FPMT Community: Stories & News

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Paro, Bhutan, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

The June edition of our FPMT International Office e-News is out now – we hope you enjoy it.

This month you’ll find:

• Grants awarded from the Merit Box
• Supporting Elderly Tibetan Refugees
• Thank you from our Work a Day for Rinpoche Campaign
• Introduction to a new FPMT Study Group in the USA

and more!

Ven. Tenzin Yonten constructs 19 Dharma nesting boxes, January 2016. Photo courtesy of Ven. Tenzin Yonten.

Garden manager Ven. Tenzin Yonten designed, manufactured and installed 19 Dharma nesting boxes, placing them in the trees of Nalanda Monastery’s grounds in southern France:

“These nesting boxes have been designed and built to attract the widest possible variety of bird species to Nalanda’s property, such as different species of tit, woodpecker, wagtail, thrush, finch and starling. I have had a lot of help from Ven. Tony from Institut Vajra Yogini, an FPMT center nearby Nalanda, who has a huge amount of knowledge on this subject. He advised me on the designs of the boxes to cover the species that are common in this area, and the placement of the nesting boxes in the trees. Protection from predators and the weather are two important considerations, as well as some solitude and cover. Even the diameter of the entrance holes of the boxes have been varied to help with a sensitivity some species have to the size of the entry to their home.

Numbered nesting boxes, January 2016. Photo courtesy of Ven. Tenzin Yonten.

All the boxes are numbered for reference and are removable from the trees, and they all have a door so I can clean them each winter. Stage one of the project is the placement and to see which ones are occupied during the spring. When next winter arrives, I can go to them and clean them out, and if there’s no activity in some of the boxes, I can remove them and place them in different locations. This will be adjusted as each winter goes on. Furthermore, I will extend the project by installing nesting boxes for the two main species of owls that live on the river banks on one of Nalanda’s boundaries. These boxes are much larger than the ones for the song birds I have been installing. Owls are quite reclusive birds, so I need to look very closely for ideal box locations.

The mantra card placed into each nesting box, January 2016. Photo courtesy of Ven. Tenzin Yonten.

The general idea is to attract as many bird species as possible to Nalanda’s property. Most of the species are now declining primarily because of human development. Modern housing does not allow for birds to nest, and many of the older houses and barns are being modernized and renovated with the same effect. Also, the majority of the gardens in this area do not have well-established trees or secluded areas. Nalanda’s property is ideal nesting ground on all those points, so we can attract a lot more birds to a safe space and give them the facilities to nest and raise their young. I also hope to attract new species of birds to the property that have not commonly been seen before.

An extremely important part of the project is that each of the nesting boxes has a mantra card with holy images in the ceiling, designed by Pete Albertsen using FPMT Education Services materials. The chicks will be looking up all the time, waiting for the parents to come and deliver food. In this way, they will have imprints of the Dharma in their minds at all times.

I would very much like to thank everyone you so kindly donated so I could buy good quality materials for the boxes. Nalanda’s Animal Care Project is completely dependent on kind donors for this kind of activity, as well as vet bills for feral or wild animals that are brought to us (or just turn up!) for care. It’s also the perfect opportunity for them to get a generous dose of mantra too!

Ven. Tenzing Yoten installs nesting boxes on Nalanda’s grounds, January 2016. Photo courtesy of Ven. Tenzin Yonten.

Of course, my huge thanks to Ven. Tony for his kind and generous help in actualizing the nesting box project. I learnt a lot from him about the bird species of the area, how they live, and how to give them opportunity to nest safely. I am very grateful for all the support so many people have given me. I’m sure we will see the benefits this coming spring and summer.”

Originally published in News from Nalanda April 2016.

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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.

Vens. Namdrol Phuntsok and Jangchub Gyalmo at Kopan, Nepal, 2015. Photo courtesy of Kopan Monastery.

In early May, 20 nuns sat at Geden Choeling Nunnery for a fourth and final round of examinations for the Geshema degree, including two nuns from Khachoe Ghakyil Ling (Kopan Nunnery) – Vens. Namdrol Phuntsok and  Jangchub Gyalmo. According to Tibetan Nuns Project, those who pass will receive their degrees in October 2016 from His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a special ceremony in Dharamsala. They will become the first cohort of Tibetan nuns to receive the Geshema degree.

Ven. Phuntsok was born in the Pembo district of Tibet and became a nun at age 9. She went to Nepal to study at age 12 and entered Kopan Nunnery in 1993 at age 13. Ven. Gyalmo is from Tsum, in the Gorkha district of Nepal. In 1989, Ven. Gyalmo took ordination in Sarnath, India, and a year later she entered Kopan Nunnery at the age of 18.

