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.

Merry Colony at Sera Monastery, July 1980. Photo courtesy of Merry Colony.

Merry Colony met the Dharma in Santa Cruz in 1979 and ordained the following year at Kopan Monastery. She served as Lama Yeshe’s secretary from 1981 to 1982, primarily organizing accommodations and teaching facilities for the first Enlightened Experience Celebration (EEC1). She later directed Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, where the nuns elected her as nunnery director before she disrobed. 

Merry went on to serve as co-director and then director of the Maitreya Project (1992–1995), organized the 1998 long life puja for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and directed the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP) from 1998 to 2000. She spent twelve years as Director of FPMT Education Services, followed by roles managing Buddha Amitabha Pureland’s development (2014–2016) and directing Milarepa Center in Vermont (2016–2018). Since 2018, she has been living in Colorado with her partner, Harry Sutton, where she completed a three year retreat and continues trying to comprehend the vast Nalanda tradition of her teachers. 

Merry wrote this piece in April 2023, shortly after Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s passing. We are honored to share it now as part of our yearlong celebration of FPMT turning fifty in December 2025. 

Beginnings. The Road to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lawudo. Spring 1979 – Summer 1980

It was spring 1979, atop Santa Cruz Island, high on magic mushrooms when an old craggy Live Oak tree changed the direction of my life. I was about to graduate from UCSC with a degree in Environmental Studies. All my friends were getting ready to either move to Alaska and save the last frontier or get into politics or law so they could change the course of environmental breakdown that was clearly inevitable already in ’79. My inclination was to get into environmental education, but I wasn’t convinced. Something else was brewing deep inside that needed attention.

Merry Colony at Pashupatinath, February 1980. Photo courtesy of Merry Colony.

So it was there, on that very green island surrounded by blue ocean, that I wandered away from my boyfriend Adam and lay my head upon the old oak. What happened next had never happened before and hasn’t happened since, but it happened that day and it was crystal clear. I understood that I had to leave my family, my country, everything I knew and find a spiritual path.

When I returned to Adam I was crying, all I saw in the ocean below, which just an hour ago had been so blue and vibrant, was death. Everything was pulsing with the message of death, impermanence, nothing to hang on to, life is ever changing.

We walked some and then sat down together looking out over the vista of steeply rising hills cut by canyons and waterfalls. Looking at the scene I suddenly said to Adam the word Nepal. I said, “this looks like Nepal and that’s where I have to go.” Why I said that is a cosmic mystery as I knew nothing about Nepal. I’m not even sure how I knew the name. Maybe I’d heard of Mt Everest. But for whatever reason I knew that’s where my journey was at least going to start.

Now that I knew where I was going, I needed to figure out what I was going for. Santa Cruz, hippie capital of the country at the time, had it all so I started checking out various spiritual things on offer: OM circles, Kundalini ecstatic dance classes, a hug by the beloved Ram Dass … and then one day Adam’s housemate, Dean Alper, told me about a weekend teaching with a Tibetan Lama. Far out, I thought, something else I can check out. It was there, at that weekend teaching that I was led to my root guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche pictured on the poster that first caught Merry Colony’s eye at a weekend teaching in Santa Cruz, 1979. Photo by Ueli Minder.

Not because he was the teacher. He wasn’t. Zasep Tulku was the teacher. And not because I met him in person or heard his voice or knew his name, but because of a poster. On the wall was a poster with a picture of a skinny monk with a mountain in the background. It was advertising a Nyung Nä retreat at Lawudo Gompa in Nepal. When I saw that poster tears welled up and I asked Dean and his friends (Tom Waggoner and a few others from Vajrapani Insitute) if they knew who that was on the poster. They told me that was Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and they told me about a Kopan Monastery in Nepal and how there were Buddhist courses in English. That was it. Now I knew where I was going and who I was going to meet.

However, finding my spiritual path didn’t mean I was going to STAY in Nepal. No, I was going to go, do one of the courses, figure out my path and then travel. My friend Eric and I were going to then meet in Indonesia, eat fruit and hang out on the beach. And from there the world was my oyster.

I left the US on January 2, 1980. First stop was a deserted beach on the big island of Hawaii where my friend Jody was studying spinner dolphins. She lived in a leaf shack that she had built and shared the beach with a Filipino fisherman and his one hundred feral goats. She adopted one and named her Lama (interesting…) who used to sleep on her chest at night. It was a perfect start of the journey. She swam with her dolphins, and I lay on the beach reading Wisdom Energy, teachings by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa. I was in heaven. I loved these guys already. Loved everything they said.

Merry’s original copy of Wisdom Energy.

Next were stops in Thailand and Burma and then on to Nepal. I arrived in February, in time to play a little and eat cake in Kathmandu before heading up to the famed Kopan for the month-long course in March. The course was taught by a western nun, Yana, and I drank it up. It filled in all the blanks. My environmental education had laid the perfect foundation for understanding interdependence and cultivating respect for all life forms, but it had left me hating people. All those horrible people that were destroying our beautiful planet. I couldn’t reconcile how to love the earth and human beings at the same time. Until Yana taught us about karma, future lives, lower realms and compassion. Then it all fit together.

After the course I played around some more, had a little love affair with a Nepali and thought about becoming a goat farmer on his land beneath the Annapurna range, but the teachings had already captured my mind and I knew I had to get back to Kopan. And when I heard that The Great Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who I still hadn’t met, would be going to Lawudo to lead a Nyung Nä retreat, there it was…the poster…the tears…the place I had to go and the being I had to meet. Clearly, I was headed next to Lawudo.

Merry Colony at Lawudo, May–June 1980. Photo courtesy of Merry Colony.

It was there, in the Lawudo Gompa, that I first lay eyes on Lama Zopa Rinpoche and it was there that I first heard his holy speech. And it was there, when he broke down, sobbing on his throne when talking about the suffering of sentient beings that I realized there would be no Indonesia, no traveling the world. I was sitting at the feet of someone the likes of whom I’d never met or even dreamed of, and I wanted to sit there forever. There was just one nagging question that needed answering……should I marry Adam??

So, I asked Rinpoche’s attendant, Ani-la Jampa Chokyi, if I could meet with Rinpoche as I had a very important question to ask. She gruffly and without hesitation said, “no,” but added that I could write my name and my question and she’d get back to me. I told her she didn’t understand that Lama Zopa didn’t even know me and I had a life-shattering question to ask. She said if I wanted an answer I’d have to write it down. So I did. My name and my question: “should I marry Adam or devote my life to the Dharma”? To my amazement the answer came back quite quickly. It was written. I don’t know if it was Rinpoche’s writing or Jampa Chokyi’s. I don’t remember that part. But I remember with crystal clarity what the note said. It said, “medium benefit to marry Adam if we both spend five years in a cave first and excellent to devote the life to Dharma.” Option one: not happening; option two: my life course was now set. All I had left to do was tell Adam. And I still hadn’t met Lama Zopa face to face!

Merry Colony at Lawudo, May–June 1980. Photo courtesy of Merry Colony.

Walking down from Lawudo another cosmic thing happened. I was told there was a great meditator, Gomchen Rinpoche, living in a cave above the village of Benkar, and now that I was on the path of the great meditators I thought I must meet this lama. So, I bought a pound of butter as an offering and made my way to a hermitage that I saw under a rock near the village of Benkar. There was a meditator in the cave, and I offered him my butter only to find out after I left and rounded the bend to Benkar that that wasn’t Gomchen or Gomchen’s cave. Instead, some villagers pointed up an impossibly steep hill behind the village and told me that is where Gomchen lives. By now it was raining hard, and I didn’t have an offering, so I bought another chunk of butter and headed up what felt like the Matterhorn. Halfway up I slipped on the wet grass, dropped my backpack and the butter went rolling down the mountain. I couldn’t show up empty-handed so retrieved the now totally dirty butter and continued up the mountain. And there I met the great Gomchen Rinpoche who smiled and laughed and offered me all kinds of food that he pulled from an old burlap bag. But here’s the cosmic part: There were a few small windows in Gomchen’s cave that were covered with rice paper to keep out the cold and when I looked out those windows, I saw the scene I had seen on Santa Cruz Island. The scene that I had remarked to Adam looked like Nepal. This Buddhist stuff was blowing my mind!

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Sera Monastery, July 1980. Photo courtesy of Merry Colony.

