Lama Yeshe and Venerable Jamyang Wangmo

Venerable Jamyang Wangmo—also known as Jampa Chokyi—is the author of The Lawudo Lama. Born in Spain in 1945 and trained in law, she traveled to India and Nepal and took ordination as a Buddhist nun in 1972. A watercolor artist, she has spent much of the past decades in retreat in Dharamsala, India, and in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal. Here she shares, in her own words, how it all began. 

As a continuation of our yearlong celebration of the FPMT organization turning 50 in December 2025, we are delighted to share Venerable Jamyang Wangmo’ s story and images as one of the early students of FPMT! 

An Old Gelongma’s Tiny Contribution to the FPMT 

 By Venerable Jamyang Wangmo

Venerable Jamyang Wangmo’s IMI booklet

In October 1972, when I met Lama Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) and the International Mahayana Institute (IMI) didn’t exist. The Mount Everest Center was just starting, and the Kopan Monastery’s Gompa was not even finished. In any case, I didn’t come to Nepal looking for an organization to give me some kind of support. I was desperately trying to find a wise person to show me the way out of suffering. 

Lama Zopa’s lamrim teachings and Lama Yeshe’s compassionate and powerful energy effectively helped my mind and my life. A few months later, I was ordained as a novice in Dharamshala by Geshe Rabten Rinpoche and given the name Jampa Chokyi. That same evening, Lama Yeshe sent me on my way back to Nepal. Three days later, I boarded a Pilatus Porter aircraft to Lukla together with some of the young Sherpa monks of Kopan. 

I spent a few years doing retreat in various caves and hermitages around Lawudo when, in 1976, Lama Zopa Rinpoche reached me to inform me that the following year he would give an extensive empowerment of the One-Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) to a group of about eight Westerners. 

At Lawudo there were very few holy objects, so Lama Zopa Rinpoche asked me to make a large thangka and have it ready for the following year, in early May. I was a good artist, but a large one-thousand-armed Chenrezig was not an easy task. To begin with, I had to say goodbye to my cave and find an artist to give me the correct dimensions, etc. The great Sherpa painters were not familiar with Gelugpa deities, and the Nyingma school differed slightly. So, I had no choice but to go down to Kathmandu and eventually to India to look for a good thangka painter to help me. 

Then I decided to make the thangka in silk appliqué instead of painted. Back in Kopan, Lama Yeshe provided a large Tibetan tent where I could stay and work on the thangka. I bought pure silk in Kathmandu, and some people helped to embroider the thousand arms. Finally, I went back to Lawudo in April, and the thangka was ready for the Nyung Nä with Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Western students. 

Lawudo painting by Jamyang Wangmo.

I hoped to go back into retreat, but then the lamas asked me to go with them to Spain, to Ibiza, and translate for Lama Yeshe. When I finally came back to Kopan, Lama had a new surprise for me. The foreigners at Lawudo had a terrible time. They didn’t like Sherpa food, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sister didn’t know what to cook for them, and then there was the language barrier. So, Lama gave me the job of organizing the Westerners for the following Nyung Nä at Lawudo. I had to buy food supplies in Kathmandu, charter a cargo plane to Lukla, and then organize coolies to take things to Lawudo. That was the beginning of the “Lawudo Retreat Center” and for a few years I assumed the high-sounding title of “director of Lawudo Retreat Center.” 

Oseling Centro de Retiros 

Lama Yeshe and Venerable Jamyang Wangmo

In 1979, I went to Italy and other places to give painting classes to Western students, according to Lama Yeshe’s instruction: a talk on the history of Tibetan thangkas, meditation on Tummo, talk and explanation of the Buddha’s 32 major and 80 minor marks, and painting a large Buddha, all in ten days! Lama Yeshe’s style! 

The Lamas were giving a course in southern France, so we went there from Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, driving a car at classic, frightening Italian speed! There was a large group of Spanish students there, and they asked me to lead them in the Thirty-Five Buddhas prostrations, etc. At that time, they had decided to leave Ibiza because it was not a conducive environment for Dharma practice and were looking for a place to open the Nagarjuna Center, and also for a director to lead them. They met with Lama Yeshe, and I was asked to attend. Then they voted and, unfortunately, they elected me as their director! I had no interest, so I told Lama Yeshe, “I’m going back to Nepal, not to Spain,” but Lama Yeshe said, “They chose you. So, what to do!” 

So, I went to Granada to see my father and reflect on a location for the Center. I did a ten-day Tara retreat in the Sierra Nevada. I always liked the Sierra Nevada and used to go skiing there very often. The powerful, blessed energy of those mountains is very strong, so I thought we should look for land somewhere there. The northern slopes are cold and snowy in winter and full of tourists, but the southern side, the Alpujarras, is sunny and peaceful. So, I went to check with a student from Madrid, Jose Juan Ortiz, who had a van, and Maria Ferre from Barcelona. We stayed in a small hotel in Bubión. In the morning, I went out to look at the mountains, and right in front there was a nice mountain. I thought, “That could be a good place!” The hotel owner told us there were some old houses on that hill and they were for sale. It was called the Atalaya, the Watch Tower. 

