On September 5-6, 2026 FPMT Australia and Langri Tangpa Centre organized 110,000 tsog offerings to Guru Rinpoche, also known as a Guru Bumtsog practice. This powerful practice, offered every two years, was led by Geshe Rabten from Atisha Centre, Geshe Tsultrim from Chenrezig Institute, Geshe Choden from the Tibetan community and Geshe Tenzin Zopa. Students from across Australia took part in the powerful, joyous multi-day event. Here, Miffi Maxmillion, Spiritual Program Coordinator of Langri Tangpa Centre, shares a personal account of the Guru Bumtsog.

Sangha at the Guru Rinpoche Bumtsog held at Langri Tangpa Centre in Brisbane.

Over a year in preparation, six months of buying tsok (we had to taste-test before buying in bulk!), a week to set up, two invigorating days to offer, and a week to pack down — that was the Guru Bumtsog 2026 that came very slowly and then suddenly very fast, and then dissolved into rainbows filling our hearts.

We built the room around the drums, literally and metaphorically. The drum is the binding, driving force of the puja, almost shamanistic, consciousness riding on the rhythm. In Guru Bumtsog the drum becomes like a magnetic pulse, drawing in your own energy and that of the universe, and aligning it with enlightened love and compassion. So we placed the drums in the center of the room facing each other, at the end of the seated row, forming a U-shaped configuration, very inclusive for puja.

Gompa with drums prepared for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

One of the drums came from Kopan in a colorfully carved frame and sounded perfect when we unpacked it, but after the reduced humidity of the plane wore off, it went from boom-boom to tack-tack. We replaced it with a synthetic drum after driving all around Brisbane on a detective hunt. It was a kid’s drum with cartoon jungle animals, so I covered it with brocade and painted the inside gold. The other drum was a shaman’s drum from America, also synthetic, and it sounded a little deeper. We commissioned a similar frame from the Men’s Shed, a minimalist echo of the Kopan frame, and Helene 3D printed the Dharmachakra and deer for the decoration.

We had spent the previous “holidays” constructing geshe thrones, with the bases from the Men’s Shed, decorating them with found antique objects from my mother’s cupboards, [Inta McKimm, who founded the Langri Tangpa Centre], with new mass-produced imitation Louis XIV flimsy wood carvings we painted gold, and with small metal dragons and flaming Norbu headers from Nepal. Like embroidering with wood, each throne-back had its own theme — the Rustic Nepali, the French Chateau, the Naga King… Geshe Zopa was so impressed! He said: “Why do we need to send for overseas? We can make them here, just as good!” Spending many construction hours to “offer a throne” created the merit for the coming year of preparations to go well and everything to come together on the day. 

With the seats of enlightenment set, and the drums in prime position, we could start layering the decorations and piles of offerings. One hundred jams, three hundred pieces of fruit, six swirl-turrets of chocolate, nine double-decker platters of coconut slices and wasabi peas, a fence of chips standing guard, and a mountain of biscuits arranged in peaks along the window ledges. The flowers on the main altar were about five feet (1.5 meters) high, framing the Buddha, with the gold-leaf tsa-tsas and other holy objects underneath like presents under a Christmas tree. The ‘torma’ was a three-tiered glass container of white sugar almonds, red jaffas, and blue jellybeans; a sturdy spinal column of OM AH HUM.

Financially, it took a courageous commitment! But FPMT Australia impressed upon us the importance of generosity. Over the weekend, more sponsorships came in: many people donated; one sangha member donated $500 to the puja; and an anonymous benefactor donated $20,000 to replace the cracked gompa windows.

Flower Team for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

Behind the scenes was much more than the hard work of setting up marquees and serving breakfast and lunch and homemade cakes and chai — there were hidden moments of exquisite care. Barbara came to me and said, “I’ve lost a quite precious thing — someone gave it to me and I wrapped it in a serviette and it’s been cleared away with the cups.” So I enlisted Maureen and Gary, who had prepared our sanitary plan and cleaned all the bins in preparation — one bin for recycle cups and plates, one for toilet rubbish — which turned out to be greatly appreciated and not overkill at all! They tipped over and searched through every bin. Barbara found the takeaway cup with the half-eaten banana bread still in the bottom — but no precious thing! They kept looking, unwrapping, burrowing, until — success! There it was, still wrapped in a serviette, right near the cup, at the bottom of the third bin! That makes it clear that the care and kindness of the LTC volunteers are the beating heart of Guru Bumtsog. Twenty volunteers tag-teamed, serving and sitting in on a session, working harmoniously to bring this event to fruition.

A heat wave hit Queensland over the weekend, the searing sun a tangible reminder of the perils of samsara, beautiful but deadly. It’s hard to appreciate the enormous merit we create deep in this karmic storm; — redirecting climate change, social dislocation, wars, and glacial upheavals. These global crises hovered in the back of our minds, a continual backdrop as tangible and oppressive as the heat. The Guru Bhumtsok prayers became a cry in the wilderness for all sentient beings, and a balm for the mind.

Prayers for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

They say that when people sing together, your heartbeats begin to synchronize. We feel it when suddenly in the Twenty-One Tara Praises we are all chanting in unison, literally creating harmony within our hearts. The same thing happens when you set off a bunch of metronomes; over a short time they all synchronize. A puja, and especially one as energetic as a Guru Bhumtsok, does this with our own mind – we are harmonized with each other and with the enlightened energy of Guru Rinpoche, drawn into his gravitational field, forcefully aligned with altruism and wisdom. There were moments in the puja where people said they were transported to some parallel reality, suspended there in continual reverence, connected for a moment to Guru Rinpoche’s world. It also helped that many of us already knew the tunes, as we have been doing Lama Chopa together for years, and recently added Guru Rinpoche prayers on protector days along with the usual praises to Mahakala and Hayagriva.

Geshe Rabten from Atisha Centre, Geshe Tsultrim from Chenrezig Institute, Geshe Choden from the Tibetan community and Geshe Tenzin Zopa for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

Geshe Tenzin Zopa, who so kindly and enthusiastically led the weekend’s events, said, “The Geshes mentioned again and again in last few days that this Guru Bhumtsok has been one of the best arrangements as far as concerned of organisations wise, as well as the perfections and energy of the pujas etc. All areas were perfect and we are rejoicing so much in the vast merits.” 

We easily reached the 100,000 tsog offering count, as well as Lama Tsongkhapa guru yoga each morning and offering Lama Chopa in the final sessions. The geshes stayed in a “geshe palace,” and all the sangha had a rare opportunity to catch up with each other over delicious lunch and beautiful table settings.

Dharma goodie bag contents for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

The goodie bags — Dharma show-bags full of delight and surprise — were our offering to all the attendees. We scoured the cupboards discovering many blessed objects – mani pills, Hayagriva powder, long life pills. But all the packaging was in Tibetan – which was which? On the day we were labelling them, Ven. Yeshestomo visited from Dharamsala, and she got on WhatsApp and conferred in real time with her tutor to translate the mysterious packets for us. We prepared a mini bubble maker with the verse from the Diamond Cutter “A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream…”. We made a puzzle book on Guru Rinpoche and LTC with excellent prizes for anyone who completed all three. Everyone received a welcome khata, a Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) book, a long-life mantra bracelet, blessing cords from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, robes from offerings at Bodhgaya, and we also offered the sangha long-life pills. 

Prayers for the Guru Bumtsog practice, September 2026, Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of LTC.

During the puja a continuous flow of people offered khatas to the geshes and to the thrones of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness, and red envelopes to all the sangha. Over the weekend Demi developed a system where we could contribute to a pool of offering money and put our names on the roster for each session. Then Demi divided the money between 20 or so envelopes, and we offered in pairs during each session. As the weekend progressed the pool of money grew rather than diminished! This was a cultural adaptation that meant everyone could be involved no matter what amount they could offer.

One attendee said: “I’m so inspired by what you have developed at Langri Tangpa Centre. It feels you have a real family feeling for members that develops their minds and hearts very well. It makes me wish I lived in Brisbane again.”

And one of the volunteers said: “Thank you Miffi, Stacey, Maria, Ian for being such exceptionally gifted and compassionate Captains of this huge life raft of Dharma to lift all sentient beings quickly out the ocean of samsara to enlightenment. Much appreciated to be part of this journey.”

Thank you! Thank you everyone who came along, who donated, who prayed — and you too who are rejoicing! I hope to meet you all someday in the wonderful land of Orgyen!

With grateful thanks to Miffi Maxmillion for submitting this thoughtful piece! 

You can read more about the previous Guru Bumtsog practice in Australia. 

The FPMT Australia Community’s Second Annual Guru Bumtsog

The Power of Guru Rinpoche: The Heart-Opening Guru Bumtsog Experience

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.

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche and the pilgrims in Anuradhapura Sri Maha Bodhi tree .

For many FPMT students, His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche needs little introduction. A former abbot of Namgyal Monastery — His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s own monastery in Dharamsala — and one of the most highly regarded lamas of the Gelug lineage, Rinpoche has for decades been treasured by Sanghas around the world for the clarity of his teaching and the warmth of his presence.

From July 18-25 2026, Rinpoche led a group of students from Mongolia, Singapore, Australia, and beyond on a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka — a country not usually associated with Mahayana Buddhist activity, but one whose place in the history of the Dharma runs far deeper than most of us realize. Over nine days, the pilgrimage brought Theravada and Mahayana practitioners together in ways not seen on the island for centuries. This is an account of that journey, told partly in the words of Venerable Tenzin Lekdron and partly in the words of fellow pilgrims and the Sri Lankan people who welcomed them.

Venerable Tenzin Lekdron met His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche briefly in Bendigo, Australia. Not long after, she was asked if she would be available to accompany Rinpoche and his Mongolian and Singaporean students on a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka — an invitation she was delighted to accept.

