direct limited support to older children who will be sitting in on exams in 2020. Some of the schools that have hostels associated remained open and offered restricted classes to the children still living there.

Here we invite you to learn about some of the schools we currently support and also those we have offered grants to in the past.

Students of Sambhota Tibetan School, Bylakuppe, India.

Sambhota Tibetan School, located in Bylakuppe, South India, was established in 1971 to serve the children of refugees living at Dicky Larose Tibetan Settlement. 24 staff help educate 217 elementary, middle, and secondary students.

Since 2015 we have offered sponsorship for daily vegetarian midday meals, salary for one person to help look after the children after school for a year, and sponsorship of new kitchen. In 2020 we were happy again to offer US$6,706 for midday meals for all the children.

Students of Sagarmatha Secondary School, Chailsa, Nepal enjoying a meal.

Sagarmatha Secondary School in Chailsa, Nepal, is located on what was once a Tibetan refugee camp. It currently serves 170 students, including 79 young lay students who live at the school hostel and 25 young monks who live at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, which is a branch of Kopan Monastery and shares the school grounds. Eleven teachers and one additional employee support these students.

Since 2015 we have offered annual grants to the school that covers the salaries of teachers in addition to yearly text books and one set of school uniforms per year for the students. Grants are also offered for prize distribution for exams and sports competitions. The grants are offered at the end of each year, and in 2019 we were happy to offer US$30,495 for this purpose.

Students of Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India.

Maitreya School, which is a social service project of Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, is a free school benefiting impoverished children from neighboring villages. The school offers children living in one of India’s poorest states a precious opportunity. Not only do they engage in a traditional education but, more importantly, they receive life skills in compassion, honesty, and loving-kindness presented through Buddha’s teachings. The core of the training and vision of the school is: making lives meaningful. The school has a total of 305 students with 12 full-time teachers including the principal. 

Since 2012 we have offered yearly support toward the operating costs as well as two new buses for transporting students. In 2020 we offered US$39,200 toward the annual costs of the school.

Tara Children’s Home, Bodhgaya, India, was also a social service project of Root Institute, Bodhgaya, but has now closed. The Tara Children’s Home was a small orphanage for about 20 HIV affected children. For six years, starting in 2012, we offered over US$172,290 in grants toward the annual operating expenses of the orphanage. 

Some of the Ngari Institute students, Ladakh, India.

Ngari Institute of Buddhist Dialectics is located in the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh, India, in a small village called Saboo. The campus is spread over twenty hectares of deserted land. The Institute helps children in need from different remote parts of Ladakh, and sends them to three different local schools, by covering all the costs for the children to attend the schools. The aim of the Institute is to empower and enrich the poor and remote-area students by offering them a combined learning of both modern scientific knowledge and ancient Buddhist wisdom. It was founded by the Ladakh alumni of Sera Je Monastery in South India.

You can watch this video of the children of Ngari Institute enjoying breakfast:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWj03fV9Lk8&feature=youtu.be

Since 2014 we have offered lunch every day of the year to the children and staff of Ngari Institute. There are currently 62 school children, including young monks, and 21 teachers who benefit from this offering. In 2020 we were happy to offer support in the amount of US$30,741 toward all the lunch expenses for the year.

Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School 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.

The Social Services Fund raised a substantial grant to assist with a desperately needed hostel for the children in 2015. After raising this money, Nepal suffered the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and the school also endured considerable damage. As a result, the grant offered to the school was not only used to assist with the hostel, but also to help with repairs needed elsewhere on the property.

Students of Sangkpa Dechhholing Gonpa School.

Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School in Taplejung, Nepal, was established in 2007 to serve the Buddhist community in the area. Seven teachers currently educate 80 students, starting at age three. The curriculum is taught in English and Nepali and focuses on modern subjects such as math and science, while being grounded in Buddhist teachings and culture.

In 2018 we offered a US$53,587 grant to support the work of this school.

Young monks of Samtenling Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Samtenling Monastery desperately needed classrooms and a school building to provide the young monks of the monastery a modern, progressive, secular education in Kathmandu, Nepal. Out of 140 monks, 120 of them are aged 6-26. The school provides education from kindergarten through grade eight. Most of the monks are from Nepal and are primarily Sherpas and Tamangs, but Tibetan monks also attend the monastery and school. The school has been operating without any classrooms or a debate courtyard and the Social Services Fund offered a grant of US$166,090 in 2019 for the school to be built. The actual building will begin soon.

Sera Je Monastery, India needed new science classrooms and in April 2013 the Social Service Fund offered US$100,000 toward building the new classrooms .The classrooms are used primarily to teach subjects such as science and other fields of knowledge within the monastic curriculum. This offering came as a direct request from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and was a long-term objective of Sera Je Monastery to align with the vision and recommendations of His Holiness to integrate this kind of study into the monastic education.