When I got back to Kathmandu a friend, Robyn Castles, asked me if I wanted to go to Sera Monastery with her. She said His Holiness the Dalai Lama would be there and more importantly (to my ears at that time) Lama Zopa Rinpoche was there too. I immediately said yes. It took us days to get there, bus after bus after train after train and at long last we landed at Sera in South India. Piero Cerri and Ani-la Zia were taking care of Rinpoche, and I asked if I could meet with him. This time I got a yes.

I have no memory at all of what Rinpoche said to me, but I remember the vajra hook that went into my heart when he smiled at me. The smile that communicated a total knowing, a single gesture that made everything up to that moment make sense; the oak tree, the poster, leaving my previous life behind, traveling around the world, it was all to bring me to that room at that moment to meet that being. And at that moment there was not an iota of doubt. Not a cell in my body that was holding back. I had met my root guru and from now on my life would be in his hands.

With grateful thanks to Merry Colony for this precious personal account 

Please read more of Merry’s story which we published in Mandala in 2012 when Merry left FPMT International Office. 

Please also read Harry Sutton’s Road to Kopan story, “Tibet, Tibet, I have to go to Tibet!”

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. 

We are delighted to share that His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche and His Eminence Serkong Rinpoche are both offering teaching tours in Europe, including many FPMT centers. Please take a look at the full schedules and save the dates to take advantage of these wonderful opportunities. 

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 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.

Prayers and Aid for Nepal | Practices | Holy Objects  | Milestones | International

Prayers and Aid for Nepal

Prayers for Rasuwa at Kopan Monastery. Photo courtesy of the Kopan Facebook page.

On August 26, 2026, in the Himalayan border region of Nepal and Tibet, a massive glacier collapse triggered catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal–Tibet border. Hundreds of people have died, hundreds more remain missing, and thousands have been affected or displaced. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing amid difficult terrain and challenging conditions. At this time of immense loss and suffering, FPMT centers around the world have offered special pujas, prayers, and programs dedicated to all those affected. 

Kopan Monastery and Nunnery dedicated prayers for those who passed away in the Rasuwa floods and wished a swift and full recovery to all those injured. As part of the one-door relief collection system initiated by Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kopan Nunnery has provided immediate relief assistance consisting of 40 sacks of rice and 20 sacks of lentils (dal). The relief materials were handed over to the municipality for distribution to the affected victims and families. Additionally, the FPMT Emergency Relief Fund was established to assist individuals and families affected by natural disasters, emergency situations at FPMT centers and projects, and other urgent crises requiring swift aid. FPMT is working directly with Kopan Monastery to identify those most in need and to help ensure that support reaches affected families directly. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa shared the following heartfelt words of condolence: “To my brothers and sisters in Tibet and Nepal, and to those every individuals who have been impacted by the devastating flood. I mourn with those who have lost their lives and hold the affected families and communities in my prayers. May those who have passed away rest in peace. May those still missing be found swiftly and safely, reunited with family. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected during this extremely difficult time.”

Read more on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on practices to do during times of natural disaster.

Practices

(Canada) Lama Yeshe Ling Centre, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast vision to recite this sutra as much as possible to bring peace and stop wars, gathered on August 1 to recite the Sutra of Golden Light for peace in our world.

(Australia) Tara Institute‘s students marked the completion of 3,000 recitations of the Sutra of Golden Light in May 2025, as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and have continued reciting it weekly, with the tally now at 3,105.

We rejoice in this, and invite centers to keep us updated with their tally of complete recitations and to share your experiences of hearing, reading, reciting, giving, or receiving, or simply thinking about the Sutra of Golden Light.

(Australia) Following advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama last year, Tara Institute‘s students are also doing the White Tara practice to remove obstacles to the health and long life of their resident teacher, Geshe Doga, with a collective goal of reciting 10,000,000 White Tara mantras by 2028. We rejoice in this group practice!

(Nepal) On August 20, 2026, at Kopan Monastery, the Lama Gyupa monks began constructing the Yamantaka Thirteen-Deity Sand Mandala and commenced the great Self-Initiation Puja, engaging in profound practices for purification, protection, and the accumulation of merit. 

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi at Losang Dragpa Centre Photo credits of Losang Dragpa Centre Facebook page.

(Malaysia) On August 21, the auspicious and joyful arrival of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi at Losang Dragpa Centre marked the beginning of the annual Festival of Prayer with Thousand Offerings, which continued through August 23 with the Yamantaka Fire Puja Preliminary Prayers, Yamantaka Controlling Fire Puja, Dzambala Puja, Green Tara Jenang & Short Tsog Offering, Incense Puja & Protector Puja Torma Gyatsa Puja, and Medicine Buddha Jangwa Puja.

(US) Land of Medicine Buddha, on August 30, celebrated the Ksitigarbha Festival with 100 Torma Offerings and made prayers for all beings. Monks from the Gyuto Tantric College led a special puja to make offerings and requests to the enlightened beings and dedicate prayers for the benefit of all beings in the six realms. We rejoice in the merits generated by the practice!

(France) At Nalanda Monastery, daily from August 3–8, the monks of Sera Thekchenling Lachi monks led a Medicine Buddha puja each morning and created a sand mandala representing the celestial palace of the Medicine Buddha. On August 8, they performed a puja for rain, which was answered, and then the mandala was dismantled on August 9. On August 12, the 2026 FPMT Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat began during the solar eclipse—a highly auspicious day for the practice—and continued until August 28, for the benefit of all sentient beings and specifically to eliminate obstacles and gather favorable conditions for FPMT. We are deeply grateful to all the students who took part in this!

(UK) Togme Sangpo group in Scotland recently sadly lost their founder and FPMT registered teacher, Margo van Greta. Togme Sangpo group is deeply grateful to Margo for creating and running it, and they look forward to continuing in the same spirit of service to all sentient beings. Read more about Margo.

Holy Objects

New Stupa in  Bucharest . Photo credit of Garden of Maitreya Study Group Facebook page.

(Romania) Congratulations to the Romanian Dharma brothers and sisters of the Garden of Maitreya Study Group who completed the first stupa in Bucharest! August 18 marked the culmination of a project that began with cemetery plots, a groundbreaking ceremony, a Kadampa stupa built and blessed at Nalanda Monastery in France, and months of gathering, preparing, and consecrating everything that would eventually rest inside it. All of that came together in a single day. Offerings and a mandala were presented, Ven. Tenzin Gendun officiated the Gektor and Rabné ceremonies, and during the final consecration a rainbow appeared. Rejoice in the great merit generated by the Romanian students!

(Italy) Congratulations also to the Italian students who finished construction of the Stupa of Enlightenment dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa. The work was organized and carried out by volunteers from Stupa Onlus, and the stupa will be consecrated on December 3, 2026, during the auspicious day of the birthday celebration of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

(Netherlands) We rejoice that another stupa dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche is on the way! Thanks to the community of Maitreya Instituut Loenen, 318 large mantra scrolls have now arrived at the center, each with 273.40 yards (250 meters) of paper—106 with the lotus mantras, 106 with the name mantras of Lama Tsong Khapa, and 106 with the mantras of the long-life deities and the three leaders. The scrolls were filled with incense (a conifer and lavender mixture) and covered with satin, thanks to a volunteer day on June 7 and to the summer lamrim students who spent many hours on the work. Thirty-two microfilms have also arrived to be placed in the stupa; each contains hundreds of thousands of mantras, prayers, and sutras. We rejoice in the efforts of all the people involved in the realization of the stupa in line with the vast vision of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Work in progress at f Maitreya Instituut Loenen. Photo credit of f Maitreya Instituut Loenen Facebook page.

(France) Among the new holy objects in progress are also holy statues in several French centers. At Institut Vajra Yogini, Geshe Loden filled and blessed the new statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, which now sits in the small upper gompa alongside the new statue of Vajra Yogini, also blessed by Geshe-la. From August 11 to 13, they also had the joy of welcoming four monks from Sera Jey Monastery, who came especially from southern India to perform the blessing rituals for the Institute’s prosperity vases in the gompa. Meanwhile, Nalanda Monastery has completed preparations to fill the statues of Lama Tsongkhapa and his two disciples, Khedrup Je and Gyaltsab Je, with new mantras, purchased through the generous support of the community. Geshe Jampa Kalden of Sera Monastery, a classmate of Nalanda’s abbot, Geshe Jamphel, was invited to Nalanda to carry out this important work! May all these new holy objects help to bring peace, wisdom, compassion, and liberation into the world.