“I could see two great opportunities in this journey,” she recalled. “The first was to meet with the head of all Theravada Buddhist lineages in Sri Lanka, the Malwatte Mahanayaka Thero, and to further that relationship. The second was to offer the Sri Lankan people a rare and extraordinary chance to receive the Avalokiteshvara empowerment — a ceremony that had not been given on the island since the twelfth century.” Here we share the story of this pilgrimage from Ven. Lekdron:

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche fulfilled both wishes, and many others, meeting every situation with extraordinary kindness and wisdom in a country as volatile as it is unpredictable. The Malwatte Mahanayaka Thero shared that he had visited Lhasa ten years earlier and, through what he saw there, had developed great admiration for Tibetan practitioners — for their courage and their commitment to the Dharma. “We cannot imagine organizing so many monks in a single monastery, thousands, what it takes to feed and educate them. I admire them very much,” he said. When His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche asked if he had any advice, the Mahanayaka Thero replied: “Unity is the most important thing among us. No matter what path we follow, we must be united.”

Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera. The Malwatte Mahanayaka Thero,  the chief prelate of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siam Nikaya in Sri Lanka.

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche also shed light on just how special Sri Lanka has been in the history of Buddhism, explaining that the Buddha is said to have visited the island more than three times, with references to this found in the Kangyur and Tengyur. Sri Pada, one of the island’s most sacred mountains, is said to be a place where many teachers taught Sutra and Tantra — a rare glimpse into a past most of us can barely imagine.

Stephanie McGrane, a pilgrim from Atisha Centre in Bendigo, shared:

“On 18 July 2026, the day of Chökhor Düchen, His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche offered the oral transmission of Chapters 4 and 5 of The Sutra of Sublime Golden Light (31-chapter version) in Sri Lanka, in the peaceful garden setting of the Walpola Rahula Buddhist Institute. The Institute is renowned for welcoming people of all faiths to participate in its meditation programs, making it a particularly meaningful setting for this auspicious occasion. Approximately 80 people attended in person, while a further 750 joined online. It was truly an international gathering, with Sri Lankan nationals sitting alongside members of Jhado Rinpoche’s pilgrimage group from Mongolia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and many other countries.”

Welcoming His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the event was that it had been confirmed only a week beforehand. Despite this short notice, the FPMT family spread the word with remarkable speed, enabling 750 people around the world to join the precious transmission online — a response that reflects the deep yearning people have to connect with authentic Dharma masters such as His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche, and to take part in activities that contribute to peace and harmony throughout the world, the very benefits traditionally associated with sutras such as The Sutra of Sublime Golden Light. Venerable Dhammananda, the Institute’s current resident teacher, called it an auspicious event, noting that its founder, Walpola Rahula Thero, was among the earliest monks to work for Buddhist unity. It was, she said, a fitting way to mark Chökhor Düchen before the group set out on pilgrimage to the island’s holy sites.

The Empowerment of 1000-Armed Chenrezig, Anuradhapura

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche during the Empowerment of 1000-Armed Chenrezig, Anuradhapura

Hirushan, facilitator and translator for the Tara Lanka study group, offers the following account:

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche bestowed the empowerment of 1000-Armed Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) at the historic Abhayagiri Stupa Monastery in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, on the twentieth day of the sacred Esala month, according to the Pali lunar calendar.

The ceremony brought together 120 people, including 53 pilgrims — Rinpoche’s students from Mongolia and devotees from Australia, Singapore, France, and Sri Lanka. Significantly, around 25 Sri Lankan Theravada monks also took part, together with local Sri Lankan devotees, with the coordination of Venerable Pepiliyawala Narada Thero, coordinator of the Pali and Sanskrit Exchange.”

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche during the Empowerment of 1000-Armed Chenrezig, Anuradhapura

Sri Lanka has a profound and ancient connection with the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Karandavyuha Sutra preserves two remarkable stories linking Avalokiteshvara with the island of Simhala, an ancient name for Sri Lanka, the Land of the Sinhalese. In one account, Avalokiteshvara manifests as a divine horse and helps the Bodhisattva Gautama Shakyamuni escape the Rakshasis who held him captive on the island. In another, Avalokiteshvara appears as a handsome prince, subdues the Rakshasis, and teaches them the Dharma.

Abhayagiri and the Bodhisattva Tradition

The Abhayagiri monastery holds significant archaeological evidence connecting it to the Mahayana and Bodhisattva tradition. A marble statue discovered at the summit of the stupa’s sanctum depicts Amitabha Buddha flanked by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta, and a bronze statue of Avalokiteshvara has also been found at the site. Another notable structure, identified as an Abhisheka Mandapa, is thought by scholars to have been used for the ritual ablution (abhisheka) of Buddha and Bodhisattva statues — and possibly for ritual initiations or tantric empowerments.

Tales of Three Nuns

The story of this empowerment can also be traced through the lives of three remarkable Buddhist nuns whose histories, in different ways, connect Sri Lanka, the Buddhist monastic tradition, and Avalokiteshvara.

First, Arahant Sanghamitta Mahatheri, sister of Arahant Mahinda Thera — who formally introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the third century BCE. Arahant Sanghamitta later travelled to Sri Lanka carrying the sacred sapling of the Sri Mahabodhi, still venerated today in the holy city of Anuradhapura. She established the bhikkhuni ordination lineage in Sri Lanka, which later spread as far as China at its height before eventually disappearing in later centuries.

Second, Bhikshuni Lakshmi, associated with the lineage of the 1000-Armed Avalokiteshvara practice and, through it, with the tradition of Nyung Nä retreat. According to the traditional account, she was born in Oddiyana and abandoned by her family after contracting leprosy. With profound faith in the Compassionate One, she undertook twelve years of intense Chenrezig practice, sustaining herself on one meal every two days, until she encountered Avalokiteshvara directly and attained enlightenment.

Third, Venerable Tenzin Lekdron, a Sri Lankan-born Australian nun, who requested that His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche bestow this sacred empowerment in Sri Lanka. She played a leading role in organizing the ceremony, with the support of the Tara Lanka Study Group.

A Tradition That Never Completely Disappeared 

Although the Mahayana tradition institutionally declined and largely disappeared from Sri Lanka after the twelfth century, veneration of the Bodhisattvas — particularly Avalokiteshvara and Tara — continued for centuries, gradually becoming woven into mainstream Theravada culture. Avalokiteshvara survived on the island in a particularly distinctive form: the deity known today as God Natha, one of Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist deities, is widely understood by scholars to be connected with Avalokiteshvara, although he is popularly identified with Maitreya.

Seen this way, the empowerment of 1000-Armed Chenrezig at Abhayagiri is more than an isolated, contemporary Buddhist ceremony. It marks a meaningful moment in the revival and reconnection of Sri Lanka with a strand of its own ancient Buddhist heritage — one in which Theravada, Mahayana, the Bodhisattva ideal, and the long veneration of Avalokiteshvara have intersected throughout the island’s history.

A young Sri Lankan student named Sahan summed up the day best:

“When I heard the Avalokiteshvara abhisheka was being given in Sri Lanka by a prominent Tibetan Rinpoche, I dropped everything and made my way to Anuradhapura. I am familiar with Avalokiteshvara practice and the mantra, as I join Tara Lanka events. What I saw in the Abhayagiriya hall was beyond anything I could have imagined — Theravada and Mahayana monks sitting side by side, a Tibetan lama offering empowerment with rituals unfamiliar to us, and all of us participating as though it were the most ordinary thing. I can say this was a miracle. I know Sri Lanka, and I know that for such an event to happen, and come to completion without incident, was a miracle. Please keep coming back, offering us opportunities to follow the Bodhisattva path. I am so very grateful to all of you. It’s not easy for us to travel, so please come to us.”

With special thanks to Venerable Tenzin Lekdron for sharing this story, to Amitabha Buddhist FPMT Centre in Singapore for sponsoring the Avalokiteshvara thangka used in the empowerment, to all the pilgrims for their offerings at the holy places visited, and to the Tara Lanka study group members for their hard work.

Jhado Rinpoche is currently on tour in Europe. Please see the full schedule to take advantage of the opportunities available. 

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.

As FPMT marks its 50th anniversary, we have been honored to share the important history of FPMT’s early students. Here Ven. Thubten Chokyi, Director of IMI (International Mahayana Institute) in conversation with Ani Karin Valham, goes through her road to Kopan that lead her to the Dharma and to 51 years of ordination! We rejoice for this inspiring example!

Lama Yeshe and ANi Karin at the 11th Meditation course, 1978, Kathmandu, Kopan Monastery, Nepal. Photo courtesy of Ven. Karin Valham.

Thubten Chokyi: As FPMT celebrates 50 years, it’s truly a delight to have this precious opportunity to hear from Ani Karin Valham, who was ordained at Kopan in 1975 and stayed. So, Ani Karin, thank you for agreeing to share a glimpse of your personal biography and a few highlights from your journey in ordination, drawing on your vast wisdom and experience. First of all, Ani Karin, can you talk a little bit about what brought you to the Dharma? I believe you were traveling, and you ended up in Sri Lanka, and the guy at the photo shop suggested you go to Kopan because you were interested in meditation. So how did that happen?

Ani Karin: Yes, it’s, of course, a long story, but it doesn’t have to be so long. Let me just start from when I was in Sweden. I’m from Stockholm in Sweden. When I was young—18, 19 years old—finishing school, I had no idea what to do with my life. Not the faintest idea.

But slowly, gradually, I gravitated towards wanting to do some social work. I always felt happier with people, you know, and doing something for people, even if it’s just small. My mother didn’t think I was going to be very studious in my life, so she suggested I become a secretary. That was the limit of what she thought I could manage. Since I had no idea myself at all, I just went along with it and went for two-year training as a secretary. I have much use for that training, actually, though I never became a secretary.

