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Foundation Service Seminar participants, Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, July 2018. Photo by Jackie Verley.
The Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) is the “FPMT immersion retreat.” It provides essential information and nourishment for all serving, or wishing to serve, in the FPMT organization. The FSS Retreat is key to deeply understanding the FPMT organization and the attitude we seek to cultivate as we offer service in the organization. This experiential retreat helps us actualize the advice that service is practice, practice is service, and how to always enjoy and rejoice when offering service.
Drolkar McCallum, FPMT North America regional coordinator, reports about a recent Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) held in Vermont, US.
A successful FPMT FSS Retreat was held July 19-23, 2018, at Milarepa Center in beautiful Barnet, Vermont. The gathering drew twelve participants from eight centers across the United States and Canada for five full days of sessions on skillfully offering service within the FPMT mandala.
Foundation Service Seminar facilitators Sarah Brooks and Drolkar McCallum, Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, July 2018. Photo by Dawn Holtz.
I co-led the FSS Retreat along with fellow FSS registered facilitator Sarah Brooks, Mahamudra Centre’s spiritual program coordinator.
A collection of FPMT directors, spiritual program coordinators, board members, and study group coordinators participated in the seminar, organized around the Four Means of Drawing Sentient Beings.
Foundation Service Seminar at Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, July 2018. Photo by Sarah Brooks.
Graduates went home inspired by Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast vision and compassion and wisdom, and the amazing efforts of the FPMT family over the years to build and strengthen our organization to continue to harmoniously fulfill the wishes of our dear founders, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Foundation Service Seminar at Milarepa Center, Barnet, Vermont, US, July 2018. Photo by Sarah Brooks.
Participants really enjoyed our time together. Here are a few things they had to say:
“I loved the Foundation Service Seminar and the mix of practice, lecture, and exercises with partners. What a joy it was to have skillful teachers and inspiring Dharma friends all working to implement Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vision for the FPMT mandala.”
“I really appreciated the information and inspiration that we can take back to the center to help us.”
“I appreciated the overall summary of FPMT. It helped me see my place in the organization, which would have taken much longer if I had to rely on self-study and daily experience.”
“Seeing the big picture—it’s really really big!”
Sarah and I made a video slideshow about the FSS at Milarepa Center. You can watch it on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/tf33wSBXvLI
For more information on the Foundation Service Seminar and to find out how to register for future events, visit the FPMT Service Seminar webpage:
https://fpmt.org/education/training/
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.
His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, Paris, France, May 2018. Photo by Olivier Adam.
“Harmony among the major faiths has become an essential ingredient of coexistence in our world,” says His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “From this perspective, mutual understanding among these traditions is not merely the business of religious believers—it matters for the welfare of humanity as a whole.”
His Eminence the Seventh Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche recently addressed the importance of interfaith dialogue in a short video presented by Maitripa College. The thirty-two-year-old Rinpoche shared his thoughts on the relevance of interfaith dialogue.
Watch H. E. Ling Rinpoche on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOD32lsEKno
The previous Ling Rinpoche was one of the most renowned Buddhist masters of the twentieth century as well as the senior tutor of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. (For more, see “The Life of My Teacher: A Biography of Kyabje Ling Rinpoche,” from Mandala July-December 2018.)
Next month, H.E. Ling Rinpoche will be participating in an interfaith dialogue, “Spirituality and Humanity: An Interfaith Conversation about Creating Harmonious Society and Healthy Leadership.” Maitripa College organized the event, which takes place September 8 at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, US.
H.E. Ling Rinpoche’s visit to Portland is part of a larger North American tour. His Eminence arrived in California last week to begin the tour, which includes visits to all four San Francisco Bay Area FPMT centers. Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek hosted His Eminence August 17-19. His Eminence is at Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel August 21, Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco August 28-29, and Ocean of Compassion Buddhist Center in Campbell August 31-September 1. His Eminence will also be hosted by Centro Khamlungpa in Mexico September 12-19.