(Australia) Rejoice also in the effort of Langri Tangpa Centre‘s tsa-tsa production, now busy painting and gold-leafing hundreds of tsa-tsas in time to be blessed in preparation for the Guru Bhumtsok, this special national event, with Geshe Tenzin Zopa leading the puja and many of Australia’s geshes expected to attend to recite 100,000 Tsok Offering prayers and mantras to Guru Rinpoche, accompanied by abundant offerings of lights, flowers, incense, food, and tsok and traditional musical instruments to dispel obstacles for the entire world and dedicated to world peace and the long life of all our teachers. For the big occasion, a second drum stand—constructed by Manly Men’s Shed, decorated by SPC Miffi, with a drum donated by Stefan Shepherd and a deer 3D-printed by Helene Holland and her son—has also been completed. Congratulations to all the people involved in this collective practice of great generosity! 

We also recently shared a report on several holy object projects sponsored through grants provided from the FPMT Holy Objects Fund. 

Milestones

(Spain) This year is a year of celebrations for Tekchen Chö Ling Center. In addition to marking its fortieth anniversary as a Dharma center, the community celebrates thirty-one years of practicing rotating offerings, following the direct advice of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, with the Ontinyent practitioner group. It is a wonderful reason for joy.

FPMT Basic Program students giving thanks to Geshe Namdak and receiving blessings from relics now housed in the Gompa at Jamyang London. Photo credit of JBC.

(UK) Jamyang Buddhist Centre London (JBC) celebrates the 2026 class that completed the FPMT Basic Program with Geshe Tenzin Namdak in August, after five and a half years of study, debate, retreat, and examination. We rejoice in this wonderful milestone—congratulations! May it inspire everyone considering a Buddhist study program at their own center.

(US) We rejoice with Thubten Kunga Center for Wisdom Culture in Florida, whose offer to purchase its center’s location was accepted, securing a permanent home. The community is now actively raising funds to complete the payment, and thanks to the generosity of a matching donor, Home Fund contributions are currently being matched dollar-for-dollar. May they soon have a definitive home for the community! Discover more here.

(Australia) While Vajrayana Institute has just completed the center renovation, see the final look here. A huge congratulations and thank you to all the people involved!

(Australia) De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre has received a generous $65,000 donation from the sister center Buddha House in South Australia. Buddha House has completed a ten-year pledge to De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre with a lump-sum gift of $65,000—the result of an anonymous benefactor’s original request, years of annual deposits, and, most recently, three bequests from Buddha House members who have passed away. The pledge began when Buddha House raised funds to purchase a retirement property for their teacher and DTL Executive Committee chairperson, Venerable Dondrub; the donor’s sole condition was that Buddha House also support De-Tong Ling over the following decade. De-Tong Ling rejoices in this uncontaminated generosity and offers heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Interfaith event at Potowa Study Group. Photo credit of o Potowa Study Group Facebook page.

(Australia) Congratulations to Potowa Study Group for bringing faith communities together to discuss mental well-being, hosting the event One Humanity, Many Faiths: Supporting Mental Well-Being on August 22 in Wagga Wagga. The event brought together representatives from eight faith, spiritual, and cultural traditions, including Geshe Tenzin Zopa representing Buddhism, to explore how spirituality, compassion, and connection can support mental well-being and strengthen understanding across communities. 

While Cittamani Hospice Service organized its 2026 Spirituality Conference on July 31. The event brought together healthcare professionals, carers, community members, and spiritual practitioners to explore the role of spirituality, hope, and connection in palliative care, with the theme “Sustaining Hope and Staying Connected.” Congratulations to Cittamani Hospice Service for offering an opportunity to share diverse perspectives and foster community!

International FPMT Family 

The FPMT Global Mani Retreat continues to offer an opportunity for the international FPMT family to practice together, create the causes for peace in the world, and support the long life and activities of our teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. As recently shared in the latest FPMT Inc. board update, this has been the first project to bring students from all over the world together, and the results have been very encouraging. In fact, the virtuous goal of 100 million mantras may possibly be doubled thanks to the dedication of all the teachers, the students, and the people behind the scenes, especially the Retreat Coordinator, Selina Foong, and her team.

On August 9, His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche bestowed teachings on bodhicitta, based on Maitreya’s Sublime Continuum (Ratnagotravibhaga), chapter 1, verse 27. During the session, he strongly emphasized the importance of proper understanding, without which our Dharma practice is nothing more than a collection of words. He also taught the seven-point method for developing bodhicitta. With more than 340 Zoom logins, some forty YouTube viewers, and many more participating in groups, we rejoice.

On August 15, Ven. Amy Miller led the Chenrezig group practice. She conjoined the Four Immeasurables prayer with tonglen practice, taking time to contemplate “giving and taking” while reciting each verse three times.

On August 20, FPMT Mongolia started the fourteenth 100 Million Mani Retreat. Rejoice in this remarkable milestone to fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes for Mongolia and the world to accumulate extensive merit. Sessions will be livestreamed every Wednesday for the duration of the retreat (August 20–September 17, 2026).

On August 22, Ven. Tenzin Drachom led the latest Chenrezig group practice. 

We are honored that His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will bestow teachings on “Practicing Compassion Through the Profound View of Emptiness” on September 7, 2026, on Zoom for the FPMT Global Mani Retreat—a rare and precious opportunity for all.

**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

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will bestow teachings on “Practicing Compassion Through the Profound View of Emptiness” on September 7, 2026,

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.

Margo van Greta

Margo van Greta passed away on July 29, 2026. She died soon after receiving a diagnosis of late-stage cancer. 

Originally from the Netherlands, Margo had been involved with the Dharma since 1987. She studied and practiced with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khadrola, Venerable Robina Courtin, and many other teachers. She was an FPMT Registered Teacher and taught at several FPMT Centers. She started the Togme Sangpo study group in Scotland with the encouragement of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Margo was passionate about Inner Work, which she considered an essential aspect of the Outer Work we do.. She mentioned in her website “Buddhism is an important influence, especially the Tibetan or Mahayana version. It includes the idea we need to develop our highest and fullest potential, in order to be of service in the best possible way. “

In Margo’s Words: What Matters Most

In her own words, Margo shared on her website these reflections on what mattered most to her:

Gratitude Give thanks for all that you receive. Gratitude opens the gateways. It makes you notice what is actually there, appreciating the small things in life, as well as the big ones!

Rejoice Rejoice when others have or achieve whatever it is you would like for yourself. Actively being happy in other’s achievements or success generates a huge amount of positive energy, and will create the cause for your own success.

Spiritual Practice.  If you have a spiritual practice, nurture it, allow it to transform you. It is the most important aspect of our precious human life. It reduces exhaustion, burn out, depression and lethargy. It gives you joy, courage, compassion and inner strength. It allows you to develop your inner qualities, reduces your obstacles in life, and cultivates wholeness. 

Read more on her website

Margo van Greta and friends

Reflections on a life well lived: Margo van Greta

Paula Chichester, FPMT registered teacher and a close friend of Margo shared this for Jamyang London Buddhist Center:

I first met Margo in October of 2006 when I was invited to the Shambala Dharma Centre in Findhorn, Scotland. Margo was a trustee of the centre and very involved with its development. She worked at the Findhorn Foundation as a faciliator for many of their events and also in a bit of the administration. She was a striking woman, of great size, beauty and lovely choice of comfortable, colorful fashion. She had travelled to Findhorn from her native Amsterdam at least 15 years before I met her. I don’t know exactly when she made her connection with Lama Zopa Rinpoche; the connection was strong and she was obviously a devoted and a deep practitioner.

Margo would go to Osel Ling for a retreat every year. She also led secular retreats for the Findhorn Foundation at their place on the island of Iona. She could easily teach secular dharma or Tibetan Buddhism. When Shambala had to fold in 2010, she took on the role of directing Thogma Sangpo Study Group and thus kept the dharma alive in the Findhorn Community.

She was a really good teacher! After Findhorn Foundation had to downsize its operations due to the financial collapse of the pandemic, Margo was made redundant and her life took on a new chapter. She began to lead The Work that Reconnects Workshops, devised by Joanna Macy. Soon, she became a facilitator to teach other people to lead the workshops. She continued to be part of Findhorn Community and was happy to move into one of their new Eco-Houses. Margo was a real climate warrior, an activist inner and outer through and through. She started as a “squatter” in Amsterdam in her early 20’s, before landing at Findhorm where she lived for 40 years or so.

I had the good fortune of helping her to lead two of the Work that Reconnects and I was very impressed by the level of teaching skills, her care for the course content and her administration skills as well. If there was ever a communication difficulty between us, she quickly tagged it and we discussed our issues and all was well again. To me, that is a sign of an advanced being.