I got a good job afterwards and saved up some money for traveling, because I was always into traveling in my free time to look at new places and meet people. So this time, I thought if I’m going to go for a long education as a social worker, I need to take a break first.

That break took me to Sri Lanka. I was going to travel for 6 months, then go back and go to school—I promised my parents. I had no particular aim; I just liked to travel around from place to place. There were no mobiles, no internet—nothing. You were completely on your own if you went somewhere where they weren’t used to tourists.

Somehow, I spent time there and came across my first Buddha statue—a beautiful, smiling Buddha statue. I got really impressed by that and started to wonder what he actually taught. In Sweden, we were not religious people, so you hardly ever had contact with Buddhism in those days back in ’73.

I traveled around there, then went to India and up to Darjeeling, where I also met Buddhists and drank my first Tibetan tea. Then I went slowly, gradually to Thailand, and again—Buddhists! I was surrounded by Buddhist people wherever I went for some reason.

Then I went down to Indonesia; that was my end station. There, I visited the most beautiful temple in Borobudur. They were restoring it, so we couldn’t go out there normally, but after some time we managed to talk them into giving us permission. We went out there three times, and every time, sitting on top meditating was so special. You really felt you were in the presence of the Buddha, and there I decided I must learn to meditate properly in order to see what the Buddha really taught.

From then on, wherever I went, I was looking for teachings. Eventually, I came to Northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai. I was in a monastery, and a German monk there said, “We don’t teach here, so you can’t stay in the monastery. But you may want to go to Nepal; there’s a monastery there that does courses for Westerners.” That was my introduction to Kopan.

He tried to teach me the Wheel of Life and Dependent Arising. I was sort of intrigued, but left with more questions than answers because it’s very complicated when you hear it for the first time.

So I hurried up a little bit to get to Nepal. I didn’t know the exact date the course was going to start, but it so happened that I arrived on the second day—the 2nd of November. It was in Kathmandu that I met the man in the photo shop who also told me about Kopan. Two people actually guided me in that direction. So, yeah, I came to Kopan in ’74, and the rest is history.

Lama Yeshe with Ven. Karin Valham, Lama Lhundrup, Lama Pasang and Kopan monks at a picnic in Bhalaju, Kathmandu Valley, 1976. Photo courtesy of Ven. Karin Valham.

Thubten Chokyi: So how did it eventuate that you decided to ordain while at Kopan?

Ani Karin: I think that was the easiest decision I ever made in my life. It was the first decision I made that didn’t involve my parents or outside guidance. That was the first time I realized: this is for me.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was teaching the course sharing his profound wisdom and compassion with us, and Lama Yeshe appeared now and then to teach us how to integrate Buddhas teaching in daily life. It changed my mind completely. Even if I didn’t understand reincarnation or the difficult subjects, the whole atmosphere and the kindness of the Western monks and nuns who were already there, the wonderful teachings completely changed your mind overnight.

I was a very skeptical person, but I couldn’t refute the basic Tenets of Buddhism, even though it was just my first course. After that, I took the November course every year for 5 years. You go deeper and deeper and find a clearer faith in the teachings, that makes a big change. Once those clean seeds start to grow, there’s no limit to what you want to understand, it rolls on by itself

After the course we did a one month lamrim retreat and then Rinpoche gave the eight Mahayana precepts and refuge, as well as a Vajrasattva initiation. I took all of that as it came. I felt it was completely right. I’m not a person who jumps into things spontaneously—I’m a very cautious person—but here, I felt I had come home in terms of the Dharma teachings. I felt so safe and secure.

After that I did a retreat, I had a meeting with Rinpoche that didn’t go very well, because I’m so ignorant! Out of the blue, Rinpoche  said, “You have to go home and see your mother.” “Why?” I blurted out! But of course, he was right. I had to go and see my parents to ask for permission to become ordained. So I did that during the summer, came back, and took my first ordination vows. Since then, I’ve felt true happiness.

Rinpoche with Ani.Karin with French translation of her book on lam rim, Nepal 2021. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang

Thubten Chokyi: What are some of the challenges you faced over the years?

Ani Karin: It was mostly in the beginning—there were a lot of challenges from my own side with attachments. You have to expect that problem when you think about renouncing the eight worldly concerns (eight worldly dharmas). Taking ordination is a sign of renunciation, so you become much more aware of the dangers of attachment, but it’s hard to eliminate. Sometimes you get very emotional or disturbed, I had to change so many habits, and so many things, rather than trying to say something wrong.

After about 2 years, when I overcame that initial phase, I became happier and happier. I still feel very happy about what I did.

Thubten Chokyi: What has sustained you in such longevity of ordination over all these years? What do you think is the key?

Ani Karin: Staying close to the Lamas. I always tried to be where the Lamas were as much as I could manage, I was trying to be close to them.

Also, I always liked all the Sangha. Having gratitude and recognizing that we are supported by the Sangha—and that we are the Sangha—sustains you.

Lama Yeshe and Ani Karin at Istituto Lama Tsongkhapa, Italy, 1983. Photos donated by Merry Colony.

Thubten Chokyi: For Westerners who are thinking about ordination, what are some things you think they need to consider before taking that step?

Ani Karin: Everything is so well-organized now compared to the ’70s! If someone is thinking about ordination, it is a must to go to a pre-ordination course to hear directly from the Sangha what it is really like and what one needs to prepare.

It’s wise to spend at least 3 to 5 years taking basic program teachings, studying, and meditating.

Living in a community is also absolutely essential. Now there are monasteries opening up, like Nalanda, there are a few other smaller ones in different places, as well as Kopan or Dharamsala. Dharamsala is a very inspiring place. Whatever one can manage, it is most important to live in a community and not stay alone by oneself or get lost in the world.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ani Karin Valham, at Insitut Vajra Yogini , France 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Thubten Chokyi: Is there any other word of wisdom you’d like to share?

Ani Karin: Lama Yeshe always used to say, “Use your own wisdom, dear.”

Wisdom comes little by little. It is best not to be satisfied with the amount of wisdom we currently have, but to keep growing the inner wisdom. Because people are functioning in different ways, Dharma works in different ways. The more you understand, the more you can benefit others in daily life. Your work in the centers becomes more satisfying the more you have studied and prepared yourself. Whatever it’s in the monastery, or in the centers, or anywhere, the more wisdom you have, in the sense that the more you have studied.

Thubten Chokyi: Wonderful! Thank you so much, Ani Karin. It has been really wonderful to hear your story and share this from the heart.

Ani Karin: Thank you! Bye-bye

Ani Karin during the 2025 CPMT at Kopan monastery, Nepal.

With grateful thanks to Ven. Thubten Chokyi for conducting this interview and to Ani Karin for graciously sharing her story!  Please read her original Road to Kopan story published in Mandala in 2012, “She is Not Looking for Another Man.”

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.

His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche embarked on a three-month European tour beginning in May 2026, we are delighted to share an overview of his visits to FPMT centers compiled by Rommy Johnson.

H.E. Serkong Rinpoche at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, July 2026. Photo by Rommy Johnson.

There is a particular kind of joy that moves through the FPMT mandala when a beloved teacher travels from center to center, and this summer, that joy followed His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche across Europe. From late May through early August, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche journeyed from center to center, teaching, listening, and sitting with students old and new — and everywhere he went, the warmth of family feeling was unmistakable.

H.E. Serkong Rinpoche at the FPMT Center Muni Gyana in Sicily. June 6–7, 2026. Photo by Rommy Johnson.

The tour opened in Italy at Manjushri Lotsawa (May 29 – June 2), where students gathered in person and online for a hybrid presentation of Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation — a fitting beginning, grounding the tour in the very foundations of the path. From there, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche traveled to the FPMT Center Muni Gyana in Sicily (June 6–7) for teachings on the Key to the Middle Way, and stayed on for a few more precious days, offering an intimate question-and-answer session on June 8, an evening conference on June 9 and the oral transmission of the Uttaratantra on June 10. Students who had waited months, some years, to sit with H.E. Serkong Rinpoche again found themselves welcomed back as though no time had passed at all.

H.E. Serkong Rinpoche at Nalanda Monastery, France, June 29, 2026. Photo by Rommy Johnson.

On June 29, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche paid a special visit in France to Nalanda Monastery, offering two teachings in a single day. The first explored the inseparability of conventional and ultimate truths in sutra and tantra, while the second turned to the heart practice of generating bodhicitta and exchanging oneself with others, drawn from Lama Chöpa Lamrim Verse (LC 90–95). It was a day that moved seamlessly from philosophical depth to the tender, practical work of opening the heart — exactly the kind of teaching that stays with students long after they’ve left the room.

Dr. Alexander Berzin at Insitut Vajra Yogini. July 2026. Photo by Rommy Johnson

By early July, the tour had carried H.E. Serkong Rinpoche to Institut Vajra Yogini, France, where he taught on Mind Training for Ultimate Happiness (July 2–4). Here, and at several stops to come, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche was joined by Dr. Alexander Berzin ——a long-time student and translator for the previous Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche. Dr. Berzin is also the founder of Study Buddhism and the Berzin Archive. For the summer tour Dr Berzin supplemented the teachings leading review and Q&A sessions, offering his decades of scholarship and his own deep connection to the Serkong lineage in support of Rinpoche’s teachings. Then came one of the summer’s most joyful moments: on July 5, the community gathered in person to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday — a day of prayers, laughter, and gratitude, reminding everyone present why this community exists.