Since 2012, amazingly over US$1,042,644 has been offered to these schools and institutions. These grants have had a direct effect and changed many children’s lives for the better. All of this is due to the kindness of the donors of the Social Services Fund who make it possible to make these offerings. We hope that more substantial grants can be offered to these and other beneficial schools offering education to youth in India and Nepal in the future.

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants to schools can continue. 

A TVA volunteer feeding stray dogs in Bylakuppe, India. Photo courtesy of TVA Facebook page.

The Animal Liberation Fund recently offered a US$5,450 grant to Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) and Social Action Movement for a vehicle needed to rescue sick and injured dogs in and around Bylakuppe, India.

Since 2003, TVA has been a pioneer in treating and rescuing innocent animals, particularly dogs. In addition, they have been offering an educational outreach program to Hunsur, Kollegal and Mundgod Tibetan settlements, along with free anti-rabies vaccination and an animal birth control program.

Due to an increase in the population of a stray dog in Bylakuppe the rise of abandoned puppies has also increased. TVA has taken an active role in rescuing these dogs with the help of the community and monasteries in Bylakuppe with medical treatment given by People for Animals (PFA) in Mysore. Dogs are transferred to one of two small shelters in the area—one which provides medical care, one that houses dogs who are mostly well and ready for adoption.

Previously, TVA has had to hire taxis to transfer injured dogs to PFA Mysore for treatment, which is unstainable for the long run due to cost. Therefore, TVA was in need of a vehicle to not only help transfer the dogs as needed.  

TVA and Social Action Movement are also developing a project called Ngenjey Home for Animals which aims to provide a home for animals including cows, sheep, donkeys, horses, goats, pigs, and hens. These animals will be able to live happily without harm and untimely death.

To learn more about this important work for animals visit the Tibetan Volunteers for Animals website. 

The Animal Liberation Fund supports weekly animal liberations and extensive dedications offered by Sangha at the residences of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. When funds allow, additional animal liberations conducted around the world are supported, as well as efforts to save the lives of animals at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary in Nepal, MAITRI Charitable Trust in India and elsewhere. You are welcome to offer any amount toward this ongoing work. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visiting Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, January 2020.

For the past nine years, due to the kindness of one main benefactor, the FPMT Social Services Fund has been offering substantial grants toward the amazing projects of Root Institute, Bodhgaya, India, which directly benefit underprivileged individuals in the area. In 2020, US$$53,900 total was offered to Maitreya School (US$39,200) and Shakyamuni Buddha Health Clinic (US$14,700). 

Maitreya School is a free school benefiting impoverished children from neighboring villages. In 2019, 70 new students entered the school, bringing the total to 306 with the addition of two new teachers. The school continued to offer free education to all the children as well as transport them to and from the school, provide education supplies and uniforms, healthy snacks, and classes on meditation and mindfulness.

Due to COVID-19, all schools in Bihar state were closed starting on March 25 of this year. Since that time the students were mostly learning through online classes, but as Root reports: “It is quite difficult to develop proper and creative learning programs for our children who mostly belong to less affluent rural families, or who live in remote villages where people rarely even use a basic phone.” To help address this, some teachers have made their homes available for up to ten students who live near them to receive coaching and classes. 

Please enjoy this short video of a snapshot day at Maitreya School (before COVID-19):

Shakyamuni Buddha Health Clinic began in 1991 as a home for the destitute and has evolved into a diverse community health program encompassing a wide range of medical and rehabilitative services and health promotion activities.

The clinic continued to do important work in the community in 2019, serving 3,500 patients each month. A new medical vehicle was purchased and they started classes for girls on women’s health.  These workshops are helping to bring an end to early marriage, domestic violence, help with long-term family planning, and teach the value of education. The clinic continues to help the community of Bodhgaya by running programs on homeopathic & allopathic medicines, a dental clinic, as well as physiotherapy and speech therapy. The clinic combined with the mobile outreach units offered free medical treatment to 42,000 patients in 2019.

Shakyamuni Buddha Clinic has been temporarily closed due the COVID-19 pandemic situation in India, but will open again as soon as allowed.

Please enjoy this short video of a glimpse into the work of the clinic as well as life at Root Institute (pre COVID-19). 

We invite you to rejoice in the ongoing beneficial work of the social service programs of Root Institute which are benefiting so many in need of this most precious care. 

During this time when the regular social service activities has been limited or shut down, Root Institute has engaged in inspiring community service by offering food the most needy in the area.