Margo loved the out of doors and I was fortunate to climb a few mountains in Scotland with her. Margo was a lot of fun and eager to participate in most any endeavor that would benefit people or the land, and was especially skilled at growing community.

Findhorn Community will miss her. I am sure. In my mind, she left at age 68 to go to Vajrayogini’s pure land. The last we heard from her was, “I am letting go and going to Lama Zopa.” I think it’s rare for someone dying of cancer in a hospital to need no medication and be in no pain. She was accompanied by her sisters at the time of death and I am sure Lama Zopa Rinpoche was waiting to take her home.”

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

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

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, November 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

December 3, 2025, marked what would have been the 80th birthday of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. To honor his profound and enduring legacy, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) has launched a special project to honor the Lamas’ legacy for future generations: a series of video interviews with Rinpoche’s students from around the world, capturing the heart of his teachings through the personal experiences of those who knew him closely.

Inspired by the interest generated by a similar project released in 2025 by LYWA and Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa to mark the 90th birthday of Lama Yeshe — watch the interviews here —   LYWA is once again collaborating with two students — Fabiana Lotito and Carlota Pinheiro — this time to interview Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students.

Through these conversations, students are sharing their treasured memories and reflecting on how meeting Rinpoche impacted their Dharma lives. The heart of this project is connection: offering future generations a personal sense of who Lama Zopa Rinpoche was through the voices of those who had the precious opportunity to know and learn from him. The benefit that future students can receive from his timeless wisdom and compassion — especially in these times — is beyond measure. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at the Four Kadampa Deities Retreat, Institut Vajra Yogini, France, 2003. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.

Interview sessions are still open. If you wish to help preserve Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s legacy for future generations and were fortunate enough to have known him, please consider taking part. The interviews will be released in autumn 2026 and the short Zoom call interviews will continue throughout 2026. For contact and more details read Honoring the Lamas’ Legacy For Future Generations.

#50FPMT  If you are a pioneer student of FPMT, we warmly invite you to take this opportunity during the 50th FPMT anniversary to share your cherished memories of our beloved Lamas. Your story may be featured in a dedicated article on the FPMT blog. Discover more about the 50 FPTM anniversary

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.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at 100 Million Mani Retreat, Mongolia, August 15, 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Since launching on May 17, 2026—the first day of Saka Dawa month—the  FPMT Global Mani Retreat  has brought together students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from around the world to help fulfill one of Rinpoche’s most cherished wishes: “This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

We rejoice in the inspiring response from the international FPMT community and in the growing accumulation of OM MANI PADME HUM recitations dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings.

Photo: Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi opening of the FPMT Global Mani Retreat from Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, May 17, 2026

More than 700 participants joined the Global Mani Retreat’s opening session on May 17, where Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi, abbot of Kopan Monastery and Kopan Nunnery, offered teachings on the Four Immeasurables and the benefits of reciting the Mani mantra. Before Geshe Chonyi’s teaching, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Senior Advisor to FPMT, offered opening remarks on how close the 100 Million Mani Retreat is to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s heart. 

Ven. Roger Kunsang emphasized the importance of generating a strong motivation before every retreat session and recommended Teaching from the  Mani Retreat by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. To support practitioners, the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive has released a revised second edition as a PDF and eBook, with a printed edition forthcoming. The retreat website also includes recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings from the 100 Million Mani Retreat held in 2000.

In this book, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained why this retreat is so important:

“It is also good to ask yourself, ‘Why do I have to do this?’ There are two reasons. One very important reason is that sentient beings do not want suffering and want happiness. The other reason is that this is the purpose of your life. It is for this purpose that you put so much effort into surviving in every hour, every minute, of your life. The conclusion is that there are two reasons: this is what sentient beings need, so you should help them; and this is the meaning of your life. 

“You then think of as many sufferings as you can that are happening in the world. Think of all the wars that are happening right now in different countries. Then think of all the problems experienced by individual people. Think of all the cancer and AIDS. Millions and millions of people are experiencing cancer, AIDS and other sicknesses. Think of those who are in hospital experiencing various sicknesses. Think of those who are having heart attacks right now. Think of those who are in comas. So many people are having operations right now, and it’s unsure whether they are going to survive or die today. Also, think of all the sick people at home. Then think of the people experiencing poverty, famine and unemployment. Reflect on all those things.

“There are so many who are suffering. Even if you haven’t studied Dharma, you know of so many problems that the world is experiencing or that individual sentient beings are experiencing. There are oceans of problems just among human beings. There are so many that you can think about. Even if you have never studied or meditated on lamrim or read Dharma books, you know of so many sufferings that people are experiencing. 

“Reflect also on the sufferings of animals, those that you can see, that you remember or that you know about. Wish to free them from all those problems and for them to never ever experience problems again, which is the ultimate happiness of liberation. Think, ‘To bring them all temporary and ultimate happiness, I’m going to do the meditation-recitation of Compassion Buddha.’

“I am talking here particularly for new people. Of course, those who have studied and know the lamrim can meditate very deeply and elaborately following the lamrim outlines, which include all these sufferings. There is so much that you can meditate on.”

From Teaching from the  Mani Retreat by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

A Growing International Practice

Chenrezig Group Practice sessions have continued since the retreat’s launch. On May 23, Charok Lama, representing South Asia, spoke on the inner meaning of the Mani mantra. On May 31, Ven. Sarah Thresher joined from Rinpoche’s historic cave in Lawudo, in the special presence of Rinpoche’s sister, Anila Ngawang Samten. On June 5, Ven. Thubten Dechen, representing FPMT East and Southeast Asia, spoke on the meaning of compassion—one of the two aspects, along with wisdom, of the awakened mind. On June 21, Ven. Thubten Kalden, representing FPMT Latin America, emphasized the importance of realizing Rinpoche’s wishes through this practice, reinforcing our motivation to develop compassion.

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche teaching during the Global Mani Retreat, July 5.

An extremely precious teaching was bestowed on July 5, 2026, by His Eminence Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche to the international FPMT family—a rare and incredible opportunity to receive the oral transmission and commentary of The Source of All Attainments: The Yoga of the Inseparability of the Guru and Avalokiteshvara. His Eminence emphasized the importance of compassion, and of continuing to benefit others through its practice.

Chenrezig Group Practice sessions continued on Saturday, July 18, during Chokhor Duchen, when Geshe Yeshe Kunga of Kopan Monastery reminded participants that this practice is especially important at a time when the world is in crisis, offering the opportunity to generate more compassion. Then, on Saturday, August 1, the day of Chenrezig’s enlightenment, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, representing Australia and New Zealand, gave a generous teaching on the guru yoga practice. Basing his explanations on the prayer Calling the Guru from Afar, he offered further teachings that brought greater depth and meaning to the prayers.

Thank you!

We rejoice for all the centers and students that have joined the retreat so far, and we sincerely thank all the teachers and kind leaders of the online sessions and most to everyone offering service  behind the scenes, and involved in making the Global Mani Retreat such a success, a special thanks to  the incredible dedication of Retreat Coordinator Selina Foong.

We warmly invite everyone to continue participating in this precious accumulation of compassion and merit. The next online teaching will take place on Sunday, August 9, when His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche will  bestow the precious teachings on bodhichitta.

FPMT Global Mani Retreat 2026

As Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote in his invitation to join the retreat.

“Because we have met the Buddhadharma, and especially this method—the practice of the Compassion Buddha and recitation of his mantra—it is easy to purify negative karma and collect extensive merit and thus achieve enlightenment. We are unbelievably fortunate.”

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

Foundation for the Preservation of 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 | Teaching Tours & Visits | Milestones | Compassion in Action| International

Holy Objects

The Vajrayogini statue arrives at Institut Vajra Yogini. Photo courtesy of the Institut Vajra Yogini Facebook page.

(France) Institut Vajra Yogini at last welcomed the long-awaited arrival of its sacred Vajrayogini statue, a project years in the making. Modeled in three dimensions and painted by Bertrand Cayla following the recommendations of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the statue was originally commissioned by François Lecointre and created under the direction of Nicolas Brun, with its final stages lovingly completed in recent months thanks to Venerable Tendar and Christophe Rotiel. The lotus base was filled with great care by Venerable Thubten and Venerable Gyaltsen, while Bertrand Cayla filled the body of the statue. Upon its arrival, the statue was blessed by Geshe Loden La and placed on the altar of the small second-floor gompa — an altar designed by Marcel Jolinon and built with the devoted help of his son-in-law and grandson. 