From July 6–8, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche traveled to Paris to take part in the first Grand Europe Monlam, a deeply moving prayer festival held alongside His Eminence Ganden Tripa and Their Eminences Sharpa Choeje and Jangtse Choeje. Together, these senior lamas led three days of prayer dedicated to preserving the Buddhist teachings, and dedicated to all those who lost their lives across Europe during the First and Second World Wars, through epidemics, through conflict, and under countless other circumstances. Prayers were also offered for all those currently unwell, and for peace and benefit to spread to all beings everywhere.

H.E. Serkong Rinpoche, and Dr. Berzin at Centre Kalachakra, France, July 2026. Photo credits by Centre Kalachakra’s Facebook Page.

The tour continued at Kalachakra Center (July 8–12), where H.E. Serkong Rinpoche offered a deep exploration of Compassion and Emptiness according to Chandrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way, with Dr. Berzin again lending his support as teaching assistant, before making the final stop at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Italy for two consecutive programs: Chapter 22 of Clear Words (July 26–29) and Jewel of the Awakened Heart (July 30 – August 2) — once more supported by Dr. Berzin’s presence and guidance.

H.E.Serkong Rinpoche at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, July 2026. Photo by Rommy Johnson.

On August 9, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche kindly offered online teachings to the entire FPMT community as part of the Global Mani Retreat. The teachings focused on bodhicitta and the seven-point method for developing bodhicitta. H.E. Serkong Rinpoche based his teachings on Maitreya’s Sublime Continuum (Ratnagotravibhaga) — a rich and generous close to a summer of teachings.

On August 9, H.E. Serkong Rinpoche kindly offered online teachings to the entire FPMT community as part of the Global Mani Retreat.

What made this tour so special wasn’t only the depth of the Dharma offered, though that alone would have been enough. It was the reunions in doorways and courtyards before teachings began. It was long-time students who had organized these very same programs years earlier, welcoming Serkong Rinpoche home again. It was newer students, some meeting Serkong Rinpoche for the very first time, discovering the ease and warmth he brings into a room. Across six centers and ten weeks, old friendships were renewed and new ones quietly took root — a reminder that no matter the language spoken or the border crossed, we are all part of the same family.

The Autumn Tour

H.E. Serkong Rinpoche’s Autumn Tour

The journey doesn’t end here. H.E. Serkong Rinpoche’s teaching tour has continued this autumn with an ambitious itinerary spanning Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Wales, Austria, Belgium, and Spain — nearly three months of Dharma activity stretching across the continent. We invite you to read more about his schedule on H.E. Serkong Rinpooche’s website

We warmly invite students and friends throughout the FPMT mandala to join H.E. Serkong Rinpoche wherever this autumn tour brings him — whether gathered in person in a familiar teaching hall or joining from home across a screen. Wherever you are, there is a place for you in this circle. 

With grateful thanks to Rommy Johnson for this report. 

We offer congratulations and thanks to all of the FPMT centers involved in making this tour a success and benefit to so many who received teachings along the way! 

Foundation for the Preservation of the 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 News Roundup is a digest of short community highlights from FPMT centers and individuals around the world, as part of our ongoing effort to nourish the “family feeling” and bring back the “News Around the World”  and “News in Brief” sections previously featured in the print Mandala magazine that so many of us have missed! This list of stories is not exhaustive, —just a sample of all the great activities happening in the FPMT family worldwide. 

We hope that reading these highlights will inspire you to rejoice in the family feeling and good works happening in our global FPMT community!  If you would like to share photos or details from your center, we would be happy to include them in the upcoming edition.

Holy Objects  | Prayers & Practices | Milestones | Compassion in Action | International FPMT Family

Holy Objects

Volunteers repaint the stupa under the guidance of artist Jampal Hyolmo at Kadampa Center. Photo courtesy of Kadampa Center’s Facebook page.

(Australia) Tara Meditation Centre’s ongoing stupa project received blessings and gentle advice from Geshe Tenzin Zopa during his visit to the center. He offered encouragement for the construction of the World Peace Stupa in Tsum Valley. 

(Italy) – the Italian group linked to Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, “Stupa Onlus ” was able to fundraise the restoration of twenty-seven old stupas in Ladakh. —a significant effort to preserve these precious holy objects. We rejoice in this collective work for the benefit of all.

(Netherlands) Maitreya Instituut Loenen received a kind donation for its new stupa from Prabin Buddhacharya, a Newar prince from Nepal. The gift includes special materials and objects from sacred places, including white lime from the Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu, bodhi leaves from Bodhgaya, stones from the Himalayas, a statue, and a vajra.

(Spain) O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros has completed the restoration of its Kadampa stupa. We rejoice that this precious holy object has been renewed and preserved for the future generations.

(US) Kadampa Center is repainting and refreshing its precious stupa, originally built in 2013. Community fundraising and volunteer support are making the work possible, with the restoration overseen by the artist who created the stupa, Jampal Hyolmo. We are grateful in everyone helping to renew this precious holy object.

Prayers & Practice

Sangha at the 2026 national Guru Bhumtsok practice at Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia. Photo courtesy of Langri Tangpa Centre’s Facebook page.

(Singapore) Amitabha Buddhist Centre offered a special recitation of the Sutra of Golden Light on September 20, dedicated to pacifying wars and natural disasters, following the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

(Australia) Tara Institute  continues its weekly recitation of the Sutra of Golden Light. The total has now reached 3,108 recitations, with students also committed to ongoing daily recitation dedicated to peace and prosperity throughout the world and the long life of our precious teachers. 

(India)  Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre Delhi received a teaching on the Sutra of Golden Light from Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul on September 8. We rejoice that the community had this opportunity to receive teachings on this precious practice.

(Canada) Lama Yeshe Ling Centre gathered online on September 5, to recite the Sutra of Golden Light, creating the causes for peace in the world and in our own lives. 

(Nepal and Malaysia)  Kopan Monastery, Kopan Nunnery and Chokyi Gyaltsen Center observed the first anniversary of the parinirvana of the 104th Ganden Trisur Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin on September 26. Heartfelt prayers were offered for Rinpoche’s swift return so that he may continue to spread the Dharma and benefit sentient beings, leading them toward the ultimate goal of enlightenment. 

(Taiwan) Jinsiu Farlin began a forty-nine-day Dharma Assembly for the Protection of the Nation and the Pacification of Disasters by the Medicine Buddha on September 7. The collective practice includes prayers for peace, an end to war, freedom from disasters and epidemics, and the well-being of people of all ages. 

(Australia) Langri Tangpa Centre welcomed students from around Australia on September 5–6 for the national Guru Bhumtsok or Guru bumtsog practice. This powerful practice, offered every two years, was led by Geshe Rabten from Atisha Centre, Geshe Tsultrim from Chenrezig Institute, Geshe Choden from the Tibetan community and Geshe Tenzin Zopa. There were 110,000 tsog offerings with extensive prayers dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the fulfillment of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s holy wishes, the actualization of his unmistaken reincarnation, world peace, and those affected by recent disasters. We deeply rejoice in this meaningful collective practice.

Milestones

2026 TDSS Students and facilitators at Kalachakra Centre, September 2026. Photo courtesy of  Kalachakra Centre’s Facebook page.

(India) Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program students have completed their first year of study. We congratulate the students on this milestone and wish them success as they begin their second year.

(France) Kalachakra Centre hosted the Teacher Development Service Seminar (TDSS) Europe Course from September 23–26, facilitated by Andy Wistreich and Annelies van der Heijden. Sixteen people attended, supported by volunteers who helped make this an harmonious and meaningful experience.

Compassion in Action

Students and speakers Andy Wistreich and David Midgley at the 2026 Planetary Crisis Summit, Nalanda Monastery, France, September 5–6, 2026. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery’s Facebook page.

(Italy) Yeshe Norbu Appello per il Tibet raised funds through its Helping Hand initiative for the recent Nepal emergency, the Rasuwa floods of August 26. A team of monks with nursing training and volunteers from Kopan Monastery has begun providing essential support to more than 300 families who lost their belongings. The team will continue distributing essential supplies and hopes to reach communities in more remote areas. We are grateful for this compassionate response.

(Italy) Centro Thubten Kunkyen introduced Tibetan Buddhist meditation to teenagers during the 2026 Festival of Languages at the University of Naples L’Orientale. The students responded positively to the experience. We rejoice in everyone who took part and hope this first encounter with the Dharma will become a meaningful seed for the future.

(France) Nalanda Monastery hosted the 2026 Planetary Crisis Summit on September 5–6, bringing together around thirty people in the gompa and more than forty individuals or groups online. The summit explored how wisdom and compassion can help us face and hopefully reduce the effects of climate change. 

(Italy) Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) hosted on the latest week of September the annual Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIM-MID), in celebration of the center’s 50th anniversary. The gathering brought together ordained members of different religious traditions to reflect on and share their spiritual paths. A wonderful interfaith opportunity for meaningful dialogue, mutual understanding, and shared reflection on spiritual life.

Geshe Tenzin Tenphel, resident teacher at ILTK, and Venerable Raffaello Longo with participants from different traditions at ILTK, September 2026. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

International FPMT Family 

The FPMT Global Mani Retreat continues to bring the international FPMT family together to practice, create the causes for peace, and support the long life and activities of our precious teachers.

On September 12, Geshe Thubten Sherab led the group practice, encouraging students to contemplate deeply and connect with the practice from the depths of their hearts. Detailed visualisations were offered during the Mani mantra recitation, giving this extended period much meaning and filling it with compassionate light.

On September 19, Ven. Robina Courtin led the group practice and reminded students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice that even one kind thought can immediately purify the air energy and eventually manifest as good health in the physical body and mind, as they are inextricably connected.

On September 26, Kabir Saxena led the Chenrezig sadhana, with an introduction of Dr. Nick Ribush. Kabir Saxena’s dedication ended with a heartfelt wish for FPMT to continue to flourish and benefit others.