We went to visit various places, but they were not suitable, so we decided to visit the Atalaya. Just when we started at the bottom of the hill, there was a huge, extremely powerful hailstorm. One window of the van was shattered, and it was a bit frightening. Maria Ferre was crying and worried, but I decided to go up anyway. 

The storm abated when we reached the old houses, and immediately I felt the place was spiritually very powerful and exactly what we were looking for. I sent a message to the Lamas, and they said yes, go ahead and buy it. 

At that time, they had appointed Maria Torres as treasurer, and together with Paco Hita and Francois Camus, they were the ones to stay there and work to make the center a reality. 

A group of students thought it was too remote for them and wanted to find another place, so I offered to stay temporarily in an empty flat I inherited from my mother in Salamanca. That was a difficult time because those people had no wish to follow any discipline, as in a Dharma Center. They were just there having a good time. One monk and others were even going out to bars at night, which didn’t look right for Buddhist monks. Salamanca is a strong Catholic town, so with such Buddhists there was no hope anyone would take seriously a Buddhist Center. After countless discussions and fights, I wrote to Lama Yeshe explaining the situation. He was very upset and sent them a letter saying so, and told me to leave them and go back home. So, I went back home to Nepal. 

The following year, Lama Yeshe wanted to see the land in the Alpujarras. I flew with him from Barcelona to Granada, and Alberto Vinoly and Carmen drove us to the Atalaya. At that time, neither Maria, Paco, nor Francois were there. 

Lama Yeshe loved it and gave clear instructions about the way the center should be organized. The old houses were to be the kitchen, office, reception, and gompa, with some living quarters for those who worked there. 

The upper part was to be exclusively for retreat huts, so meditators would not be disturbed. The large round meditation tent or dome was to be set near the reception and kitchen, and below there should be living quarters for families with children and visitors. 

I wrote down everything Lama said and later passed it on to Maria, Paco, and Francois. Then I went back to Nepal and had no further involvement with the Atalaya. 

That was my second and last involvement in the creation of an FPMT Dharma center. Now I devote myself to developing the center in my own heart and trying to live a meaningful and beneficial life. 

With grateful thanks to Venerable Jamyang Wangmo for this precious personal account of the early days of FPMT!

Jamyang Wangmo in front of the ruins of her hermitage.

Are you an early student of FPMT who was there at the beginning? Do you have a story to share about how you met Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche or the impact they have had on your life? Have you personally achieved or actualized a request, advice, practice accomplishment, or project given to you by Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche? We want to hear from you!

Please explore all of the resources we have compiled related to FPMT history. We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche on top of Kopan Hill, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, May 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

This month’s newsletter brings you news, opportunities, and reasons to rejoice.

Saka Dawa month is upon us, starting on May 17 and continuing through May 31 on Saka Dawa Duchen, one of the four great days of the Tibetan calendar, each of which celebrates an anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha’s display of extraordinarily powerful deeds for the sake of sentient beings.

In this month’s enews you will find practice advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche for this merit-making occasion, information about the powerful and successful launch of the 2026 Global MANI Retreat on May 17, and details of prayers and practices offered by thousands of ordained Sangha on behalf of the entire FPMT organization for the benefit of all beings on Saka Dawa—and how you can take part in all of these opportunities. And of course, much more, including stories for rejoicing, opportunities for study, service, and practice; new and updated resources available to you; and changes within the FPMT organization. 

Please read this month’s enews in its entirety!

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email inbox.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service. 

Photo: Louis De Santis. Credit Thubten Norbu Ling

Louis De Santis passed peacefully after a lengthy illness on April 15, 2026 in Santa Fe, USA

The following words celebrating Louis De Santis’ qualities have been shared by the Thubten Norbu Ling Buddhist Center in Santa Fe, where he served in the last years as webmaster.

Louis moved to Santa Fe more than three years ago on the advice of his teacher, Ven. Robina Courtin. From day one he began contributing to the Thubten Norbu Ling Buddhist Center and the local community, pitching in with whatever was needed. Lou ended up running a significant number of in-person events, became responsible for running the website, and was always helping those around him in need, being particularly instrumental in helping Sister Max at the end of her life. 

Louis was a bright light at the center whose warmth, charm, and smile made everyone feel cared for. His absence will be deeply felt, but we can now hold on to the lessons he taught us as he was the embodiment of caring for others. 

Louis De Santis, 79, passed peacefully after a lengthy illness on April 15, 2026, at a friend’s rural farm outside of Santa Fe, surrounded by family and friends, a curious peacock, Gracie the cat, Bumble the Great Pyrenees, and a Pomeranian Chihuahua named Babette. Born October 21, 1946 to Italian parents emigrated to the Boston area from Naples and Palermo, after high school Louis enlisted in the air force where, in 1968 he was trained in the newly emerging field of computer support service. 

