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Jacques Haesaert. Photo courtesy of Ambroisie Association.
In September 2014 during the CPMT 2014 meeting, managing editor Laura Miller met with student Françoise Majeste who revealed that a close student of Lama Yeshe and a long-time student of Institut Vajra Yogini in France – Jacques Haesaert – had died over five years ago, but had never been honored in Mandala. We’re happy to now share this tribute to Jacques’ life from his friends and students.
Jacques Haesaert, 67, died in Graulhet, France, July 2009, from a stroke
Five years have gone by since our doctor, teacher and friend, Jacques Haesaert, passed on. When he died in July 2009 at the age of 67, we were so unprepared and perturbed that none of his many students in France and Spain thought to send an obituary to Mandala magazine. Jacques was a member of Institut Vajra Yogini in Marzens, France and benefited not only his patients, but also his many students who came to his introductory classes on Tibetan medicine at the institute and his in-depth study programs. Now in remembrance of him, we write this biography as a tribute to him and his work.
Jacques Haesaert was passionate about learning and taught himself to read even before starting school in France. His personal studies of biology, natural medicine, the powers of plants and minerals, archeology, religions, Egyptology, cooking, music, to name a few, surely helped him assimilate Tibetan medicine later on. As well as working in France, Jacques spent many years in Africa and later worked in the Phillipines with local healers.
In 1974, his spiritual search brought him to India where he had his first contact with Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and the medicine practiced in this country. In Nepal he became a disciple of Lama Thubten Yeshe who encouraged him to study Tibetan medicine. Jacques followed Lama’s advice and studied many years in Dharamsala, India with Dr. Ama Lobsang Dolma.
We do not know all the details of his many years of study, treating and accompanying patients in India as a Tibetan doctor, but we do know that he also studied with Dr. Tsering Dinggang and worked for some time with the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa in Calcutta, with the most destitute of people.
In this 1982 forward, Lama Yeshe praises Jacques’ work writing “Jaques [sic] Haesaert has studied with us for several years … He has researched extensively into all aspects of Tibetan medicine, culture, mind psychology and religion. His work is authentic, and his style is good.”
In 1981, Lama Yeshe asked Jacques to share his knowledge with the Western world in a way that was adapted to the special needs of the people living in those places in actual times. After returning to France, Jacques treated patients and taught for the rest of his life.
As well as a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, he was also a Christian and Bible scholar. Jacques often made parallels between passages in the Bible and teachings of Buddha.
Faithful to the ethics of a Tibetan physician, he expected no pay for his consultations, only accepting offerings. In his later years, he made only two appointments a day so he could remain for hours with each patient in order to treat the patient as a whole and help the person to understand the cause of his ailments, and not just treat his symptoms.
Jacques always intended to write a book so many people could benefit from the knowledge and wisdom he accumulated over so many years, applying Tibetan medicine to the West. He wanted to help Westerners discover the extraordinary and practical knowledge offered by this system. For him it was important to show, through Tibetan medicine, how people can become responsible for their mental and physical health, conscious of their potential for happiness, love and wisdom, and of the errors that would lead them to suffering.
Just months before passing on, after years of our begging for them, he gave to us, his students in France and Spain, his nearly finished book that he used for his classes. He compiled it over decades and organized the information into chapters used for his teaching. Jacques explains important teachings from the medical tantras and elaborates on many aspects of what is health and disease, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Moreover, he explains many aspects of Tibetan medicine from a Western point of view.
We, his students and members of the Ambroisie Association, are in the process of translating it from French to English, Spanish, and German. It was his heart-felt wish to help preserve the extensive knowledge and wisdom that is Tibetan medicine from being lost or diluted.
You can find Jacques’ piece “Nature the Great Healer” in the June 2004 issue of Mandala.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche requests that “students who read Mandala pray that the students whose obituaries they read find a perfect human body, meet a Mahayana guru and become enlightened quickly, or be born in a pure land where the teachings exist and they can become enlightened.” While reading obituaries we can also reflect upon our own death and rebirth, prompting us to live our lives in the most meaningful way.
More advice from Lama Zopa Ripoche on death and dying is available on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice page.
