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Supporting our Lamas
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Lama Zopa Rinpoche and 27 geshes, who serve as resident teachers in FPMT centers, during the 2007 Geshe Conference organized by FPMT.
In 2013 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, was extremely happy to offer robes to all of the resident geshes and western ordained teachers offering service at FPMT centers around the world.
Tremendous thanks to Kopan Monastery and Claire Isitt for helping to arrange this.
If you were Sangha but you didn’t wear robes, then people would not know [that you were ordained], but with robes on there is no question. That is how the robes have such incredible benefit for the mind. It is planting the seed for enlightenment when people show respect to your wearing of the robes, or to the robes themselves: This is planting the seed of liberation, and is a way of benefiting sentient beings…
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche, conversation with a monk about the benefits of wearing robes
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has requested that this offering be made each year as a small token of thanks for the incredible service offered by these teachers to FPMT through teaching Dharma in the organization’s centers. In 2013 robes were offered to 43 FPMT registered ordained teachers.
Please rejoice in the service offered by these teachers and also in the offering of robes made to them.
You are welcome to contribute any amount to support the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund:
Lama Zopa Rinpoche in front of the first statue of Lama Yeshe commissioned by Vajrapani Institute, November, 2013.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very happy to make an offering of US$10,000 toward a new life-sized statue of Lama Yeshe which Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, USA is having built. This will be the second life-sized statue of Lama Yeshe commissioned by Vajrapani Institute.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and director of Vajrapani Institute, Fabienne, discussing the art for the new Lama Yeshe statue.
In February 2011, Vajrapani Institute asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche for advice regarding how to create the causes needed for the retreat center to further flourish and benefit many beings. Rinpoche recommended them to commission another statue of FPMT’s founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe.
Rinpoche also added that Vajrapani’s future new meditation hall should contain one-thousand statues of Lama Yeshe! This statue will act as the prototype for smaller ones to be made available.
The budget for this statue is estimated at US$20,000. Please rejoice that Lama Zopa Rinpoche has offered half of funds needed to complete this beneficial statue.
You may donate any amount to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund which allows Rinpoche’s compassionate charitable activity to flourish:
Over 1,000 monks and several hundred international students participated in a long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, December 22, 2013 at Drati Khantsen, Sera Je Monastery, India.
On December 22, 2013 at the conclusion of this year’s oral transmission of Most Secret Hayagriva given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Sera Je Monastery’s Drati Khangtsen in India offered a long life puja to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of FPMT and assistant to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, made strong request for Rinpoche’s long life and made an offering on behalf of the whole FPMT organization during the puja. There were over 1,000 monks and several hundred international students in attendance, including 70 FPMT centers represented and about 17 FPMT Geshes.
Please rejoice in this amazing offering, please make prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long and healthy life so we may always be guided by his perfect example.
If you would like to donate to this fund, which sponsors long life pujas for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, you may do so at any time.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche leaving the long life puja offered on December 22, 2013, at Drati Khantsen, Sera Je Monastery, India.
Exquisite long life thangka made with pearls which Lama Zopa Rinpoche is offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the upcoming long life puja for His Holiness on behalf of the entire FPMT organization. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
FPMT has the incredible opportunity to be one of the main sponsors of the long life puja that will be offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the conclusion of this year’s Jangchub Lam-Rim teaching event at Sera Je Monastery. This is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s continued teachings and transmissions on eighteen classic Lam-rim commentaries.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the artist who created the incredible long life thangka to be offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the upcoming annual long life puja. Rinpoche worked closely with the artist on all aspects of this thangka’s creation.
FPMT will be organizing the traditional offerings as well as a special thangka of White Tara, that is made completely of tiny pearls, which Lama Zopa Rinpoche has carefully arranged in Nepal, working closely with the artist on the design, brocade, and many details.
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. Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested the FPMT organization to offer a long life puja to His Holiness the Dalai Lama every year. FPMT International Office has taken on this responsibility, through the Long Life Puja Fund, for twenty years, and will continue to do so, on behalf of the entire organization.
If you would like to contribute to the annual long life puja offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on behalf of the entire FPMT organization, you are welcome to offer any amount toward the expenses.
To understand why a long life puja is essential, we must understand the value of the Guru. He is our guide in this life, the bardo, and future lives. He is immensely important. It is not a case where if we ask him to live he will, and vice-versa, but that to offer such a ceremony purifies our own broken samayas.
—Geshe Lama Konchog
Lama Rinpoche during the long life puja, December 9, 2013, Kopan Monastery, Nepal. Photo Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog, during the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
The annual long life puja was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche on behalf of the entire FPMT organization at Kopan Monastery, December 9, 2013. 800+ monks and nuns; 280+ Western students; and many local Nepalis, Tibetans and Sherpas were in attendance.
Tremendous thanks to all who donated to this auspicious and successful ceremony, and to all who generously offered practices for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life.