The final Chenrezig group practice session will be led by Ven. Lhundrup Jamyang on October 11.

Upcoming Major Teaching: Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche will offer the final teaching on October 25.

Closing Session on Saturday November 7– Details to come!**Running in tandem with these main sessions are Chenrezig Group Practice sessions offered in Spanish and Italian; as well as in English for those in North American time zones.** Please check our Facebook page for all upcoming opportunities. 

Join the FPMT Global Mani Retreat, a precious opportunity to gather in unity, generate collective merit, and deepen our community connections. The mantras we recite together until November 1 will be offered at the conclusion of the retreat for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Discover more about the Global Mani Retreat

We Want to Hear Your Story! 

These highlights are sourced from the social media, newsletters, annual reports, websites, and WhatsApp groups of FPMT centers, projects, and services. If you would like to share your news and highlights with the wider FPMT family, we would be so happy to hear from you! 

In addition to these highlights, please also read longer community news stories and news from around the world!

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.

Beautiful Nyung-na altar at Institut Vajra Yogini, France.

One of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) was to sponsor people who make a serious commitment in this life to complete 1,000 Nyung Na retreats. Institut Vajra Yogini (IVY) in France to help fulfill this vision, kindly began to host the retreats every year, and it has offered the 108 Nyung Na retreats each year since 2011.  This year IVY has finished the fifteenth series of 108 Nyung Na retreats -from November 2025 to June 2026- led by Ven. Charles, and already planning the sixteenth series of Nyung Na retreats, for November 16, 2026 – June 20, 2027 with experienced monastic and lay practitioners, such as Ven. Amy, Ven. Losang, and Brigitte Lucas.

Each year, food and accommodation for a number of participants undertaking the 108 Nyung Na retreats is now sponsored by the FPMT Practice and Retreat Fund. You can read about this grant in a recent report from FPMT Charitable Projects. 

The Nyung Na retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini

Practitioner during the Nyung Na retreats at Institut Vajra Yogini, November 2025–June 2026, led by Ven. Charles. Photo courtesy of Institut Vajra Yogini.

The Nyung Na retreat is a two-day intensive practice that includes taking the twenty-four-hour Mahayana precepts every day, with the addition of complete fasting and silence every second day. There are three sessions of about three hours each day, including meditation, prostrations, and mantra recitation. It is a powerful, effective, experiential practice that can be done by anyone with respect and faith for the practice. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has highly praised the Nyung Na retreat as a supreme method for transforming the mind.

The number of participants can vary from as few as six to as many as twenty. Long-term participants enjoy practicing in a bigger group, as the retreats can be more powerful when more people take part. Resident teacher Geshe Loden is always willing to give advice, and retreatants also benefit from the inspiration and advice of highly realized lamas who visit the Institute.

Rejoicing in Ven. Charles and His Fifteen Years of Guiding the Nyung Na Retreats

Rinpoche and Ven. Charles, 2017. Photo by Lobsang Sherab.

We rejoice in the fifteen consecutive series of Nyung Na retreats held at Institut Vajra Yogini under the inspiring guidance and mentorship of Ven. Charles Trebaol. He has personally completed thousands of Nyung Nas, and many students call him “bodhisattva Charles”—as Lama Zopa Rinpoche once did. For beginners and experienced practitioners alike, Ven. Charles has been an inspiring retreat leader, and over these fifteen years he has guided many retreatants with his compassionate advice. His own commitment to the practice reflects the kind of commitment Rinpoche hoped to support in others.

The fifteenth series (November 2025 to June 2026) was the latest he led, and we rejoice that 128 people joined to do at least one complete Nyung Na, which is a two-day retreat. Others, especially locals and volunteers, joined for single sessions. No one completed all 108 Nyung Nas in this series. To make the retreats accessible to more people, Institut Vajra Yogini also offered morning sessions online every day, as well as one complete two-day retreat online once a month, so more students could take part from home.

Ven. Charles has now left for a well-deserved one-year solitary retreat. With deep gratitude for these fifteen years, we wish him every success in becoming one with all the qualities of Chenrezig.

The Upcoming Nyung Na Retreat: The Sixteenth Series

Fifteen Consecutive Years of Nyung Na Retreats at Institut Vajra Yogini, November 2025–June 2026, led by Ven. Charles. Photo courtesy of Institut Vajra Yogini.

To continue fulfilling Rinpoche’s Vast Visions, Institut Vajra Yogini has started preparations for the sixteenth series of 108 Nyung Na retreats, which will run from November 16, 2026, to June 20, 2027. With Ven. Charles now in retreat, the series will be guided by experienced monastic and lay practitioners, including Ven. Amy, Ven. Losang (Rita), and Brigitte Lucas. The retreats are led sometimes in French and sometimes in English, and can be followed simultaneously in other languages.

Please join us in rejoicing in fifteen consecutive years of Nyung Na retreats at Institut Vajra Yogini and feel very welcome to engage residentially or online in the upcoming retreat. 

Reach out to Institut Vajra Yogini directly writing at spc@institutvajrayogini.fr  for information on upcoming studies, retreats, and volunteer-study programs.

If you would like to support Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish to support these important retreats, you are welcome to offer any amount to the Practice and Retreats Fund 

Inspired by the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the University of Pisa has developed a long-term collaboration with Tibetan Buddhist institutions to investigate consciousness through a neurophenomenological approach. Since 2018, research campaigns at Sera Jey Monastic University in South India have brought portable neuroscience laboratories into the natural environment of highly trained meditators, some with tens of thousands of hours of contemplative practice. Beyond showing how different types of meditation affect the brain, this work proved something deeper—Tibetan monasteries aren’t just subjects to be studied but can be real scientific partners. In this article, Istituto Lama Tsongkha (ILTK) board member Prof. Bruno Neri highlights the bridge being built between Western technologies and the ancient contemplative technologies of training and exploring the mind.

More than thirty years ago, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama articulated a clear and far-sighted vision: the dialogue between Buddhism and modern science should not remain an occasional exchange of ideas but should develop into genuine collaborative research. Although their methods differ, both traditions share a fundamental aspiration: to deepen our understanding of reality and, above all, of the nature of the mind.

At the University of Pisa, this vision became an opportunity not simply to study meditation, but to reconsider how consciousness itself should be investigated. Neuroscience has achieved extraordinary success in describing the brain’s electrochemical activity in physical terms. Yet the relationship between those processes and subjective experience remains one of science’s greatest unresolved questions.

Since the 1990s, growing recognition that first-person experience cannot be excluded from consciousness research has encouraged collaboration with people trained over decades in the systematic observation of their own minds. The story that follows is therefore more than that of a research project. It is the account of a long-term partnership between the University of Pisa and Tibetan monastic institutions, above all Sera Jey Monastic University, made possible by the bridge created by FPMT through its Italian center, ILTK.

Looking back, I realize that the most valuable outcome of these years has not been a particular result or publication, but the gradual construction of trust between two communities that might initially seem to belong to very different worlds.

Encouraged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the University of Pisa began developing partnerships with institutions that have preserved the Tibetan contemplative tradition. The Lama Tsong Khapa Institute played a decisive role in extending this relationship to Sera Jey in South India. More broadly, the FPMT’s international network created a cultural and organizational environment in which Western researchers and Tibetan practitioners could meet as partners rather than as observers and subjects.

Why conduct consciousness research in a Tibetan monastery rather than in a conventional laboratory? Neuroscience can measure electrical signals, blood flow, and functional connectivity with remarkable precision, but these measurements do not by themselves reveal what a person is experiencing. Francisco Varela [1] proposed addressing this limitation by combining third-person neurophysiological observation with disciplined first-person descriptions from trained observers of their own mental states. He called this approach Neurophenomenology.

For this methodology to be scientifically meaningful, first-person reports cannot be improvised. They require practitioners able to recognize subtle changes in consciousness, describe them consistently, and use a shared conceptual framework developed through sustained training. This is what makes Sera Jey an exceptional research environment. ù

Prof. Neri together with two geshes in the retreat area of Sera Jey Monastery

Since 2018, our team traveled regularly to the monastery with portable neurophysiological equipment, bringing the laboratory into the setting where contemplative practice naturally takes place. At Sera Jey we found a community sharing a common educational background, philosophical framework, contemplative vocabulary, and decades of disciplined practice. Some volunteers had accumulated more than 40,000 hours of meditation during long-term retreats.

Interviews before and after each recording helped us interpret not only what was occurring in the brain, but also what the practitioner reported experiencing. The monastery thus became more than a site for data collection: it became an active scientific partner in a genuinely neurophenomenological investigation of consciousness.

After several years of field research at Sera Jey, I am often asked what we have actually discovered. The most important answer is not the confirmation of a single hypothesis, but the demonstration that this collaborative model is scientifically feasible. Rigorous neurophysiological research can be conducted in a Tibetan monastery while respecting contemplative practice and preserving its natural setting. The first results have appeared in leading journals, with University of Pisa researchers and geshes and monks from Sera Jey Monastic University working together as co-authors [2-4].

Geshe Gonpo during an EEG recording session at Sera Jey.

Our studies have focused mainly on concentrative and analytical meditation. Using portable EEG systems, we combined physiological recordings with structured interviews before and after meditation, documenting intentions, methods, experiences, and possible disturbances. These reports were an essential part of the protocol, allowing physiological and phenomenological data to be interpreted together. A detailed description of these findings can be found in references [2–4].

One recurring observation is that the two forms of practice are associated with different neurophysiological patterns. Concentrative meditation frequently showed a progressive increase in alpha-band activity relative to baseline, whereas analytical meditation displayed a different temporal evolution. These findings do not explain meditation or consciousness, but suggest that distinct contemplative practices engage different functional brain dynamics.