For the first^–year of the Geshema exams in 2013, there were 29 nuns from six nunneries. Ven. Phuntsok received top marks and placed first in the group. In the second-year exams, she was second. And in the third-year exams, among the now 20 nuns – nine had dropped out mainly due to illness – she was again first. Ven. Gyalmo placed eleventh, twelfth, and sixth over the three years. 

Vens. Phuntsok and Gyalmo are already teaching Buddhist philosophy to the younger nuns at Kopan, where more than half of the nunnery’s 350 nuns are in the study program. They will continue at the nunnery after they receive their Geshema degrees. Both hope to spend about nine months of the year teaching and three months doing retreat. Ven. Phuntsok said she plans to dedicate more time to improving her English so that she can also teach the Dharma in English when asked.

In 2017, another five or six Kopan nuns will have finished their studies and will begin the four-year period of exams to qualify for the Geshema degree. By completing their in-depth studies and exams, these ground-breaking nuns are helping to ensure a strong future for the Gelug tradition and the Buddhadharma.

Ven. Namdrol Phuntsok and Ven. Jangchub Gyalmo talked about studying for the Geshema degree and the importance of having female geshes in the interview “A Straight and Steady Motivation” (Mandala January-March 2013).

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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.

Tenzin Ösel and Tara Melwani greet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Japan before His Holiness begins teaching.

Tenzin Ösel Hita recently spent time in Southeast Asia. In March he was in Singapore to attend the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche organized by Amitabha Buddhist Centre. He then traveled to Malaysia later in the month to receive the Most Secret Hayagriva initiation along with Gomo Tulku. In early April, Ösel went to Kuala Lumpur and had dinner with Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Osel enjoying lunch with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Gomo Tulku, Chung Han and Tze Hua.

While in Singapore and Malaysia Ösel and Gomo Tulku gave talks and engaged in Q & A sessions at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Losang Dragpa Centre, and Chokyi Gyaltsen Center. 

Ösel with Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, Gomo Tulku and friends in Singapore.

Last week, Ösel was in Japan to attend teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and he commented that he was “so blessed and lucky” for this opportunity. 

In April of 2015, Ösel led a pilgrimage to India and Nepal. During that pilgrimage they visited Tushita Meditation Centre and Ösel was kind enough to give a talk about his life, his experiences, and some lessons he has learned along his path. You can enjoy a clip of this talk on YouTube. 

In this video clip Ösel says to those in attendance, “I am not a teacher, at all. I’m a student and I think I will always be a student. And I think we all have to learn together. So that’s what I am trying to do. Trying to learn from you and maybe you can learn from me. In just the same way that we learn from life, through everybody. From the moment we are born until the moment we die we are always learning.”

The full length recording of Ösel’s talk will be available on Rinpoche Available Now (RAN) soon in the “Tenzin Ösel Hita Videos” section.

FPMT continues to support Ösel in all of his Dharma and educational endeavors through the Big Love Fund. All are welcome to be part of this offering. 

You can learn more about Ösel including his biography, photos, videos and more. 

Geshe Kelsang Wangmo teaching at Jamyang Buddhist Centre London, November 2014. Photo by Natascha Sturny.

In early May, The Yogini Project released “Geshema Kelsang Wangmo: On Becoming The First Geshema,” a video interview with Geshe Kelsang Wangmo. In the short interview, Geshe Wangmo – whose early contact with FPMT center Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India, and Kopan Monastery in Nepal, contributed to her desire to become a nun and study intensively – describes how her earning a Geshema degree through the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in April 2011 helped pave the way for Tibetan nunneries to begin awarding the degree to other qualified women.

Watch “Geshema Kelsang Wangmo: On Becoming The First Geshema” on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/x3DT1KWfmZ8

In Mandala’s exclusive October-December 2012 interview with Geshe Kelsang Wangmo – “The Joy of Study: An Interview with Geshe Kelsang Wangmo” – Geshe Wangmo shares how she became a geshe, the obstacles she overcame, and the benefits of rigorous study.

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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 teaching at Mahayana Buddhist Association, Hong Kong, May 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

We hope you enjoy the May FPMT International Office e-News.

This month you will find:

• New Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche about Earthquakes
• How to prepare for this year’s Light of the Path Retreat with Rinpoche
• New Materials from FPMT Education Services
• Extensive Prayers on Saka Dawa on behalf of the entire FPMT
• New FPMT Center and Study Group

and more!

Ösel Hita with friends before greeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama at teachings in Japan. May 12, 2016. Photo courtesy of Nad Prive’s Facebook page.