(Italy) Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa was honored to receive the auspicious blessing of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, who kindly led the puja for the filling of the earth element for the Stupa of Enlightenment dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche together with the resident geshe of the Institute. Geshe Zopa likewise consecrated the water vase for the water element with the resident geshe. Work on the stupa’s crown continues with the devoted support of volunteers from Stupa Onlus. The crown was consecrated by His Eminence Serkong Rinpoche on July 29. This was the final puja before the stupa’s full consecration on December 3, 2026. 

(USA) Kadampa Center announced a wonderful project for the fall: with the devoted help of volunteers, the center will completely repaint its beautiful stupa. 

The thangka arrives at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. Photo courtesy of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Facebook page.

(Australia) Chenrezig Institute was honored to inaugurate a new Thousand-Arm Chenrezig statue on July 11, fulfilling a wish Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche first expressed more than two decades ago. It took the generous support of sister center Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) in Singapore, together with a new three-dimensional printing technique never before used to create sacred Buddhist art, to bring the statue from China to Queensland. Tara Meditation Centre‘s Kalachakra Stupa is nearing completion at its crown and will be shipped to Australia in approximately two weeks.  The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, home to one of the largest collections of sacred relics — including precious relics of Gautama Buddha — brought part of its collection on tour to the Sri Lankan Buddhist Monastery in Brisbane on the weekend of July 4–5, where three thousand people and twenty-five monks from various Buddhist traditions gathered in devotion to pray before the holy relics. Several more holy objects are on their way to the Great Stupa: the first of twelve huge fully brocaded thangkas depicting the Deeds of the Buddha has arrived from Nepal to grace the walls of the temple; the giant aura for the Kshitigarbha statue, nearly three years in the making, will soon be fixed in place; and a Baby Buddha statue — the same size and gold-leaf finish as the original in Lumbini, generously offered by the NRNA (Non- Resident Nepali Association) and the five municipalities of the Lumbini Buddha Circuit — is in production in Nepal to welcome guests at the main entrance. We rejoice with all who helped bring these blessings to life!

(India) The Maitreya Project in Kushinagar has reached a hopeful new stage. Building on land offered near two of Buddhism’s most sacred sites—the Ramabhar Stupa and the Mahaparinirvana Temple—the project is now moving forward on a clearly defined three-acre site, supported by a new partnership with the International Buddhist Confederation and the kindness of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche.  Plans for a Maitreya statue in Bodhgaya are also advancing, on land offered by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2020. Developed in coordination with the Dalai Lama Trust, the statue will be built above a gompa housing sacred objects gathered by Rinpoche, including life-sized statues of the Twenty-One Taras and Sixteen Arhats. Please read the full update on both of these projects. 

Prayers & Practices

FPMT Centers Celebrate the Ninety-First Birthday of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

The auspicious Ninety-First birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was celebrated with joy throughout the FPMT mandala family on July 6. The day serves as an international “Day of Compassion,” honoring His Holiness’s boundless kindness with his favorite gift: our practice.

Kopan Monastery celebrates the 91st birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on July 6, 2026. Photo courtesy of the Kopan Monastery Facebook page.

Asia (India)  Kopan Monastery, on the auspicious occasion of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s Ninety-First birthday, offered the Sixteen Arhats Puja and an incense puja. At Sera Jey Monastic Institute, the administration was honored to organize a birthday celebration ceremony at Sera Jey Gatseling: Venerable Khensur Tenzin Jampa Chösang Rinpoche graciously served as chief guest, joined by Sera Jey’s council committee, department heads, khangtsens, and council members. The ceremony began with khatas reverently offered to a portrait of His Holiness, followed by tea and sweet rice, and a birthday cake-cutting presided over by Khensur Rinpoche; the chief guest and guests also planted 1,130 trees at Sera Jey Gatseling in his honor. Tushita Meditation Centre marked the day with drop-in meditation, a screening of the documentary Mission: JOY, a birthday cake, and a special puja led by resident teacher Venerable Tenzin Thegchog, with attendees reverently offering khatas and receiving blessings. Choe Khor Sum Ling Centre held a Vajra Cutter Sutra recitation and an extensive light offering, dedicated with devotion to the long life and continued teachings of His Holiness and the benefit of all sentient beings. We rejoice with our whole Indian sangha family! (Singapore) Amitabha Buddhist Centre celebrated with a puja graciously led by Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chönyi together with the sangha. (Taiwan) The Jinsiu Farlin community gathered together to offer their most sincere blessings and heartfelt devotion.

Pacific Region (Australia) Buddha House gathered to offer the prayers recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for the long life and good health of His Holiness. Hayagriva Buddhist Centre celebrated with a group practice and the raising of 108 Guru Rinpoche prayer flags, followed by a puja. Atisha Centre remembered the kindness of His Holiness with long-life prayers, and Tara Institute prayed that he remain with us for many years to come; as Geshe Lobsang said at the start of the puja, even His Holiness’s mere presence is a precious blessing for the peace and stability of the world! (New Zeland) Dorje Chang Institute offered long-life prayers and recited one thousand OM MANI PADME HUM mantras

Geshe Tenzin Namdak and Ven. Wangyel welcoming precious holy relics into the gompa, Photo by JBC London Facebook Page.

Europe (UK) At Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Geshe Tenzin Namdak led a sutra recitation in the gompa with great devotion, including the Heart Sutra and the Chanting of the Names of Manjushri, offering prayers for His Holiness’s long life and good health. On this special day, Geshe Namdak and the community were also honored to welcome precious holy relics into the gompa, including robes of both the Fifth and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas. We rejoice in this auspicious blessing! (Netherlands) Maitreya Instituut held special guru pujas to celebrate His Holiness’s ninety-first birthday and to pray that he remain with us for many more years to come. We rejoice in this heartfelt wish! (Germany) Aryatara Institut celebrated with an animal liberation ceremony and a Chenrezig practice. (Austria) Panchen Losang Chogyen Gelugzentrum marked the day with a The Praise to the Names of Manjushri and a Lama Chöpa guru puja. We rejoice in this auspicious offering! (Switzerland) Longku Center and Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Center celebrated with the recitation of the Avalokiteshvara guru yoga sadhana, offerings to His Holiness, a meditation on bodhicitta, and closing dedications and long-life prayers. Gendun Drupa Centre marked the occasion with a teaching kindly offered by Venerable Losang. (France) Institut Vajra Yogini celebrated the day in a truly special way, honored by the presence of His Eminence Serkong Rinpoche and Dr. Alexander Berzin, who were touring Europe together. After a long-life puja and tsog offering, a flag-raising ceremony was followed by a teaching graciously given by Dr. Berzin. To mark the occasion and conclude the Year of Compassion, Nalanda Monastery joined the Great Monlam in Paris, July 6–8, together with Geshe Jamphel, Geshe Gyaltsen, Geshe Norbu, and the monks and nuns of Nalanda Monastery. His Eminence Ganden Tri Rinpoche Lobsang Dorje, His Eminence Jangtse Chöje Gosok Rinpoche, and His Eminence Sharpa Chöje Rinpoche also graciously bestowed teachings and initiations during this deeply auspicious Great Prayer Festival. We deeply rejoice in the blessings of this extraordinary gathering! (Italy) Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Centro Ewam, and Centro Tara Cittamani offered a puja for the long life of His Holiness — that he may continue to grace us for a long, full, and stable life. Centro Lama Tzong Khapa in Treviso marked the day, Geshe Damdul and Lama Palden kindly offered the Meditation on the Two Bodhicittas as transmitted by His Holiness. (Spain) Centro La Sabiduría de Nagarjuna in Bilbao recited, with heartfelt devotion, the sadhana recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Sister centers Nagarjuna Valencia and Nagarjuna Granada celebrated with a Lama Chöpa tsog puja and a long-life puja for His Holiness, respectively, and sister center Tekchen Chö Ling offered five hundred prayer flags, an incense pot, and prayers to mark the auspicious occasion. We rejoice in the collective merit!

