Supporting our Lamas

Ganden Yiga Chozin in Pokhara Nepal

On Saka Dawa this year, Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered US$6,000 to FPMT’s Ganden Yiga Chozin in Pokhara Nepal. The center was negatively impacted by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks which occurred right before the center’s busy tourist and visitor season. Fortunately, no structural or property damage was sustained by the center. However, due to damage in surrounding areas, and due to general fear among would-be tourists of Nepal, the center has experienced a drastic loss in visitors. Without the anticipated income from courses and teaching events, the center has struggled to meet immediate expenses. When Rinpoche heard about this he was immediately inspired to do something to help the center survive until visitors started returning to the area. Thubten Drolkar, the center director, said the following about this donation, “It was so unbelievably kind of Rinpoche to offer the money, kind of overwhelming, really.  I’d been so worried about how we were going to keep the center open and worrying that the staff would lose their jobs (which would be devastating for them, and us, as they are very good staff!) and then I heard that Rinpoche was coming to the rescue.  I still feel like I can’t believe how fortunate we are!” 

All are welcome to offer a donation of any amount directly to the center to help with this unexpected loss of income. 

The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund enables Rinpoche’s compassionate service to others to flourish.You can learn more about other beneficial activities this fund supports. 

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. 

Kopan Sangha performing the pujas recommended for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life. Photo courtesy of Kopan Monastery.

Every year, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s faithful assistant for 29 years and CEO of FPMT Inc. checks with high lamas about any pujas that are needed to be done for the health and long life of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

In March Ven. Roger Kunsang checked for 2015 and based on the advice received a number of pujas were arranged such as:

• Sixteen Arhats  Long Life Puja
• Namgyäl Tong Chö (One thousand sets of offerings to Buddha Namgyälma)
• Dartok Sersum
• Tse Drub

Extensive offerings carefully arranged for the pujas offered for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life.

These pujas were sponsored by the Puja Fund and the Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Long Life Puja Fund and offered on behalf of the entire FPMT organization. 

Thanks to the Kopan Sangha for offering these pujas. 

May these pujas create the cause for Lama Zopa Rinpoche to have perfect health and a very long life. 

All are welcome to participate in the offering of these pujas by donating any amount to the Puja Fund or the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Long Life Puja Fund.

You can learn more about the Puja Fund the activities of the Long Life Puja Fund or any FPMT’s Charitable Projects.

North American Regional Meeting participants with Ösel at Maitripa College, May 12, 2015.

In May of 2013, participants of the North American Regional Meeting, which took place in Portland, OR, were delighted to hear a motivating talk from Tenzin Ösel Hita. In this talk, Ösel shares his wisdom on many topics such as the FPMT organization, how to work harmoniously with others, how to think about offering service, and he fields questions from the audience. 

“Life sometimes puts tests, brings tests. So in those situations we have to keep our cool, not think selfishly, we have to be humble, we have to be open, we have to work together as a community. In that way we create a harmonious community, we create the foundation so that other people are attracted to that energy. And then, slowly, slowly, keep growing, growing, growing…. Many people think the purpose of life is to have a good job, to have a family, nice car, and then have some heritage to give to the children. And basically they struggle their whole life like that. And then when it is about time and they see they will pass away soon, they start having stress, about ‘Wow… What have I done with my life?’ 

The Big Love Fund was established to provide financial resources to support the educational endeavors of Ösel.

An emergency relief team was established at Kopan Monastery immediately following the earthquake.

In light of the recent tragic earthquake in Nepal, Ven. Roger Kunsang has asked FPMT International Office to set up a fund so that FPMT can provide assistance. Donations to the Nepal Earthquake Support Fund will be used to provide for the immediate and long-term needs of Kopan Monastery and Nunnery and other local FPMT centers resulting from the devastation caused by the Nepal earthquake.

Looking down from Kopan Monastery after earthquake, Nepal. Photo by Ven. Sangpo Sherpa.

These needs include food and shelter for more than 800 monks and nuns as well as structural repairs and renovations to buildings at the Monastery and Nunnery that are no longer safe to occupy as a result of the earthquake.

