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Debate in the courtyard at Sera Je Monastic University, 2009, India. Photo courtesy of Ryan Matsumoto.
In the twenty-minute video below, Sera Je International Mahayana Institute (IMI) monks Vens. Tenzin Gache and Tenzin Legtsok give a demonstration of monastic debate in English, introduced and explained by Ven. Gyalten Lekden.
As the monks and nuns in geshe studies programs in Tibetan monastic institutions normally debate in Tibetan only, no matter what their first language, debate in English is rarely seen, and this video has been made by Claudio Curciotti and the Western monks to show English-speakers how debate works.
Ven. Tenzin Gache (standing) debates with Geshe Thupten Zopa on the grounds of the ancient university of Nalanda, near Bodhgaya, India, January 2017. Photo by Zarina Osmonalieva.
Debate is a crucial part of monastic education. In a Mandala online article published in 2016, geshe studies student Ven. Tenzin Namjong explained, “By far the main avenue of learning at Sera is debate. Some people are surprised to hear that we have only two or three hours of classes per week. But we debate several hours a day. As we advance, there is even less class time. Once you know how to study, you read a text and then settle your doubts on the debate courtyard … Debate is analytic meditation in action. It isn’t primarily about defeating an external opponent. Rather, we need to recognize and refute our mistaken ways of thinking using reasoning. The answer in and of itself is not that helpful if you haven’t arrived at it through first identifying and then refuting the wrong view … the debate process definitely helps.”
Watch a brief explanation of debate and two short debates on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkRkF_9zcgs&feature=youtu.be
To learn more about debate and other aspects of geshe studies, and watch a short video of debate in Tibetan, see “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
Watch a video, including some samples of debate in Tibetan, showing FPMT registered teacher and native of the Netherlands Ven. Tenzin Namdak graduating from geshe studies here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge_g4YfXza0&feature=youtu.be
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche during a visit to FPMT International Office staff, Portland, Oregon, US, June 25, 2017
The 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche visited FPMT International Office in Portland, Oregon, US, on June 24. The visit came during a three-day teaching event at Maitripa College. Tri Rinpoche, who was formerly known by the title Jangtse Chöje, had just been appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 104th Ganden Tripa, the spiritual head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Tri Rinpoche will be officially enthroned later this season.
Mandala Publications and Maitripa College interviewed Tri Rinpoche with the help of Yangsi Rinpoche, one of Tri Rinpoche’s students and president of Maitripa College, as translator. Tri Rinpoche spoke about what it was like living at Sera Monastery in Tibet, the Communist Chinese oppression and violence that he witnessed in 1959, his decision to flee to India, re-establishing Sera in exile, and helping identify Yangsi Rinpoche as the reincarnation of his own beloved teacher, Geshe Ngawang Gendun. The interview will be published by Mandala in the future.
FPMT International Office was honored to receive the 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche. We wish Tri Rinpoche a long and healthy life, pray that all his holy wishes succeed immediately, and hope he will return to Portland, Oregon, soon.
The 104th Ganden Tripa with Yangsi Rinpoche and FPMT International Office and Maitripa College staff, Portland, Oregon, US, June 24, 2017
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, February 2017. Photo by Hermann Wittekopf.
During the first three months of 2017, Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe, toured European FPMT centers giving talks to hundreds of eager students.
The tour began on January 25 at Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam in the Netherlands with a talk entitled “Easy Ways to Lessen Egoism and Develop Compassion to Increase True Joy.” The next day, Ösel went to Maitreya Instituut Loenen to give an improvised talk to the community of students there.
After the Netherlands, Ösel continued on to the United Kingdom to visit Jamyang Buddhist Centre London and the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom in the nation’s capital, and Land of Joy, a Buddhist retreat center in the north. Next, Ösel visited Aryatara Institut in Munich, Germany; Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling in Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre Kalachakra in Paris, France; Institut Vajra Yogini and Nalanda Monastery near Toulouse, France; and O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros in the Alpujarras of southern Spain.
Watch Tenzin Ösel Hita speak at Aryatara Institut in Munich, Germany, on YouTube:
All of the centers have made recordings of the talks available to the wider FPMT community. Please find a complete list below:
Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam, January 25
Maitreya Instituut Loenen, January 26
Jamyang Buddhist Centre Lodon, January 28
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Maitreya Instituut Loenen, the Netherlands, January 2017. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Instituut Loenen.
Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling, February 11
Centre Kalachakra, February 15
Institut Vajra Yogini, February 17 and February 19
Nalanda Monastery, February 20
O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros, March 25
Find more information about Tenzin Ösel Hita on his resource page on FPMT.org, including news, photos, videos, and links to his official Facebook page.
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, February 2017. Photo by Hermann Wittekopf.
The Big Love Fund provides financial resources that enable Tenzin Ösel Hita to continue his endeavors on behalf of FPMT.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak answering debate questions during the geshe graduation ceremony, Sera Je Monastic University, India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio Visual Center.
Watch the eighteen-minute video below to see the colorful, moving, and joy-filled graduation ceremonies of Geshe Tenzin Namdak, who has completed the full twenty-year course of studies at Sera Je Monastic University in South India and his final geshe examinations there: a tremendous achievement.
On May 8, 2017, Geshe Namdak, a registered FPMT teacher and native of the Netherlands, was officially awarded a geshe degree by Sera Je. He is one of only very few Westerners to have obtained a geshe degree and the first to do the entire course of studies and exams at Sera Je.
This video, filmed and edited by Claudio Curciotti, shows the formal ceremony as well as related activities. It also highlights the friendship and support offered to Geshe Namdak by other Sera IMI monks and Geshe Namdak’s friends and students at Choe Khor Sum Ling (CKSL), the FPMT center in Bangalore, India. Geshe Namdak is also accompanied in parts of the ceremony by his ordained students, including a young Tibetan boy, Jampel Tsering, who lives at Sera IMI house.
Sera IMI monks in the courtyard of IMI house at Sera Je Monastery, India, November 2013. (L to R) Vens. Gyalten Lekden, Tenzin Legtsok, Tenzin Gache, Tenzin Namdak, Jampel Tsering (child), Jampa Khedrup, Losang Khedrup, Tenzin Namjong, Gyalten Choklang. Photo by Sandesh Kadur, November 2013 (The boy monk is Jampel Tsering. He is Ven. Tenzin Namdak’s student and lives with the monks at Sera IMI house). Photo by Sandesh Kadur.
In addition to his geshe studies and helping to establish CKSL at the direction of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Geshe Namdak has benefited others in many ways. These include helping to establish Sera IMI House and serving as its director, organizing and teaching translation courses at Sera Je, translating for various lamas, and helping run pre-ordination courses for new monks and nuns in Dharamsala, India.
While Geshe Namdak speaks only shyly of his great accomplishment, attributing it to the support he has received from his gurus and others, in an interview soon to be published by Mandala, he allows that graduating is an occasion for rejoicing. He adds, “I have been very fortunate that the guru gave me this opportunity!”
Watch Geshe Namdak’s graduation ceremony on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ge_g4YfXza0
For more about Geshe Tenzin Namdak, see “The Union of Study and Practice,” an article about the benefits of long-term intensive study and practice in Mandala January-June 2016.
To learn more about debate and other aspects of geshe studies, read “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
On April 26, 2016, Ven. Tenzin Namdak, Sera IMI House monk and FPMT registered teacher, received the title of “Geshe” after completing coursework for the geshe studies program at Sera Je Monastic University in South India. On May 8, he was officially awarded the degree during a three-day ceremony that included public debate, recitation of memorized texts, and pujas. Fellow Sera IMI House monk Ven. Tenzin Legtsok reports:
On May 8, 2017, Ven. Tenzin Namdak, registered FPMT teacher and native of the Netherlands, was officially awarded a geshe degree by Sera Je Monastic University in South India. He is the first Westerner ever to complete the full, formal course of studies at one of the “three seats”—Ganden, Sera, and Drepung monasteries—and sit for the final geshe examination there, too.
There are many steps leading up to the geshe degree. First, one must complete nineteen years of coursework comprising three years studying introductory topics, seven years on the Ornament of Clear Realization, four years on Supplement to the Middle Way, three years on vinaya, two years on abhidharma, and two months each year spent debating Valid Cognition.