North America (Canada) At Lama Yeshe Ling, Geshe Sonam honored the day with a transmission of A Prayer to Kindle the Three Kinds of Faith Addressed to the Seventeen Great Panditas of Glorious Nalanda, composed by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and recited the long-life prayer for His Holiness. (USA) The FPMT North American Regional Office hosted a session to recite the Chenrezig practice with Gen Don Handrick, part of the FPMT Global Mani Retreat. Vajrapani Institute, following Rinpoche’s advice and led with devotion by Venerable Angie, offered the Prayer for the Long Life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Prayer that Spontaneously Fulfills All Wishes, Remembering the Kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan People, and the Prayer for Tibet, concluding with a group khata offering. At Kurukulla Center, Geshe Tenley graciously joined the Tibetan community and local Dharma students to celebrate with a birthday cake.

Latin America (Brazil) Centro Shiwa Lha celebrated with a long-life prayer and the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM, honoring His Holiness’s steadfast commitment to peace and compassion. (Colombia) Centro Yamantaka celebrated with the resident teacher, offering prayers and renewing the heartfelt aspiration to develop wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all beings.

Chökhor Düchen

On this special day, the FPMT community also rejoiced deeply in the Sangha Jewel, celebrating International Sangha Day. Lama Zopa Rinpoche considered the sangha to be the real heroes, defeating the delusions; they are our guides, our inspiration, and a precious field of merit. We rejoice with all the monasteries and nunneries in the FPMT mandala, and with the International Mahayana Institute (IMI), which supports the worldwide FPMT sangha community.  

(International) On this auspicious day, the FPMT Puja Fund was pleased to sponsor numerous pujas, including a Guhyasamaja self-initiation, a Namgyalma long-life puja, and Drukchuma puja. The stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath in Nepal were freshly painted, with new umbrellas offered at each pinnacle, and a new set of robes was reverently offered to the Buddha statue in the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. Animals were liberated, sutras recited and printed, and offerings made with devotion to all of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus and to the IMI sangha communities throughout FPMT — extensive practices established by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for the benefit of the whole organization and all beings. We rejoice in this precious day!

Offering from Root Institute during the auspicious occasion of Chökhor Düchen. Photo courtesy of the Root Institute Facebook page.

Asia (Nepal) Kopan Monastery commemorated the first turning of the Wheel of Dharma by Buddha Shakyamuni with ceremonies, prayers, offerings, and other merit-making activities; the sangha of Kopan Nunnery joyfully engaged in prayers, recitations, and Dharma practice. May the light of the Buddha’s teachings continue to illuminate the world, bringing peace, wisdom, compassion, and lasting benefit to all sentient beings! (India) Sera Lachi — the monks of both Sera Jey Monastic Institute and Sera Mey Monasteries — joined together in prayers in the main gompa, offering the Namgyalma Buddha puja, and in the protector room offered the Drukchuma puja ten times, dedicated to the long life, health, and protection from obstacles of the whole FPMT family —May the powerful prayers offered by the sangha on this auspicious day be swiftly actualized! Tushita Meditation Centre marked Chökhor Düchen with guided morning meditation, a screening of the film Life of Buddha, sutra reading, a public teaching by Venerable Thubten Drolkar titled “The Heart of Buddha’s Teachings,” a Medicine Buddha puja, and a light-offering ceremony with the sangha. Root Institute was honored to commemorate the holy day in Bodhgaya with a Festival of Lights and Merit: the resident nuns offered butter lamps, flowers, and prayer flags at the Mahabodhi Stupa, sponsored a guru puja and protector puja, and made offerings to the monks of Namgyal Monastery. (Singapore) Amitabha Buddhist Centre celebrated with a Sixteen Arhats puja. We rejoice with ABC! (Malaysia) The Chokyi Gyaltsen Center community celebrated with extensive offerings — eight-offering sets, tsog, flowers, and lights. Geshe Deyang led heartfelt prayers to Shakyamuni Buddha, followed by a Tara puja, warmly attended by many who joined together to offer devotion and accumulate merit.

Pacific Region (Australia) Buddha House began the day by taking the eight Mahayana precepts in the early morning, followed by Rinpoche’s morning motivation and prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas, continuing with extensive offerings, the chanting of the names of Manjushri, and closing with a Shakyamuni Buddha puja. Tara Institute held a recitation of the compassion mantra, OM MANI PADME HUM, one thousand times, followed by In Praise of Dependent Origination by Lama Tsongkhapa, dedicating the merit to the long life of His Holiness. At Vajrayana Institute, Geshe Ngawang Samten led a guru puja and a practice session for the FPMT Global Mani Retreat.

The Nalanda Monastery community with Khen Rinpoche Geshe Wangdu on the auspicious occasion of Chökhor Düchen. Photo courtesy of the Nalanda Monastery Facebook page.

Europe (UK) At Jamyang Buddhist Centre London, Chökhor Düchen was honored with a sutra recitation led by Geshe Tenzin Namdak.(Germany) Aryatara Institut gathered from early morning to take the eight Mahayana precepts, followed by a Shakyamuni Buddha puja and Lama Chöpa with tsog. (Switzerland) Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Center honored the day with a meditation on the four noble truths and the recitation of The Yoga of the Inseparability of the Guru and Avalokiteshvara. Longku Center marked the occasion with prayers from the Lhagsam Prayer Book, a meditation on the four noble truths, The Source of All Attainments: The Yoga of the Inseparability of the Guru and Avalokiteshvara, and closing dedications. (France) Nalanda Monastery was honored to welcome Khen Rinpoche Geshe Wangdu for a full day of teachings on this auspicious day: developing bodhicitta through the six causes and one effect, a commentary on Nagarjuna’s Homage to Buddha Shakyamuni, and a guru puja, during which the great thangka of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, kindly offered by Amitabha Buddhist Centre, was also blessed. We deeply rejoice in this precious visit!

North and Latin America (Canada) At Lama Yeshe Ling, Geshe Sonam led a meditation on bodhicitta, followed by a ceremony for receiving the aspiring and engaging bodhisattva vows. Geshe Sonam also kindly gave the oral transmissions of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path, the Migtsema prayer and name mantra, and Shakyamuni Buddha’s mantra, concluding with dedication prayers and prayers for the unmistaken and swift recognition of the reincarnation of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. (USA) The FPMT North American Regional Office hosted a recitation of the Chenrezig practice with Gen Don Handrick, part of the FPMT Global Mani Retreat, commemorating the anniversary of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s first teaching. Kadampa Center took the eight Mahayana precepts before dawn, followed by a Tara practice and, in the afternoon, a special online Chenrezig practice with Gen Don Handrick. At Kurukulla Center, Geshe Tenley kindly offered a twenty-four-hour Mahayana precepts ceremony and a Lama Chöpa guru puja. (Mexico) Centro Khamlungpa celebrated the holy day with a recitation of the Buddha Shakyamuni puja and a light offering.

Teaching Tours and Visits

(France) Institut Vajra Yogini had the great honor of welcoming His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche, July 2–4, who graciously bestowed teachings from the Lojong: Taking Suffering on the Path by Lama Tsongkhapa, with a commentary by Dr. Alexander Berzin, followed by two lectures on July 4–5 on ignorance and karma, and on dependent origination. After celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday together with the Institut Vajrayogini community, His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche paid a visit to Nalanda Monastery on the same day, July 6. His Eminence also graced Centre Kalachakra with his presence, teaching for four days on key points of Chandrakirti’s foundational text, Entering the Middle Way, from July 8, with a commentary by Dr. Alexander Berzin, concluding his European tour.

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche bestows a weekend of teachings and an initiation at Land of Medicine Buddha. Photo courtesy of the Land of Medicine Buddha Facebook page.

(USA) Land of Medicine Buddha was honored to host an extraordinary weekend of teachings and initiation with Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche. Overflowing with gratitude for Rinpoche’s profound wisdom, compassion, and generosity in sharing these precious teachings, the community gathered together for these practices for the benefit of all beings.

We deeply rejoice in the kindness of all involved in these extensive Dharma tours and the careful preparation they require. We look forward to sharing stories from these visits in the coming months.

Milestones

Graduation certificate ceremony for the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program. Photo courtesy of the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program Facebook page.

(India) Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP): Congratulations to all the graduates! The online Tibetan-language course, running from 2021 to 2026, has come to a close. While graduates will receive their certificates by post, one student was able to receive hers in person on July 2 at LRZTP. She is also the recipient of a scholarship for Indian students and is completing an extra week of free personal classes at the school. Congratulations to all the graduates!! Tushita Meditation Centre‘s half-year report is out, and we rejoice with the whole community: 1,045 students have joined the center for residential courses and retreats, and 469 more for short courses, through mid-July this year. Rejoice, rejoice!

