The nuns of Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery.From December 2012-  June 2013 the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund is offering US$14,000 for two 100 million mani retreats at Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery in Nepal. The fund has sponsored 100 million Om Mani Padme Hum retreats at this nunnery every year since 2009.

The fund sponsored two 100 million mani retreats in 2012, one of which was dedicated to Rinpoche’s long life.

The Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns working on constructing a school.

In addition to the 100 million mani retreats taking place over the next six months, the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund is offering all the cost of food to all the nuns for this period as well as the cost of a very qualified geshe to stay during the retreat in order to give lam-rim teachings. This is very important for the nuns’ studies. The retreat lasts three months and about seventy nuns participate. Each nun doing the recitations receives a small offering and the nunnery also receives an offering. This is the main means of support for the nuns and the nunnery.

100 Million Mani Retreats Sponsored

• 2009: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
• 2010: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
• 2011: One retreat sponsored during Saka Dawa
• 2012: Two retreats sponsored over Saka Dawa
• 2013: Two retreats sponsored from December 2012-June 2013 beginning on Lama Tsongkhapa Day

UPDATE April 2013: Lama Zopa Rinpoche just received this message from the Tashi Chime Gatsal Nuns who are currently doing their 2^nd 100 million mani retreat. More….

If you would like to contribute to to Rinpoche’s ongoing commitment to sponsor these 100 million mani retreats:

DONATE

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Vision for 100 Million Mani Retreats

This is the beginning of actualizing one of Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT which he explained in 2007: Sponsoring 100 Million Mani Retreats.

As Rinpoche explained:

“[I would like] for the organization to establish 100,000 recitations of 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum. This can be retreats of 100 million recitations, so 100,000 different retreats in different parts of the world where it can happen regularly, each year.

There are two ways to count this. One way is once it is established for it to happen regularly each year. Or it can happen in different places, one time, and you count it like that. Maybe they are unable to do regularly but able to do one time or a few times.

So to establish this in different parts of the world such as Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Australia, China etc.

We should create a plan on how to lead the retreat of 100 million Om Mani Padme Hums: What practices to do, a plan on how to schedule the retreat, the whole structure. Once you have a structure then it is easy for people to lead the retreat.

Also you can make mani pills in the retreats.

During the retreat it is a great thing if you also take the 8 Mahayana Precepts during the retreat. You can have lunch and breakfast, but no dinner. People can take precepts for the whole time or every alternative week. So this depends on the different places. I think to combine these two is extremely great.

Then it would be very good if the retreats are sponsored by the organization. Sometimes it can also be sponsored privately, all the expenses. But the idea is to start as a project and then for the whole organization to sponsor. Or to sponsor the food or lodging. Like a center hosting, making the retreat free for everyone. The idea is for it to be sponsored so people do not have to pay. Also if an individual person is doing 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hums then still the organization can sponsor the person.

There is one story about Geshe Thubten Sopa, he led 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum retreat in the monastery. I think he is regarded as an incarnate Lama, this is not known in Sera, but actually he’s an incarnate Lama.  The monastery in Ladakh respect and regard him as an incarnate Lama.

What happened is during the retreat, the mani pills multiplied and that inspired so many people, to have faith and because of that there are now many monasteries in Ladhak that are doing 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hum Retreats. So this is a great thing.”

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche on his Vast Vision for FPMT, Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, CA, March 2007

Nalanda MonasteryLama Zopa Rinpoche has expressed the importance of continually developing Nalanda Monastery’s facilities and programs in order to create a major seat of monastic learning in the West and accommodation for an extra 100 monks. To achieve this, a 15-year master plan has been drawn up to skillfully develop Nalanda’s land and cater for its foreseen growth. Phase One of the plan runs through 2012 and includes the construction of new accommodations for 25 monks and two teachers and the development of new infrastructure, a new heating system, and extensive landscaping. The Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, due to the incredible kindness of a benefactor, was able to generously donate *US$1,000,000 in 2010 toward these efforts.