Ven. Elisabeth Drukier, director of Kalachackra Centre in Paris, at an event with H.E. Ling Rinpoche, Paris, France, May 2018. Photo by Olivier Adam.
His Eminence has been greeted by FPMT students around the world, including at Hayagriva Centre in Perth, Australia; Kalachakra Centre in Paris, France; and Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, in Pomaia, Italy.
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Bob Sharples leading a Healing Meditation Group session at Tara Institute, Brighton East, Victoria, Australia, July 2018. Photo by Llysse Velez.
Social or Community Service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. The Social or Community Service pillar sits with the other four Pillars of Service—Dharma, Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom, Interfaith activities, and Revenue-generating activities.
Llysse Velez, center manager of Tara Institute (TI) in Victoria, Australia shares that Bob Sharples, a long-time TI member and volunteer has been recognized by the Australian government for service to the community health as a psychologist.
Bob Sharples was recently awarded a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division. Established in 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, the award recognizes Australians and other persons for their outstanding achievement and service.
Bob Sharples. Photo courtesy of Tara Institute.
Nominations for the Order of Australia award come from the community. Bob was nominated by people who attend TI’s Healing Meditation Group. Bob has been running the group on a voluntary basis for twenty-seven years at the request of Lama Zopa Ripoche. About thirty-five people attend each session.
We are all thrilled as Bob is an extraordinary person who has benefited countless people in the Healing Meditation Group.
One of our Healing Meditation Group participants wrote us to say, “Bob was instrumental in setting me on the right path. I am sure this has allowed me to live with cancer, and stay alive and well now for nineteen years. Bob and Tara Institute are both deserving of all the accolades heaped upon them.”
Sandra Kinread, who assisted Bob with the Healing Meditation Group as a volunteer for fourteen years, said, “Each twelve-week course is structured and framed against the backdrop of Buddhist ethics, and yet is delivered in a most dynamic and non-proselytizing, interactive way.
“People walk through the doors of Tara Institute having received one of life’s curve balls. It can’t be underestimated the value of interaction with others who are struggling with very serious health conditions and prognoses. The immediate understanding, empathy, and bonding that occurs is very powerful and transformative.
“Bob has the ability to hold empathically a group of diverse people whilst tending to their individual needs with good humor, kindness, and compassion; it is really a testament to his generosity of spirit, skill, intelligence, and long experience.
“It takes a special person to be able to support and sustain others through that experience over such lengthy periods. He is never mawkish, sentimental, or condescending; rather he uses his enormous breadth of learning, as well as his immense professional and life experience to benefit others. He has such a love of life and the natural world. This is reflected in his use of poetry in some of the meditations.
“I have always said that Bob is a person on this earth doing what he was meant to do. The Healing Meditation Group spearheaded by Bob is a sanctuary for all the people who attend it.”
For more information about Tara Institute and the Healing Meditation Group at Tara Institute visit their website:
http://www.tarainstitute.org.au
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Birthday celebration, Réunion Island, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Gyaltsab Je Center.
Marc Salamolard, center director of Gyaltsab Je Center on Réunion Island east of Madagascar shares a summary of the celebration held for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s eighty-third birthday.
Réunion Island, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Facebook page Monks Reunion.
On Saturday, July 7, 2018, Gyaltsab Je Center, Tara Association, and Kalé-Kalé hosted a big celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s eighty-third birthday. Tara Association and Kalé-Kalé are local nonprofit organizations that sponsor Tibetan youth and monks in India.
We were very pleased to welcome one hundred guests from the local community as well as five monks from Gyumed Tantric College in Mysore, India.
The first thing guests saw when they arrived at the party was a large banner on the roadside. We also showed our guests photos of His Holiness taken at different points throughout his life.
We performed a puja together and then watched a video about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s life. We presented and then cut a beautiful birthday cake. All of our guests enjoyed the lunch that we offered, as well as the desserts, which were kindly brought by our guests. It was a very peaceful, joyful, and lovely day.
Watch a YouTube video Fatiha Naili made about our celebration:
https://youtu.be/UzhYZNlig4A
To learn more about Gyaltsab Je Center visit their website:
https://www.gyeltsabje.org
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.
Interfaith meditation retreat, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pisa, Italy, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa.
Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pisa, Italy, celebrated His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s eighty-third birthday by hosting a three-day interfaith meditation retreat on universal compassion. Manuela Ferro, communications manager at ILTK, and Jeremy Luedtke share the details.
Held over the weekend of July 6-8, 2018, the retreat Giornate di meditazione sulla Compassione Universale focused on the meaning of universal compassion, its importance for all humanity, and its significance in life, at the time of death, and beyond.
The retreat was led by three religious leaders belonging to different traditions, united by the universal value of compassion—our resident teacher Geshe Tenzin Tenphel, Father Giancarlo Bruni, and Father Guidalberto Bormolini.
Interfaith meditation retreat speakers including Father Giancarlo Bruni in black, seated next to Geshe Tenzin Tenphel, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pisa, Italy, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa.
Many people participated in these experiential days of practice and contemplation. We spent the weekend reflecting on the idea that compassion, love, and kindness are qualities that belong to every person, regardless of faith.
The retreat included an optional twenty-four hour fasting practice. The representatives of the different religious traditions explained how this spiritual practice has been, and is still used in their respective traditions.
Interfaith meditation retreat, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pisa, Italy, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa.
Participants observed silence during the retreat to support their retreat experience. If it was necessary to speak, then participants embraced the idea of the “right word,” focusing on the practice itself, and on developing loving kindness and other qualities.
It was an event of reconciliation, and one of real and active profound compassion. In his book Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together, His Holiness the Dalai Lama says that compassion lies at the heart of all of the world’s religions. Also on this occasion, in reading passages from Christian mysticism, great parallels have been found with Buddhist practices.
Interfaith meditation retreat leaders Geshe Tenzin Tenphel and Father Guidalberto Bormolini in grey, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pisa, Italy, July 2018. Photo courtesy of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa.
Giorgio Raspa, president of the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI), spoke at the opening of the retreat, bringing greetings from the Italian Buddhist community. He underlined how dialogue is no longer just for theologians, but now exists between people from different faiths, through the opportunity to practice together and show respect for each other.
We were inspired to offer this retreat as a gift and tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in honor of his birthday because His Holiness has always had inter-religious dialogue at his heart.
We would like to thank everyone at ILTK who helped make this retreat possible.
For more information about Istituto Lama Tsong Khapa visit their website:
https://www.iltk.org/en/
To watch videos from the retreat visit:
https://www.iltk.org/en/media-eventi/meditazione_sulla_compassione_universale/
View photos of the retreat taken by Manuela Ferro and Ester Nuzzo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140688878@N02/sets/72157669012920707
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Ngawang Sangye with Gonpo Ludup Study Group, Laguna Beach, California, US, May 2018. Photo courtesy of Gonpo Ludup Study Group.
Andrew Schrage, marketing coordinator, Gonpo Ludup Study Group in Laguna Beach, California, US, shared this story about FPMT touring teacher Geshe Ngawang Sangye’s visits to their study group:
Geshe Ngawang Sangye came to Orange County, California, to take an intensive English language speaking course at the University of California, Irvine. The Gonpo Ludup Study Group was therefore fortunate to have him accept our invitation to visit and teach us “Tools for Happiness” every Tuesday evening from May 22 through June 12, 2018.
A student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from Kopan Monastery, Geshe Sangye has been a monk since he was nine years old. He recently received his geshe degree from Sera Je Monastery.
From 2007-2017, Geshe Sangye worked for the Sera Je Food Fund, which was an FPMT charitable project that provided nearly 3,000 meals each day for the Sera Je monks. In addition, he organizes pujas for the FPMT organization, works as FPMT International Office’s new geshe coordinator, and manages a variety of other projects in Tibetan settlements in South India. Geshe Sangye also serves as director of a school for young Sera Je monks with a modern curriculum.
Geshe Ngawang Sange, Ven. Robina Courtin, and Carly and Andrew Schrage. Ven. Robina was in town at the same time to help greet Geshe Sangye, Laguna Beach, CA, US, May 2018. Photo courtesy of Gonpo Ludup Study Group.
Geshe Sangye told us, “I am very happy to be here in the United States and to get the chance to study at the University of California, Irvine, while exploring the American lifestyle and learning about the differences of the education system.”
Gonpo Ludup Study Group Coordinator Kate Macdonald said, “Meeting Geshe Sangye and receiving teachings from him has been incredibly precious. He’s very down to earth and easy to talk to. And you can feel his big heart and devotion to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.”
Geshe Ngawang Sangye teaching at Gonpo Ludup Study Group, Laguna Beach, CA, US, May 2018. Photo courtesy of Gonpo Ludup Study Group.
Amanda Proud, one of the Gonpo Ludup organizers, said, “Geshe Sangye leads with a personal story, so each person can likewise consider a time when they may have had a similar feeling, and how those feels can generate a thought pattern that leads to unhappiness. I appreciate his very humble, personal approach to sharing the Dharma.”
After attending the teachings, Carly Schrage said, “Geshe Sangye really has a way of explaining concepts that makes you examine them with fresh eyes.”
In discussing his teachings on “Tools for Happiness,” Geshe Sangye said, “I am honored to share something that I learned from my monastic life with Gonpo Ludup Study Group. I’m enjoying my time with the group and hoping I can benefit more in coming weeks.”
To learn more about Gonpo Ludup Study Group visit their website:
https://gonpoludup.org
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.
Amitabha Buddhist Centre director Tan Hup Cheng with Master Yap’s advance team, Kushinagar, India, April 2018. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar.
Marcel Bertels, director of FPMT project Maitreya Buddha Kushinagar, shares an update. This news comes from Kushinagar, India, where Shakyamuni Buddha entered into Mahaparinirvana. Marcel served as country director of Maitreya Project Trust until 2003. He recently rejoined the project.
As an important first step to plan the 170-plus acre site of Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar, Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested world-renowned Feng Shui Master Joey Yap to determine the feng shui for the project. Master Yap is the author of 162 books on feng shui and has been involved with many major developments all around the globe. A number of these projects are commissioned by Fortune 500 companies.
Master Yap kindly offered his services and those of his team entirely for free, and even offered to pay for their travel expenses from Malaysia to the site in Kushinagar.
A three-member team from Master Yap’s company arrived in Kushinagar on April 20, 2018, to start with the preliminary investigations. They worked with a team of Indian experts in drone services to do the required aerial videography.
A photo taken by the drone of Maitreya Project Trust’s Executive Director Virginia Roche, Tan Hup Cheng, and the feng shui and videography team on the Kushinagar land accompanied by some of the local children, Kushinagar, India, April 2018. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar.
For the purpose of the feng shui, the site was too large to document from the ground, and it had to be done by drone. To orientate themselves further, on April 21 the team drove around the periphery of the site and physically walked the land.
The project architect will use Master Yap’s feng shui recommendations in the master planning of the site.
We would like to thank Master Yap and his three-member team for their incredible support. Amitabha Buddhist Centre Director Tan Hup Cheng coordinated the visit of the team and traveled along with them to Kushinagar.
For more information about Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar or to make an offering visit the website:
http://mbpkushinagar.org
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the geshes and Sangha attending the retreat at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Founded by Lama Yeshe in 1974 at Kopan Monastery, the International Mahayana Institute (IMI) is FPMT’s community of monks and nuns. IMI Sangha members serve in the FPMT organization as registered teachers, directors, spiritual program coordinators, editors, and more. On July 16, FPMT’s sixteenth annual International Sangha Day, we celebrate and thank our Sangha.
Ven. Losang Tendar, IMI director draws our attention to our aging Sangha members, a topic highlighted by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on April 7, 2018 during the Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa Retreat at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Thubten Gyatso, Ven. Tenzin Tsapel, Ruby Karmay, Ian Green, and Ven. Thubten Tendar at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim.
During the retreat in Bendigo this year, Lama Zopa Rinpoche brought up the topic of our aging Sangha members.
He spoke about many older students, who have dedicated so many years—their lives—to developing and building up the FPMT. Rinpoche said we can see how this has brought benefit to sentient beings.
Nuns inside of the gompa during the retreat at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, April 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
He said in the past we have had meetings about how to help the Sangha when they become old, but we did not come up with a workable solution. He joked, “we had meetings numberless times.” Rinpoche advised that from time to time we should have discussions and meetings to talk about obstacles, difficulties, and solutions.
Ven. Thubten Lhundrup and Ven. Michael Losang Yeshe offering tsog during the retreat at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche said of the Sangha, “When they become old—including myself—we can’t move, can’t function, can’t see, can’t walk, with lots of pain.” Rinpoche joked, “Maybe I have to come back to Bendigo from Nepal for an old folks’ home.”
Rinpoche said the Sangha will age like this soon. He presented the idea that we should organize for the Sangha, and that this needs some discussion. He said the Sangha will need help.
Ven. Tenzin Nangsel and Ven. Tenzin Palyon at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim.
Suggestions for celebrating International Sangha Day include reciting the Sutra for Remembering the Three Jewels; showing respect for and appreciation of monastics; generating a deeper awareness of the Sangha Rare Sublime One; and making a donation to the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund.
To learn more about the International Mahayana Institute visit the website:
http://imisangha.org
Watch recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching during the Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa Retreat at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, March 30-May 12, 2018.
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-bendigo-2018/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa with Combatants for Peace, Jerusalem, Israel, February 2017. Photo courtesy of Shantideva Study Group.
Shuki Preminger, coordinator of the Shantideva Study Group in Israel, introduces us to Women Wage Peace and Combatants for Peace—two groups of Palestinians and Israelis working together to create peace—and shares the details of their meetings with Dagri Rinpoche, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, and Dr. Lobsang Sangay:
Combatants for Peace is a Palestinian-Israeli organization committed to promoting dialogue and a non-violent resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was started by ex-soldiers from both sides who participated in the ongoing violent, bloody armed-conflict.
Twelve years ago, the group started to observe a mutual memorial day for the victims of both sides of the violence called the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony. This alternative memorial day draws attention to the idea that grief is the same on both sides. The pain is the same; the tears of a mother crying for her killed or wounded child are the same.
Over the years, attendance at the Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony has slowly increased. Last April, 10,000 people participated in the ceremony, while 50,000 more watched online.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa with Combatants for Peace, Jerusalem, Israel, February 2017. Photo courtesy of Shantideva Study Group.
Dagri Rinpoche with Women Wage Peace, Jerusalem, Israel, February 2018. Photo courtesy of Shantideva Study Group.
We created a video with highlights from the visits of Geshe Tenzin Zopa and Dagri Rinpoche. You can watch the ten-minute video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/QzdGQrYPUIQ
In June 2018 Lobsang Sangay, President of the Central Tibetan Administration, made his first official trip to Israel. He convened a meeting in East Jerusalem attended by Combatants for Peace, Shantideva Study Group, and the Bereaved Family Circle. It was a very inspiring get-together, where both wisdom and compassion were discussed as the only means to end this conflict.
For more information about Shantideva Study Group visit their website:
http://shantideva.org.il
To watch teachings given by Dagri Rinpoche and Geshe Tenzin Zopa in Israel visit the Shantideva Study Group’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHdMzMLITnUWC_NO50D-tJQ/videos
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Maitreya School children collecting trash from the roadside outside of their school grounds, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, April 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
Anrich Bester, a volunteer at Maitreya School in Bodhgaya, India, shares stories about the students’ involvement with the Bodhgaya Clean Environment Hygiene and Sanitation Program. Maitreya School, a social project of Root Institute for Wisdom Culture (Root Institute), collaborated with Karuna-Shenchen on this project on several occasions.
Maitreya School children collecting trash from the roadside outside of their school grounds, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, April 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
One of Root Institute’s previous volunteers, Eric Foucart, together with some friends, including a nonprofit operating in Bodhgaya, Karuna-Shechen, as well as Root Institute’s grounds manager, Gabriel Forrer, helped us to organize workshops on waste management and recycling, and obtain the required equipment to clean Bodhgaya’s streets effectively and efficiently.
Maitreya School children collecting trash from the roadside outside of their school grounds, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, April 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
Not only did we clean the streets and our surroundings, but we created awareness and educated the local community members on how to dispose of their garbage in an environmentally-friendly way. It was not easy to convince people to change their behavior patterns, but we hope that the seeds we planted within the local community members will grow, in order to create a better, cleaner environment.
Maitreya School children emptying their collected trash into a dumpster, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, April 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
Pema Tsering, principal at Maitreya School explains the effect the waste management and recycling project had on the students, too.
Maitreya School student presenting to the school, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, May 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
On a regular basis, Maitreya School students share their good thoughts and knowledge with their fellow students in the morning assembly. Children Teaching Children is a beautiful program we started in our school, where everyone learns everything from everyone else. This is the stage at which children build their confidence, plan projects, learn from their mistakes, learn to face challenges, expand their creativity, and accumulate knowledge.
Maitreya School students watching a video about Maitreya School’s Community Service Project in the auditorium of their school, Maitreya School, Bodhgaya, India, May 2018. Photo by Pema Tsering.
One morning in April our senior students shared their experiences regarding the cleanliness project. They gave a presentation on the importance of cleanliness in our daily lives, and the students watched a video about the project made by Eric Foucart.
A great “thank you” to Eric for making this special video about our school and our waste management project. We truly appreciate your time and energy.
Watch Maitreya Community Service Project by Eric Foucart and narrated by the children on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_fZVUo700q4
For more information about Maitreya School visit the Root Institute’s website:
https://www.rootinstitute.ngo/social-service/maitreya-school
You can view Maitreya School’s Wish List on the Amazon India website:
https://www.amazon.in/registry/wishlist/182QRM38BA9R5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_T3R3Ab1VD28N0
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Guests watching a fireworks and animated light show at ILLUMIN8, The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by The Great Stupa team.
ILLUMIN8 is an annual event held at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, celebrating peace and harmony inspired by Buddha’s life story. This year ILLUMIN8 also celebrated the return of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace to its home inside of The Great Stupa. The statue was consecrated on May 17 and unveiled to the public on May 18, May 19, and May 20, 2018, during ILLUMIN8. The Great Stupa team shared this update:
Âu Co Dance Group performing Âm Vang Hạnh Phúc at ILLUMIN8, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by The Great Stupa team.
In May we celebrated Vesak, a day commemorating Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death, with our very own ILLUMIN8: Festival of Light and Peace with 10,000 guests. The feedback we’ve received after the event has been overwhelmingly positive with many visitors calling in and reviewing or commenting on our social media channels.
A dragon at ILLUMIN8 organized by the Bendigo Chinese Association, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by The Great Stupa team.
We’re so proud of and thankful to our staff and volunteer teams who helped make this year truly special. Welcoming home the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace also made 2018 a year to remember!
Monks from Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and ILLUMIN8 guests with the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by the Great Stupa team.
We wanted to share with you some of our favorite photos and a video from the event. We hope they give people that couldn’t make it a feeling of being there, and for the people that did attend a reminder of how wonderful a time they had.
Youth from Scott’s Mascots and Costumes Academy at ILLUMIN8, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by the Great Stupa team.
A lovely recap video that was produced by the Victoria, Australia State Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources for publication by Victorian Connection.
Watch the ILLUMIN8 recap video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/qeTNjiWEh7Q
To learn more about the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, and ILLUMIN8 2019 visit the website:
https://www.stupa.org.au
Watch more videos from the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion on the Great Stupa’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHD5AnLFoixyKFYhFU2mrlw/featured
To hear the history of the Jade Buddha listen to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio interview with Ian Green, director of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion:
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/programs/nightlife/this-mortal-coil-ian-green/9830002
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.
Youth participants in the 16 Guidelines English language classes, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Altangerel Tumurtogoo.
FPMT center Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling has begun offering children’s classes on the 16 Guidelines for Life, an initiative of the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW). These classes are taught to the children in the English language so the youth can learn English while also learning how to live a happy life.
Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling’s center director Ianzhina Bartanova shared the inspiration behind this initiative, the first of its kind in Mongolia:
Since the early 2000s it has been one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visions for Mongolia that we commence teaching the English language with a Dharma focus. In May 2017, while Lama Zopa Rinpoche was visiting Mongolia, Rinpoche advised that it would be very good for us to continue offering English language classes, and to utilize the 16 Guidelines for Life for the curriculum.
Our first initiative was to develop the program for children, based on the lesson plans contained in the kit Ready, Set, Happy. Published by FPMT international project FDCW, Ready, Set, Happy is a collection of songs, poems, plays, games, and scientific experiments adults can use to present the 16 Guidelines to children ages seven to eleven.
Youth participating in the 16 Guidelines English language classes, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.
With great help and support from FDCW and Denise Flora who has participated in FDCW’s The a.r.t. of Fulfillment course, we were able to prepare our curriculum.
We chose to initiate the 16 Guidelines English language program with children because by sharing the knowledge and skills gained through the program with their families and friends, the children can bring compassion, wisdom, and universal responsibility to their families. We have the intention to gradually adapt the program for adults and in this way effect positive changes in more Mongolian families.
Also with the English language being a most convenient and popular language in the world, we see that this learning will open many more doors for the participants and their futures as so many Dharma materials and teachings are available in English.
Our sincere aspiration for this project is to support the development and growth of universal children, who will be able to spread the values of love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mindfulness, tolerance, and peace throughout the world.
Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling’s 16 Guidelines teacher Altangerel Tumurtogoo and students, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.
Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling’s 16 Guidelines teacher Altangerel Tumurtogoo shared stories from the children’s classes:
There are ten children, ages ten to fifteen in our 16 Guidelines classes. At the beginning the children were very shy. I had noticed in other previous classes that shyness and humility are the biggest barriers for Mongolian children. Besides shyness, speaking in English was the second problem for the children.
The children steadily began to express their opinions in class. This started to happen after we read some stories, something we do in every class. When the story finished the children had the opportunity to exchange thoughts, explore ways of working together, and express their ideas as a group.
Buckets made by students in class, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Altangerel Tumurtogoo.
When we read the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud, one of our children said, “The bucket represents people’s minds. When we are happy and satisfied, our mind is peaceful. When our mind is peaceful, we can make us as well as others happy like filling a bucket. But when we are sad and dissatisfied, we make us and others unhappy like dipping a bucket.” Of course after reading this story together we all just want to be the bucket filler.
We also drew pictures and made our own buckets, filling them with the words that we want to have, and did a wonderful rainbow according to the stories.
Student artwork made in class, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Altangerel Tumurtogoo.
As a tradition, we play active games at the beginning of each class to motivate ourselves and have fun. At the end of every class we play games to practice our English such as broken phone, word guessing, and puzzles.
Students playing games together and practicing their English, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 2018. Photo by Altangerel Tumurtogoo.
The children shared some stories about the importance of humility, patience, contentment, delight, generosity, and honesty from their lives. We discussed the disadvantages of being proud, greedy, and telling lies, and how we could behave the opposite way. Surprisingly, we needed almost six months before we were able to become open-minded and treat each other as one team.
I find it beautiful that the children now have the power to make good behavior decisions and act with kindness in society. We are trying to increase the number of this kind of people in our society.
For more information about Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling visit their website:
http://www.fpmtmongolia.org/shedrub-ling-center/
To learn more about the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom and the 16 Guidelines for Life visit the FDCW website:
https://www.compassionandwisdom.org
A hard copy of The Sixteen Guidelines for Life is available through the FPMT Foundation Store:
https://shop.fpmt.org/The-16-Guidelines-for-Life_p_816.html
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