The students of Golden Light Sutra Center negotiated the terrain around Aglag Monastery with ease, Darkhan, Mongolia, July 2014. Photo courtesy of Ven. Tezin Tsapel.
Ven. Tenzin Tsapel, director of Golden Light Sutra Center in Darkhan, Mongolia, reports on the group’s celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s July 6, 2014 birthday:
A group Golden Light Sutra Center students went on a sutra reading picnic for His Holiness’ birthday celebration. We hired a mini-bus for the two-hour drive to Aglag Monastery, 13 kilometers (8 miles) off the Darkhan/Ulaanbaatar road. As we drove in, the valley became quite narrow, and heavily treed, very green and culminated in small, steep mountain with unusual natural rocky outcrops, enclosed by a ring of mountains. From the car park we walked up the step gravel drive to the main monastery and cluster of buildings. The center piece was an ornately painted monastery building with a commanding view.
We settled in to recite the Vajra Cutter Sutra in front of the central Amitabha altar and then joined the stream of visitors upstairs paying respect to the holy images and Buddha relics and viewing an odd assortment of mythical beast models.
The path led behind the main building and around a very beautiful but very steep and slippery mountain track past numerous carved holy images, mantras and syllables, as well as a few obstacle-course rock formations. My initial concern for some of the older members of our group gave way to respect as our hardy Mongolian ladies made their way around mountain. We stopped on the way for some birthday cake and fruit and made our way to the grass base for our late picnic lunch.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Jim Blumenthal on the Johkang with the Potala in the background, Lhasa, Tibet, 2004.
Mandala is mourning the loss of our dear friend Dr. James Blumenthal, who passed away very early in the morning of October 8, 2014, at age 47, due to complications from cancer. Jim was a regular contributor to Mandala for many years. He was also a talented and generous scholar, teacher and colleague, serving as a professor of Buddhist philosophy and history at Maitripa College as well as at Oregon State University in the United States. He was a student of Geshe Lhundub Sopa Rinpoche at the University of Wisconsin, where he received his PhD.
Jim was quick to say “yes” whenever we asked him for an article for Mandala and his submissions arrived on time and were beautifully written. He had great depth of knowledge and a sharp mind, yet was always humble and gracious. He had the wonderful ability to make the sometimes complicated and difficult-to-understand world of Buddhist philosophy accessible and fascinating to the not-so-academically inclined. His gentle kindness, clear explanations and always interesting stories will be profoundly missed.
Jim’s death is a great loss for Maitripa College, where he taught since its founding. Jim is survived by his seven-year-old son Ben, wife Tiffany, parents Susan and Jack, brother Tom and Ben’s mother Sara, who was the former editor and publisher of Mandala.
As a small remembrance of Jim, we’ve upload several PDFs of his Mandala articles from archive issue, which you can find here.
Maitripa College has created a webpage for Jim with a collection of prayers that may be recited and dedicated for him. Also on the page, you will find Jim’s translation of Shatarakshita’s Ornament of the Middle Way, a link to a memorial page and a touching video remembrance of Jim by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Oregon State University has published a moving tribute of Jim.
Mandala will run a full obituary in our next issue.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Ven. Kabir Saxena and Hari Om, MPT Healthcare Program staff, offer basic health education to villagers, Kushinagar, India, March 2014. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Project Trust.
In March 2014, Maitreya Project Trust (MPT), the organization responsible for constructing a very large Maitreya statue in Kushinagar, India, began offering basic medical services to villagers affected by the project. The MPT Healthcare Project, one of MPT’s social programs, purchased a large van and toured the countryside, offering basic education on hygiene and alcohol abuse, and forming partnerships with village officials. The van will travel to Delhi to be converted into a fully functioning mobile clinic and soon doctors, nurses and support staff will be hired to expand MPT Healthcare Project’s services and outreach.
This September, MPT collaborated with Kushinagar District Magistrate’s Office to begin distributing 3,500 mosquito nets together with reading material about malaria and other infectious diseases. Hundreds of people lined up to receive the first 1,000 nets during the inaugural health camp, and many more are expected to come in October during the second.
