FPMT Community: Stories & News

Gompa of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling during 100 Million Mani Retreat, which was streamed live to participants, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2021. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is to sponsor 100 million mani retreats around the world. During a 100 million mani retreat, participants collectively recite 100 million OM MANI PADME HUM mantras. For a ninth year, FPMT Mongolia and Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, the FPMT center in Ulaanbaatar, have organized a successful 100 million mani retreat. Tuya Purevgonchig, who became director of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling and FPMT Mongolia in June 2021, shared the news of the completion of the retreat in a letter to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 

“I am happy to report to you that we have successfully completed the ninth Mani Retreat, a hundred percent online, in accordance with the current guidelines and circumstances of the pandemic, as instructed by the Mongolian government,” Tuya writes. The retreat took place September 6 through October 6, 2021.

FPMT Mongolia and Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling organized their first mani retreat in 2013. That initial retreat was led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and was the first big retreat that he led after he manifested a stroke in 2011. Since then, they have organized a 100 million mani retreat annually.

Offerings and altar in gompa of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling during 100 Million Mani Retreat, which was streamed live to participants, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2021. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

Ven. Thubten Gyalmo, resident teacher at Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, and four other nuns of Dolma Ling Nunnery in Ulaanbaatar led the retreat from 7:30 A.M. until 6:30 P.M. every day in the gompa at the center, which was streamed live to the public. 

Jhado Rinpoche spoke at the retreat’s opening ceremony. He also gave a talk on the benefits of the six syllables of the mani mantra during the retreat. Geshe Thubten Zopa, an FPMT touring teacher, attended the first and last sessions, giving a talk and concluding dedications. 

The center organized mantra recitations separately at the Battsagaan Temple of Gandan Tegchenling Monastery for the last three days of the retreat. Two hundred monks attended on the first day, then between thirty to fifty monks from Idgachoinzinling Dratsangs attended on the last two days. 

Gompa of Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling during 100 Million Mani Retreat, which was streamed live to participants, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2021. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

“It was challenging and yet truly a rewarding first mani retreat experience for me as a new director. However, with the kindness of all the FPMT Mongolia staff, nuns, donors, and the Dharma students from all around the world, we managed to complete the Mani Retreat 2021 together successfully,” Tuya writes.

“This year, the total number of  mantra recitations was 114,442,502. On behalf of FPMT Mongolia, I’m delighted to offer Rinpoche this mantra number with all the merit accumulated. May it be a cause for Rinpoche to have a very long life and may it steadily accomplish all your wishes for Mongolia, bringing limitless benefit to sentient beings.”

Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2021. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships for students engaged in retreats such as 108 nyung nä retreats, 100 million mani retreats, recitations of sutras, and long term retreat.

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, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November 2021. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Our November e-News is now available!

This issue is packed with news, updates, and causes for rejoicing including:

• Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent teaching events, activities, and new photo album
• His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message for FDCW’s Compassion and Wisdom in Action conference
•  Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling’s ninth 100 Million Mani Retreat, Mongolia
• Teacher Development Service Seminar at Nalanda Monastery, France

and more!

Please enjoy the November e-News in its entirety. 

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

The FPMT International Office e-News comes from your FPMT International Office. Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email box.

Foundation Service Seminar participants at Nalanda Monastery, France, September 2021. Photo by Ven. Zoksang.

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 to actualize the advice that service is practice and to enjoy and rejoice when offering service. Séverine Savignan, who participated in the recent FSS at Nalanda Monastery near Lavaur, France, shares her thoughts on the experience:

Those of us who gathered for the Foundation Service Seminar in late September were fortunate to be able to retreat for a few days at Nalanda Monastery in France. With beautiful gardens surrounding us, a great group of thirty-seven participants settled into the monastery’s amazing gompa for five days of sessions. I’ve been living and studying here in Lavaur since 2019, and it was truly refreshing to be able to connect with other Dharma practitioners, coming from Brazil, Romania, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

While we all can look at the FPMT.org website to learn more about what the FPMT organization has to offer, attending the FSS in person helped me really understand in-depth what this international mandala is about. Facilitators Annelies van der Heijden and François Lecointre walked us through FPMT’s lineage, its foundation by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and the history of its development. We learned about Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT and the Five Pillars of Service (Dharma, Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom, social/community service, interfaith activities, and revenue generating activities). Participants had opportunities to reflect and talk to each other throughout these sessions, making it highly meaningful.     

