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Carina Rumrill: Carina is parent to three homeschooled children ages seventeen, fifteen and three; holds a master’s degree in Gender and Cultural Studies; and was the managing editor for Mandala Publications.
In August 2010, Maitripa College offered a panel discussion with four community parents, who also keep a spiritual practice, as part of a summer lecture series entitled, “The Enlightened Professional: Parenting as Spiritual Practice.”
From Mandala October-December 2010
From Mandala June 2002
“Whenever I am with a group of people who have experienced extraordinary suffering, the first thing I notice is a lightness in the air,” writes long-time FPMT student Adele Hulse. “… [I]f you spend your time with the suffering, you can’t really lose.”
From Mandala October-November 2006.
TV producer Barbara Jandro and Judy Weitzner, right
Advice from Lama Yeshe eventually lead Judy Weitzner to work with older adults. Read how she was able to integrate Dharma into her work.
From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002.
For the April-June 2009 issue, Mandala got into contact with Judy to have her retell her story and to update readers on what had happened since the 2001 article.
Ven Anet Engel
Read what Ven. Anet Engel learned about by working with survivors of sexual abuse and why she eventually stopped counseling to become a Buddhist nun.
From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002.
Tushita Retreat Centre, 1972.
Big Love, the long-anticipated authorized biography of Lama Yeshe written by Adele Hulse, provides an intimate portrait of FPMT’s founder. This excerpt is taken from the chapter chronicling the purchase of Nowrojee Kotee, renamed Tushita Retreat Centre, and now Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India.
From Mandala April-June 2012.
Paul Leonard and his wife Heather
Paul Leonard shares his story of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the comfort he found at Tara Institute, an FPMT center in Australia, shortly after.
From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002.
Image by Louise Light shared on the occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday
July 6 was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 77th birthday, and in recognition of the day, FPMT North America (FPMT NA), the regional group representing centers, projects, services and students from Canada and the United States, launched Compassion Day, making special effort to remember not only His Holiness’ presence and contribution to the world, but also “to come together and celebrate compassion.”
FPMT centers, projects and services in North America celebrated Compassion Day with gusto. Compassion Day’s Facebook page has dozens of photos and we’re happy to share some of our favorites here for those of you that still haven’t had the chance to get online and start exploring.
Guhyasamaja Center celebrated Compassion Day early by making donations to a food bank and reciting the “Golden Light Sutra” for world peace, Centreville, Virginia, USA, June 30, 2012.
Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont, USA hosted an animal liberation, buying all of one store’s bait worms to release in the center’s garden. Later, Ven. Amy Miller led a meditation on compassion. The group also celebrated with birthday cake and prayers, July 6, 2012.
In Austin, Texas, USA, Land of Compassion and Wisdom organized a "hike-and-bike" trail cleanup in addition to hosting a compassion meditation, community potluck, face painting and gift making, July 6, 2012.
Tubten Kunga Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA celebrated Compassion Day with long-life prayers and a Lama Chöpa tsog. Geshe Konchog Kyab distributed $10 pre-paid cards that each participant could use to make a donation to a charity of their choice. The cards were donated by a generous benefactor, July 6, 2012.
Children at Kadampa Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA prepared and offered handmade gifts to His Holiness’ throne. Other events from the day included Ven. Choekyi Lhamo reading a biography of His Holiness and students picking vegetables in the center garden to offer to a food bank, July 6, 2012.
Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, California, USA hosted a contemplation on compassion followed by Chenrezig Guru Yoga, July 6, 2012.
Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, USA had tsog with Yangsi Rinpoche and gathered 130 pounds (59 kilograms) of food for Oregon Food Bank, July 6, 2012.
It seems to us at Mandala that the inaugural Compassion Day was a huge success! Check out Compassion Day’s Facebook page to see the other photos that we were unable to post here.
With 158 centers, projects and services around the globe, there is always news on FPMT activities, teachers and events. Mandala hopes to share as many of these timely stories as possible. If you have news you would like to share, please let us know.
Adriana Ferranti. Photo by Nick Dawson.
Learn the story of MAITRI Charitable Trust’s Adriana Ferranti, one incredible woman with a lot of energy and a lot of compassion for Bodhgaya’s poorest residents.
From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002.
You can find more information about MAITRI Charitable Trust on their newly designed (and constantly growing!) website.
Ven. Bob Alcorn
Although Tibetan Buddhism isn’t known for being socially engaged, there are many instances of devoted FPMT students making an effort to impact the world around them. In “A Nurse Finds Rights Livelihood,” Ven. Bob Alcorn describes how his job as a nurse and his “job” as a monk work together and shape his experience.
From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002.
FPMT News Around the World
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Lama Yeshe, with babies and Italian students, Taceno, Italy, 1976. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. You can find scores of photos like these on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Image Gallery.
You don’t? Then let’s get you two acquainted.
The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) is the organization responsible of collecting, organizing and preserving the works of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the founding teachers of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Since LYWA’s inception in 1996 at the behest of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the archive has collected thousands of hours of digital audio and video, and tens of thousands of pages of raw transcript, and is diligently working to edit the raw material to expand its already robust collection of free (or nearly free) books and DVDs.
The Archive (as they call themselves) also makes available a huge collection of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s spiritual advice, monthly podcasts, ebooks, historic audio teachings, a YouTube channel and an easy-to-navigate image gallery.
And to no surprise, the Archive is already in the works to release more invaluable materials for students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the FPMT. In addition to the recently released Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others, the second book in the FPMT Lineage Series, How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas, is being printed and prepped for distribution. Mandala will feature an excerpt out of this collection of teachings in the October-December 2012 issue – keep your eyes peeled!
The Archive also produces an excellent e-letter filled with important announcements about the organization’s progress. Not to sound alarmist, but if you haven’t signed up for it, you probably are missing something you’d be happier knowing.
Mandala has regularly made use of archived materials over the years, a kindness that makes us feel both privileged and indebted.
So it’s with great sincerity that we say, “We’re happy that you’ve finally met.”
With 158 centers, projects and services around the globe, there is always news on FPMT activities, teachers and events. Mandala hopes to share as many of these timely stories as possible. If you have news you would like to share, please let us know.
November Course 2011, attended by 260. Photo by Susanne Kekonen.
Read Tenzin Ludup’s story about attending Kopan Monastery’s famous November Course and how the course connects him and his family to their spiritual and cultural heritage.
From Mandala July-September 2012.