At the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, MPT is making plans to distribute 3,500 wool blankets in December, when temperatures can dip to 40°F (4°C), to the area’s poorest.
Progress continues being made on the statue itself, with MPT staff estimating that they will be able to receive 200 acres of land by the end of 2014 and begin the long process of fencing the boundary, setting up their office and welcoming a 24-foot (7-meter) Maitreya statue from Bodhgaya to Kushinagar for auspiciousness.
MPT Healthcare Program distributes 1,000 mosquito nets to Kushinagar residents, India, September 2014. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Project Trust.
More about Maitreya Project Trust and its accomplishments can be found in its October 2014 update.
You can support Maitreya Project Trust, including the MPT Healthcare Project, by visiting 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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Ven. Tenzin Namdak teaching at Choe Khor Sum Ling, Bangalore, India, April 2013. Photo courtesy of Choe Khor Sum Ling.
“As part of the ongoing Discovering Buddhism course at Choe Khor Sum Ling, we recently organized a four-day non-residential retreat,” said center member Shanti Gopinath in an email to Mandala in July. “Under the adept guidance of Ven. Tenzin Legtsok from Sera Je, students reflected and meditated upon the outlines of two topics from the program: ’The Spiritual Teacher’ and ’Death and Rebirth.’ The meditation sessions invigorated all that we learned theoretically in these two modules. The retreats included reflection and guided meditation. Ven. Legtsok’s pragmatic approach to the reflection, contemplation and meditation process made the concepts easier to understand, clearer and deep seated in our minds.”
“Bangaloreans are mostly a staunch working community and so a non-residential retreat in the heart of the city was well received. Participants were happy to break away from everyday monotony and the distractions of ordinary life.
“Our next four-day residential retreat in August 2014 will be at Gyume Tantric Monastery in Hunsur. The retreat will be led by Ven. Tenzin Namdak from Sera Je. The retreat will incorporate guided meditations focused around the topics outlined in the Discovering Buddhism modules ‘All About Karma’ and ‘Refuge.’ Gyume Monastery is in a Tibetan farming settlement four hours’ drive from Bangalore and is a perfect setting for our next retreat.”
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kayak paddle with Namgyälma mantra, Waldo Lake, Oregon, US, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Mandala Publications.
A third-year Maitripa College student sent Mandala this idea on how to use the Namgyälma mantra to make kayaking a more beneficial experience. “The Namgyälma mantra is extremely powerful,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches. “It is the main mantra to purify and liberate beings from the lower realms, purify negative karma, and help those who are dying or have died ….” Here is her account:
During a rituals and ethics class, we learned about water tsa-tsas. While kayaking one day, I started thinking about how many times my paddle was in the water. I wondered if there was a way to do something like the water tsa-tsas with my paddle.
Waldo Lake, Oregon, US, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Mandala Publications.
I came across an article about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Namgyälma mantra board and blessing all the creatures in the water and whomever comes in contact with the water. I put two and two together and started asking around about a way to put a mantra on a kayak paddle.
The mantra that I used is actually a bumper sticker that I got through the FPMT Foundation Store. Before putting on the sticker, I first did the Jorchö practice and recited some of the mantras I found in the tsa-tsa book. Afterward, I dedicated the merit. Since it’s important to protect the mantra, I cover both of the paddle blades with stuff sacks for storage, taking them off before paddling and putting them back on when I’m done.
The new stickers have really changed the way I treat my paddles and my mindset while paddling. I recite a mantra most of the time as I paddle and dedicate at the end of the kayak outing.
The Foundation Store, managed by FPMT International Office, provides Dharma materials and supplies to interested students around the world. All proceeds from the shop are used to further the charitable mission of FPMT Inc.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
CPMT, FPMT’s international meeting, which was recently hosted in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, successfully concluded with the official long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche on September 19th.
We invite you to read our wrap up of CPMT 2014, and also review the blogs sent during the meeting. You can still watch video of Rinopche’s advice given during the meeting and the long life puja here.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is currently teaching during the month-long Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa retreat in the Great Stupa, and Rinpoche’s teachings are available via livestreaming.