Due to serious asthma attacks, eight years later he was given a disability discharge and went into the private sector to work in design, programming, and testing at the legendary Wang Laboratories for 14 years. 

During the covid pandemic, Louis saw a lecture on Zoom by the Tibetan Buddhist nun Venerable Robina Courtin, and immediately recognized a kindred spirit. Venerable Robina told him about a new Buddhist Center building in Santa Fe that was opening in a few years which had a need for a tech person so Louis decided it was time for a change, and moved to Santa Fe where he became a devout Buddhist and the much beloved webmaster and troubleshooter for Thubten Norbu Ling. A kind, generous, and gentle soul, Louis financially contributed to social, literary, and spiritual causes, and will be remembered fondly by many whom he helped.  

On Sunday, April 19, 2026 Thubten Norbu Ling’s community organized a Medicine Buddha Puja to help create the conditions for his auspicious rebirth and swift enlightenment. We hope that this will serve as a moment of healing for his loved ones as well as our final offering of practice on his behalf. 

Please pray that Louis  may never ever be reborn in the lower realms, may he be immediately born in a pure land where he can be enlightened or to receive a perfect human body, meet the Mahayana teachings and meet a perfectly qualified guru and by only pleasing the guru’s mind, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. More advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on death and dying is available, see Death and Dying: Practices and Resources (fpmt.org/death/).

To read more obituaries from the international FPMT mandala, and to find information on submission guidelines, please visit our new Obituaries page (fpmt.org/media/obituaries/).

An unprecedented global merit-making effort is nearing commencement! 

The regional and national coordinators of FPMT are working with FPMT International Office and Retreat Coordinator Selina Foong to offer a Global MANI Retreat. This retreat will bring together our FPMT community on a scale we have not attempted before … a hugely exciting collective effort that we pray will promote even greater harmony, cohesion, and understanding among us all.

The retreat is scheduled to commence on the first day of Saka Dawa month (Sunday, May 17, 2026), and conclude on the final Buddha Day for this year, Lhabab Duchen (Sunday, November 1, 2026). Major online teachings will be offered throughout this period by high lamas, regional online group practice sessions will be available, and individual practice at home will be encouraged. Participants will also be invited to join the 100 Million MANI Retreat in Mongolia from August 20 to September 17, 2026. Upon the conclusion of this Global MANI Retreat, we will offer the total number of MANI mantras recited to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

You can read all about the launch of this event on May 17, and choose how you would like to participate. Please also join the 2026 Global MANI Retreat Facebook Group to stay connected to all the news, updates, and reasons to rejoice. 

We hope you will feel inspired to join as many of these online teachings and group practice sessions as you are able! 

A few key points we’d like to draw your attention to:

Online Sessions – How to Access

All Major Teachings and Chenrezig Group Practice sessions in this FPMT Global MANI Retreat will be conducted online via Zoom.

If you are joining from your computer:

Click on this Zoom link for direct access: [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82214768781]

OR

Enter this Zoom Meeting ID, if you prefer to access Zoom manually: 822 1476 8781

If you are joining from a mobile device such as your phone:

You can either use the above methods

OR

Enter the Zoom room directly by scanning the QR code image provided to the right. This QR code is also included in the individual session poster.

YouTube livestream also available.

The Practice Materials

Be Part of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision!

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization was to hold 100 Million Mani retreats.

“This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

By participating in this retreat, you are not only directly helping to actualize Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for the FPMT organization, but you are contributing to world peace by invoking the powerful compassion of Chenrezig for the benefit of all sentient beings, strengthened by the sincere effort around the world from the FPMT family.

To keep up on all details related to this six month Global MANI Retreat, please refer to our webpage, and join the Facebook Group. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Venerable Jampa Kunchog at Kopan, 1976. Credits Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

Venerable Jampa Kunchog (Delsturtz Theadore “Yogi” Pryor) died of prostate cancer on April 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

An early student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Jampa devoted more than five decades to Dharma study, monastic life, translation work, and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings. He studied for many years at Sera Je Monastery in South India and later founded the Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen University (SICGU) in the United States.

Obituary compiled and edited by Nick Ribush

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog from His Old Friend, Scott Brusso

In the early 1970s, Jampa was known as Yogi. He and I lived in lower Dharamsala and every morning without fail would walk up to the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to attend Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey’s one-hour classes. During the 1973–74 winter break we went to Bodhgaya for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra initiation. There we were very fortunate to meet Lama Yeshe and attend his talk at the Japanese temple. It was very mystical and with Geshe Dhargyey’s blessing we both decided to attend the sixth Kopan course that spring. After the course we took Lama Yeshe’s Heruka Vajrasattva initiation and teachings and did the Kopan group retreat. 

