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Gold being offered to the precious Jowo Buddha statue, Tibet.
The extensive range of offerings, practices, and pujas that are offered in India, Nepal, and around the world through the Puja Fund on request from Lama Zopa Rinpoche is astounding. As Charitable Projects Coordinator, Ven. Holly Ansett, commented, “It is like Rinpoche has taken on the personal responsibility to care for all the main holy objects in the world on behalf of FPMT.”
On full moons and during the four holy Buddha days, the Puja Fund sponsors robes and gold paint to the holy face of Jowo Buddha statue in Tibet. Gold is offered to the entire body of this statue once a year. This ongoing yearly commitment costs US$5,000. When possible, gold paint is offered to the very precious Chenrezig statue at Potala Palace.
These offerings are dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; to the success of all the FPMT centers, projects, services, students, benefactors and those serving the organization in any way; as well as all beings.
About the power of statues of Buddha, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said, “The benefit we get each time we see a statue of Buddha, a picture of Buddha, or a stupa is like the limitless sky. It causes us to achieve all the realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment and to achieve all the numberless qualities of the Buddha’s holy body, speech and mind.”
Please rejoice in this and all of the various activities of the Puja Fund. “So far, these offerings and pujas have not been publicized much, but I would like to make it available and known so that other people can participate in making these extensive offering,” Rinpoche explained. “My idea is for these offerings and pujas to continue forever. So please, if you make offerings, please think in this way and dedicate, and you can also remember on the actual day that this is happening, to rejoice and dedicate. This is the best business, the best way to create the most extensive merit.”
All are welcome to contribute to the monthly offerings of gold and robes to these most precious holy objects.
You can learn more about the beneficial prayers, practices, and pujas sponsored by the Puja Fund, or about FPMT’s other extensive charitable activity.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche meeting some of the IVY nyung na participants. They offered Rinpoche a Chenrezig statue and light appeared naturally.
Institut Vajra Yogini (IVY), in the south-west of France near the city of Toulouse, completed its eighth round of nyung nä retreats from November 2018 to April 2019 in alignment with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization to sponsor others to complete 1,000 nyung nä retreats. IVY hosts a nyung nä retreat every year and has, amazingly, facilitated over 7,000 individual nyung näs to date. Please rejoice in this incredible ongoing accomplishment!
While they typically engage in 108 nyung näs, this year they stopped after 81 so that people could join Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vajrayogini retreat hosted by IVY.
Venerable Charles did not miss any sessions and completed the entire 81 as did Valentino Giacomin. Additionally, 102 individuals from fourteen countries participated in one or more nyung näs and 1,001 individual nyung näs were accumulated. On average, twelve people participated in each session during these five months, which is more than any of the previous years. IVY reported that the energy seems to be building up, with more and more people being attracted to join the retreat each year.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Practice and Retreat Fund, was very pleased to offer € 6,444 for sponsorship of four people with food and accommodation for each round of this nyung nä retreat. Support is also provided by IVY and kind private donors.
IVY’s team is already preparing for its ninth round of 108 nyung näs which will start November 2019 and end June 2020. The practice is led in French but people do follow along in their own language. If you cannot come in person, all are welcome to rejoice by thinking about the efforts involved.
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.
190 monks from Sera Je Monastery successfully passed the 2019Special Memorization Examination.
This year, annual sponsorship was offered to Sera Je Monastery for 190 monks who qualified and passed the 2019 Special Memorization Examination.
This is an incredible achievement accomplished by extremely dedicated scholars.
- 68 monks memorized Commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization
- 74 monks memorized The Essence of Eloquence on the Art of Interpretation by Lama Tsongkhapa
- 32 monks memorized Bodhisattvacaryavatara (Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) by Shantideva
- 9 monks memorized A Presentation of General Meaning
- 3 monks memorized General Meaning (of the) Middle Way
- 2 monks memorized Six Treatises on the Middle Way by Nagarjuna
- 1 monk memorized Five Treatises of Maitreya
A new set of robes and an offering was given to these future teachers who contribute to the preservation the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in the monasteries. The memorization of these monumental works is truly something to rejoice in.