These results matter because they show that dialogue between neuroscience and contemplative science can generate meaningful, testable questions. Individual EEG findings will inevitably be refined or superseded. The more durable achievement is the research platform itself: a stable relationship in which contemplative practitioners contribute not merely as participants, but as knowledgeable collaborators.

EEG recording result

The evolution of the energy distribution of brain activity during a concentrative meditation session lasting more than 2 hours. Blue line represents the initial condition (0-5 min), whereas different colors represent the evolution (a color each 5 min. window) up to the red line.

What began at Sera Jey as an experimental collaboration has become a stable platform for consciousness research, grounded in the trust and shared understanding that now make more advanced studies possible. Sera Jey will remain at the center of this program, while recent contacts with Thiksay Monastery in Ladakh may open opportunities for work with practitioners engaged in advanced training and in practices concerning the subtle relationship between mind and body.

More than any single experimental finding, this collaboration demonstrates how the vision encouraged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama can become concrete scientific practice: not by reducing one tradition to the other, but through a disciplined partnership in the study of consciousness.

Perhaps the FPMT’s most distinctive contribution has been to sustain a bridge between two technologies developed across very different historical timescales: the advanced instruments of Western neuroscience and the ancient, highly refined technology of training and exploring the mind preserved in the Tibetan contemplative tradition. 

With grateful thanks to Prof. Bruno Neri, who authored this blog and shared the results of this research.

Prof. Bruno Neri is Full Professor of Electronics at the University of Pisa. He also teaches in master’s and advanced professional training programs on Mind Sciences, Contemplative Practices, and End-of-Life Studies. He serves as Director of the Summer School “Consciousness and Cognition.” These initiatives arise from the collaboration between the University of Pisa and the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, where he served on the Board of Directors since 2025.

The story of this encounter between modern science and the Tibetan contemplative tradition is told in the documentary Clearlight, by Prof. Bruno Neri and Letizia Renzini, produced with support from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

References

[1] Varela, F.J., 1996. Neurophenomenology: a methodological remedy for the hard problem. J. Conscious. Stud. 3, 330–349.

[2] Neri, B., et al. (2024). Report from a Tibetan Monastery: EEG neural correlates of concentrative and analytical meditation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1348317. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348317

[3] Rho, G., et al. (2026). Dynamic causal modeling of low-density resting-state EEG in long-term meditation practitioners. Scientific Reports, 16, 8691. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-41310-y

[4] A. Callara et al. “Integrated central and autonomic signatures of concentrative and analytical meditation in expert practitioners” to be published on Scientific Reports

Is your center also working to bring Science and Buddhism into dialogue? We would love to hear about your initiatives and celebrate these efforts by sharing them with the wider FPMT community.

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 Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. Photo courtesy of the Great Stupa Facebook page.

As part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’s (FPMT) fiftieth anniversary celebration, we continue to gather stories from the pioneer students whose devotion and steady work helped build the organization we know today. Here, Ian Green shares an excerpt from his book  Monumental – The Story of the Stupa on the founding of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, which he read aloud at the 2025 CPMT summit at Kopan Monastery. He recalls meeting Lama Thubten Yeshe in 1979, receiving Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s guidance for the stupa’s design, and the nine-year world tour of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. 

A First Meeting in Melbourne

I first met Lama Yeshe in 1979, at a public talk in Melbourne. After the talk there was a chance to meet him, and the queue shuffled slowly along. As I was nearly at the front,  Ven. Konchog Donma, a nun who at the time was Director of Tara House in Melbourne, rushed up and introduced me to Lama Yeshe. He took my hands and looked at me, and as our eyes met I felt a little disconcerted by his direct, penetrating gaze. It felt as though Lama Yeshe saw me exactly as I was, with all my good and bad points — and that he accepted me completely, just as I was. Slowly I recognized a feeling I had experienced only once or twice before: it felt like falling in love. After meeting Lama Yeshe in Melbourne, I knew I had to go to Kopan.

Kopan and a Gift of Atisha

In November 1979, I attended the Kopan course. Right at the end of it, on the day I was leaving, Lama Yeshe called me over and spoke about a place where students could study and do retreat — a quieter, less stressful, good life in Victoria. He punctuated this serious discussion with bursts of laughter so loud I was sure they could be heard all over Kopan Hill. His eyes held such intensity of sweet kindness that I had no doubt he spoke from the heart. Without hesitation, I told him I would do my best to help Tara House in Melbourne become a suitable retreat place. As I rose to leave, Lama Yeshe signaled for me to wait. He reached into a bag and produced a small statue of Atisha as a gift to take back to Australia. Looking back, it seems that even then, Lama Yeshe had a vision for what I might be able to contribute.

The Land in Bendigo

Lama Yeshe in Bendigo, Australia, 1981. Photo by Ian Green. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

My father offered some acres of land near Bendigo, and in August 1981 Lama Yeshe came to see it. During that visit, Garrey Foulkes and I walked with him over the fifty acres adjoining Sandhurst Town that my father had offered. Lama presented us with a masterplan for a great stupa, encircled by a meditation center, monastery, aged-care facility, and a wider community. He spoke at length of his vision for a small Buddhist city that would care for people throughout their lives.

Drawing a Stupa in the Dirt

Three-dimensional model of master plan for development at Great Stupa. Image courtesy of Ian Green via Twitter. 2013

Walking on a bush track near where the current Quan Yin statue stands in its pond today, Lama Yeshe picked up a nearby stick and began to draw the outline of a stupa in the dirt. Pointing to a nearby hill, he said: “There will be a big stupa with a big gompa and a library inside it.”

We pushed aside head-high bush and trees to reach the hilltop that Lama Yeshe had indicated would be the center of the stupa, then walked on to another, slightly higher hill about 600 meters away — the site of the present-day monastery. I had the distinct feeling that Lama Yeshe could see clearly the whole of what was unfolding there for Garrey and me, as though it already existed as a reality. To my knowledge, he had never set foot on this part of the property before, yet he walked from one place to the next with complete confidence.

From that day we knew then that we had to build a very big stupa — but what would it look like? We had no idea.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Blueprint

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ian Green, holding the blue print for the Great Stupa, Australia 2006. Photo of Ven. Roger

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche eventually solved this problem. Early in 1994, Alison Ribush — gave me a book called Photos of Tibet. Across a large double-page photograph of the Gyantse Kumbum, Rinpoche wrote: “This is my idea for the stupa in Bendigo.” I had never seen a picture of the stupa before, but I immediately felt it was the right choice. I could see that it was impressive in scale, yet still relatable on a human level.

The most important teaching I have received from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in regard to building the Great Stupa and creating the Jade Buddha, is that I should expect obstacles to arise. Rinpoche indicated that because building the Great Stupa and creating the Jade Buddha were such positive acts, it meant there would be some mighty obstacles to overcome.

The Jade Buddha’s Journey

Jade Buddha behind Lama Zopa Rinpoche, with Ian Green, Liam, and Ven. Gyatso, Australia, 2014. Photo by Thubten Kunsang (Henri Lopez).

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was enthusiastic about the idea of taking the Jade Buddha on tour: “If you take the Buddha around the world,” he told me, “it makes it so easy to believe in the blessings of the Jade Buddha.” And so it was: over nine years, the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace traveled to more than 120 cities around the world, and an estimated 12 million people came to see it.

An Inspiring Example of Interfaith harmony

Lumbini International Festival at the Great Stupa, May 9, 2026. Photo courtesy of the Great Stupa Facebook page.

The Great Stupa is also a true champion of interfaith harmony, through the creation of a Peace Park where symbols of many of the world’s great spiritual traditions—Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Indigenous, Islamic, and Sikh—stand side by side in mutual respect. This profound gesture of unity is a message to the world: that peace is possible when hearts are open and traditions walk together.

Lama Zopa Rinpche infront The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, 2018. Photo Courtesy of Ian Green.

In fulfilling the aspirations of both Lama Thubten Yeshe and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Great Stupa has also established the Great Stupa Library, the only library of its kind in the world to focus on Buddhism, Interfaith, and Science—a testament to the harmony of wisdom, faith, and reason.

The shrines to Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa

Ian Green during the visit of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche to the Great Stupa, August 2025. Photo courtesy of the Great Stupa Facebook page.

The Great Stupa team are currently working on shrine rooms for both Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

These will be located on level three of the Great Stupa and will feature statues of the two Lamas and some of their holy relics. We considered various locations fir these shrines until His Eminence Ling Rinpoche helped us choose this location.   

At the entrance to the shrine rooms will be a museum dedicated to the achievements of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

In conclusion, I want to say — these are the last words of my book — that even though Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche are no longer with us, I feel blessed and grateful for the inspiration and the guidance I received from them both. It is due to their kindness that I have been able to do things with my life that will be of lasting benefit to others. Rinpoche left us decades of work to complete his own stupa, and that is exactly what I have reaffirmed I will keep doing with the rest of my life.

Ian Green is the founder of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, and the driving force behind the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. We are grateful to him for sharing this story as part of FPMT’s fiftieth anniversary celebration, and we would love to hear from other pioneer students with memories of their own to share.

You can read more about Ian Green and the Universal Stupa in his book Monumental – The Story of the Stupa by Ian Green OAM. Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This unique memoir gives readers a personal account of Green’s journey – from the world of Australian Advertising in the 70s, travel stories from many countries, the creation and tour of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace and culminating in the building of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. “It’s a story that vividly illustrates the importance of dedication to a positive goal—it shows that if you persevere and never give up there is no end to the good things that you can do.” —His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Please watch Ian reading an excerpt from his book, Monumental– The Story of the Stupa:

Discover more about The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.

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.

Welcome to this month’s newsletter!