Tenzin Ösel Hita occasionally shares his insights and experiences on Facebook. Here Ösel discusses why compassion and humility are so important to put into practice: 

People tend to judge others, especially when they don’t know much about them. We tend to jump to conclusions easily. It is easier to find fault in others than oneself. It is easier to blame the rest for our problems. That is where we have to really understand why compassion and humility are so important. Even though it hurts and it’s something that has followed us all our life since childhood, sometimes we have to understand that it’s not part of us, but the way the human mind works. As long as we keep a good motivation and are humble, compassionate and open to criticism in order to learn and improve; the pain will dissipate. Do not take the burden of others if it cannot help them. Do not take any burden if you can, only joy and lightness in your heart. Adapt and move on. Be positive, I say. Be happy, for we are alive and it’s a new day where we can all grow and love each other. Biglove life, feel it and live.

Ösel saying hello to an owl.

La gente tiende juzgar a los demás, especialmente cuando no saben mucho de ellos. Tenemos la tendencia a sacar conclusiones fácilmente, es más fácil de encontrar faltas en los demás que en uno mismo. Es más fácil culpar a los demás por nuestros problemas. Ahí es donde tenemos que entender realmente por qué la compasión y la humildad son tan importantes. Aunque duele y es algo que nos ha seguido durante nuestra vida desde la infancia, a veces tenemos que entender que no somos nosotros, sino la forma en que funciona la mente del ser humano. Mientras mantengamos una buena motivación, la humildad, la compasión y ser abiertos a la crítica con el fin de aprender y mejorar; el dolor se disipará. No tomes la carga de los demás si no les puedes ayudar. No tomes ninguna carga si es posible, únicamente alegría y ligereza en tu corazón. Adaptarse y seguir adelante, ser positivo es lo que digo. Sé feliz porque estamos vivos y es un nuevo día en el que todos podemos crecer y amarnos unos a los otros. GranAmor vida, sentirla y vivirla.

The Big Love Fund helps support the education and creative endeavors of Ösel. You can learn more about this project or follow news about Ösel.  

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Palden

By Ven. Jampa Khedrub

Sera Je Khensur Rinpoche Acharya Geshe Lobsang Palden manifested passing beyond his coarse body on the evening of May 1, 2016, in Taipei, Taiwan, and subsequently remained in the clear light meditation (thuk-dam) until May 6. 

His holy body was finally cremated on the morning of May 12 amidst fervent prayers entreated by many of his students from Sera Je who had traveled abroad for the event as well as local devotees. It was the culmination of a life spent in earnest service of the Dharma and others.

Khensur Rinpoche was born within the Kardze district of Tehor Kham in eastern Tibet in around December 1935. At age 11 he entered nearby Dhargyey Monastery, and later at 17 he moved to Sera Je Monastery in Lhasa. Fleeing to India in 1959, he finally achieved the rank of Lharampa Geshe in 1980.

His fame as a scholar and practitioner quickly attracted many hundreds of students, and besides the many formal teachings and initiations he bestowed along the way, he taught Buddhist philosophy to students of the debate program more or less daily for more than 20 years. He was later approved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 73rd Abbot of Sera Je Monastery, a position which he held for seven years (2005-2012).

Mandala will have a complete obituary for Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Palden in the January-June 2017 issue.

Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Palden’s body while in clear light meditation, May 2016. Photo courtesy of Ven. Jampa Khedrub.

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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.

Tenzin Rigsel, the recognized reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup

On May 3, 2016, His Holiness the Dalai Lama officially recognized the three-year-old Tenzin Rigsel as the reincarnation of the beloved abbot of Kopan Monastery Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup Rigsel, who died in early September 2011. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche said in a message on May 14, “This news is so great and encouraging to our minds.”

Tenzin Rigsel was born January 29, 2013, to mother Drolma Choezom (Mochung) and father Karsing Phuntsok (Apey), who are also parents of the well-known Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, the recognized reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog. 

Tenzin Rigsel’s parents, senior Kopan nun Ani Chodron and Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche all shared with the search committee several stories that suggested that young Tenzin Rigsel was no ordinary child. The stories include Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup’s encouragement of the parents to continue having children that become Kopan nuns and monks; Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche’s prediction at Lama Lhundrup’s cremation that the reincarnation would be born in his family; Tenzin Rigsel’s desire to make prostrations and joy whenever watching video clips of His Holiness or Lama Zopa Rinpoche; the young boy’s consistent statements that Kopan Monastery is “his monastery” and his reluctance to leave once he arrived at Phuntsok Labrang at Kopan; his unhesitating wish to become a monk; his insistence that he already has many robes himself and that he not wear lay clothes; and his report that he remembers the staircase leading to the top of Kopan’s main gompa and that he used to sit in that top room, although he’d never been there as Tenzin Rigsel.