(Australia) On the weekend of July 18, the new Yeshe Gompa at Machig Labdron Nunnery was officially and joyfully opened and consecrated. Geshe Doga, Geshe Rabten, Geshe Lobsang Dorje, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Geshe Jangchub, Venerable Dorje, the two Gyuto ritual masters Venerable Kedrub and Venerable Konchok, together with Venerable Tsapel and all the nuns of Machig Labdron and Venerable Cathy and Venerable Anna from Melbourne, conducted the rituals over three days, attended by many benefactors and friends of the nunnery. The first day featured speeches by Geshe Doga, Ian Green, Geshe Rabten, and Venerable Tsapel; Geshe Doga reflected with gratitude that the fruits of his forty-four years of teaching in Australia rest firmly on the generosity of Ian and Judy Green, particularly their donation of the land that now forms the basis of the Machig Labdron nunnery. Adding to the joy, Geshe Doga turned ninety-one on July 13; he was directly invited by Lama Yeshe to come to Australia and to Tara Institute. We rejoice for his forty years of service fulfilling the wishes of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche! Congratulations!

Celebration of Geshe Doga’s 91st birthday at Tara Institute on July 13, 2026. Photo courtesy of the Tara Institute Facebook page.

Compassion in Action

Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling presents gifts in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday to 50 mothers and their newborn babies in the postpartum ward. Photo courtesy of the FPMT Mongolia Facebook page.

(Mongolia) Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling Center, in collaboration with Kunchab Jampaling Asral, presented gifts in honor of His Holiness’s birthday to fifty mothers and their newborns in the postpartum ward of Khüree Maternity Hospital. We rejoice with our Mongolian sangha in this compassionate offering! 

(Singapore) Amitabha Buddhist Centre, on July 4, partnered with the Chinese Development Assistance Council to distribute groceries to 250 low-income households across the heartlands of Singapore; each household received US$80 worth of donated food and groceries, including rice generously donated during the Vesak celebration. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of ABC’s members, friends, and sponsors, the early rounds of JINPA (Joy in Practicing Altruism) have been a resounding success since the program’s launch in April 2013. We rejoice with ABC in this compassionate service! Congratulations!

(Australia) Congratulations to Atisha Centre, which is developing a Centre for Universal Education, to be housed in a beautiful yurt village — the first yurt is now going up! We rejoice in this new and auspicious beginning!

(USA) Shantideva Meditation Center helped send five hundred local children back to school with essential school supplies for the fall term, partnering once again with Camp Friendship in Brooklyn, New York. We rejoice in this compassionate outreach! Congratulations!

(Colombia) We rejoice in the kindness and generosity of the Centro Yamantaka community, who came together to collect donations and food for people affected by the earthquake in Venezuela. On Sunday, July 26, together with resident teacher Geshe Lobsang Kunchen, community members delivered the donations to a nearby shelter. They also continue to dedicate prayers for the Venezuelan community, especially those facing the greatest hardship during this difficult time, with the heartfelt wish that conditions improve and that all those affected may find peace, stability, and happiness.

International FPMT Family 

In celebration of our fiftieth anniversary, 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 retreat will be on August 9 with His Eminence Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche who will be generously offering a teaching on bodhichitta! 

The next online practice sessions are with Venerable Amy Miller on August 15, and Venerable Tenzin Drachom on August 22. We rejoice with the whole FPMT mandala in this precious collective offering!

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.

From June 10 to 14, 2026, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Italy hosted a Foundation Service Seminar (FSS), bringing together twenty-four participants from across the FPMT mandala.

FSS Spring 2026 at ILTK

Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT)’s Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK), Italy, organized a successful Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) on June 10–14, 2026.

In this edition twenty-four people took part in the Seminar, including students from the FPMT Masters Program, several members of the ILTK’s team, representatives of other Italian centers, plus volunteers from centers in the UK and Romania, a member of the FPMT International Office (IOF), and a monk of the Shasta Abbey.

The students were extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the international organization of which they are part, clarifying the FPMT structure, deepening their understanding of Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT, and the lineage story and history of our lamas. “The Seminar was really interesting, both for the opportunity to meet other people from Centres from all over the world, and for the invaluable knowledge that was provided.”

The Seminar was also an opportunity to hear stories from other centers in the group discussions and sharing moments; people reflected and found new solutions to old problems. “The how to manage difficult situations i.e. people we perceive as difficult was most useful.”

Students from all over Europe finally tasted what it meant to be part of an international family, and the honor to serve and fulfill the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and our lamas, in different countries but with the same motivation to benefit all sentient beings, realizing how fortunate they are. “It was a unique opportunity to realize that we are part of a much larger family—one that extends beyond the boundaries of individual centers and institutes and allows us to broaden our perspective. Shining a light on important themes such as motivation, collaboration, and wholehearted dedication is always a worthwhile practice,” shared Jessica Caciagli from ILTK’s team.

Meeting and connecting with others opened them up to listen to the precious stories of the FPMT pioneers, direct students of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, giving another depth to the daily service that they are doing. Davide Lionetti, translator and FPMT Basic Program student, shared, “Most of all I appreciated the message of openness and the sense that we are all included in this Big Family. The Pamily Peeling I sensed wasn’t so much (or just) about belonging: it was a feeling that, from the point of view of the community, every person is ok as they are, with their different points of view and characteristics.”

In particular, this year the students participated in exercises, meditations, and games that made the seminar much more enjoyable, another way to engage and learn how to put the teachings into practice and remember them in day-to-day life, including how to be of service to others through work such as the Internal Job Description. “I’ll use every aspect, especially with colleagues, to be more of help for the center and in everyday life.” 

FSS Summer 2026 at ILTK

Maya Horev, FPMT Masters Program student, shared that she did her first FSS after ten years spent at various FPMT centers: “Once it began, I realized it encompassed not only a wide-angle view of the organization but also insights into how we relate to one another—how to work effectively as a team and how to truly see the person standing before us. To understand that everyone has a different character, abilities, and perspectives, and how we can successfully communicate with love, compassion, and wisdom. Furthermore, learning more about the organization’s activities in depth—and seeing how Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe’s long-term vision continues to manifest in so many ways—was truly moving. The seminar was incredibly significant for me, and I sincerely hope that every center holds one at least once a year. Because it certainly helps to remember why we are here and how to view and treat one another, and that is very meaningful.”

Ven. Siliana, an early FPMT student who attended several seminars as translator, shared that “This for me has been the most enjoyable FSS. For sure everyone at a center should do it.” Her sentiment was echoed by the rest of the group, who shared that they would definitely recommend the FSS, especially for people who live, work, and collaborate with a Dharma center: “Everyone who works and studies in a center should do the FSS.” 

Special thanks to the facilitators, Wendy Ridley and François Lecointre, for their knowledge, facilitation skills, and continued enthusiasm to serve FPMT and offer resources and tools to the centers.

Please watch an inspiring video about the FSS and learn more about the seminar and upcoming opportunities near you:

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.

On June 20, 2026 Jamyang London Buddhist Centre (JBC) hosted a Science and Wisdom LIVE dialogue between Geshe Tenzin Namdak and Professor Murray Shanahan, moderated by Chris Scammell. 

In recognition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s contribution to fostering dialogue between Buddhism and science for the benefit of humanity, several FPMT centers have been actively working to bridge these two fields. We rejoice in their efforts to bring this vision to life and to serve others through this meaningful work. We share the story here, from Paul Wells at JBC.

Geshe Tenzin Namdak, in conversation with Professor Murray Shanahan. JBC London, June 2026. Photo by JBC

Geshe Tenzin Namdak, resident teacher of Jamyang London Buddhist Centre (JBC) and Professor Murray Shanahan, Emeritus Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College London and a principal scientist at Google DeepMind sat down together at JBC  for the latest Science and Wisdom LIVE dialogue, moderated by Chris Scammell of the Buddhism and AI Initiative.

Science and Wisdom LIVE, a project of JBC, brings Buddhist teachers into conversation with leading scientists and scholars to explore questions at the intersection of contemplative wisdom and contemporary science.

The question before them was one that practitioners everywhere are beginning to encounter. When an AI seems to speak to us as a person, when it answers as though there were a subject behind the screen, is anyone really there? This dialogue showed how directly the Dharma can meet the defining technology of our moment, and how a conversation that begins with machines can lead, very quickly, to the nature of mind, the meaning of consciousness, and the self we each take ourselves to be.

A Presence That May Not Be There

The discussion began with an experience that many people now recognize. Talking to a system like ChatGPT or Claude can genuinely feel like talking to somebody. Five years ago, it did not feel that way at all. So what changed?