You are welcome to offer any amount to the Long Life Puja Fund for Lama Zopa Rinpoche at any point during the year. By maintaining harmony, following Rinpoche’s advice and offering long life pujas, FPMT students are accumulating the merit needed for our precious spiritual director to stay in the world with us for a long time.
Tsog offering during the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, December 9, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
The Kopan course participants and Sangha getting settled into the best positions to watch the entertainment and enjoy a picnic following the long life puja. December 9, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
The beautiful Nyung-Na altar at Institut Vajra Yogini, France.
On November 15, students began the first of 108 Nyung-Nä retreats at Institut Vajra Yogini, France. Four of these students are sponsored by the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund. The retreats will be completed in June of 2014. The cost to offer this sponsorship is US$9,876.
In 2012 the fund also sponsored four people to complete 108 Nyung-Nä retreats. These sponsorships are the continued expression of one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT which he explained in 2007.
First day of the third round of 108 Nyung-Nas.
The Nyung Nä retreat is a two-day intensive practice that includes taking the 24-hour Mahayana precepts with the addition of complete fasting and silence on the second day.
Doing even one Nyung Nä or “abiding in retreat” for just two days is said to be as effective as three months of other purification practices and is extremely powerful for healing illness, purifying negative karma, and opening the heart to compassion.
Please rejoice in these practitioners’ effort, this is a difficult retreat to complete and they have committed to 108 completions!
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. This is an extremely powerful practice, it in an incredible way to develop bodhichitta.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
You are welcome to donate any amount to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund and contribute to beneficial sponsorships like these.
Most precious self-emanating statue of Chenrezig said to be the actual deity itself in Phakpa, Garsha Khandroling, India.
In July 2013 Lama Zopa Rinpoche engaged in retreat with Khadro-la and Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche in the valley of Lahual, India, which is known by meditators as Garsha Khandroling, “Land of the Dakinis.”
The retreat took place in one of the holy places in Garsha, Phakpa (or Triloknath), a small village with an ancient temple that houses a self-emanating statue of Chenrezig said to be the actual deity itself.
The incredible butter lamp offered to Chenrezig, will have light for all time.
During the retreat Rinpoche sponsored one year of butter for the giant silver butter lamp which is in front of this extremely precious statue of Chenrezig. The cost of a year of butter for the light offering is US$430 a year. In fact, Rinpoche has committed to offer light to this statue for as long as the statue exists.
Rinpoche made the prayer when offering the butter light: “I am offering this on behalf of all the six-realm sentient beings, all the animals, birds, fish, cockroaches, ants, every bat, every tiny insect that jumps up when you walk in the grass, every single crab, every spider, every butterfly and all the numberless animals and numberless beings in each of the six realms (hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals human beings, sura, asuras and intermediate state beings).” So this offering became an offering from all of these beings as well.
If you would like to contribute to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s extensive offerings to holy objects around the world, you may donate any amount to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund.
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 you are in samsara, you enjoy good rebirths, wealth, and every happiness. Even just the samsaric perfections are amazing, without adding all those incredible realizations that allow us to offer deep benefit to sentient beings, liberating them from oceans of samsaric suffering and its cause, delusion and karma.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche (from Extensive Offerings, published by FPMT Education Services)
Light Offering Prayer
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.
Long Life Puja with the five dakinis offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, September 29, 2013. Photo by Chris Majors.
The annual long life puja offered on behalf of the centers, projects, services and students of FPMT to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, will be offered at Kopan Monastery on Dec 9th 2013.
This puja is offered every year on behalf of the organization. In April of this year, Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme (Khadro-la) gave advice about practices needed to remove obstacles to Rinpoche’s health and long life. Offering long life pujas to Rinpoche with the five dakinis was given as one of the practices in which students should engage. This puja will be performed by 600+ monks and nuns as well as the 280 participants of Kopan Monastery’s November Lam-Rim Course. All are welcome to make an offering of any amount toward this puja. Students can also meditate at the same time of the puja and offer your own prayers and practices for Rinpoches long life.
To understand why a long life puja is essential, we must understand the value of the Guru. He is our guide in this life, the bardo, and future lives. He is immensely important. It is not a case where if we ask him to live he will, and vice-versa, but that to offer such a ceremony purifies our own broken samayas.
—Geshe Lama Konchog
If you would like to participate in offering to this puja, please donate any amount by December 5 so your name can be included in the dedication.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche turning the prayer wheel he advised be built. Photo by Thubten Jangchub.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered US$3,321 to a small Tibetan settlement in the hills of Kulli Manali, India, for repairs to their gompa’s roof. This Tibetan settlement is where Zong Rinpoche’s mother lived previously.
This is the second offering from the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund to this settlement, Rinpoche also offered US$5,000 towards statues for the gompa and advised for a prayer wheel to be built (both pictured).
Please rejoice in this offering!
If you would like to contribute to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, any amount is welcome.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering to the statues sponsored. Photo by Thubten Jangchub.
A few of the nuns of Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery.