After the retreat we decided to be ordained as monks. Yogi (and five other Kopan students) took novice ordination from Lati Rinpoche in March 1975, and later full ordination from H.H. the Dalai Lama, becoming known as Jampa Kunchog. He remained a monk his entire life. I received novice ordination from H.H. Trijang Rinpoche a year later in 1976. After that we lived at Kopan, where Lama Lhundrup was kind enough to teach us debate. During that time, we also taught English to the young monks and they taught us Tibetan. 

International Mahayana Institute group at Kopan 1974. Jampa is still a layman. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Around 1978 Yogi went to Sera monastery to study philosophy and debate. I don’t know the details of his years there, but it’s a tribute to his dedication and perseverance that he bore the poor conditions there in order to study to become a geshe, not only studying Buddhist philosophy but also becoming fluent in the Tibetan language, partly by refusing to speak English. He lived exactly as the Tibetan monks did, working in the fields as necessary and eating the same food.

Tushita Dharamsala, March 1975. Ordination group with Lati Rinpoche. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

SICGU logo

He returned to the United States in the early 90s and from 1994 to 1995 served as the translator for Geshe Losang Tsultrim (Tsulga) at Boston’s FPMT center, Kurukulla. After that he moved to Atlanta with the wish to start a Buddhist University, which he called the Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen University (SICGU). He also taught several students and translated and self-published a number of books. 

IMI group, Kopan, 1976.

About three years ago he began getting sick, having a very hard time walking or even standing. He entered a hospital in the Atlanta area where they had difficulty finding out what was causing his symptoms. Physical therapy was not successful. In improving his condition. Jampa also suffered a heart issue, from which he recovered. 

By this point we were talking on the phone weekly, but Jampa would not let the doctors or his family probe further. He was taking Tibetan medicine and did not let the doctors investigate further in order to diagnose what was going on. However, about six months ago they discovered advanced aggressive metastatic prostate cancer and recently he was admitted to hospice. I was still able to talk to him up to a few days before he passed away at around 7:40 pm on April 20. Jampa was unable to sit up but appeared to be meditating on the absorption process. He appeared very peaceful and was saying something about the light. It was his wish to not make a big announcement and to be cremated. He asked that his ashes be buried with his father’s remains.  

March 1975. Post-ordination with H.H. the Dalai Lama at his residence. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog from His Former Colleague from Sera, Ian Coghlan

I met Jampa Kunchog when I first went to Sera in 1980. He was living in House One, the house of Khensur Dhondup Topgyal. I lived in House Fifteen as arranged by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. I got to know him better when Geshe Losang Thupten from house Sixteen invited us to attend teachings on Tibetan grammar—Sum Chupa and Takkyi Jugpa—while he was still finishing his three-year retreat. 

IMI audience with His Holiness, May 1975. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Sera Monastery was very poor in those days: no toilets, no bathrooms, electricity for an hour or two, water pumped for an hour to fill large earthen pots buried in the ground, and the food was basic. It was hard physically but easier mentally. Everything in Sera focused on study and absorbing the Dharma. Jampa Kunchog had a great zeal for study to which he applied great energy. He had a nickname, Mahe, meaning water buffalo, for his impressive physical strength, which he often displayed in the debate ground when warding off half his debate class while making a debate point! He also had a useful ability to find ways of remaining in India when all doors appeared closed. Later, he set up a computer club, with the thought to use its potential in study. His dedication to Jetsun Chökyi Gyaltsen, the author of the Sera Je debate manuals, was immense, and later when he returned to the US he founded SICGU (Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen) in his honor. My enduring impression and my greatest point of respect for Jampa was his genuine resolute exertion in the study of Dharma. 

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog From Tedra Pryor, His Sister

On April 20, 2026, at 7:40 p.m., Dr. Jampa Kunchog departed this life. Born Delsturtz Theadore Pryor on January 1, 1953, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the family eventually settled in Hartford, Connecticut after living in Oahu, Hawaii for several years. 

Venerable Jampa Kunchog, South India, 1980s. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Jampa was the most adventurous of the four children born to Dr. Theadore M. Pryor, and Sophornia Mary Pryor. At the age of 19, he withdrew from Tuskegee University to trek across Europe. After spending two years in Europe, he traveled through Western Asia to India, which would become his home for approximately 20 years. 

Sera Monastery, Bylakuppe, India, early 80s. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

He first lived in Dharamsala in 1973 and studied at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. His teacher was Geshe Ngwang Dhargyey. In the spring of 1974 he attended a one-month meditation course taught by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1975, Jampa received ordination from Lati Rinpoche, and later full ordination from the Dalai Lama. After that he lived and studied at Kopan Monastery until deciding to enter Sera-je Monastery in Mysore around 1978. While in India he received his undergraduate degree, Master’s Degree, and Doctorate Degree in Eastern Philosophy from Sera. He was one of the few Westerners to go through such a rigorous program. Jampa was also instrumental in translating certain Tibetan teachings into English and preserving Buddhist transcripts to his computer to ensure their preservation. This had never been done before. 

Venerable Jampa Kunchog with Geshe Tsulga, Massachusetts, 1994. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Venerable Jampa Kunchog, Kurukulla Center, Boston, 1995. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Upon his return to the United States he began making guest appearances to speak on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. He published books and conducted online classes on these topics. You will find his picture in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  Jampa was well known and respected in many parts of the world. Before he passed, his hope was to establish a university for Tibetan Buddhist studies in Massachusetts. However, his teachings will be carried on through his students and religious followers and friends who shared his vision and philosophy. 

With grateful thanks to Scott Brusso, Ian Coghlan, Tedra Pryor, and Nick Ribush for this moving tribute. 

In Venerable Jampa Kunchog’s own words: “Back in the years 1958–1962, my sister and I were the first Black children to integrate schools in both the North and the South. The picture displayed was taken after I received my first communion in North Carolina. We were accepted into the all-white school because our parents wanted us to have the best opportunity for education. We walked into the school; there were no police, no army to break up protesting crowds, and no overt discrimination. We were simply accepted. We believe we were the first example of Black integration into all-white schools. This was in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1961. I entered this school in 1960; my sister, the year before.” Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

Please pray that Venerable Jampa Kunchog may never ever be reborn in the lower realms, may he be immediately born in a pure land where he can be enlightened or to receive a perfect human body, meet the Mahayana teachings and meet a perfectly qualified guru and by only pleasing the guru’s mind, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. More advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on death and dying is available, see Death and Dying: Practices and Resources (fpmt.org/death/).

To read more obituaries from the international FPMT mandala, and to find information on submission guidelines, please visit our new Obituaries page (fpmt.org/media/obituaries/).

Lama Gyupa la leaving Tushita for Gyudmed Monastery in the south of India | July 2024

Gyudmed Ngarampa Venerable Thupten Dorje (Lama Gyupa la) passed away on the morning of March 11, 2026 at the age of 91.

The following words were issued by Gyudmed Tantric University in celebration of Gyudmed Ngarampa Venerable Thupten Dorje (Lama Gyupa-la) and his more than 50 years of service at FPMT Tushita Meditation Centre. Appointed directly by Lama Thubten Yeshe in the late 1970s, he has supported students and retreatants through rituals and practices over many decades.

Photo: Statement Issued by Gyudmed Tantric University Regarding Lama Gyupa’s Life, Deeds and Death, 2026 Credit: Tushita.info

We regret to inform that the venerable senior Ngagrampa (Tantric scholar) of Gyudmed Tantric University, the first on the seniority list, Geshe Thubten Dorje, had been in somewhat poor health for some time and has now peacefully passed away at the age of 91.

This occurred on the 23rd day of the 1st Tibetan month in the Tibetan year 2153, corresponding to March 11, 2026 (Wednesday), at 10:47 a.m. He passed away peacefully without any signs of illness or pain.

Notably, for one week following his passing (from the 11th), his holy body showed no signs of decay, retained its complexion, and remained as before.

Such signs were observed, and it was believed that he was abiding in thukdam (post-meditative absorption). Many devotees and followers came to pay their respects, and their faith and devotion increased greatly.

On the morning of March 18 at 5:30 a.m., sangha assembly performed the Guhyasamãja root tantra rituals and made offerings of cremation to his sacred remains.

The late master was born in Markham and entered monastic life at Özer Monastery. Prior to 1959, he went to Lhasa and joined Gyudmd Tantric University, where he studied the major tantric texts along with their four commentaries, as well as ritual practices and procedures in a proper manner.

In 1959, he traveled from Dalhousie to the Hunsur settlement together with the monastic community. There, he not only practiced the three higher trainings diligently, but also carried out many activities for the benefit of others in various places such as the Tushita Dharma center in Dharamsala, adapting his efforts to the needs of different beings.

This is a brief summary of his life and deeds.

– Issued by the General Office of Gyudmed Tantric University, March 18, 2026

Photo: Lama Gyupa (left) and Lama Zopa Rinpoche (right) | 1982. Picture by Nicholas Ribush

Please pray that Lama Gyupa la may never ever be reborn in the lower realms, may he be immediately born in a pure land where he can be enlightened or to receive a perfect human body, meet the Mahayana teachings and meet a perfectly qualified guru and by only pleasing the guru’s mind, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. More advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on death and dying is available, see Death and Dying: Practices and Resources (fpmt.org/death/).

To read more obituaries from the international FPMT mandala, and to find information on submission guidelines, please visit our new Obituaries page (fpmt.org/media/obituaries/).

H.E. Ling Rinpoche teaching in Munich, April 25, 2026, hosted by Aryatara Institute. Photo by Harald Weichhart.