Thank you to all the kind supporters of the Social Services Fund who make it possible to offer donations like this. These grants have a very real and direct effect, changing lives and benefiting extremely poor children and those who are sick and have no other means of support. 

Support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants such as this can continue; or make a donation directly to one of Root Institute’s social service projects.

Rinpoche giving oral transmission of OM MANI PADME HUNG and explaining the benefits of reciting it at Lugsung Samdupling Home for the Aged and Disabled, one of the homes supported by the Social Services Fund.

The Need for Support

Tibetans have been living in exile since 1959 when Communist China invaded Tibet, forcing 100,000 Tibetans to flee to India, Nepal, Bhutan and eventually elsewhere around the world. Many of the Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal are now elderly and many are rendered destitute and in desperate need of care at this critical phase of life. Tibetan families traditionally provide for the elderly and sick among them. However, when a family itself is in deep poverty, or if the elderly individual is alone and without family support, help is needed.

Support Offered

A resident of Dhondenling Elderly Home, Kollegal, India, one of the homes supported by the Social Services Fund. 

Since 2016, the Social Services Fund has offered US$1,224,085 support to over 350 Tibetan elders living in different elderly homes in India. In 2020 we were so happy to offer US$379,309 to five such homes taking care of this most precious and vulnerable population of Tibetans. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has encouraged us to not only address residents’ physical needs, but also their spiritual ones. With this in mind, we’ve also sponsored holy objects such as stupas and prayer wheels on the premises of some of these homes as well as a community hall for pujas and group prayers at two Tibetan settlements. 

Over the past few months we have reported on how the individual homes have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and we were happy to hear that all of the elders in the homes we support were safe from danger of this virus and we were pleased that each home took the necessary precautions and ongoing safety measures needed to protect those in their care and the surrounding communities. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting an 82 year old Tibetan lady during teachings in South India, 2015.

Elderly Homes we Supported in 2020

Jampaling Elder’s Home, Dharamsala, provides food, shelter and medical services to 156 residents. US$96,282 was offered in 2020 for shortfall to the annual operating budget.

Lugsam Samduling Home for the Aged and Disabled, Bylakuppe, looks after 46 elderly individuals who are living in extremely modest conditions, many with health issues due to the advanced age. US$14,025.24 was offered in 2020 for shortfall to the annual operating budget.

Some of the elders of Lugsam Elderly Home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doeguling Home for Elderly and Disabled, located in the Doeguling Tibetan Refugee Settlement in Mundgod, cares for 103 elderly residents. US$65,463 was offered in 2020 for the following:
US$32,793 for an ambulance to transfer the elderly extremely sick and close to passing to the hospital; US$19,585 for annual medical expenses fund due to many of the elders now requiring cancer treatment and kidney dialysis etc; US$13,085 investment toward a corpus fund the home has already set up. The interest of the corpus fund is already covering some of the home’s annual expenses.

Rabgayling Tibetan Family Welfare Association, Hunsur, has an elderly home serving 20 residents. US$22,812.77 was offered in 2020 toward the annual budget shortfall. 

Dhondenling Old People Home, Kollegal, is in one of the most remote and underdeveloped Tibetan settlements in southern India. The elderly home has a capacity for 32 elderly Tibetans residents. US$21,983.83 was offered in 2020 to cover 70% of their annual operating budget for 2020. Additionally, US$180,725.64 was also offered to this settlement. This money was raised separately from UBI in Italy and is to be used toward a multi-purpose hall that the elders would be able to use for religious group practices as well as cultural events.

In the future we’re eager to provide similar support in Nepal and we have already started the process of assessing needs and opportunities to offer support in this way. Thank you to all the donors who make this most urgent and critical support possible. Please rejoice in the US$379,309 offered to these homes in 2020. 

If you are inspired by grants such as this which support elderly Tibetans, you are welcome to contribute to the Social Service Fund and help ensure that work like this can continue long into the future. 

Monks of Kopan Monastery reciting a text together.

In 2018 we announced a new fund, the Protecting the Environment and Living Beings Project. This project began as a way to fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for specific pujas and practices to be recited regularly in order to pacify harm from the elements and to protect those (humans, animals, insects) who have been affected.