FSS facilitator Annelies van der Heijden, Nalanda Monastery, France, September 2021. Photo by Ven. Zoksang.

I was quite surprised to discover the amount of resources that are available within the FPMT network to support our individual and collective practices. There are many study programs and secular materials available. In addition, there are many charitable projects around the world. Navigating all of these activities and resources is a bit like a maze. Our challenge will be using these resources wisely in order to support our respective projects. 

Lama Yeshe created a sense of “family feeling” within the FPMT organization, and it was a key point of the FSS to foster that community feeling and help us set the intention for perpetuating it. Another key point was Lama Yeshe’s vision for the preservation of the Dharma. All this was quite powerful on a personal level, and I think that all of the participants went back to their respective centers and projects with many ideas and points to reflect upon.    

FSS participants in a break out group discussion, Nalanda Monastery, September 2021. Photo by Marine Cecilia.

FSS participants playing an Inner Job Description game, Nalanda Monastery, September 2021. Photo by Marine Cecilia.

The format of the seminar was both focused and participatory. There was so much to learn about offering service within the FPMT mandala. We could have spent two more days covering all the details. We nonetheless had time to exchange ideas during tea breaks and lunch time.                     

This seminar reinforced my conviction that for any Dharma project to succeed, we need a clear motivation, a solid common foundation, and an appropriate structure for doing the work. Our role while offering service within the FPMT organization is to think on how we can help support and actualize the vision and wishes of our lamas, whatever our competencies are, and whatever time we can wisely and happily give.

We know that serving a center, a monastery, a project, or a study group requires a lot of energy. And indeed, as mentioned during the seminar, I shall not forget to relax, rejoice, and rest!

Ven. Palmo Detchen taking notes during the Foundation Service Seminar, Nalanda Monastery, France, September 2021. Photo by Ven. Zoksang.

Séverine Savignan is a French student based in Lavaur, France. While living in Singapore, she and her husband met the Dharma in 2015 at Amitabha Buddhist Centre. Now both Séverine and her husband study at Nalanda Monastery, while also raising a nine-year-old son. 

For more information on the Foundation Service Seminar and to find out how to register for future events, visit FPMT Service Seminars. 

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.

International Mahayana Institute Sangha, Nalanda Monastery, Lavaur, France, 1983. Foreground left side: Francesco Prevosti. Photo (L to R): Dieter Kratzer, Murray Wright, Adrian Feldmann/Gyatso, Jean-Marie, Jimi Neale, David Marks, Geshe Tegchok, Pierro Siriani (rear), Steve Carlier, Martin Willson, Thuben Sherab Sherpa (rear), Lama Thubten Yeshe, Elizabeth Drukier, Joseph Fontaine, Merry Colony (middle), Martine Darrou (rear), Father Bastiani (a local priest, in blue), Sangye Khadro (middle), Thubten Chodron, Anne-Marie, Beppe Molinari, Celia Smith. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Nalanda Monastery, located in Labastide St. Georges, Lavaur, France, is a thriving international center for Dharma study and practice. As a way to celebrate four decades of hard work and devotion, former center director Ven. Tendar and Ven. Jampa (Joris van Bakel) hosted online interviews with many people integral to the founding and development of the monastery. Here Vens. Tendar and Jampa share more on the video series and anniversary activities:

More than forty years ago Nalanda Monastery was founded in an old run-down building in the South of France. Now Nalanda is a flourishing monastery with almost thirty monks, two resident geshes, and an incredibly rich history. As a way to celebrate our fortieth anniversary, we have taken the opportunity to go back in time and see how Nalanda has developed over the years into what it is today. In addition, we want to honor Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his wish to preserve our rich history, honor those who came before us, and understand where we come from. We also wanted to do this while we still have the opportunity to hear the direct experiences of those who started it all. 

With these things in mind we started a series of interviews that we call “Nalanda Monastery 40th Anniversary, Honouring Our Former Generations.” With our former directors spread out around the world and our newly acquired Zoom skills, we decided to stream the interviews, which are in English and French. The resulting video recordings create a kind of virtual time capsule, and thus they will be available for all those who come after us as well. In addition to the world-wide Zoom audience, we have a gompa filled with monks, students, and volunteers, who are all eager to learn more about the history of the place they call home.

Nalanda monks during a special 40th-anniversary event with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Nalanda Monastery, October 2021. Photo courtesy of Nalanda Monastery.

We started the series interviewing the French nun Ven. Elisabeth Drukier, who we might refer to as our founding mother as she was instrumental in acquiring the Rouzegas property that we now call our home. Ven. Elisabeth is currently the director of Kalachakra Centre in Paris. More than forty years ago, she was the director of Institut Vajra Yogini, which is also in the South of France. One day she had to call Lama Yeshe to notify him that one of the towers of the Vajra Yogini property had burned down. To this Lama Yeshe replied with great delight, and it turned out that this event would indeed be a great event. The insurance money for the fire allowed for the purchase of the Rouzegas property. It is these kind of priceless stories that make up the history of Nalanda Monastery. Toward the end of the video, Ven. Elisabeth was joined by Ven. Chantal, who is now the director of the nearby Monastére Dorje Pamo. Ven. Chantal also had many stories to share of her memories of these early Nalanda days.

Our second interview was with the first Nalanda monk: Ven. Thubten Gyatso (Adrian Feldmann), an Australian monk who has offered service in many capacities within the FPMT organization. Ven. Gyatso shared his very vivid memories of those first nights in the old building, which looked more like a ghost house than a monastery at that time. Ven. Gyatso told a precious story about the visit by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to Nalanda in the 1980s. As His Holiness was preparing to depart from Nalanda by car, just before stepping into the car, His Holiness stood next to the old gate and suddenly looked back at Nalanda. Time seemed to stop while His Holiness made strong prayers. This particular instant was not only recognized by Ven. Gyatso as a defining moment for Nalanda, but also by others who we interviewed later. 

For our third interview, we talked to Geshe Losang Jamphel, our greatly respected and cherished current abbot. It is due to Geshe Jamphel’s incredible persistence that Nalanda is flourishing. Geshe-la came to Nalanda in 2000 and in the interview described his journey from a small Tibetan village to crossing the Himalayas into India to eventually arriving in the small French village that we now call our home. Not only did Geshe-la talk about his experiences in Nalanda, but he also took the time to thank all of those that helped him and that are still helping him today.

Our fourth interview was with English monk Ven. Steve Carlier, who joined us online from the United States. Ven. Steve served as a translator for Geshe Jampa Tegchuk, who was abbot of Nalanda in the 1980s, and now teaches at Land of Medicine Buddha in the United States. Our fifth interview was with the American student John Feuille, who served as an acting director of the monastery in the 80s and director during 1998-99. Both Ven. Steve and John talked about their time at Nalanda, mainly during the 1980s, and inspired a sense of wonder in us. As John Feuille said, “Think about Nalanda, about the whole FPMT, it is almost an impossible thing in this age.” 

In a highlight of this series, on October 16, a group of former directors and people who contributed greatly to the monastery were interviewed. This interview includes memories from Ven. Roger Kunsang, Ven. Gyaltsen, Ven. Tendar, Henri Charpentier, and Stephan (Pende) Wormland. Ven. Tendar symbolically handed over the keys of the monastery to our new director Ven. Tharchin. In a separate video interview, Canadian student Jean-François Bergevin, who was a monk at Nalanda in the 1990s and then served as director from 1999-2002, shares stories from this period and also talks about the construction of the public building at Nalanda, completed in 2008. A special video presentation on the building is included in this video.

On October 18, we received a great honor when Lama Zopa Rinpoche himself offered us a live teaching from his room at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. It was wonderful to have Rinpoche participate in our fortieth anniversary celebration in this way.

Please rejoice with us for all the years of Dharma study and practice at Nalanda Monastery. May it continue long into the future.

Group picture of sangha at Nalanda with Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin. Sangha at Nalanda Monastery with Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin, Geshe Jampel, and Geshe Gyaltsen, Nalanda Monastery, France, September 2019. Photo by Harald Weichhart. Also pictured: Attendant of Ganden Tripa, Vens. Sherab, Lektsok, Irene, Gendun, Sangpo, Choepel, Geshe Graham Woodhouse, Vens. Tenzin, Thekchog, Tharchin, Zopa, Tsultrim, Jamyang, Tsondru, Tenpa, Tendar, Thubten, Khunken, Tsultrim, Gendun, Zoksang, Gyaltsen, Ani Tenzin, and Ven. Raffa.

You can learn about Nalanda Monastery by visiting their website. Find the “Nalanda Monastery 40th Anniversary, Honouring Our Former Generations” videos and more on Nalanda Monastery’s YouTube channel.