Tents around the stupa at Kopan Monastery following the earthquake.

In addition, Nepal Earthquake Support Fund will be used to offer immediate relief and support to other areas in the Himalayan region such as the village of Thame (Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s birthplace) where there has been an incredible amount of destruction. If sufficient funds are raised, grants may also be provided to other carefully vetted organizations providing earthquake relief efforts.

We will be providing updates on exactly how all donations from this fund are used. Already Lama Zopa Rinpoche has offered $3,500 for immediate relief in Thame for tents and food.

Thank you for your support to this fund. The damage and need is great and contributions like yours will help tremendously. 

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You can learn more about the prayers and practices that are recommended in response to this earthquake and for the many who have lost their lives. 

IVY students have completed 580 nyung näs since November 2014.

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is to sponsor others to complete 1,000 nyung nä retreats. Institute Vajra Yogini (IVY), France, upon hearing this incredible vision of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, immediately started hosting 108 nyung näs retreats a year. Now halfway into the fourth set of 108 retreats there is so much to rejoice in. Currently six people are committed to completing the whole 108 nyung näs. Nine people have so far done eight nyung näs or more. 66 people have done at least one nyung näs. 81 different participants in total have participated in one or more nyung näs and an incredible 580 individual nyung näs have already been accumulated.

On average, there are between 7 to 15 people participating in each single session of the nyung näs.

The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund is sponsoring a number of the people to do the 108 nyung näs and recently sent over US$8,000 toward the sponsorship of food and lodging for individuals undertaking this practice.  The students are dedicating the merits of their practice to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life, good health, and for the immediate fulfillment of all of Rinpoche’s wishes.

This practice is a trillion, billion times greater than becoming an Olympic champion. Doing so many nyung näs you become an unbelievable champion. This is what makes numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas most happy and brings sentient beings to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche, May 2007

In 2008 Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote a letter to a student who had just completed 200 nyung näs and was continuing on to complete 1,000. Please enjoy an excerpt from that letter:

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Washington, USA, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Thank you for doing so many nyung näs….

What you have accomplished is really unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable! I wish I could do this some time, I think I have to meditate more on impermanence and death and on the lower realms and karma.

If you can finish these 1,000 it will be unbelievable, unbelievable. Shine [calm abiding] is just one small aspect of the path, but the nyung näs are a cause to achieve the path to enlightenment and to achieve all the qualities of Buddha, also so many eons of negative karma gets purified, 40,000 eons of negative karma are purified by just doing one nyung näs, then depending on how much compassion you generate and of course if you generate bodhichitta, then you can purify much more than that.

What you have done, the nyung näs, wow!! That is just amazing! A miracle, unbelievable, most unbelievable gift to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, you can’t imagine how many hundreds of thousands of millions of many eons of negative karma that have gone by doing this, so many, many eons of negative karma have gone.

I hope you don’t feel you are missing the negative karma. I hope that you don’t fall asleep at night time and miss all those negative karmas. Sooner or later you will become a bodhisattva. So just like when someone wins soccer, when all the people jump up, clapping their hands, many tens of thousands of people clapping their hands, so in the same way all the buddhas and bodhisattvas are clapping their hands, from the ten directions, even from the pure lands.

This is your best offering, best service to sentient beings; this is how you collect most extensive merit. Doing all those practices, prostrations it is unbelievable purification, by reciting the names of the 35 Buddhas, Chenrezig meditation, recitation, by making offerings to Chenrezig, you collect the same amount of merit as having made offerings to all the buddhas, and then by taking the 8 Mahayana precepts on top … wow!!! Amazing, gorgeous!

Please download a free PDF, Praise and Prayer to Noble Avalokiteshvara in celebration of these amazing accomplishments by so many dedicated students who wish to support Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision.

Tremendous thanks to Francois and Violette and all at Institute Vajra Yogini for all they are doing to make the 108 nyung näs Vast Vision a reality, and also for supporting all the nyung näs participants, which is creating more bodhichitta in the world.

You can learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for the FPMT organization, or about other beneficial activities of the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund.