In addition to the live webcasts, mp3 audio recordings of Rinpoche’s teachings in English and translated into Spanish, French and Italian are uploaded each day.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche circumambulating the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 12, 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche with CPMT 2014 meeting participants in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Steve Alberts.
What will participants remember most about CPMT 2014? Judging by the feedback they provided, it’s getting a big dose of inspiration from an intense week of connecting with FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the international FPMT community and FPMT’s distinctive Wisdom Culture. It seemed for everyone in attendance that the warmth of CPMT’s “family feeling” filling up the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, where the meeting was held, eclipsed the chilly meeting venue.
Offering khatas to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the beginning of CPMT 2014, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Here are a few positive things that stood out for CPMT meeting participants:
- “Rinpoche’s presence! Getting to interact with everyone over to course of the conference due to inclusive group work.”
- “Getting to ‘reboot’ my inspiration in working for FPMT and serving sentient beings.”
- “Hearing the stories of Ven. Gyatso (Adrian Feldmann) and other long-term students who were there from the beginning.”
- “I liked very much the group discussions and that Rinpoche came to some of the sessions.”
- “Putting faces to emails. “
- “Learning what other projects are happening was very inspiring. The [Vast Visions that] are up and running expands my perspective considerably.”
A space heater and a small group discussion at CPMT 2014, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Claire Isitt, FPMT Center Services director and coordinator of CPMT 2014 commented, “What a wonderful CPMT meeting that was. Some said the best so far. We were supremely blessed with lots of time and advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who also joined in some of the small group discussions. The meeting venue was completely inspiring – and the cold kept us alert! I’m enormously grateful to all who worked so hard to make the meeting so beneficial – the CPMT committee, the host team and volunteers, our wonderful facilitator, the presenters (including the wonderful older students who gave the very inspiring Wisdom Culture evening talks), small group facilitators, Ven. Joan Nicell for transcribing, the AV team who enabled so many to be present for Rinpoche’s talks via livestream – and all who made it to Bendigo, Australia, to participate in our amazing international meeting. Wow, wow, wow!”
According to the 88 meeting participants who completed the “CPMT 2014: Evaluation and Feedback” survey, the most common criticism of the event can be summed up as follows: “Too much happening, too little time to let things settle in.” The seven-day meeting’s schedule was full of talks by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, presentations and small group discussions, which for many didn’t leave much time for reflection or lengthy in-depth discussion. Other critical comments reflected some of the difficulties of hosting a large meeting in what is in essence a construction site – the unheated accommodations and meetings space combined with the cold temperatures of Australia’s early spring and the reliance on portable sanitation facilities drew many comments.
Participants from the Southeast Asia region at lunch, CPMT 2014, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
But despite it all, participants overwhelmingly said that they would encourage others to attend the next CPMT. Here are a few things they would say to a center director or SPC considering whether to go:
- “Do join because is highly inspirational and informative and gives lots of ideas to implement in one’s own center.”
- “I would encourage them strongly as it is critical to align them with FPMT globally so there is a strong sense of the entire FPMT mandala, otherwise center personnel can feel they are operating in a vacuum.”
- “You’d be crazy to miss it! Having direct advice and input from LZR [Lama Zopa Rinpoche] is so, so, so special.”
The meeting minutes and other reports from CPMT will be made available as they are completed. Watch the CPMT e-group for updates.
The morning sun at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, September 17, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
You can find more coverage of CPMT 2014 on our blog.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche being led to the long life puja in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion by (from right) Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, FPMT CEO Ven. Roger Kunsang, Thubten Shedrup Ling director Gyatso, FPMT Board of Directors secretary Paula de Wys, FPMT Australia coordinator Helen Patrin and FPMT Center Services director Claire Isitt, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
The CPMT 2014 meeting came to a close on Friday, September 19, with a moving long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Meeting participants, volunteers from Atisha Centre and Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, monks from Thubten Shedrup Ling and other community members harmoniously created a beautiful gompa inside the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion for the puja.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche entering the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion for the long life puja, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
Mallika Krishnamurthy distributing tea during the long life puja, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
During the reading of the praises for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
Despite the chilly temperature inside the Great Stupa during the meeting, participants in CPMT 2014 appeared satisfied with the meeting’s accomplishments and happy to have been able to spend time with each other, renewing old friendships and creating new. The CPMT committee, who organized the seven-day meeting, felt the meeting was an overall success. Minutes from the entire meeting will be made available.
The A/V team worked tirelessly to not only record the entire meeting but also to make sure that Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings during CPMT were webcast around the world and are available as video recordings on the CPMT Livestream page. Ven. Joan Nicell performed her magic, instantly transcribing Rinpoche’s words on to a projected screen. Transcriptions of Rinpoche’s teaching will also be made available as they are ready.
After a brief interlude, Lama Zopa Rinpoche will be leading the month-long Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa retreat, September 25-October 23, at the Great Stupa. Rinpoche’s teachings will be webcast live on the retreat Livestream page.
Camera man Peter Lane filming the very end of the long life puja, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
You can find Mandala‘s coverage of CPMT 2014 on our blog.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Selina Foong and Candy Tan, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
Day 6 of the CPMT 2014 meeting began with morning prayers beautifully led by Ven. Gyatso. After breakfast, Sarah Brooks led a morning motivation drawing from the Inner Job Description. At the end of the short reflection, she asked participants to set a goal for how they will benefit beings for the day and write it down so that at the end of the day they can check to see how they’ve done.
Helen Patrin led the morning session on “Keeping the FPMT Wisdom Culture Alive,” the last presentation for the meeting. Helen reminded us that Wisdom Culture is the “foundation of the Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. … The wisdom and compassion that they have taught us over the years is infused into everything that we do.” Vens. Kunphen and Paloma Alba read out the nine key points of FPMT Wisdom Culture.
Robert Schwabe, Vens. Tenzin Tsapel, Tenzin Kunphen and Chantal Carrerot, CPMT 2014, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
There were three small group discussion periods about Wisdom Culture and supporting one’s respective center, project or service. Here are a few of the ideas shared with the large group about what Wisdom Culture is:
- The “family feeling” – the warm feeling of connection – that you experience at any center or project you visit
- A combination of the traditional teachings and an unconventional style, which gives a strong foundation and the freedom to explore in our local environments
- A rich oral tradition of sharing stories and senior students leading by their good example
- A safe path that is inclusive and open, depth and richness that is a living tradition
- Wisdom Culture is about harmony within ourselves and at centers
Dozens more ideas came from the small groups for supporting Wisdom Culture, including sharing videos of Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe. An example of this could be this video posted by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive called “Bringing Dharma to the West – Lama Yeshe: How We Started Teaching Westerners”:
Just before lunch, François Lecointre gave an update on the Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour (formerly the Heart Shrine Relic Tour) complete with a photo presentation of the tour visiting different parts of the world. François shared Rinpoche’s advice on the purpose of the relic tour and explained how the tour, which is a collection of many holy relics from Buddhist masters including the Buddha himself, travels to many different kinds of places. In addition to Dharma centers, the relics visit hospices, prisons, museums and so forth. So far the holy relics have visited 68 countries.
Following a brief financial report on the meeting, all presenters from the previous days were invited to the front to recap their session and describe what comes next.
Claire Isitt and Sandra Stubbings going over the agenda on Day 6 of CPMT 2014, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 18, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
“We’ve come from a humble beginning,” Ven. Roger said, referring to Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s initial teachings while penniless monks, to the group of more than 100 sitting inside the Great Stupa. “We’ve achieved a lot and working together we can achieve a lot more.”
After a break for a group photo with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, there was a Lama Chöpa tsog with Rinpoche. Following that, Rinpoche gave the closing talk for the meeting, which focused on practicing bodhichitta. A video recording of Rinpoche’s talk is available on the CPMT Livestream page.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche walking to the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion with Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi and Vens. Roger Kunsang, Sangpo and Sherab, Australia, September 19, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
“So if you really are practicing Dharmas, especially the Mahayana teachings … put all the blames to one, that is the ‘I,’” Rinpoche said. “There’s not someone else [to blame]. You are practicing Dharma, so blame the ‘I’, the self-cherishing thought. … Let go of the ‘I’, where all the suffering and obstacles come, let go of that and cherish others. [That is] where all the happiness comes from including enlightenment – all the success”.