According to Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of FPMT, “Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been looking for Lama Lhundrup’s incarnation for some time now. When these stories were shown to Rinpoche by Geshe Tenzin Zopa, Rinpoche presented the name and stories to His Holiness with two other candidates. A few days later, His Holiness replied by letter confirming the recognition of Tenzin Rigsel.” His Holiness said, “Tenzin Rigsel to be recognized as a reincarnation of the late Lhundrup Rigsel comes out extremely positive.” The enthronement will be planned for next year.

Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche with his baby brother, Tenzin Rigsel

On September 7, 2011, the beloved abbot of Kopan Monastery Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup Rigsel showed the aspect of passing away. You can read Mandala’s tribute to Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup, an account of his last days, photos, videos and reminiscences from students on our page dedicated to Lama Lhundrup.

Read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s complete message on the recognition on FPMT.org.

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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 Yeshe, California, 1975. Photo by Carol Royce-Wilder.

In late April 2016, the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive released How to Meditate, a new multimedia title based on the fourth chapter of the book Freedom Through Understanding: The Buddhist Path to Happiness and Liberation by FPMT founder Lama Yeshe. 

How to Meditate is the Archive’s eighth multimedia title, a new way of presenting Lama Yeshe’s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings by enhancing fully edited transcripts with images, audio and video. Each title has links to additional supplemental resources related to the topic presented.

All the titles are free to the public with the hope that this new format for receiving teachings will “deepen your experience of the teachings, almost as if you had attended the teachings in person.”

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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 Namdak. Photo by Deepthy Shekhar.

On April 26, 2016, the Dutch monk known as Ven. Tenzin Namdak received the title of “Geshe” from Sera Je Monastic University in recognition of his completion of the advanced Buddhist studies and practice program. Completing the geshe studies program is a remarkable achievement in itself. As a Westerner, Geshe Namdak’s completion of the program speaks to his exemplary dedication to the study and practice of Dharma. We rejoice in his outstanding accomplishment.

In addition, Ven. Tenzin Legtsok, who also studies in the geshe program, wrote about Geshe Namdak’s outstanding service during his time at Sera Je, which you can read below.

In Service to Others: Ven. Tenzin Namdak

By Ven. Tenzin Legtsok 

In November 2015, Dutch monk Ven. Tenzin Namdak completed the final exams for the 19-year geshe studies program at Sera Je Monastery in South India. He is perhaps the only Westerner to complete this program from beginning to end at any of the three seats [Sera, Ganden and Drepung Monasteries]. Due to the rigor and length of the study program, the most extensive of Tibetan Buddhism available anywhere, less than a third of the Tibetan monks who begin the geshe studies program finish, and for Westerners, the dropout rate is much higher.

Once, while onstage during a public talk in Bangalore, His Holiness the Dalai Lama quietly asked Ven. Namdak which class he had reached at Sera. On hearing that Namdak had reached vinaya, or monastic ethics, His Holiness placed his palms together as a sign of his pleasure that a foreigner had come so far in the study program. Ven. Namdak has not only completed the full 19-year program but done so in grand style. However, to give an account of his efforts by measure of grades, reputation, or time spent debating and meditating – although impressive – is perhaps less meaningful then to relate some of his service to others over the past years.

Ven. Namdak serves as director of Sera IMI House (Shedrup Zung Drel Ling), where Western FPMT monks live while studying at Sera Monastery. From its inception in 2002, Ven. Namdak has helped many Western monks find their way at Sera and provided continual encouragement to those who stay on. In 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche asked him to give Dharma talks to people in Bangalore. Gradually, a study group formed, and his initial groundwork has blossomed into one of FPMT’s newest centers, Choe Khor Sum Ling. Six years ago, at the request of Sera Je Monastery, he set up and began teaching an extra-curricular program training monk-students to translate Dharma into English, which continues today as the Sera Je Monastic Translators Training Program. He was one of the main organizers of an extensive series of teachings by the late His Eminence Choden Rinpoche at Sera, beginning in 2006, during which the transmissions of many rare and important teaching lineages were passed on to thousands of monks. Finally, for the past five years, as requested by His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office, he has led the annual pre-ordination course for aspiring monks and nuns at Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala.

This is to list some obvious achievements that, as those of us who have lived and worked closely with him can attest to, have arisen from following the advice of his gurus with single-minded devotion, mindfully maintaining pure moral conduct, using each day and hour meaningfully in recognition of the value and transience of this precious human life, and sincerely wishing to benefit other sentient beings and the Buddhadharma.

From Mandala January-June 2016.

FPMT.org brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 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.