We are pleased to share precious advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe, along with many causes for rejoicing, including an overview of the recent beneficial and essential activities supported through FPMT Charitable Projects. 

In response to the floods and mudslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, many generous donors quickly responded to our new FPMT Emergency Relief Fund. In this month’s newsletter, you can learn how the funds have been used so far, and we will continue to keep you updated on needs and relief progress. 

You will also find information on new study and practice resources and opportunities available to you, as well as information on the great activities happening around the world within FPMT. 

Please read the September 2026 newsletter 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. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at 100 Million Mani Retreat, Mongolia, August 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Mongolia has a strong history of Buddhist practice in the Tibetan tradition and, in particular, Mani Retreats.

The Mani Retreat started in Mongolia in the mid-15th century under the great Buddhist leader and practitioner, Zanabazar, and continued until the Soviet-backed communist takeover in 1930. During the “Cultural Purges” that followed, more than 1,000 monasteries and temples were destroyed, and thousands of monks were killed, forced into labor camps, or exiled. For 60 years, the active practice of Buddhism in Mongolia disappeared completely from public view. Mongolia gained independence in 1990, following the collapse of the Soviet empire, and while Buddhism remained strong in the hearts of the people, the monasteries, monastic learning, and knowledge of Buddhist teachings had been nearly obliterated. In the Ganden complex, not far from the retreat venue, there was a huge 26-meter (85-foot) Migjed Chenrezig statue. It is an inspiring sight, capable of lifting spirits when the retreat’s challenges become a bit much. The communists destroyed the original statue, which was built by a Mongolian ruler in 1911. But in the 1990s, the holy object was reconstructed as a sign of Mongolian independence and a gesture demonstrating the strength of Mongolia’s Buddhist faith.

Since 2000, FPMT Mongolia, realizing the wish of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, has been helping Mongolians reestablish Buddhism by creating centers, offering teachings, and supporting Sangha in monasteries and nunneries, as well as providing humanitarian support to impoverished Mongolians.

“This is one of my dreams: to have this each year and to continue forever—even after I die, even after the people living now, who are working and offering service, die—to continue as long as Mongolia exists.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The 100 Million Mani Retreat in Mongolia was a particularly strong wish of Rinpoche, to purify, generate merit, and attain realizations. FPMT Mongolia Center Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling Center just completed its 14th consecutive year of the Mani Retreat with 109, 208, 246 Manis completed. Please rejoice with us in this tremendous achievement.

Here, Ven. Thubten Gyalmo, resident Western teacher at the Mongolian FPMT Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling Center, reflects on the history of the Mani Retreat in Mongolia and how much her life has been impacted by it.

2026 FPMT Global Mani Retreat

FPMT Mongolia has just completed the 14th annual Mani Retreat, from August 20 to September 17, 2026, with an average of 150–250 practitioners daily. It is part of the FPMT Global Mani Retreat program, which has brought together students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from around the world.

The Global Mani Retreat is the first live event where we can come together and do the full Mani Retreat. I hope and pray that other countries will be inspired and able to conduct this most beneficial retreat, fulfilling one of Rinpoche’s Vast Visions.  

This is all due to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s skilfull guidance and immeasurable kindness, and without a doubt, this annual event has had a huge impact on my life. I cherish this annual event as a precious opportunity to be together with all the participants, the FPMT Mongolia team, and volunteers as we continue nurturing and growing loving kindness and compassion in our hearts and minds.

How It All Started

For my Getsulma ordination, in 2009 I went to Institut Vajra Yogini in France. My hair-cutting ceremony was done by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the retreat tent, where Rinpoche was preparing for the Chenrezig initiation. It was the second day, and I was the only one! After some three weeks, Getsulma ordination was granted to a small group, and I attended the whole Mani Retreat, a 100 Million Mani Retreat. That was the very first one for me.

When I returned to Mongolia, I learned that Lama Zopa Rinpoche had given advice in 1999 that Mongolia should do the 100 Million Mani Retreat, because there are so many animals in this country, and so many that are killed for food. Mongolia is a very, very cold country, and the Mongolian people have been eating meat for centuries to survive in the harsh conditions, but these days there are more alternative food options. Rinpoche advised that the Mongolian center should really do something for the people and for the animals. 

In 2013, Venerable Tsenla from Kopan Nunnery, who was serving at the Mongolian FPMT Center, launched the first 100 Million Mani Retreat, and apart from during the Covid pandemic, it has been held every year since.  We found a way to continue the Chenrezig practice in 2020 by doing a group Chenrezig retreat concluding with a fire puja, and in 2021, FPMT Mongolia nuns, together with a small number of students, in accordance with the guidelines of the pandemic, streamed the retreat from the gompa.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Gyalmo, India, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

In the Global Mani Retreat, the group sessions do what we call the “home practice,” or the short practice. But here, Rinpoche created this long sadhana drawn from the Nyung Nä practice to follow in the traditional 100 Million Mani Retreats. Due to Mongolia having a long history with Mani recitations and an extended Buddhist history, Rinpoche advised that doing the long sadhana was more beneficial. However, people who can’t read, are at home, are sick, or are unable to come to the gompa, they can use the “home practice.”

The Mani Retreat with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Mongolia

In 2013, Lama Zopa Rinpoche arrived halfway through the retreat and asked that the event be repeated annually, so that “many people can really enjoy the opportunity to purify the negative karmas and obscurations collected from beginningless rebirths and to collect extensive merits.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was here with us for the first Mani retreat in 2013. He joined as well at the second one in 2014, and bestowed upon us so much guidance and so many teachings. Since then, Mongolia has been able to continue without missing a year, with an average of 150 to 300 people in the gompa.   

In  2017, the Mongolian Center was extremely fortunate to receive the Great Chenrezig initiation bestowed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche just two weeks prior to the commencement of the retreat, bringing so many rich blessings to the retreat and its participants.

First day of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery, Mongolia, May 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

The Retreat Schedule

This schedule was arranged to accommodate approximately two hundred Mongolian participants, in any one session of a day, who sometimes had to travel very long distances, inspired by the knowledge of the incredible merits of doing the Chenrezig practice. The retreat takes place at the Idgaa Choizinling Dratsang, one of the more modern temples located within the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery complex in central Ulaanbaatar. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, together with FPMT Mongolia, offered financial support for Idgaa Choizinling’s rebuilding, which was completed in 2003, and has continued to support the monks with daily nutritious lunches. 

The duration of the retreat is approximately one month, 28 to 30 days. We commence at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 6:30 p.m. In the first session, we do Lama Chöpa Jorcho, followed by three sessions dedicated to the long Chenrezig sadhana mentioned above.

People are free to come and go according to their time and other life commitments.  It is not a residential retreat.

Idgaa Choizinling has a beautiful, spacious gompa, and Rinpoche advised us from the beginning that it’s appropriate to be in the city so that everybody can come. If the retreat is held in the countryside, many people would be excluded because they don’t have transport, and for the elderly, it would be difficult to travel.

Throughout the retreat, we offer a vegetarian breakfast and lunch plus four teas to all participants, FPMT Mongolia staff, and volunteers. 

The Food Offering

Seventh 100 Million Mani Retreat at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2019. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.

In Mongolia, people have the tradition of making dedications together with a monetary offering, and during the retreat, our Dedication Desk volunteers are kept fully occupied. Sometimes it can take up to 40-45 minutes to read all the dedications. We also provide the opportunity for people to sponsor the teas and/or food or a whole day if they wish. Somehow, the total donations from this activity miraculously cover the cost of providing nourishment for everyone!

So, it’s a very beautiful way to run the retreat. Like, in the West, I know it’s difficult. You have to pay so much for hiring the venues, and then if you have to feed people, it’s very expensive. But here, in Mongolia, there is no retreat fee, so people can afford to come. It’s a developing country, and the above approach works very well.

It pleased Lama Zopa Rinpoche that we would always offer vegetarian food and drink to the participants, make them comfortable, and have the flexibility that they were welcome to attend for as long as they could.

And the interesting thing is, out of the 13 Mani Retreats we’ve done, there have been only two years that we didn’t reach the goal of 100 million because of the conditions. Every other year, we’ve reached over 100 million Manis. This is amazing!

Mani Retreat: Rinpoche’s Dream

In 2016, for the fourth 100 million Mani Retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche shared in a thank-you letter to the center’s director:

“I want to thank from the depths of my heart, from the very inside of my heart bones. Thank you and the others for organizing the mani retreat each year. This is one of my dreams: to have this each year and to continue forever—even after I die, even after the people living now, who are working and offering service, die—to continue as long as Mongolia exists.

“The retreat is like offering infinite skies of help to sentient beings. Each session, even reciting one mala, purifies negative karma, including all the obscurations, created from beginningless rebirths. This is even without doing it with bodhichitta. It collects merit more than the drops of water in the Pacific Ocean, more than the grains of sand in the Pacific Ocean, more than the blades of grass growing in the mountains and on the lands of the earth.

“If one is doing it with bodhichitta—even just reciting OM MANI PADME HUM one time—it collects merit more than the sky. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable. In particular, it causes one to develop compassion for others: for the numberless sentient beings of the six realms—numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras—and numberless intermediate state beings.

“Generating compassion is most powerful and is what makes one achieve enlightenment rapidly. Even if you generate compassion for only one sentient being, that is the quickest way to purify all the defilements and accumulate all merits, which are necessary conditions, and to actualize the path to enlightenment.

“The conclusion is that compassion makes it possible to achieve enlightenment—buddhahood, the total cessation of all the obscurations and completion of all the realizations—as quickly as possible. This means being able to free all the six-realm sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering quickly, which means being able to bring the numberless sentient beings to buddhahood quickly. This is the most important achievement, more important than anything else in life. By generating compassion, you are able to achieve this quickly.”