The dedicated nyung näs participants of IVY.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche showing respect to a Hayagriva statue on the altar at Idgaa Choizinling College in Mongolia.

The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund sponsors the electricity for lotus light offerings to all the holy objects on the altar at Idgaa Choizinling College in Mongolia. The lights are offered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Among the holy objects on this altar is an incredible Hayagriva statue (pictured on the right).

The annual 100 Million Mani Retreat, which is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions, is also held in the Idgaa Choizinling gompa.

Please rejoice in this daily offering of light to these incredible holy objects in Mongolia. Anyone is welcome to think of this continuous light offering and offer it in their daily practice. You are also welcome to offer any amount to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund to contribute to the costs of this daily offering.

Light Offering Prayer

The Idgaa Choizinling gompa, which houses the 100 Million Mani Retreats sponsored by the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund.

Composed by Lama Atisha

May the light of the lamp be equal to the great three thousand worlds and their environments,
May the wick of the lamp be equal to the king of mountains – Mount Meru.
May the butter be equal to the infinite ocean.
May there be billions of trillions of lamps in the presence of each and every buddha.
May the light illuminate the darkness of ignorance of all sentient beings
From the peak of samsara down to the most torturous hell,
Whereby they can see directly and clearly all the ten directions’
Buddhas and bodhisattvas and their pure lands.
OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM E MA HO
I offer these beautifully exalted clear and luminous lights
To the thousand buddhas of the fortunate eon,
To all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the infinite pure lands and of the ten directions,
To all the gurus, meditation deities, dakas, dakinis, dharma protectors,
and the assembly of deities of all mandalas.

From “Extensive Offering Practice,” by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Available through the FPMT Foundation Store

You can learn more about the many beneficial activities of the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund or other Charitable Projects of FPMT.

Every day at Kachoe Dechen Ling in California, USA, four ordained Sangha members currently dedicate their time to making extensive offerings and doing practices requested by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to benefit the entire FPMT organization, benefactors, students, and all beings.

The extensive offerings at Kachoe Dechen Ling consist of hundreds of saffron-filled water bowls that are offered daily, thousands of light offerings as well as an extensive flower garden. Photo by Chris Majors.

We are not aware of the limitless skies of benefits we achieve from the practice of offering, what we can achieve and enjoy from life to life. Even while we are in samsara, we will enjoy good rebirths, wealth, and every happiness. Even just the samsaric perfections are amazing, without adding all those incredible realizations that allow us to off er deep benefit to sentient beings, liberating them from oceans of samsaric suffering and its cause, delusion and karma.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Extensive Offering Practice

All of these practices and offerings are dedicated to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students, and all beings who are sick or are experiencing life obstacles. Photographer Chris Majors recently took a series of photos which wonderfully capture this daily activity. It is incredible that these offerings and practices are happening every single day. Please remember these beautiful offerings in your own practice. This is an incredibly easy way to create merit.

Every month Medicine Buddha and large Padmasambhava tsa-tsas are made and dedicated to the success and removal of all obstacles for all FPMT centers, projects, and services. Photo by Chris Majors.

An extensive and beautiful garden in maintained at Kachoe Dechen Ling. Photo by Chris Majors.

Sangha make three Kadampa stupas daily with prayers and filled with mantras for every person who has passed away, as well as 13 Mitukpa and three long life deity tsa-tsas dedicated to anyone who is sick or is experiencing obstacles. Photo by Chris Majors.

There is no difference between offering to a statue of Buddha or a visualized Buddha. Even if there is no statue, but you think of Buddha and make offerings, it has incredible inexhaustible benefits. Why? Because Buddha has inconceivable qualities; he completed the two types of merit and ceased all the mistakes of the mind.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Extensive Offering Practice

You can enjoy an entire gallery of the extensive offerings at Kachoe Dechen Ling and Buddha Amitabha Pure Land in Washington state. You are also welcome to offering any amount to these daily practices and offerings.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with senior monks on his arrival at Gaden Monastery in Mundgod, Karnataka, India on December 22, 2014. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL.