After Ven. Namdak completed his exams for the final year of study, Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested the monastery to formally grant him the geshe degree as quickly as possible so that he can begin sharing his knowledge and experience with FPMT centers outside India. In July 2016, this request was granted, and Ven. Namdak began preparing for his final geshe examination ceremony.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak with fellow graduates, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
For two weeks leading up to the final ceremony, Geshe Namdak and eight other monks becoming geshes sat for a small debate examination before each class in the geshe studies program. During the actual three-day ceremony, they sat in front of the entire assembly of over 1,000 monks and answered debate questions on the traditional five topics.
As the other eight geshes had primarily qualified to take the final degree through service to the monastery instead of study, Geshe Namdak was the only one among them to take the role of defender, the person who answers the questioner. The highlight, and perhaps most nerve wracking part of Geshe Namdak’s ceremony, was when he had to recite from memory a 25-page long passage from Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen’s commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa’s Thorough Elucidation of the Intent in front of the entire assembly!
Geshe Tenzin Namdak with fellow graduates, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
On the day of his examination ceremony Geshe Namdak, offered lunch and a small money donation to each monk at Sera Je. During this puja, he was led in procession through the main temple accompanied by his two ordained students and twelve members of Choe Khor Sum Ling, the FPMT center in Bangalore where he teaches.
The final part of the celebration was the following day, when hundreds of well-wishers came to his residence, Sera IMI House, to make offerings and give their congratulations.
Hundreds of people came to offer khatas and their congratulations to Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Ven. Gyalten Lekden.
For more about Geshe Tenzin Namdak, see “The Union of Study and Practice,” an article about the benefits of long-term intensive study and practice in Mandala January-June 2016.
To learn more about the structure and purpose of debate in Tibetan Buddhism, read “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Bertrand Beauregard with some of the “Efficient Communication and Excellence in Management” course graduates, Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2017. Photo courtesy of Bertrand Beauregard.
In March 2017, twenty-four Kopan Monastery monks who also serve in staff positions at the monastery received coaching and training for six days in management, communication, and leadership from French student Bertrand Beauregard, director of Institut International de Coaching Humaniste (IICH). Bertrand offered the tailored training—”Efficient Communication and Excellence in Management”—as part of his service to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Using role play, the monks learned and practiced skills in management, cross-cultural communication, and leadership. Also, the monks practiced teamwork building exercises and even got exposure to Myers-Briggs (MBTI) personality profiles to help them relate to others more effectively.
“I would like to thank Bertrand for coming at Kopan Monastery to teach us and share his knowledge,” said attendee Geshe Thubten Chyangchup. “I learned new words and how to communicate with others cultures. I really liked learning how to be a leader, how to use motivational drivers, how to say ‘no,’ and how to give feedback.”
Bertrand Beauregard and some of the “Efficient Communication and Excellence in Management” trainees, Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2017. Photo courtesy of Bertrand Beauregard.
“This training was beyond my expectation,” added Geshe Thubten Jinpa. “I didn’t think it would be before class started, but it fascinated me. I learned so much. It is a bodhisattva action to implement these skills.”
Bertrand was also grateful for the experience. “For me, to train and coach in such an auspicious environment has been a really precious and interesting experience,” Bertrand beamed. “When I’m at Kopan, I’m used to receiving teachings and bowing down to my Dharma teachers—so this was quite different! The students were really open-minded and we could go really deep into communication, management, and teamwork building.”
Bertrand continued, “I was really grateful to share my passion and offer my skills to FPMT. Like in life, it is all about giving and receiving at the same time. We learned so much form each other and I realized, because I was training in a religious organization, that belonging is probably one of the most basic human needs. I would like to thank the entire Kopan family, especially Ani Fran and Vens. Mukhiya and Zoksang, for accommodating me. This has been a great example of compassionate, passionate, and patient teamwork.”
Geshe Thubten Chyangchup offers Bertrand Beauregard a certificate in “Gratitude and Happiness” designed by the young Kopan monks, Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2017. Photo courtesy of Bertrand Beauregard.