We are happy to share the upcoming European teaching tours of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, His Eminence Khensur Jhado Rinpoche and Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche. Students are warmly invited to join these precious opportunities for study and practice across FPMT centers and other organizations.

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche’s European tour began in April. You can view the full schedule of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche on the poster or on his website.

HE Ling Rinpoche, European Tour 2026

His Eminence Khensur Jhado Rinpoche

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will be offering teachings in Europe from September to November, including many FPMT centers. Below is the schedule of the European tour. You can see the schedule on the poster or visit each individual center’s website for full schedule details.

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche will offer a teaching tour in Europe from May to August, including FPMT centers. Please see the full schedule and save the dates for any opportunities you can attend.

You can see the schedule on the poster or visit Serkong Rinpoche’s website for full schedule details.

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche – European Tour 2026

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Director of the Maitri Charitable Trust Adriana Ferranti receiving blessings and appreciation for her work from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, January 2023.

Maitri Charitable Trust has been serving, since 1989, some of India’s poorest people and continues to be guided by its founder and longtime director, Adriana Ferranti. Adriana has spent decades at the helm of Maitri. Now 81, she carries on with unwavering commitment. She has spoken with Donna Lynn Brown many times in recent years, including in February 2026. 

By Donna Lynn Brown

What is Maitri Charitable Trust? And what led Adriana Ferranti to establish it? Maitri is an FPMT charitable project located in India, managed by Adriana and overseen by an Indian board of trustees. It has a main site about five kilometers from Bodhgaya and provides services throughout the surrounding Gaya District in several areas, mainly basic health care, leprosy, tuberculosis, mother / child / young women care, education, and animal care.

At its main site, Maitri treats leprosy and tuberculosis, which persist in that part of India, by operating a free hospital and clinic. Leprosy in the area is often under-diagnosed and under-treated by the government, giving Maitri an important role. Homeless patients also sometimes live there. At both its main site and through mobile clinics, Maitri distributes free leprosy and TB relief medications and materials to people living in their homes, and provides vaccines, such as for tetanus and rabies. It also offers other basic medical care along with supplemental nourishment—vitamins, milk, staple foods, formula—for expectant mothers, newborns, and young children, provides information on HIV and other issues, educates girls about their bodies and supplies menstrual products, and provides supports for some kinds of disabilities. Examples include eyewear and special footwear for people with deformities from leprosy. Its mobile clinics reach poor areas lacking primary health cents; they sometimes offer ambulance services as well as direct care. Maitri also helps poverty-stricken families survive Bodhgaya’s cold winters, distributing food, supplements, and blankets to hundreds of people every year, and giving warm clothes and blankets to students at its school. It is also well-known in the area for taking in stray, abandoned, and injured animals, some of whom are dropped off anonymously while others are rescued when staff are informed an animal is in need. Maitri sterilizes animals, gives them veterinary care, and cares for them at its site. Dozens live there at any given time, mainly dogs but also other animals like goats.

Director Adriana Ferranti with women receiving support from MAITRI.

Maitri operates a school is in the village of Fulchatar, about 15 kilometers from Bodhgaya. It is a collaboration with villagers; they built and maintain the building, and Maitri provides teachers, books, and supplies. The school has about 125 students in grades one through four, most from so-called “untouchable” castes. Other schools are too far for these young children to walk to; after grade four, they are able to attend government schools. Maitri’s school teaches the government curriculum as well as moral values. The teachers report that when students later attend other schools, they are ahead of their peers, and young adults who have attended the school as children have found good jobs, such as in the police. Villagers support the school because of its success.

Adriana oversees all this from the porch of her aging mud-brick home at Maitri’s site. Armed with two phones and backed by Kanchan, her trusted second in command, she takes care of the hospital and clinics, 24 staff (many of whom travel around villages providing health care), 70 or 80 mostly disabled dogs, and various other animals. She also raises funds to pay Maitri’s expenses and battles India’s complex bureaucracy. The work never stops—but it seems to keep her healthy. Her reward is seeing young children receiving an education who otherwise would not, sick and disabled people benefiting from treatments and supports that governments do not provide, undernourished mothers and babies getting supplements and care, girls receiving hygiene information and supplies, remote villages getting basic and emergency medical care, poor families being helped with food and blankets, information being disseminated on HIV, TB, leprosy, women’s health, and immunization, and injured and abandoned animals getting food, veterinary care, blessings, and a home.

Blanket distribution at MAITRI Charitable Trust, Bihar, India, January 2018. Photo by Phil Hunt.

What brought Adriana to this life? She grew up amid the scarcities of post-war Italy, shaped by her family’s values of duty and hard work. By the 1960s and 1970s, though, Italy’s new-found wealth offered abundant consumption and enjoyments. She indulged, but soon realized that these pleasures gave little true happiness. She became, from age 30, a seeker. Mystical experiences followed, but these did not answer her questions, particularly a crucial one: why things happen. One day, she came across a booklet called “Reincarnation and Karma” by Yogananda. “Finding out about karma was an incredible liberation,” Adriana says. “Karma explains why. And makes clear that it all depends on me. My difficulties are caused by my own actions. To get out, I had to act.” Yet when she visited Italy’s emerging Hindu centers, none called out to her—and then she encountered Tibetan Buddhism. In 1979, she went to Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia where she met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. She knew she was home. “Rinpoche revealed himself to me—it was incredible,” she smiles. But she still hadn’t found a role in life that expressed who she felt she was.

Lama Zopa with Adriana Ferranti and MAITRI staff, Bodhgaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In 1980, she happened to see a documentary on Africa that showed a priest dressing the sores of a leprosy patient. “I knew,” she reports. “I knew instantly, like a lightning bolt. A revelation. This was my role, my path, who I was.” She took a course in leprosy management, but to serve leprosy patients in any area of India, she needed a visa and government authorization. Rinpoche suggested working in the Gaya/ Bodh Gaya region. In 1989, newly equipped with authorization, she began offering leprosy services from Kathmandu while waiting for an Indian visa; she set up in Gaya in 1990 once her visa came through. By 1998, she had procured her current site. Land and buildings were soon blessed by Rinpoche, and a forest planted to improve the environment. “The work came naturally to me,” she recounts, “so I was happy, but it was incredibly difficult…I was on my own, doing everything, even driving the jeep for mobile clinics. It was a hard life, but I had a sense of purpose.” 

Since then, Adriana has overseen Maitri’s health and education programs and services while caring for dozens of abandoned and injured animals, and, at Rinpoche’s request, putting in place nine stupas along with other elements that provide blessings and imprints to patients, staff, animals, and the surrounding area. Money has come from various sources, including, at times, Rinpoche, although fundraising has always been challenging. She reports. “Just by sheer faith is how I carried on. There was never any security. But I thought that as long as I was doing what I had to do, the funds would be provided. That’s what seems to have happened, since I am still here!” 

Adriana is one of a handful of people in FPMT who devote their lives to social engagement. She has been working in this difficult part of India for almost four decades. It is her Dharma practice—often a practice of patience in the face of problems: legal issues concerning Maitri’s land; troubles with officials, permits, and visas; money shortages; challenges training and retaining staff; the headache of service provision during the pandemic; theft and corruption; and hazards specific to being a woman running an NGO in India. And each death of a rescued animal breaks her heart. Now, her priority is to ensure that Maitri is in good shape for the present and future. As well as overseeing its services and expanding them where feasible, she is renovating and upgrading some existing buildings (including a multi-faith temple) and constructing a new house to replace the one that is crumbling. As Bodhgaya’s urban expansion begins to surround Maitri’s oasis of shade and greenery, she is determined to keep it a refuge for humans and animals.

Adriana Ferranti, MAITRI Charitable Trust Director, 2026. Photo Credit Donna Brown

And she is committed. Like a mother with a child, she reports, “walking away is not an option.” She doesn’t feel her age, and with a visa good until 2030, she has no plans to retire. As for later, she says firmly, “If Maitri is meant to continue, someone will come.” Asked who might suit the role, she responds, “They should be able to live in India without visa problems. One of the biggest problems is visas. So an Indian citizen or OCI (Overseas citizen of India) would be ideal. But the main thing is that they can’t see it as just a job where you go home at five o’clock. It’s a vocation. Living on the site, overseeing everything, being patient with difficulties, showing love and concern for the staff, the patients, the animals… Maitri is a service to all beings, so the bodhisattva aspiration is at its heart.”

Written by Donna Lynn Brown. Donna is a former Associate Editor of Mandala magazine. She first encountered Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT at a November course at Kopan Monastery in 1996. Donna completed a Ph.D in which she researched and wrote about FPMT’s social engagement and its intersection with traditional Buddhist teachings.

We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

For more information about Maitri Charitable Trust and to donate directly to their work, please visit their website.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service. 

The regional and national coordinators of FPMT are working with FPMT International Office and Retreat Coordinator Selina Foong to offer a GLOBAL MANI RETREAT. This retreat will bring together our FPMT community on a scale we have not attempted before … a hugely exciting collective effort that we pray will promote even greater harmony, cohesion, and understanding among us all. How timely then, that it was FPMT’s 50^th anniversary last December!  Surely, after 50 years, it is now opportune for all of us, as the global organization FPMT has become, to come together and devote our collective time and effort to Dharma practice, dedicating ourselves to the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s unmistaken reincarnation. 

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization was to hold 100 Million Mani retreats.