You can learn more about the beneficial activities of the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund or the many Charitable Projects of FPMT.
Sangha members, Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Medicine-Buddha-Peter-Iseli
According to Rinpoche’s observations, the following was determined to be the most beneficial:
- Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja offered five times by Shu Cho Khangtsen of Drepung Gomang Monastery, Kopan Monastery, and Gyuto Tantric College
- Guhyasamaja root text recited four times by Kopan Lama Gyupas
- Kshitigarbha Sutra recited one time by the nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery
- Sutra of Golden Light recited eight times by Sangha in the USA
- Arya Sanghata Sutra recited five by Sangha in the USA
- Vajra Cutter Sutra recited four times by Yangsi Rinpoche
“As far as what the scientists say about the disasters of the elements they never mention the mind, the creator who experiences the disaster,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said. “They explain purely the external evolution of how it happens. Even if this is correct, it is only the short-term explanation. It doesn’t really explain why the whole evolution happened in the first place. In the simplest teachings of Buddhism, you can understand where [disasters of the elements such as] hurricanes and earthquakes come from. They arise as a result of the ten non-virtuous actions.
“These karmas come from actions such as committing the ten non-virtues or the result of committing one or several of the ten non-virtues. The mind which experiences the earthquake or hurricane comes from the result of the self-cherishing thought, from either attachment or anger. But the real root is ignorance, the unknowing mind, that does not know the ultimate nature of mind, I, or the aggregates.”
This is an ongoing and consistent way that FPMT is helping to mitigate possible damage to living beings caused by disasters of the elements. Tremendous thanks to all who are donating to make this possible, and offering prayers to help fulfill Rinpoche’s request.
You can learn more about the Protecting the Environment and Living Beings Fund, keep up on the latest news, or contribute with a donation.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama being greeted by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Katoomba, NSW, Australia, June 2015. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
Recently, we shared news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sincere ambition to offer 1,000 statues of Shakyamuni Buddha to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
After inviting the entire FPMT community to help make this offering a reality, we are pleased to share the following update:
250 statues have been sponsored and finished in India. The statue makers have cast 850 statues so far by casting 32 every day. Once all of the statues are finished with gold gilding and face paint, the monks of Kopan Monastery will fill and consecrate the statues. At that point, they will be ready to offer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Some of the 1,000 statues in progress in India which will be offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama once completed, filled, and consecrated.
750 statues are still available for sponsorship. All are welcome to sponsor a complete statue or offer any amount one is able toward the entire 1,000 statues.
“Merely seeing a statue or form of Buddha, whether the person is Buddhist or not, creates far more merit than numberless great merits. Holy objects are so precious.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche
You can learn more about Offering One Thousand Buddhas to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and join the offering.
Students of Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School.
Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School in Taplejung, Nepal, was established in 2007 to serve the Buddhist community in the area. Seven teachers currently educate eighty students, starting at age 3-4. The curriculum is taught in English and Nepali and focuses on modern subjects such as math and science, while being grounded in Buddhist teachings and culture.
Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School provides a modern as well as Buddhist education to the students.
In 2016, Ven. Thubten Jikdol, a Kopan monk, in conjunction with the School Management Committee and the local community, decided to expand the school to benefit more students in a bigger way. To help actualize this, three generous families donated land to the school. In the future, they intend to use this land for the school, a hostel, and an elderly home.
Students of Sangag Dechholing Gonpa School.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche was very inspired by the work of this school and donated US$53,874 through the Social Services Fund in support of their work.
This is the seventh school providing education to children of Tibetan, Nepali, Sherpa, and Indian heritage to which the Social Services Fund has offered financial assistance.