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from 150 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Screenshot from video on Malaysian interfaith COVID-relief, produced by Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia

In 2021 the Malaysian FPMT centers—Chokyi Gyaltsen Center, Losang Dragpa Centre, and Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre—worked together with interfaith organizations to help with the COVID situation in India and Nepal, and then in Malaysia. Community service and interfaith activities are two pillars of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Pek Chee Hen, president of the Vajrayana Buddhist Council Malaysia and a trustee of Losang Dragpa Centre, and Pik-Pin Goh, director of Losang Dragpa Centre and Kasih Hospice, shared the story of this work: 

In early May 2021, when the sudden surge of COVID-19 patients hit India and Nepal, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) India reached out to IBC Malaysia, which led to a meeting with various Buddhist organizations of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The meeting discussed the process of donation and procurement of needed medical equipment, masks, and PPEs to be sent to India and Nepal. 

The donation drive in Malaysia was named “Aids to the Buddha’s Land” and inspired Buddhists from the region to join hand-in-hand to gather as quickly as possible the equipment to save lives and protect the front liners. The Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia also assisted greatly in providing donations for this venture.

In total, IBC Malaysia arranged for the following donations to government hospitals in India and Nepal as well as to forty-four monasteries and nunneries in both these countries:

• 950 oxygen concentrators
• 2,000 oxygen cylinders
• 1.5 million gloves
• 58,000 N95 masks 
• 2,000 PPEs 

FPMT Malaysia centres, Rinchen Jangsem Ling (RJL) and Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC) respectively contributed eleven and ten oxygen concentrators to this sum, while Chokyi Gyaltsen Centre (CGC) donated RM2,000 (US$480) for purchase of masks and PPEs.

Soon after that, the fourth wave of COVID-19 hit Malaysia. With the experience of “Aids to the Buddha’s Homeland,” this group of Buddhist organizations re-convened in June 2021 and decided to do a similar fundraising effort for Malaysia coordinated with the efforts of Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia. This effort included Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu groups as well as various Buddhists groups. A follow-up Zoom meeting (that is available to watch on YouTube) was organized for member organizations.

The aim was to raise funds to donate critical medical equipment such as ICU ventilation and respiratory monitoring devices, high-flow nasal cannulas, ICU beds, etc., needed for some of the healthcare facilities in Malaysia. The effort was named the “Malaysia Solidarity Fund Against COVID-19.”  By October, RM 31,612,556 (US$7,600,000) had been raised and RM (USD$6,400,000) worth of equipment has been donated and committed to hospitals. (See Tzu Chi Foundation’s website for the most up to date numbers.)

This multi-faith cooperation has shown that when one has difficulties, help from all directions will come and together everyone achieves more.

We are proud that LDC members and resident teachers have contributed significantly to the Solidarity COVID Fund and fulfill the Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for FPMT.

Watch a video report on the work of Malaysia Solidarity Fund Against COVID-19

Vajrayana Buddhist Council Malaysia recent shared a special video of light offerings, advice, and gratitude for the Malaysian Tibetan Buddhist organizations and students involved in offering aid and support during the pandemic and to benefit all during this difficult time. 

You can learn more about the FPMT centers in Malaysia by visiting their respective websites.

FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from 150 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.

Screenshot of Light Offering Video created by the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia, October 2021

The Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia, which is an association of Malaysian Tibetan Buddhist centers and organizations, has created a beautiful video of advice and prayers, featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Ganden Tripa, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and many other high lamas from the various Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

The VBCM, of which the Malaysian FPMT centers are members, made a request to its teachers to pray for the victims of COVID-19 and give advice to Malaysians, who were facing many challenges.

This video is a result of VBCM’s request and includes light offerings and advice from a dozen precious teachers. In addition, many venerable ordained sangha and lay students also make light offerings. There are also many expressions of gratitude for the COVID support organized by VBCM members.

On this auspicious day of Lhabab Duchen, we invite you to please enjoy this video of light offerings, advice, and prayers from so many precious teachers:
https://youtu.be/qGbYNRsMqsk

You can learn more about the FPMT centers in Malaysia by visiting their respective websites.

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.

Yangsi Rinpoche during the Vajrasattva retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.

In August 2021, Institut Vajra Yogini (IVY), an FPMT center in southeastern France, hosted a ten-day Vajrasattva retreat with Yangsi Rinpoche. Christian Charrier, the spiritual program coordinator at IVY, shared this story of the retreat.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety measures decided by the government, we could not, as usual, host Yangsi Rinpoche for our yearly Vajrasattva retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini. Still the conditions were not so bad, since we managed to organize this retreat online with Rinpoche giving talks every day from a remote location.