Bertrand will offer “Efficient Communication and Excellence in Management” to the staff of Kopan Nunnery and follow up with the Kopan monks in the next few months.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Buddha House board members successful bid on an 1866 bluestone church, Magill, South Australia, Australia, February 2016. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
On May 12, 2017, Buddha House in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, celebrated one year since receiving the keys to its new property and beginning extensive renovations. Buddha House student Carole Migalka described the process of finding the 1866 bluestone church its community now calls home:
“From humble beginnings in a student’s shed after Lama Yeshe’s visit in 1982, Buddha House in Adelaide has grown and flourished into a well-established FPMT center. The pioneer community purchased and renovated the first premises, a residential home, which over the years outgrew the local council bylaws. This forced the center into lease for over a decade while looking for a suitable property to purchase with limited funds.
“During the Bendigo retreat in 2014 a group of Buddha House students met with Lama Zopa Rinpoche to ask for advice about how to develop the center. His advice included doing regular specific practices together and having statues made to create the merit and conditions to finance a new center.
New Buddha House altar with Sixteen Arhats statues, Magill, South Australia, Australia, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
“A statue fund was formed, members and friends donated generously, and the two advised statues were commissioned. At that time Rinpoche also explained the merits of having the Sixteen Arhats statues at FPMT centers and these were made for us at Nalanda Monastery. In November 2015 the Arhats arrived in Australia ready to be painted, filled, and consecrated. Shortly after this, financial support in the form of a loan was offered to Buddha House to assist us in the purchase of our own property, coinciding with the auction of a heritage listed church and hall only eight minutes from the existing center!
“Checks were carried out by Rinpoche for its suitability. Prayers, practices, and pujas were advised and hastily completed with world-wide support, including the making of 1,000 Ganapati tsa-tsas. This task was completed by volunteers at Chenrezig Institute in five days before the date of auction.
“On February 13, 2016, the Buddha House board gathered in front of the church to successfully bid—the only offer!
“One year has passed since settlement and with great effort by many volunteers, generous donations, numerous working bees, and a dedicated building committee, an old run-down property has been transformed. The result is a wonderful Dharma center with the gompa housed in the heritage chapel, a Dharma shop and office at the entrance, a community lounge and café in the center, and a large hall and courtyards at the rear that is available for hire by local community groups.
Completed Buddha House lounge, Magill, South Australia, Australia, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
“At the request of our kind and skillful sponsor, a loan repayment agreement has been reached between Buddha House and the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, enabling us to directly assist this wonderful project!
“In keeping with Lama Yeshe’s vision, Buddha House aspires to continue growing and attracting people to the center, enabling generations of sentient beings to generate merit and benefit from the pristine and inspirational teachings of the Buddha.”
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
103rd Ganden Tripa Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche. Photo Courtesy of Tibet.net.
We are saddened to share the news of the passing of the 103rd Ganden Tripa Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, who died on April 21, 2017, at 11:45 p.m. in Delhi, India, after an illness. According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the Ganden Tripa’s death was announced by Gelugpa members of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, who urged devotees to do special prayers for the Ganden Tripa.
Sikyong (Prime Minister) Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan government in exile, said, “With profound sadness, I on behalf of all Tibetans pray that Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche will be reborn and carry forward his mission to spread the teachings of Lord Buddha and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. … May he be reborn in Tibet, the land of snow.”
The 103rd Ganden Tripa Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, who served as the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in October 2016. He was enthroned on November 5, 2016, at Ganden Trithok Khang in Mundgod, India, succeeding Rizong Sey Thubten Nyima Lungtok Tenzin Norbu in the position.
According to the Central Tibetan Administration, the 103rd Ganden Tripa was born in 1937 in Eastern Tibet. He joined Tsem Monastery at age nine and later received his higher education at Drepung Loseling Monastic University. In 1959, he followed His Holiness into exile and continued his geshe studies in Buxa Duar, a former prison camp where refugee monks were housed for several years. When the major monasteries were reestablished in South India, he served Drepung Loseling Monastery in various capacities. He was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree in 1982 and attended Gyuto Tantric College the following year. In 2003, he was enthroned as Sharpa Chöje at the Ganden Monastery.