In alignment with Rinpoche’s advice, every month the following practices are being offered with strong prayers. Rinpoche checked extensively on the exact practices to be done, how many times they should be completed, and by whom:

• Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja is offered five times by Shu Cho Khangtsen of Drepung Gomang Monastery, Kopan Monastery, and Gyuto Tantric College
• Guhyasamaja root text is recited four times by Kopan Lama Gyupas
• Kshitigarbha Sutra is recited one time by the nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery
• Sutra of Golden Light is recited eight times by Sangha in the USA
• Arya Sanghata Sutra is recited five times by Sangha and students in the USA
• Vajra Cutter Sutra is recited four times by Yangsi Rinpoche

We are pleased to report that this has all been offered without interruption since the project began and will continue. These prayers, recitations, and pujas are also extremely important right now, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and all the effects arising from that.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Yangsi Rinpoche making extensive offerings to numberless Buddhas, Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, US, July 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Some of the Many Benefits of these Recitations

 “Medicine Buddha encompasses all the buddhas. This means that when we practice the seven-limb prayer and make offerings with the seven limbs, we receive the same merit as we would if we had made offerings to all the buddhas.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

“The Guhyasamaja Tantra holds a special place in the tantric tradition. Lama Tsongkhapa says, “In the Root Tantra, in the section on the title, it states that every secret of the body, speech, and mind of every tathagata is contained within this tantra.” Lama Tsongkhapa says just to read, study, or even come into contact with this tantra is of immense benefit, and that as long as the Guhyasamaja Tantra remains, the teachings of the Buddha remain also, because “it is the amulet carrying the Buddhadharma.” — Thubten Jinpa, in the Introduction to “A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages” by Lama Tsongkhapa.

The Kshitigarbha Sutra averts danger and purifies obstacles. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has recommended Kṣitigarbha mantra and practice for times of disaster, particularly earthquakes.

“The Sutra of Golden Light is the king of the sutras. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all one’s wishes, as well as bringing peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for world peace, for your own protection, and for the protection of the country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country. It protects individuals and their country from what are labeled natural disasters of the wind element, fire element, earth element, and water element—such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, fires, tornadoes, etc.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

One benefit of reciting the Sanghata Sutra is that, wherever this sutra is recited, the buddhas are always present, as explained in the text itself. As such, the recitation can bestow a powerful blessing on the place where it is recited.

“The Vajra Cutter Sutra is unbelievable. It is one of the most profitable practices, because the root of all sufferings, yours and others, is the ignorance holding “I” as truly existent—even though it is empty of that; and the ignorance holding the aggregates as truly existent, even though they are empty of that. The only antidote to cut that, to get rid of that and through which to achieve liberation, the total cessation of the suffering causes—delusions and karma—is the wisdom realizing emptiness. This is the subject of the Vajra Cutter Sutra, emptiness. So, each time it is read, it leaves such a positive imprint. Without taking much time, without much difficulty, it is easy to actualize wisdom.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The general dedication for all these monthly pujas and practices is for whole world, and in particular for United States of America (at this time):

To not have disasters of fire, water, air, and earth including great dangers such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, fires, and also global problems; to prevent any great danger for the people and animals of the area, and if it does for those who die to not be reborn in the lower realms and to actualize bodhichitta and achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Tremendous thanks to Yangsi Rinpoche and all the Sangha and students who are offering these continual prayers each month; to all who contribute toward the sponsorship of these prayers; and to all those who join in with prayers. You can can participate yourself by reciting these texts and offering the same dedication above: Medicine Buddha Puja, Sanghata Sutra, Vajra Cutter Sutra, Sutra of Golden Light. 

All are welcome to join this effort to benefit the environment, those affected by disasters of the elements, and all beings.

Some of the elders of Rabgayling Tibetan Family Welfare Association, in Hunsur, India.

FPMT Charitable Projects has been providing information about how the elderly homes supported by the Social Services Fund have been doing during the COVID-19 crisis. Here we provide the final reports of two homes who are, thankfully, marked safe during the pandemic. 

The grounds of Dhondeling Tibetan Settlement being sanitized for safety during the pandemic.

At Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement, located in Kollegal, India, an elderly home of thirty-two elderly, precautions have been taken such as: visitors are not allowed to enter the home; they stocked dry rations and other items; requested the doctor to visit the home in case of any emergency; the premises was thoroughly sanitized regularly; and nearly 3,200 cloth-face masks were distributed to the settlement and the residents.

Resident bathrooms of Rabyaling Tibetan Family Welfare Association being cleaned by staff.

The twenty elders at Rabgayling Tibetan Family Welfare Association, in Hunsur, India, are in good health. Nutritious food and regular check-ups have been offered and the staff regularly cleans their rooms, toilets, and offers sanitation to the premises. 

In 2020 a total of US$379,308 has been offered from the Social Services Fund to homes in India serving elderly Tibetans. Tibetan families traditionally provide for the elderly and sick among them. However, when a family itself is in deep poverty, or if the elderly individual is alone and without family support, help is needed. FPMT is very happy to be able to offer this very real and needed support to these very precious elders, many of whom would be rendered destitute without such support. Thank you to all who make this support possible.

All are welcome to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants to elderly homes can continue.