But this year, our repeated prayers and aspirations had proved successful! Rinpoche, out of kindness, accepted our invitation to come in person to visit us. After a few months of suspense, not knowing for sure if he would be able to travel to France from the United States, we were delighted to see him come out of the director’s car after arriving at IVY and greet all the people waiting in line to welcome him with colorful khatas, broad smiles, and “thanks” on their lips. This was August, the sun was bright, and we all had masks!

As soon as Rinpoche entered the chateau, he went straight to the gompa to do full-length prostrations in front of Geshe Tengye’s reliquary stupa. With tears pearling in our eyes, we felt so fortunate and grateful that Rinpoche had come from such a far distance and was with us in his “real” physical form to help us purify our negativities.

Yangsi Rinpoche with students at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.

The next day, Rinpoche started the retreat as usual by giving Vajrasatta initiation and practice instructions. The sessions were structured as he advised, starting with prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession and supplemented with Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga. As additional methods for transforming the mind during this Vajrasattva retreat, Rinpoche had us recite the Song of the Four Mindfulnesses, Calling the Guru from Afar, and stanzas on emptiness from the Wheel of Sharp Weapons.

Those who were not able to do the whole retreat or had not been tested for COVID could follow some sessions outside on the lawn. They could also join the evening events, which were organized every other day, and attend other practices such as reciting the Praises to the Twenty-one Taras, doing fumigation (smoke purification) practice, and receiving the lung of the Diamond Cutter Sutra from Rinpoche.

Yangsi Rinpoche with students at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.

On the first day of the retreat, Rinpoche had suggested that we take notes of whatever insights on emptiness and of other experiences we had to be presented during a performance planned for the close of the retreat. Many people wanted to participate, and it was challenging to integrate everybody’s ideas and present them in a coherent and playful form. After a few rehearsals, it turned out that “COVID” and “emptiness” (“vide” in French) would make a tempting play on words and help us turn difficulties into humor. Several participants performed little sketches, accompanied by music, songs, duets, dances, scarfs, bubbles, … and much laughter.

In the same way that Rinpoche had led us to the open stage in the shade of the oak trees, he brought us all into bright light around the white stupa, where all the participants could fit in a complete circle. Finally, right in front of the main door, Rinpoche sang with us a homemade song created for the occasion, called “Tong pa nyi Blues.” Indeed it chased our blues away, giving us confidence that the lama is always at our heart’s door, ready to come in … whenever we invite him.

Learn more about Institut Vajra Yogini online.

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.

Kopan nuns doing puja on Manjushri Hill in Maratika in 2013. Photo courtesy of Ven. Sarah Thresher.

Maratika, considered one of the six holiest places in the world, is a sacred pilgrimage site with ancient meditation caves. Located in eastern Nepal, it is where Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) achieved immortality. In a new in-depth story, “Maratika: Where All of Your Prayers Are Fulfilled,” Ven. Sarah Thresher shares some of the fascinating history of this powerful place and its special connection with Lama Zopa Rinpoche. She describes many of the sacred objects found there. In addition, she provides an update on Rinpoche’s current auspicious activities at Maratika and his future plans for the area, including the construction of a huge Guru Rinpoche statue. 

Ven. Sarah, an English nun currently living in Nepal, has undertaken the journey to Maratika annually since 2007 to make offerings and prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life. “The more one reads and learns about Maratika, the more devotion and faith arise that this is not an ordinary place,” she writes. “High lamas have composed praises of Maratika’s outer, inner, and secret qualities. His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche writes that all twenty-four holy places are contained within Maratika:

“Nowhere in India, Tibet, or elsewhere will such an exceptional pilgrimage place be found.
I, an ordinary being, could never finish expressing the qualities of Maratika
But since they are seen to be true, they cannot be denied.”

We hope that you enjoy this special in-depth story. May it inspire you to consider undertaking a pilgrimage to Maratika yourself! As Lama Zopa Rinpoche once wrote, “In the Maratika cave where Guru Rinpoche found immortal realization, all your prayers can succeed.”

Please read the complete online story by Ven. Sarah Thresher, “Maratika: Where All of Your Prayers Are Fulfilled.” 

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, Boudhanath, Nepal, September 2021. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

We are pleased to bring you the latest issue of our monthly e-News. 