If you would like to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants such as this can continue, you can read more about the charitable projects this fund supports, or donate any amount to the fund itself.
Finished accommodation at Shri Sengedrak Ngedhon Samten Choeling Retreat Center.
Shri Sengedrak Ngedhon Samten Choeling Retreat Center, a Kagyu nunnery, was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake that devastated Nepal and surrounding areas. This nunnery, located on the border of Nepal and Tibet (on the Nepal side), is under the guidance of Zigar Monastery Abbot Tinley Dorje who is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachers.
Destruction following t he earthquake at Shri Sengedrak Ngedhon Samten Choeling Retreat Center, Nepal.
Following the earthquake, construction was needed for thirty-five retreat houses, one main prayer hall, a retreat house for the abbot, and five standard toilets. The nuns had been living in temporary shelter, and the Social Services Fund issued a grant for US$185,000 for the necessary rebuilding.
New accommodation and landscape at Shri Sengedrak Ngedhon Samten Choeling Retreat Center.
Please rejoice that the accommodation is now complete and the nuns can continue their studies and practice without dire living conditions. Tremendous thanks to all of the kind donors who made this possible.
You can learn more about the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund and the ways it supports monasteries and nunneries.
Some monks of Idgaa Choizinling, Mongolia.
The Idgaa Choizinling Monastery, Mongolia, was constructed in 2003 through FPMT Mongolia with assistance from a number of extremely kind benefactors. This monastery is strongly connected to Sera Je Monastery in India and serves as a focal point of Buddhist learning in Mongolia. FPMT, through the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund, has been offering food to approximately sixty monks studying there since its inception.
Architectural drawing of the new dormitory.
In 2018, Idgaa was gifted land near the monastery. After careful consideration, it was concluded that an expansion of accommodation for the monks would be the most beneficial use for this land. A new three story building will feature forty-one small, and six large rooms. The Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund offered a US$470,000 grant for this most precious accommodation which includes, in addition to the construction: inner wall decoration, a plumbing system, electricity, landscaping, a complete pipeline system, and engineering work.
Please rejoice in the expansion of this monastery which contributes directly to preserving and supporting the study of Buddhism in Mongolia.
You can learn more about the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund and the ways it supports monasteries and nunneries.
Residents of Doeguling Elderly Home during a recent visit from His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin.
Doeguling Tibetan Refugee Settlement in Mundgod, India, consists of seven monasteries, twenty schools (from nursery to secondary), two homes for the elderly, several modern hospitals, a Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, and various activities such as farming and craftwork.
Residents of Doeguling Home for Elderly and Disabled.
Since 2016 the Social Services Fund has been supporting the Doeguling Home for Elderly and Disabled which cares for eighty-six elderly residents of the settlement, some of whom are monks and nuns. Many of these residents are HIV +, have cancer, psychiatric problems, diabetics, and/or chronic arthritis. Much of the annual expenses of the home are medical.
In 2019 we were very happy offer a grant in the amount of US$73,020 toward their corpus fund which pays some of their annual operating budget. The corpus fund in the future will fully support the operating costs of the home from interest. They still have a long way to go but are slowly building up this fund and we are delighted to support them in creating long-term and sustainable car for the elders.
Please rejoice in the ongoing support to this elderly home which supports vulnerable Tibetans in Mundgod. Tremendous thanks to all who donate to this beneficial fund, making grants like this possible.
FPMT Charitable Projects is honored to support the homes of the eldest and destitute Tibetan refugees. Please consider supporting the Social Services Fund.
Some of the monks of Shalu Monastery.
For the second year in a row, the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund has offered a grant to Shalu Monastery to cover the costs of food for the 30 monks who study there. This year, US$16,116.94 was offered.
Young monks enjoying an offered meal.