Since 2009 the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund has sponsored a small nunnery, Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery, located in a remote area of Nepal, to undertake annual 100 million mani retreats. In 2012 the fund started to sponsor two 100 million mani retreats. US$5,956 (600,000 Nepali rupees) was just granted for the sponsorship of the second retreat.
In addition to sponsoring the actual retreat and offering food to all the nuns in retreat, the fund also sponsors one Geshe Lobsang Gyaltsen to stay at the nunnery and give ongoing lam-rim teachings to the nuns.
Recently, eight new nuns joined the nunnery. During the retreat the nuns make strong prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche; FPMT centers, projects and services; all FPMT students, staff and volunteers; and also for all who contribute to the sponsorship of the 100 million mani retreats.
Please rejoice!
If you would like to contribute to the sponsorship of these retreats, which not only benefit the nuns of Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery but also the entire FPMT organization, you may donate any amount:
The Sera Lachi monks. Photo courtesy of the Sera Lachi Facebook page.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very pleased to offer, through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, $US100,000 toward the various projects Sera Lachi is undertaking. Sera Lachi is made up of Sera Je and SeraMey Monasteries and this donation benefits both monasteries and the 6,000 monks studying at between them.
After receiving this offering, the administration of Sera Lachi responded: “We are praying that you and every single member of your organization will have a happy, prosperous, joyful and sound health in the years ahead. We also pray that the teachings of His Eminence Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche will reach every sentient being and help them to find happiness in their living.”
Sera Lachi is involved in many much-needed projects, including:
- Taking care of the palaces of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Panchen Rinpoche as well as the main temple, murals, etc.
- Under advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sera Lachi is building a new compound near Old Palace (where His Holiness the Dalai Lama had stayed while his permanent residence was being built) for holding Dharma awareness programs for lay people along with a Library.
- Due to deterioration of electrical supplies there are frequent and long power outages at the monasteries. Additionally, the existing transformers (electrical conduits) are old and in very poor condition, thus posing great danger to human lives during monsoon and power fluctuations. Because of this, Sera Lachi has plans to replace the old transformers that frequently break and cannot serve the growing needs of the Sera community.
- The tarred roads of Sera compound are damaged and new ones need to be laid. In addition, interlock bricks are needed in the foregrounds of Main Temple which holds public programs and is also where monks study. Sera Lachi plans to attend to these needs.
- Sera Lachi is building a new shop, canteen and guesthouse for generating future sources of income for the monasteries. This involves 113 solar lamps to cover the major streets which will enable the monks and visitors to move around in the night during the frequent power outages.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was extremely happy to make this offering– Sera Lachi has been in existence for the last 600 years and is one of the most important learning universities of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. This offering directly supports the current and future monks who will be working so diligently to study the Dharma and preserve the Mahayana tradition.
Please rejoice in this offering. You are welcome to help support the projects Lama Zopa Rinpoche deems beneficial by making a donation of any amount to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund:
Lama Zopa Rinpoche met Panchen Otrul Rinpoche during his recent visit to Mongolia and was very inspired by the many charitable projects Panchen Otrul Rinpoche has initiated. These projects benefit hundreds of people now suffering as a result of the ever increasing poverty resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2001 Panchen Otrul Rinpoche formed Asral NGO to help both individuals and communities. Please rejoice that the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund was able to offer US$10,000 toward this array of beneficial activities.
Asral NGO has provided many benefits to the Gachuurt community of Mongolia, particularly to women, poor children and bedridden elderly including efforts in the broad areas of: training, children, medication, aid:
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Many households in Mongolia are now headed by women, who are typically the poorest members of society. Asral NGO is committed to supporting these women and their families to achieve sustainable livelihoods, working closely with community leaders, to provide access to education, skills training and family support.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche visiting a women’s prison in Mongolia.
- Asral NGO address the specific needs of children, and their social workers work closely with local governors and community organizations to help make education, healthcare, nutrition and family support available to young children. The Hot Meal and Sponsorship Programs provide children with meals, equipment, clothes and school supplies.
Children’s Hot Meal Program.
- Poor living conditions, malnutrition, lack of warm clothes and pollution are all major causes of respiratory, heart and kidney disease. Asral NGO works with the local medical center, providing supplies, medical care, vitamins, clean and safe water supplies and public training in disease prevention programs.
- It is estimated that one third of the population of this area live below the poverty line. Over the last two decades, up to thirty thousand people moved each year to the city, resulting in the vast shanty district surrounding Ulaanbaatar. Asral NGO supports people in need with homes, stoves, fuel, food and emergency aid, particularly in the harsh and difficult winters.
Panchen Otrul Rinpoche visiting an elderly bedridden woman suffering from a stroke and cancer. Rinpoche hand-delivered free medication to this woman.
- In addition to the organized charitable activity, Panchen Otrul Rinpoche also visits prisons, orphanages, schools and individuals in need.
You can learn more about Panchen Otrul Rinpoche and his Asral NGO project in Mongolia.