In this issue you will find stories and updates including:

• The Continuation of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Thought Transformation Teachings
• How to Celebrate Lhabab Duchen this year on October 27
• Support of Medical Care, Food, and Living Expenses for Those in Need
• New Practices and Materials Available in the Foundation Store

and more!

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

The FPMT International Office e-News comes from your FPMT International Office. Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email box.

Oanh Vovan feeding hungry dogs in Swayambhunath, Nepal.

Oanh Vovan has taken on the responsibility of feeding dozens of desperate dogs and monkeys in Kathmandu, Nepal. Some meals are offered on a daily basis and there are two weekly trips to Swayambhunath where dogs and monkeys receive food. Each offering involves nearly 100 pounds of home cooked food (meat and rice) as well as fruits, vegetables, and bread for the monkeys. About 100 animals are fed at a time. International Merit Box grants were offered the past two years to Oanh to help with her compassionate activity. Here Oanh Vovan shares her story. 

Some monkeys who are the beneficiaries of Oanh Vovan’s kindness.

I started feeding the stray dogs in Bombay, India, on my way to school while serving as the head of foreign languages at the American School there. I have continued offering food to stray animals for the past eight years in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

It never occurred to me, before living in Asia, to feed animals. Coming from my hometown of Paris, France, the only dogs I would see in the streets were all pets—spoiled and cherished. In India and Nepal you oftentimes encounter “walking skeletons,” which are dogs that have gotten so skinny you wonder how long they have been suffering from hunger and thirst.

Some of the prep required to feed dozens of hungry animals.

I usually go twice a week to Swayambhunath Temple so I wake up around 6 A.M. and cook forty-five to sixty-five pounds of meat and bones, and fifty-five pounds of rice for several hours for the dogs. The monkeys are vegetarian, so I buy some vegetables, fruit, and bread for them. Once ready I book a taxi and feed all the dogs along the way from my apartment in Lazimpat to Swayambhunath Temple.

Often I meet angry shopkeepers who complain that feeding the dogs dirties their street, but after twenty minutes the food is totally gone because once the dogs have eaten, the crows and pigeons clean up the leftover food, so there’s no waste. On rare occasions people give me a thumbs up and once in all these years a couple stopped me to contribute some money toward the food.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has advised on what mantras to recite and play while cooking the meat and feeding the animals. Eventually, I aim to feed the dogs vegetarian food.

Oanh Vovan first arrived at Kopan Monastery as a young trekker from Paris a few months after the passing of Lama Yeshe in 1984. She lived at Maitreya Institute in the mid-1980s and also worked for International Office (then called Central Office) at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa before Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised her to go to Nepal for five years. After her time in Kathmandu she studies at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in McLeod Ganj, India. She became head of the Foreign Languages Department at the American School of Bombay, India, where she worked for nineteen years. When she retired in 2014 she began designing for Mandala Silk Design. She has been feeding stray animals, starting in India, for nineteen years. She lives in Kathmandu.

Through the generosity of Merit Box practitioners around the world, the International Merit Box Project has awarded US$1,154,905 in grants to Dharma projects and communities since 2001. Grants are awarded for FPMT centers, projects, services, and study groups, and for initiatives managed by FPMT International Office or initiatives elsewhere that further the mission of FPMT.  Read the full list of 2021 Merit Box grant recipients and learn how to join in Merit Box practice.

There are many ways one can help care for vulnerable animals and also to help animals create merit and purify negativities to help plant the seeds for enlightenment. Students can access our Benefiting Animals page to learn about how to complete animal liberation practices; perform animal blessings with mantras and holy objects; make charity to ants; bless oceans, seas, lakes, and other bodies of water; benefit insects and other small beings; stop animal sacrifice in Nepal; and benefit turkeys eaten during Thanksgiving, among other ideas for benefiting animals in the short and long term.

Abbot Geshe Loden with nuns in the Monastère Dorje Pamo gompa, Fiac, France, 2021

Monastère Dorje Pamo is a monastery for FPMT nuns. It is located in southeastern France near Institut Vajra Yogini and Nalanda Monastery. Ven. Chantal Tenzin Dekyi, coordinator of the monastery, shares this update:

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who together founded the FPMT organization, have both explained that the continuity of the teachings of the Buddha depend on the sustainability of the Sangha, which is the community of monks and nuns. They have advised that it is important, once ordained, to be able to live in a place that brings together the best conditions for studying and practicing Dharma, living in harmony, and taking care of each other.