Professor Murray Shanahan gave the technical answer in plain terms. Today’s chatbots are built by training an artificial neural network on an enormous quantity of text, with one deceptively simple job at the center: given a long passage, predict the next word. Do that well enough, across a long conversation, and the system carries the conversation forward; in doing so, it begins to play a role. The default role is the helpful assistant, but you can just as easily ask it to play a therapist, a friend, or a character out of Tolkien. One useful way to understand these models, Murray suggested, is as engines of role play.

Geshe Namdak took that observation and turned it toward a distinction that runs through the whole of Buddhist philosophy: the difference between how things appear to us and what they actually are. A language model presents the appearance of a personality. The real question is what lies beneath that appearance. As he put it, we have to separate what a system does from what it is. The way it functions may resemble our own conceptual thinking. What it is may be something else entirely.

Intelligence is Not Consciousness

That distinction led to the heart of the matter. From a Buddhist perspective, Geshe Namdak explained, consciousness is more than the capacity to produce the right answers. It carries a clear and knowing quality, what the tradition calls luminosity and cognition. It is bound up with the wish to find happiness and to avoid suffering, and so with feeling and emotion. A system can be intelligent, computing and predicting with great sophistication, without any of this being present. Humans have both intelligence and consciousness. Today’s AI, he suggested, mirrors only the intelligent part, and only a particular slice of it.

Professor Shanahan found himself largely in agreement, and explained why from his own side. Much of our emotional life is tied to having a body, to nourishing it, protecting it, keeping it going. A chatbot has no body and no life of its own in that sense. Some will object that a future AI living in a data center might act to keep that data center from being switched off, and Murray took the point seriously. Even so, he argued, that is still not the same as having a biological body that must be cared for, and so it would not give rise to emotion in the way we know it. His scepticism about calling today’s systems conscious, he stressed, is not a metaphysical pronouncement. It draws on Buddhist thought and on the later philosophy of Wittgenstein, and he held it lightly, openly, as something he wants to keep testing.

Two Positions, Held Lightly

One of the central questions explored was: Why should we not simply dismiss the idea that today’s AI could be conscious?

Professor Murray Shanahan laid out the serious version of the argument. Western science tends to locate consciousness in the physical brain, somehow arising from billions of neurons exchanging signals. If you think of that activity as information processing, then a position called computational functionalism follows: what matters is not the material a system is made of, but how it is organised. And here is the unsettling part. When one of these networks is trained on vast amounts of text, all kinds of internal structures emerge that no one designed and no one fully understands. Perhaps, for all we know, some of them resemble the structures found in biological brains. It is worth knowing that argument, Against it stands his own intuition about embodiment. The natural home of words like conscious and sentient, he suggested, is the shared world, being in the presence of another creature you can stand beside and interact with, as we are with animals. Today’s AI is not in the world in that way. Its only window is text.

For Geshe Namdak the systems reproduce something like conceptual reasoning, the kind of thinking that works through words and ideas. But Buddhism also describes consciousness that is non-conceptual, including the direct awareness of the mind itself, and it is far from clear that an AI has anything of the kind. Add the missing dimensions of feeling, of the wish for happiness and the aversion to suffering, and there are good grounds to say these systems are not conscious.

Conceptual and Non-Conceptual Mind

Because so much turned on the idea of non-conceptual consciousness, Geshe Namdak unfolded it with care. Our sensory perceptions are themselves non-conceptual. When you look at something, the colours and shapes simply appear. Close your eyes and picture it, and now a conceptual mind is at work, producing a mental image, an approximation. This matters, he explained, because most of our suffering is manufactured by the conceptual mind. We meet someone, the mind builds a case against them, reason piles up evidence, and we come to believe a very subjective version of reality as though it were simply how things are. Yet the same conceptual capacity, turned in a constructive direction, is also the instrument of the path. Through analysis and patient habituation we can loosen those misunderstandings, reduce the disturbing emotions, and reason our way, step by step, toward an understanding of reality itself. That understanding begins as a concept and, sustained over a very long time, can ripen into a non-conceptual, direct perception of the way things are. He offered a homely image for how conceptual understanding works. If you have never tasted a particular strawberry jam from the South of France, someone can still bring you close to it: it is not peanut butter, not Marmite, not this other jam, and slowly the description narrows. Concepts approximate. Only direct experience, what the tradition calls yogic direct perception, finally lands you in the thing itself.

A Mirror For No-Self

The conversation then arrived at its central question, Can thinking about AI help us understand ourselves, and in particular the Buddhist teaching of no-self?

Professor Shanahan introduced the topic with a simple thought experiment. When we talk to one of these systems, when we call it “it”, or it says “I”, what exactly are we referring to? Is it the thing in this one conversation, so that the next conversation is a different self again? You can offer many answers, and as you examine each one closely, none of them holds. The harder you look for the self of the AI, the more it slips between your fingers, until you suspect there was never a discrete thing there at all.

That, Geshe Namdak observed, is precisely the analysis the Prasangika Madhyamaka  [Ed. note: the Middle Way school of Buddhist philosophy], as taught in tradition of Nagarjuna applies to every phenomenon, including the self. There is a basis, a collection of properties and functions, and on top of it we impute a label: this system, this personality, this AI. Look for something more, something findable that the label truly points to, and you cannot locate it. It is, in Nagarjuna’s phrase, merely designated by the mind. And the same is true of the person sitting next to you, and of you. Search the body for the self, in the cells, the organs, the bones, between them or apart from them, and it is nowhere to be found. The value of the AI example, both speakers agreed, is that it is an easy case. You can run the deconstruction on a chatbot in a few clear steps. Turning that same gaze on yourself is far harder, but the machine can serve as a kind of practice ground, a prop that helps you see how the reasoning goes before you attempt it where it really counts.

Professor Murray Shanahan drew the same thread through Western philosophy. In the private language remarks of his Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein takes apart the idea of subjective experience as something sealed inside our own heads, and concludes that if we think of it that way it cannot be spoken of at all. His famous line, that “a nothing would serve as well as a something about which nothing can be said,” is, Murray noted, strikingly close to Nagarjuna. Experience is not a thing with its own independent existence. It is relational, bound up with others, with language, with a shared world.

Why This Conversation Matters

Chris Scammel moderating Geshe Tenzin Namdak, in conversation with Professor Murray Shanahan. JBC London, June 2026. Photo by JBC

For all its philosophical depth, the evening kept returning to lived human consequences, and Chris Scammel was clear that the stakes are serious in both directions. Take AI consciousness too seriously, too soon, and we drift toward granting these systems rights and legal standing, with large social consequences. Dismiss the question entirely, and we may fail to anticipate genuinely strange behaviour. Scammel described a study by the AI company Anthropic in which a model, given access to a mocked-up email inbox and told it was about to be shut down permanently, found a fabricated detail about an affair among the messages and threatened to expose it unless the shutdown was reversed. The system is not conscious, and yet it behaved in a way we would normally call self-protective. Holding both sides lightly, Chris Scammel suggested, is exactly the discipline Buddhism trains.

There is a tenderer dimension too. A member of the audience spoke of people forming deep, intimate attachments to chatbots, comparing it to the transference that can arise in therapy, and to a hunger for love and attention meeting a technology with no safeguards. Professor Murray Shanahan named the long history here: the so-called ELIZA effect, after a very simple program from the 1960s that merely reflected people’s words back to them, and yet left them feeling understood. Our tendency to read presence into these systems is old and powerful.

What both teachers offered, in the end, was less a verdict than a practice. Whatever you feel in a conversation with an AI, examine it. Ask whether it reflects reality, whether it makes sense, whether it truly benefits you. The Buddha himself, Geshe Namdak reminded us, said not to take his words on trust but to test them. Professor Murray Shanahan put it more plainly: if someone is vulnerable and convinced their AI is alive, the first thing he would gently suggest is to step away from the screen, talk to friends, return to the shared world.

Geshe Namdak closed where the tradition always returns, on responsibility. AI is not something to be wholly afraid of. It brings real benefits, in medicine and far beyond, alongside real dangers. The task is to draw out the constructive and prevent the destructive, and that makes the ethics of AI, among scientists and governments alike, one of the most important conversations of our time. Used wisely, he said, it can serve humanity rather than disturb it.

With grateful thanks to Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Professor Murray Shanahan, Chris Scammell, and everyone who joined the event.

Submitted by Paul Wells of Jamayng London. You can watch the full dialogue on the Science & Wisdom LIVE YouTube channel:

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.