“This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The 2026 GLOBAL MANI RETREAT is scheduled to commence on the first day of Saka Dawa month (Sunday, May 17, 2026), and conclude on the final Buddha Day for this year, Lhabab Duchen (Sunday, November 1, 2026). This retreat will be something unprecedented for our global FPMT family.  By coming together in fellowship and harmony, we pray to extract the very essence of this precious human rebirth, and dedicate all our efforts for the happiness of all dear sentient beings and for all our holy gurus to remain until the state of enlightenment is achieved.

Please join our Facebook Group to keep up on all updates and opportunities related to this retreat and check back often to the Global MANI Retreat webpage for the latest information. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Geshe Tenzin Zopa with students. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mexico.

 Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s first-ever visit to Mexico — and to Latin America— from March 6-14, 2026, was organized by the Mexican centers and study groups. Ramón Lara, FPMT Mexico National Coordinator and FPMT Latin America Regional Coordinator, shares about this inspiring visit. 

In the weeks leading up to Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s arrival in Mexico, the country was experiencing a series of violent events that had generated widespread concern and uncertainty across different regions. In response, the various FPMT Mexico centers and study groups came together to reflect on the situation and assess the circumstances. As a collective decision, they shared openly with Geshe Zopa what was happening and made clear that, should he choose to continue with his visit, all necessary measures would be implemented to ensure his safety. 

His response was immediate and deeply moving. With characteristic humility and determination, Geshe Zopa expressed: “I felt more than ever before the importance of my humble support through Dharma teachings, prayers, and merit dedication to the country and its people.” 

The visit was made possible through the joint effort of the entire FPMT Mexico family. Even centers and groups that were not direct hosts played an active role, contributing to the coordination between all FPMT Mexico centers and study groups — including the Rinchen Zangpo Center and the Bengungyal Study Group. 

Geshe Zopa’s arrival coincided with Chotrul Duchen, the “Day of Miracles,” one of the most auspicious days in the Tibetan calendar — making this not only his first visit to Mexico, but his first visit to all of Latin America. During his first weekend at Khamlungpa Center in Guadalajara, in one of his opening meetings with Mexican students, Geshe Zopa shared that it was Lama Zopa Rinpoche who had repeatedly expressed how fond he was of the Mexican people, assuring Geshe Zopa that he would find a warmth here that would remind him of the people of Tibet. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa welcomed on his arrival in Mexico. Photo from FPMT Mexico Facebook

Over those first days, Geshe Zopa offered the Refuge Ceremony and the Vajrasattva Initiation, bringing together students from various regions of Mexico and abroad. Around 60 participants attended. 

Throughout the week, a series of public teachings were co-organized with Nying Je Kunkya Study Group, on topics including How to Be Your Own Therapist, Mental Training in Difficult Times, and How to Develop Compassion and Infinite Love. These gatherings drew large numbers of participants, filling Khamlungpa Center’s space and reflecting the deep interest in Dharma within the local community. The teachings offered practical tools for integrating the Dharma into everyday life — particularly in times of uncertainty — with a consistent emphasis on working with the mind, cultivating compassion, and maintaining a steady daily practice. 

The tour continued in Mexico City, where the Thubten Kunkyab Study Group welcomed Geshe Zopa on March 14, 2026. On this occasion, he offered the teaching of CorrectDevotion to the Guru in Daily Life, exploring the teacher-student relationship from a practical and contemporary perspective. Approximately 100 people attended. Geshe Zopa highlighted the importance of integrating the Dharma into all aspects of life — beginning with the cultivation of self-love grounded in understanding, extending to compassion for others, and leading to a genuine responsibility to transform our everyday actions. His warm, accessible, and heartfelt style deeply inspired those present, motivating many to share and embody the Dharma more actively in their daily interactions, challenges, and service to others. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s visit left a meaningful and lasting imprint on the FPMT Mexico community. Participants expressed deep gratitude for the rare opportunity to receive teachings directly from one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s close disciples. Beyond the events themselves, his presence strengthened the bonds within Mexico’s Dharma family and renewed many practitioners’ commitment to living with compassion, wisdom, and conscious intention. 

We are delighted to share that recordings of select teachings from this precious visit are now available on the FPMT Mexico YouTube channel. It is our heartfelt wish that these teachings continue to reach far and wide, so that more and more people may find inspiration, and benefit from Geshe Zopa’s wisdom and compassion.  

With grateful thanks to Ramón Lara for this story! We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Offerings in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s room, Kopan Monastery, April 13, 2026. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.

This month’s newsletter brings you news, opportunities, and reasons to rejoice.

Around the world, on April 13, activities were organized in centers, monastic institutions, and in the homes of individual students in observation of the third-year anniversary of Lama Zopa Rinpoche showing the aspect of passing away.

In addition to news and stories from around the world, as well as opportunities and resources for your practice, we also share timely and essential advice from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. We are also delighted to share news of the upcoming launch of a Global MANI Retreat bringing together our FPMT community on a scale we have not attempted before, promoting even greater harmony, cohesion, and understanding between us all. 

Please continue to read the full newsletter. 

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Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.