Monastère Dorje Pamo aspires to be such a place.

The property that houses the monastery was donated in 2016 by a volunteer who was involved at Institut Vajra Yogini in the early eighties. After quite extensive renovation works on the building, three nuns took up residence during autumn 2018. They were myself, Chantal Tenzin Dekyi, in the role of project coordinator;  Ven. Losang Dekyi, who since has moved to O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros in Spain and has done a long retreat; and Peggy van der Hoogen, a postulant from the Netherlands. Following our settling in, there has been a lot of comings and goings of visitors, until more recently when the community stabilized.

Indeed, in December 2019, Béatrice, a long-time FPMT student, came to join us. Then a year later, Inge arrived from the Netherlands. Both stayed as aspirants preparing for ordination.

This year, on the auspicious day of July 14, 2021—which was Chökhor Duchen, the Wheel Turning Day that commemorates the First Teaching of the Buddha on the four noble truths—the ordinations finally occurred. Geshe Gyaltsen from Nalanda Monastery conferred novice ordination on three new nuns and three new monks.

Therefore, our two aspirants, Béatrice and Inge, became Ven. Gyaltsen Chökyi and Ven. Gyaltsen Palmo, in addition to Sophie, a student of Nalanda Monastery, now Ven. Gyaltsen Chötso. There are now altogether four nuns residing at the Dorje Pamo. Two other French nuns are regular visitors: Ven. Detchen, who is taking care of her sick father, and Ven. Lhamo, who came out of a long retreat in autumn 2020 and is currently visiting friends and family.

There are also several nuns who are part of our community although not as residents. They join us for regular pujas, special events, and to help with service. Ven. Tenzin Pema is our accountant. Some of the nuns take turns in guiding meditations and participating in our program. The program has been very reduced due to the pandemic’s restrictions. However, we continue to offer weekly meditations and Tara pujas online through Zoom. Some of our friends are glad to stay connected in this way.

In addition, on the auspicious full-moon day of July 24, we welcomed our abbot, Geshe Tenzin Loden, who was appointed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The enthronement was a very joyous celebration day. After inviting Geshe-la to the gompa, we recited Requests and Homage to the Sixteen Arhats, who are specially connected to the Sangha. The Sixteen Arhats, also known as the Sixteen Elders, were personally chosen by Shakyamuni Buddha, who asked them to remain in the world to maintain the Dharma. They vowed to stay until the time of the future Buddha Maitreya in order to help the Dharma flourish.

Geshe-la gave an inspiring talk about the importance and role of Sangha in preserving and developing the Dharma; the importance of training in ethics as the basis of all trainings; and the importance of harmony in monastic community as the necessary condition for temporal and ultimate happiness. And that is exactly what we are trying to implement.

After these happy events, our community life is taking shape. We are settling in a rhythm of joint, as well as personal, practice, study, and offering service to the community. And we are preparing for the expansion of our program and resources for our community to grow in harmony among ourselves and with the environment.

You can learn more about Monastère Dorje Pamo on their website, MonastereDorjePamo.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.

Tony Migalka, Judy Wagner, Jan Vaughan, and Cathy Davis making long life offerings to Gen Dondrub at Buddha House, Adelaide, South Australia, June 2021. Photo by Joanne Foo.

Buddha House, the FPMT center located in a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, celebrated their resident teacher Ven. Thubten Dondrub. Carole Migalka, Tara Hall coordinator, shares the story.

On June 20, 2021, Dharma brothers and sisters from around Australia and overseas gathered at Buddha House, Adelaide, Australia, in person and online, to offer a White Tara long life ceremony to Ven. Thubten Dondrub—fondly known to students as Gen Dondrub. Approximately 130 people participated in the event, with forty-nine people in our gompa and with the livestream being watched throughout Australia and as far away as Malaysia and Mongolia. People traveled from Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales to enjoy the puja. Following the event, a delicious lunch was served to fifty-three people in Tara Hall.

When Buddha House director Lyndy Abram and spiritual program coordinator Judy Wagner presented the idea of offering a long life puja, it took some convincing to get Gen Dondrub to agree. However, with the knowledge that full support was expressed from International Office and FPMT Australia, Gen-la humbly agreed to the event, making it the first long life puja offered to a member of the International Mahayana Institute (IMI), which is the community of FPMT monks and nuns, and an important example of honoring Western Sangha.