You can read a recent article in Mandala magazine (October-December 2012) about Nalanda’s 15-Year Master Plan.

*These funds are disbursed in an ongoing manner, according to the needs of the project.

March 2012: Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered 26 Maitreya Buddha statues to FPMT centers, projects and services that wished to have one. Read more and view a photo gallery created by Mandala magazine!

• Practicing Bodhichitta (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)
• Bodhichitta Motivation in Daily Life
• Bodhisattva Attitude: How to Dedicate Your Life to Others
• How to Live with Bodhichitta
• Training the Mind in Bodhichitta
• Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching on bodhichitta at Bodhgaya stupa (video)
• Living in the Path: Refuge and Bodhichitta
• Discovering Buddhism: How to Develop Bodhichitta
• The Everflowing Nectar of Bodhichitta
• Cooking with Bodhichitta: Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Momo Recipes

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT is for FPMT centers to display large thangkas and host festival days where these thangkas can be enjoyed. 

Large Padmasambhava thangka at Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, December 4, 2015.

Thangkas are painted or appliquéd depictions of deities, venerated spiritual figures, or common religious symbols, usually framed by colorful brocade.

“My wish is for the big centers in FPMT to have these large thangkas.” Rinpoche explained. “This is a way to leave imprints for all these people [who see them], for enlightenment.”

About holy objects, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said, “You may think that a statue or thangka is just a statue or thangka, but it is the transcendental wisdom of dharmakaya, which understands and directly sees absolute truth, as well as conventional truth.”

Large Thangkas & Festivals Around the World

• In 2011-2014 Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, commissioned a 55 ft x 40 ft high stitched appliquéd thangka of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava). More info on this project….
• Chenrezig Institute, Australia, large 1,000-Arm Chenrezig thangka is displayed at the Festival of Tibet each year and seen by over 5,000 people and is the backdrop to political discussions, meditations, concerts, and dharma talks.
• Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, has a large Maitreya thangka which they show during Buddha multiplying days (weather permitting) and during any great occasions at the center.
• Medicine Buddha Festival Day with large thangka (24 ft), Land of Medicine Buddha, CA, USA. Painted by Peter Iseli.
• Ksitigarbha Festival Day with large thangka (9.5 ft), Land of Medicine Buddha, CA, USA.
• Vajrasattva and consort thangka (11.5 ft), Land of Medicine Buddha, CA, USA. Painted by Peter Iseli. 
• Pamtingpa Center, Washington, USA, has a large Tara thangka to which they offer 21 Tara dance.
• Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC), Malaysia. LDC unveiled a large Medicine Buddha thangka as part of their 1,000 Offerings Event, with Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi presiding. This thangka will be featured in an annual festival and offerings event.
• 21 Tara thangka at Institute Vajrayogini, France, 14 meters (46 ft) high and 9 meters (30 feet) wide.
• 35 Buddha thangka, Kopan Monastery, Nepal painted by Peter Iseli. Several smaller copies of Peter’s are also used for display at Kopan. 
• Amitabha Buddha in his pure land accompanied by the eight great bodhisattvas (50 feet x 31 feet), sewn entirely by hand by Tibetan artists in south India. Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore.
• 21 Tara thangka, Tara Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Painted by Peter Iseli. 

Please enjoy a photo gallery of many of these large thangkas being created around the world.

Large Thangka Workshop

Having a workshop to create huge thangkas has long been one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes. After many years of planning and discussions with Swiss artist Peter Iseli, this project has become a reality at Institut Vajra Yogini in France. The workshop is 8.5 meters (28 feet) tall. Rinpoche’s first order was a 21 Tara thangka that is 14 meters (46 feet) high and 9 meters (30 feet) wide.

Peter Iseli working on a large 21 Tara thangka in the workshop that Lama Zopa Rinpoche had built for large thangka painting in France.

Peter Iseli: Helping Manifest Rinpoche’s Vision