Lama Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) is the founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Becoming the Ganden Tripa
Ganden Tripa, which can be translated as “holder of the Ganden throne,” is the title given to the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Unlike reincarnation lineages, the Ganden Tripa is an appointed position based on knowledge and merit, and held for seven years. There is a saying in the monasteries that “If a mother’s child has the knowledge and wisdom, then there is no ownership of the Ganden throne,” meaning that any monk who has the intelligence and makes the effort could eventually become the Ganden Tripa.
In order to progress into the position of Ganden Tripa, a monk must first achieve the Lharampa Geshe degree, the highest degree awarded by the Gelug monasteries, and then study for at least one year and take exams at one of the tantric colleges—Gyuto or Gyume. After that, the geshe would have to be appointed to serve as the tantric college disciplinarian and then be chosen as the head lama of ritual ceremonies, an appointment currently made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. From that position, he would become the abbot of the tantric college for three years. The former abbots of the tantric colleges are in line to be appointed as the Jangtse or Sharpa Chöje, coming from Gyume and Gyuto Tantric Colleges respectively. The Jangtse and Sharpa Chöjes alternate in eventually becoming the Ganden Tripa.
The first Ganden Tripa was Lama Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), who founded the Gelug lineage. His disciples Gyaltsab Je and Khedrup Je were the second and third Ganden Tripas respectively.
For more on the life and death of the 103rd Ganden Tripa, you can read the Central Tibetan Administration’s Tibet.net article in its entirety. You can also visit the Ganden Tripa’s Facebook page.
Ian and Judy Green with Victorian members of parliament Jacinta Allan, Jaala Pulford, and Maree Edwards, Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, March 2017. Photo courtesy of Bendigo Weekly.
On March 24, 2017, the Victoria state government in Australia announced that the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, an FPMT project that once completed will be the largest stupa in the Western world, would received a AUS$2.5 million matching grant. The grant will help the project complete the top portion of the stupa—the bumpa roof and walls, harmika, thirteen-ring tower, parasol, and finial—as well as water and sewer treatment facilities to service the stupa itself and sister FPMT centers in the surrounding area, including Atisha Centre and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery.
In its announcement, the Victoria government recognized the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is already “an impressive landmark” with 25,000 visitors annually with projections of 90,000 annually within ten years. In addition to bringing many economic benefits to the region, the government “acknowledges The Great Stupa’s role in promoting social cohesion by encouraging awareness and support of cultural diversity.”
“The announcement of this funding was the culmination of three years’ work with Regional Development Victoria and City of Greater Bendigo,” said chairman of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Ian Green. “These funds will be a game-changer in developing the Great Stupa to realize its full potential to benefit so many beings. It is also very gratifying to see the recognition that government now has for the significant contribution of the Great Stupa.”
Ian Green addressing Great Stupa visitors and Victorian members of parliament, Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, March 2017. Photo courtesy of Bendigo Weekly.
The Victoria government will match up to AUS$2.5 million to support the completion and infrastructure of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. Your financial support and prayers are always welcome. Read more about The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion on FPMT.org.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Ven. Lobsang Konchok feeds a koala, Australia, 2017. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
Student Carole Migalka of Buddha House, near Adelaide, Australia, shared a brief profile of resident artist Ven. Lobsang Konchok:
During Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Buddha House in May 2015, Rinpoche spoke of a Tibetan artist, Ven. Lobsang Konchok, residing in Brisbane, Australia, who would be suitable for painting Buddha House’s Sixteen Arhat statues, newly acquired from Nalanda Monastery in France. Ven. Lobsang Konchok agreed to do the work and is being hosted in the Adelaide Hills by some of Rinpoche’s students. In the past year he has been embraced by local Tibetan families, shopkeepers, neighbors, and animals alike.
Ven. Lobsang Konchok was born in Kham in eastern Tibet. When he was a child, his family gave sanctuary to a master thangka painter in the top story of their house due to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Ven. Lobsang began to train in traditional thangka painting. In 1989 when his teacher and other monks were allowed to return to their monasteries, Ven. Lobsang entered Gansa Monastery-Tashi Ganden Chopeling at age fifteen.
Ven. Lobsang Konchok stands in front of the statues and altar he decorated. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
In 1990, Ven. Lobsang and his cousin escaped from Tibet to India, trekking across the Himalayas, through Nepal, and arrived in India three months and two days later. In India, Ven. Lobsang took gelong ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, completed his monastic studies, and continued his rigorous religious art training, studying thangka painting under His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s personal thangka painter in Dharamsala, at Norbulingka Institute, and at Drepung Monastery .
Ven. Lobsang Konchok installing Sixteen Arhat statues in completed altar. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
In addition to the stunning art work on both the statues and the altar cabinetry, Ven. Lobsang has made new signs for Buddha House; adorned the Medicine Buddha thangka with brocade; crafted a donation box out of recycled timber; built a life-size yak for a Tibetan float in the Australia Day parade; tamed the resident koala; made a bird feeder encircled with mantras; and is spotted walking the property misting the millipedes and bull-ants with a specially prepared mani pill spray.
Ven. Lobsang Konchok creates life-size yak for Australia Day parade. Photo courtesy of Buddha House.
“I’m very happy here in Bridgewater,” Ven. Lobsang shared. “While painting the Sixteen Arhat statues and rolling the mantras, I had the good result of obtaining permanent residency in Australia after four years of trying. The family I live with is very kind; it’s nice and quiet, nice view and many parrots and koalas. Now when I’m painting thangkas and listening to teachings, I feel it’s like a pure land!”
Watch Ven. Lobsang Konchok chant to and give water to a koala:
https://vimeo.com/208234582
Ven. Lobsang Konchok is available for thangka painting and other art projects on request. For more details contact info@buddhahouse.org.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
These butter sculpture tormas (ritual cakes) offered during Monlam at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, take one month to make, are nine feet (three meters) tall, and will remain for one year. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
During March 9-13, Kopan Monastery hosted its annual Monlam, a prayer festival first founded by Lama Tsongkhapa in 15th-century Tibet that has survived the Tibetan diaspora. Kopan hosts the annual event for all of the Gelug monasteries and nunneries in Nepal.
Public display of large Eight Taras thangka during Monlam, painted by Peter Iseli, Kopan Monstery, Nepal, March 12, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Throughout the festival, sangha and lay students are invited to spend the day engaged in prayers and pujas, view and receive blessings from holy objects, and attend monastic debates. On the Day of Miracles, the final day in a series of fifteen holy days, thousands of people attend the Monlam festivities. This year, Jangtse Chöje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche presided over the ceremonies. He also gave public a teaching and an oral transmission on March 14.
Jangtse Chöje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche presides over Monlam, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 12, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Ven. Legtsok answers debate questions during Monlam, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 14, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Songsten High School band, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 12, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
A special torma is burned on the last day of Monlam, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 13, 2017. Photo by Laura Miller.
Many important teachers and lamas were in attendance, including Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, the abbot of Kopan Monastery; Cherok Lama; Phuntsok Rinpoche; and Kundol Rinpoche. Other Kopan monks currently studying at Sera Je Monastery in South India were also able to participate.
Watch the activities of Kopan’s Monlam on Facebook (via Kopan Apso, March 12):
https://www.facebook.com/choekuapso
https://www.facebook.com/choekuapso/videos/1345290738847684/
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The participants of the Vajrapani founders’ retreat, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, US, January 2016
Long-time student and Vajrapani Institute co-founder Elaine Jackson shares some early Vajrapani Institute history and reports on the January 2016 Vajrapani Institute’s founders’ retreat:
It was 1977. Two hundred or more baby Dharma students gathered in Yucca Valley, California for a month-long meditation retreat with Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The Lamas were so inspiring that a rousing talk by Ven. Thubten Pende at the end of the retreat prompted two students, Janet and Ross Brooke, to ask their land partners if they would like to donate part of their California “Omland” for a retreat center. That was the beginning of Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture, our retreat center in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains.
Lama Yeshe gave his blessing to this undeveloped mountainous land at a small gathering in the middle of a ring of redwoods, saying something like, “If you build a pond, the fish will come.” It was raw land and fish did eventually come. We lived in tipis and “carpet houses,” stick frames walled with carpets retrieved from dumpsters behind big carpet warehouses in San Jose.
Janet Brooke and James Kent, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, US, January 2016
Many of us thought we’d build this center in a year or two, but it took two years just to change the zoning so we could apply for a building permit. We persevered and today, by the effort of many, many students, Vajrapani is a thriving retreat center serving hundreds of Dharma students every year.
Vajrapani’s pioneers, Lama’s “bushy people,” met in January 2016 to record its history—at least what we could remember of it. Shasta Wallace and Wanda Sisnroy, invited, organized, and prepared the food. Judy Weitzner facilitated the roundtable discussions with Don Broderson monitoring the recording and Tsering filming the video. It was a delightful event—like having a slumber party with all your old friends!
Jacie Keeley and John McKay came the greatest distances, flying in from Florida and Minnesota. We initially sat in chronological order, based on when we first came to the land. James Kent, Tom Post, and Janet Brooke were first as those who donated the land. Others in attendance were Elaine Jackson, Chuck Thomas, John McKay, Tom Waggoner, Jacie Keeley, Shasta Wallace, Bev Gwyn, Richard Prinz, Thubten Pende, Sharon Gross, Barbara Vautier, Lennie Kronisch, George Galt, Valerie Thomas, Steve Pearl, Wanda Sisnroy, Keith Emmons, Judy Weitzner, and Don Broderson. Lara Brooke and her daughter, Arya, as second and third generation “bushy people,” also attended some of the sessions. Ven. John Jackson, a kingpin in construction of the center, was missed as he was in Washington State engaging in retreat. Åge Delbanco, now 91 years old, was also unable to attend, but we are hopeful that their stories will be recorded soon.
Lennie Kronisch, Don Broderson, Barbara Vautier, and Steve Pearl, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, US, January 2016
Most of us came to Vajrapani via Asia, meeting Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery. Many mentioned reading Be Here Now by Ram Dass as a catalyst for leaving this country in search of truth. All the stories were miraculous and just downright “cosmic”! Many times Anila Ann McNeil’s name surfaced as someone who was influential in pointing the way. Mommy Max and Zina Rachevsky played a big part too, as Judy Weitzner and others relayed their hilarious experiences—notably riding in Mommy Max’s Hudson. Steve Pearl’s story of riding horseback across Afghanistan was amazing. Everyone described how Lama hooked them with his compassion, his wisdom, and his wonderful sense of humor. Oh, the tricks Lama played— displaying siddhis and “playing dead”—to kick his students to the next rung up the Dharma ladder! Jacie Keeley wowed us with stories of her time with Lama.
We laughed and we cried hearing about those who are no longer with us: Anila Ann McNil, John Schwartz, Diney Woodsorrel, Ashley Walker, Ross Brook, and others.
Jacie Keeley was with Lama in Italy just before Lama made his last trip to California in 1984. She told us that she knew this would be the last time the Italians saw Lama. She made us weep when she said, “Of all the places Lama could go, Lama intentionally chose Vajrapani as his final stop.”
Jacie Keeley, Tom Waggoner, Chuck Thomas, Don Broderson, Elaine Jackson, Janet Brooke, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, US, January 2016
Tom Waggoner and Shasta Wallace relayed their story of being with Lama as he manifested leaving his body. Lama Zopa Rinpoche announced, “Lama’s meditation is finished.” Even now, more than thirty years later, my heart cracks open at the memory.
We all expressed such huge gratitude for meeting Lama, for living our lives in ways that we felt would make Lama happy, and for the endearing and enduring Dharma connection we all have. We do have this amazing, beautiful, as Lama used to say, “pamily peeling ” [family feeling], and it exists all over the world—wherever Lama’s holy feet touched this earth. For this, we all rejoice!
Read more about the founding of Vajrapani Institue in “A Venture in Real Estate” from Mandala August-September 2007 and in “Reaching Out: A History of and Contemporary Look at the Centers, Projects and Services of FPMT” from Mandala July-September 2009.
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