Pavel Janko, Ven. Drime, Ven. Kaye Miner, and Sandy Faber seated in the front row offering prayers at the White Tara Long Life Ceremony at Buddha House, Adelaide, South Australia, June 2021. Photo by Joanne Foo.

Leading the puja was Ven. Thubten Drime, one of four nuns living in temporary accommodation while working to establish the Machig Labdron nuns community at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo. Some students were unable to attend in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, but conducive conditions saw the South Australia border open to regional Victoria just in time for Ven. Drime, who took lay vows with Gen Dondrub, to travel to Adelaide to lead the ceremony.

Extensive offerings were made, an abundance of flowers arranged, and students—dressing for the theme—transformed the gompa into a sea of white. Sponsorship and offerings came, with gratitude, from across the globe, and true to Gen Dondrub’s manner he offered them on to fellow Australian monastics.

With skies of devotion and respect, Gen Dondrub has offered extensive service to Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche since meeting them both in 1976 and receiving gelong ordination from Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Australia in 1979. Gen Dondrub has served as a director, on boards, and led the month-long November course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, eight times. He continues to lead lamrim retreats at De-Tong Ling Retreat Center on Kangaroo Island in Australia.

Gen Dondrub has lived at Sera Je Monastery in India. He has taught in Taiwan as well as helped establish Jinsiu Farlin, the FPMT center in Taipei. He has been a resident and director at Nalanda Monastery in France and has taught in many additional countries, including New Zealand, India, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, United States, and Mexico. Gen Dondrub has served as IMI’s education officer, been the resident teacher at Hayagriva Buddhist Centre, in Perth, Australia, and supported and taught at the Tara Meditation Centre in Bunbury and the Gyalwa Ensapa Broome Study Group.

Gen Dondrub continues to teach an extensive Dharma program as resident teacher at Buddha House. The program includes Discovering Buddhism, lamrim, traditional practices and pujas, retreat days, and the popular Sunday talks, offering practical Dharma solutions for everyday living.

In “Preparing for Ordination” on the IMI website, Gen Thubten Dondrub writes, “Adopting the life of a renunciate is a life-long commitment in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. One takes ordination because one realizes that this human life really is rare and precious and wants to use it in the most meaningful way—both for oneself and others.”

Students around the globe touched by Gen Dondrub’s service and commitment can wholeheartedly agree he has, and continues to, use his life in the most meaningful way.

Gen Dondrub’s Thank You Letter

Gen Dondrub at Buddha House, Adelaide, South Australia, June 2021. Photo by Joanne Foo.

Dear Dharma brothers and sisters,

I would just like to thank everyone who was involved in any way, big or small, directly or indirectly, in the wonderful, auspicious White Tara long life puja that was held at Buddha House on Sunday, June 20, 2021.

Thank you to all the people who attended the puja in person at Buddha House, and to those who watched online in various places around Australia and even overseas.

Thank you to all those generous people whose sponsorship made the puja not just possible, but a genuinely beautiful and joyful event.

Thank you to all the many hard-working people whose enthusiastic efforts over many months made this puja a reality that went so smoothly and harmoniously.

Thank you,  Judy Wagner, the amazing spiritual program coordinator of Buddha House, whose original idea it was to have this puja and who meticulously planned and organized the event down to the finest detail.

Thank you to Lyndy Abram, the director of Buddha House and to Peter Stickels and Stephanie Brennan at FPMTA who gave their strong support to this project.

Although I don’t personally deserve such a wonderful event, I accepted on behalf of all the monks and nuns of the International Mahayana Institute, the Sangha arm of the FPMT organization, in the hope that the puja would be auspicious for people to develop a greater recognition and appreciation for the work that the IMI Sangha have done in spreading the Dharma and supporting people in their practice. I personally feel that the event was genuinely auspicious because there was such a joyful atmosphere throughout the puja and the meal that followed, but also a sense of lightness and calmness and a strong “family feeling” that Lama Yeshe always encouraged.

So this puja was a long life puja for everyone involved and an offering to all the Sangha. For this reason all excess sponsorship will be donated to Thubten Shedrub Ling Monastery and Machig Labdron Nunnery in Bendigo. In addition a total of $4,417 was offered to me by various centers and students during the puja, which I also offer to the same two monastic communities.

Best wishes,
Thubten Dondrub

To learn more about Buddha House, visit their website Buddhahouse.org. You can find the International Mahayana Institute online at IMIsangha.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.