Shalu Monastery was founded by Chetsun Shetsun Jugney in 1027 A.D at Shalu Village near Shigatse town in Tibet and was consecrated by Atisha. The number of the monks studying there reached 7,700 at the peak of its opulence in the 14th century under the abbotship of Buton Rinchen Drup. Shalu Monastery was considered one of the most respected learning institutions in Tibet. Some monks from the monastery are said to have accomplished great physical feats because of their specialized training including the ability to regulate their body temperature regardless of the external weather or travel at speeds which seemed to defy possibility.
During the Chinese invasion of 1959, this precious monastery was destroyed. It was re-established at Tibetan Cholsum Settlement, Bhuppur, India, under the vision and blessing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and was consecrated by Sakya Trichen Rinpoche in March 2005.
There are currently fifty-six monks studying at the monastery.
In 2018 the Holy Objects Fund issued a grant for the building of a 15 ft x 11 ft Jangchub Stupa surrounded by prayer wheels that the resident monks and visitors can utilize for circumambulation.
Please rejoice in the continued support of this monastery and the Sangha who reside there. Tremendous thanks to all donors who contribute to the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund making grants like this possible.
If you want to help Sangha, please learn more about the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund and the ways it supports monasteries and nunneries around the world.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
On behalf of the entire FPMT organization, Lama Zopa Rinpoche is planning to offer one thousand statues of Shakyamuni Buddha to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. These nine inch statues are currently being made, painted, filled and consecrated.
The statues are being offered with prayers for His Holiness’ very long life.
Everyone can join this project. You can sponsor a completed statue, or you are welcome to offer any amount you are able, thereby participating in this most precious offering of one thousand statues for His Holiness’s long life.
These holy objects help sentient beings easily purify inconceivable negative karma and create the causes for happiness and extensive merit, which brings them to enlightenment quickly by realizing the path up to enlightenment. The moment holy objects, such as statues of Buddha, are completed they become a field of merit for sentient beings. They become only a cause for others to achieve happiness.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
As long as space endures,
as long as sentient being remain,
until then, may I too remain
and dispel the miseries of the world. —Shantideva
May this offering create the cause for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to remain in this world for as long sentient beings remain.
You can learn more about Offering One Thousand Buddhas to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and join the offering.
The Community of Rabgayling Tibetan Settlement utilizing the hall sponsored by the Social Services Fund.
In 2015 a grant was offered from the Social Services Fund to Rabgayling Tibetan Settlement in Hunsur, India to build a community hall. The settlement is now actively utilizing this space for pujas, prayers, public talks, retreats, community events, workshops, and training of Tibetan language and culture.
This settlement, situated on 2,000 acres was established in 1971. 1,615 acres were designated for the cultivation of crops and 385 acres were intended for the villages, hospitals, schools and monasteries. The settlement began with 2,060 Tibetan refuges and the population has since increased to nearly 3,000.
Community members enjoying a meal together in the settlement community hall.
Recently the settlement offered Lama Zopa Rinpoche a list of all the prayers which have so far been completed in the sponsored community hall.
We invite you to rejoice in all of these repetitions of very precious prayers and mantras, made possible by a grant from the Social Services Fund:
- Prayers to the Twenty-one Taras: 21,760 times
- OM MANI PADME HUM: 22,389,000 times
- Kings of Prayers: 340 times
- Barche Lamsel and Sampa Lhundup: 510 times
- 18 Arahat Prayer: 170 times
- Prayer for the Flourishing of the Nonsectarian Teachings of the Buddha: 170 times
- Prayer from the Bodhisattva’s Guide to Life: 170 times
- Sukhavati Prayer: 170 times
- Prayer to Chenrezig: 170 times
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Long Life Prayer: 2,210 times
- Prayer of the Words of Truth: 2,210 times
Community halls such as this are essential for the preservation of Tibetan heritage, particularly on a settlement made up of nearly 3,000 Tibetans. Please join us in rejoicing!
You are welcome to donate any amount to the Social Services Fund to help ensure that beneficial grants such as this are able to be offered in the future.