With gratitude to Ven. Thubten Gyalmo for sharing this story, and for her immense effort helping to fulfil this very precious wish from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

The entire FPMT community has been participating in an unprecedented Global Mani Retreat —an inspiring collective offering of practice, harmony, and dedication to the awakening and benefit of all beings, helping to fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision of accumulating 100 million Mani mantra recitations worldwide.

The next major  teaching of the Global Mani Retreat will be Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche, on Sunday Oct 25, 2026. A truly rare and precious opportunity!

To keep up with all details related to the FPMT 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.

“Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism” on “The Nature of Life” with Geshe Tenzin Norbu and Dr. Joana Xavier at Nalanda Monastery, France, May 9, 2026. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery’s Facebook Page

Several FPMT centers have been actively working to bridge the fields of Buddhism and science, inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s longstanding contribution to fostering dialogue between Buddhism and science for the benefit of humanity. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama championed and initiated the historic integration of modern science into the traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastic curriculum and the Geshe degree framework. Formal science classes began entering major Gelugpa monastic universities in 2001 via programs like Science for Monks and the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative. Geshe Tenzin Norbu was among the monastics who attended these classes during his studies.

Inspired by this vision, Nalanda Monastery in France has organized a series of public dialogues between Buddhism and science since 2019. The initiative was started by Ven. Lobsang Gyaltsen while he was studying Dharmakīrti’s texts, with the aim of bringing Buddhist understanding into dialogue with scientific knowledge, following His Holiness’s vision. These dialogues bring together Tibetan Buddhist scholars and academic scientists to explore topics including physics and interdependence, consciousness and the self, and the nature of life. We rejoice in Nalanda Monastery’s efforts to carry forward His Holiness’s vision through these meaningful exchanges. On May 9, 2026, Nalanda hosted the third “Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism,” bringing together Geshe Tenzin Norbu and Dr. Joana Xavier to explore “The Nature of Life.”

In this article, Geshe Tenzin Norbu reflects on modern biology, evolution, cognition, feeling, and consciousness, and considers where scientific and Buddhist perspectives meet—and where they differ—in understanding life and mind.

Rethinking Life, Biology, and How We Know Things

By Geshe Tenzin Norbu

When science and Buddhism sit down at the same table, the conversation usually focuses on brain waves, physics, or human psychology. But looking at things through modern biology expands the picture to cover roughly 3.5 billion years of evolution. When you look that far back, the classic “tree of life”—linking bacteria, archaea, and complex organisms like us—looks less like a tree and more like a massive, interconnected network. We all share the same foundational biochemical machinery. Because of that, “knowing” or learning isn’t just some abstract thing happening in a human brain; it’s baked into biology itself. What you eat, how much stress you’re under, and even the bacteria in your gut directly shape how you perceive and interact with the world.

To make sense of the mind, it helps to break it down into three distinct layers:

1. Cognition: This is simply the ability to adapt and learn from feedback. You can actually see learning-like patterns in non-living systems (like machine learning algorithms), suggesting that “cognition” might have existed even before single-celled life.
2. Feeling: This emerged alongside early cellular life (like ancient bacterial biofilms). Once a cell has an inside and an outside, it can evaluate its environment—feeling a basic drive toward what helps it and away from what harms it.
3. Consciousness: This came much later and is far rarer. Biologists like Eva Jablonka suggest it showed up around the Cambrian explosion (~540 million years ago) when animals developed complex, goal-directed choice.

The Heart of Buddhist Practice

While science tries to map and describe these phenomena, Buddhism is fundamentally practical. Its main goal isn’t just to accumulate knowledge, but to end suffering through the Four Noble Truths: identifying suffering, finding its root causes, realizing it can end, and following a practical path to get there.

At the core of this path are a few central ideas:

• Karma: Karma simply means intentional action—whether through body, speech, or mind. Every intentional act leaves an “imprint” that eventually shapes your future experiences.
• Rebirth and the “Self”: We suffer and stay trapped in cycles of rebirth because we cling to the illusion of a solid, permanent “self.” Freedom comes from directly realizing selflessness (that there is no fixed, independent “me”).To realize this, Buddhists use two complementary forms of meditation: stabilizing meditation (to calm and focus the mind) and analytical meditation (to investigate reality). Together, they cultivate wisdom and compassion—often described as the two wings a bird needs to fly.

Geshe Tenzin Norbu during an EEG recording session at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, South India, with the Russian scientists from the Institute for Advanced Brain Studies, MSU.

Where Biology and Buddhism Meet (and Clash)

When you put these two systems side-by-side, you find some fascinating bridges, but also a major sticking point. The Major Clash: Modern science generally views the mind as a byproduct of the physical brain. Buddhism, on the other hand, holds that consciousness can only arise from a previous moment of consciousness—meaning the mind has a continuous, non-material continuity that goes beyond the physical body.

The Bridge (Interdependence): Where they deeply agree is on the nature of reality. Scientific models show that everything in nature exists within a web of cause and effect. This mirrors the Buddhist concept of dependent arising or emptiness (śūnyatā) — the idea that nothing exists independently on its own. They essentially split the work: science offers a detailed description of how the physical world works conventionally, while Buddhism provides a path to transform your mind.

Geshe Tenzin Norbu during the “Dialogue Between Science and Buddhism” on “The Nature of Life” at Nalanda Monastery, France, May 9, 2026. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery Youtube channel.

The Unconscious & Unexplained Phenomena:

Both traditions recognize that human behavior is driven by deep, hidden layers of habit. Psychology calls this the unconscious; Buddhism explains it as karmic habits ripening when the right conditions align. Meditation acts as a tool to clear out these layers of reactivity. Scientists have begun studying advanced meditators during sleep and lucid dreaming, finding distinct physical patterns. However, Buddhist concepts like a “subtle mind” that can affect physical matter, or non-material karmic seeds that carry over after death, currently have no clear equivalent or proof in scientific methodology.

With grateful thanks to Geshe Tenzin Norbu for submitting this thoughtful piece! 

About Geshe Tenzin Norbu is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar and Spiritual Program Coordinator at Nalanda Monastery in France.

He holds a Tsogram Geshe degree from Sera Mey Monastic University. After completing his studies in the five major treatises, he continued his studies in Buddhist tantra through the traditional year-long residency at Gyudmed Monastery in South India. He ordained as a monk in 2004 and received full ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2007. He has also served as a translator for the Pali-Sanskrit Bhikkhu Exchange program and has translated for numerous esteemed teachers.

You can read more about the scientific research in which Geshe-la participated “A Scientific Investigation of Meditation by Russian Neuroscientists” and here “An inquiry into a post-death Buddhist meditative practice“.

Is your center bridging science and Buddhism as well? We would love to hear about it and share it in a future story.

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 Most Secret Hayagriva retreat — the practice Lama Yeshe gave to Lama Zopa Rinpoche as an annual commitment for the protection and success of the FPMT — has been offered in August 2026 at Nalanda Monastery in France, and from March 31–April 14, 2027, His Eminence Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche will preside over the retreat at Chokyi Gyaltsen Center in Penang, Malaysia, with registration now open.

The Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat at Nalanda Monastery August 2026. Photo Courtesy of Nalanda Monastery.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe had a special connection to the Most Secret Hayagriva. It was Lama Yeshe who gave Lama Zopa Rinpoche this practice/commitment — as Ven. Roger shared — to do the retreat every year for the protection and success of all the FPMT. The FPMT organization has now taken on this commitment. 

Rinpoche in fact shared that “Practicing Hayagriva can help to pacify the outer and inner obstacles for actualizing the path to enlightenment and success in Dharma practice, in serving the teachings of the Buddha, and serving sentient beings.”

The practice of Hayagriva is for removing obstacles and bringing success to the FPMT organization, centers, projects, and services, connecting with the unbroken lineage from the time of the Buddha and practiced by realized holy beings such as Nagarjuna, Guru Rinpoche, Siddha Darcharwa, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. To realize the wishes of our Lamas, annually the retreat is offered, and this year we especially rejoice because there are two FPMT centers that are organizing this retreat.

Nalanda Monastery, in France, offered the retreat for the second time, August 12–29, 2026. For the occasion, Tritul Jampa Kalden Rinpoche (Gomde Rinpoche) from Sera Je, one of the few specialists in this rare and powerful practice — was invited, along with Geshe Tsultrim from Kopan Monastery as chant leader. With the genuine devotion and dedication of the 21 retreatants, there is no doubt about the immense benefit of this retreat, shared Ven. Thubten Sherab. 

The Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat at Nalanda Monastery August 2026. Photo Courtesy of Nalanda Monastery.

“This retreat is the best thing one can do in life!”  — Sara Karlgren, retreatant

“The night before the fire puja, there was an amazing thunderstorm unlike any I had ever seen before. A deep rumble came from very far away. At first the sound was barely audible, then the volume gradually increased — as if we could hear hundreds of wild horses galloping toward us. Then flashes of lightning lit up the darkness of the night, and a heavy but gentle, beneficial rain fell for quite a long time. With the heatwave, nature really needed water. It seemed to mirror the retreat itself: a profound practice, beneficial to all beings, which comes from very far away and has been passed down from generation to generation since Nagarjuna. And suddenly, it was here — we could touch it.”  — Ven. Thubten Sherab

His Eminence Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche has graciously accepted an invitation to preside over the entire Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat program at Chokyi Gyaltsen Center in Penang, Malaysia, from March 31–April 14, 2027. His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche is regarded as the foremost expert in this practice after His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Read more about the Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat .

The registration for the Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat at the Chokyi Gyaltsen Center in Penang, Malaysia, from March 31–April 14, 2027 is now open. Read more in this form.

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.