After dinner, participants prepared for the next day’s long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, transforming the meeting space inside the Great Stupa into a proper gompa.
Offerings to the Guru Rinpoche statue in the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang
You can find Mandala‘s coverage of CPMT 2014 on our blog.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Vajrapani Institute’s main gompa. Photo via vajrapani.org.
Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California continues its experiment with “no-fees” Kopan West lam-rim retreats, the next scheduled for November 21-30, 2014 and taught by FPMT-registered teacher Glen Svensson. Kopan West is a 10-day introductory lam-rim course modeled after the successful Kopan November retreats held in Nepal since the early 1970s.
In 2013, the center piloted a new generosity-based system for covering the retreat’s costs, abandoning the traditional fee-centered model. They told participants they would not be charged and asked them at the end of the retreat to instead reflect on what they had gained and make a contribution to next year’s attendees.
“The teachings from Kopan West continue to impact me as I apply Buddhist practices in my daily life and has inspired me to further study,” said Sahar Bintamal, a November 2013 retreatant. “My attendance at Kopan West would not have been possible without the donation/generosity model. I feel honored that my donation will support another student to experience the lam-rim teachings in the coming year.”
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Gelek Sherpa painted Lama Yeshe’s cremation stupa, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, California. Photo via vajrapani.org.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi with Vens. Roger and Sangpo outside of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
The morning of Day 5 of CPMT 2014, FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered an Amitayus long life initiation. Rinpoche gave a penetrating teaching on emptiness and the merely labeled ‘I’ before offering the initiation. The teaching can be watched as a video recording on the CPMT Livestream page.
Harald Weichart operating a camera during a teaching by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
In afternoon session, “Aging Care,” Ven. Damcho from the Chenrezig Nuns Community and Isabel Arocena, from Tushita Centro de Retiros, talked about meeting needs of those in our community facing the challenges of chronic illness and aging. Situations vary from country to country and individual to individual, but one of the main points to come out of the session is that individuals can be making initial preparations for their own future spiritual care. This can include examples like writing down your wishes for the practices and prayers to be done at your death and like recording yourself reciting your daily practice for a time when you might not be able. They shared a few examples of how people currently requiring support are managing and receiving the support from the community and friends. An open question and answer session followed.
After dinner, Ian Green, director of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, spoke to the group about how the Great Stupa came to be – from Lama Yeshe’s initial instructions given in 1981, to Lama Zopa Rinpoche choosing the type of stupa, to traveling to Tibet to measure the Gyantse Stupa, which the Great Stupa is modeled on, to the present day when the stupa rises 26 meters above the ground, with 22 meters to go. Ian shared the Master Plan based on Lama Yeshe’s vision for the site, which includes a hotel, restaurant, museum, nunnery, lay housing, a primary school and elder care facilities. In 2000, the land for the stupa was cleared. In 2003, the first concrete was laid and Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited. In 2007, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited and consecrated the large Guru Rinpoche statue and blessed the site. In 2013, the steel framework for bumpa was installed on the top level and 20,000 tourists visited.
CPMT 2014 meeting, Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 16, 2014. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Ian also talked about the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, a project that he has developed from its beginnings as a huge boulder of gemstone quality jade to a 2.7-meter (9-foot) tall carved Buddha statue, which has visited 80 cities in 18 countries and drawn 7.4 million people to its exhibitions. The Jade Buddha will have its final home inside the Great Stupa.
Ian Green sharing about the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Australia, September 17, 2014. Photo by Laura Miller.
Since Ian has raised literally millions of dollars for these projects, he shared his rules of fundraising:
- People give to people (integrity is of highest importance)
- Nothing beats face to face
- Honor your benefactors (permanent and visual recognition)
- Database is wish fulfilling tree (prune, nurture, patience)
- Fundraising is a numbers game
Ian recalled that Lama Zopa Rinpoche had once told him, “The greater the merit; the great the obstacles.” More recently Rinpoche said that the Great Stupa was like an big jet plane that had been going down a long runway and was not taking off.
Mandala will continue sharing updates and photos from the CPMT 2014 meeting as the meeting continues.
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 on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.