At a meeting held in South India in December 2014, His Holiness the Dalai Lama stressed the extreme importance of establishing the Geluk International Foundation and offices for the long term preservation of the Gelug tradition. Lama Zopa Rinpoche immediately responded to this advice from His Holiness and pledged to offer US$100,000, through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, toward the construction of the building needed for this project. This offering was sent out in February. Specifically, this donation will be used for:

• Office of Gaden Tri Thog Khang – the headquarters of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
• Office of Gaden Tri Thog Khang – secretary and other staff quarters
• Office of Geluk International Foundation
• Training and research center
• First floor – assembly hall
• Second floor – photang for the Gaden Tri Rinpoche

Please rejoice in this incredible offering. May it create the causes for Buddha’s teachings to be accessible to all, far and wide, through the preservation of the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa.

You can learn more about the beneficial activities sponsored by the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund or about the many Charitable Projects of FPMT.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Lama Jamyang Garpo. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang, September 2014.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, recently made a substantial offering toward the costs associated with a young Mongolian tulku, Lama Jamyang Garpo, said to be an emanation of White Manjushri, entering Sera Je Monastery.

Traditionally, on the first day that a tulku enters Sera Je Monastery, offerings and food and tea are given to all the 2,500 monks of Sere Je. This offering from the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, was put toward those costs.

Please rejoice that this auspicious offering has been made. This is an incredible opportunity for this young tulku to study at Sera Je Monastery.

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 three 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.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Lama Jamyang Garpo. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang, September 2014.

About Lama Jamyang Garpo

Lama Jamyang Garpo’s twenty-first reincarnation, Dorjsuren Dashbaljir, was born August 24, 2005 in Asaat, Jargalant sum, Arkhangai Province, Mongolia.

On April 2, 2014, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized Dorjsuren Dashbaljir as Lama Jamyang Garpo’s twenty-first reincarnation.

You can learn more about the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, the Sera Je Food Fund which supports the monks of Sera Je Monastery every day with three nutritious meals, or the other Charitable Projects of FPMT.

The dance of the five dakinis is offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life pujas.

Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) advised that FPMT centers include the dakinis’ request to the lama in the long life pujas arranged for Rinpoche

In the January-March 2015 print edition, Mandala magazine published a piece about the two long life pujas offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche following the 2014 CPMT meeting in Australia this past September.

A tremendous amount of work, supplies and service goes into the organization of a long life puja and Mandala has done a wonderful job capturing some of the behind-the-scenes effort involved. In particular, you can read about what is needed for the dakinis’ request to the lama, which is offered with five dancers in full costume. Following Lama Zopa Rinpoche manifesting a stroke in 2011, Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) advised that FPMT centers include the dakinis’ request to the lama in the long life pujas arranged for Rinpoche.

Please enjoy this piece, complete with photos, from Mandala magazine.

You can follow the news of other long life pujas offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, or offer any amount to future pujas offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama or Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Blankets were offered to 30 children in a local Kushinagar orphanage by Maitreya Project Kushinagar. In December 500 blankets were offered to poor villagers.

An ambulance was offered to help very poor villagers in Kushinagar with basic medical help.

In early 2014 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, via the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, offered a donation to Maitreya Project Kushinagar to be used toward the incredible humanitarian work they are now undertaking.

Some of the money was used for a much needed ambulance that helps villagers in very poor areas of Kushinagar with basic medical help. Other funds were used to distribute mosquito nets in the Summer to villagers to protect them from malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, and was a big problem in the area during Summer months.

Mosquito nets were distributed to villagers to help with the spread of malaria.

Currently Maitreya Project Kushinagar is fundraising for a blanket drive so they can offer blankets to very poor villagers who suffer in the Winter. In December, the first 500 blankets were distributed. This past week, 30 blankets were distributed to a local orphanage which is home to children who were mostly picked up from the streets and very desperate. These children had no decent blankets to protect them from the Winter cold.

Please rejoice in this amazing humanitarian work being offered by Maitreya Project Kushinagar. You can offer directly to this beneficial work.

You can learn more about the work of  Maitreya Project Kushinagar as well as other beneficial activities being supported by the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund.