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FPMT Basic Program and FPMT Masters Program Retreats
For FPMT Basic Program Online students the completion requirement is a one-month lamrim retreat.
FPMT Masters Program Online students also have a one-month lamrim retreat requirement for program completion; they can make use of the below offered options for fulfilling this requirement as well.
*Additions and corrections to your retreat listed here can be made by contacting FPMT Education Services.
Three-month retreats at the conclusion of their FPMT Basic Program will be offered by:
Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds, UK. Hosted at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, May-June-July 2026.
This is an exceptional opportunity to participate in a three months lamrim retreat to complete the FPMT Basic Program requirements. BP students can participate in this retreat in its entirety, or in a one- or two one-month parts. BP Online completion requires a one month lamrim retreat.
This entire retreat will be led by Venerable Losang Gendun, who is the FPMT Basic Program teacher for Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds, and previously for the BP at Amsterdam’s Maitreya Institute.
Venerable Gendun’s experience and skill in guiding practitioners of meditation is renowned; he is the teacher of the FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training. IDMT participants and other students who have a basic familiarity with the lamrim are welcome to attend the retreat, starting with a minimum of two weeks.
This retreat will be offered in person and via zoom. Registration starts September this year through the Institut Vajra Yogini website.
For further details contact Chrissie Martindale, FPMT Basic Program Coordinator, Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds at bp@jamyangleeds.co.uk
Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Pisa, Italy, January-March 2027
At the conclusion of their fifth FPMT Basic Program, ILTK will offer a three-month lamrim retreat. This has become a traditional way for ILTK to complete their residential BP. The previous retreats, completing ILKT’s first four BPs, have been well attended, allowing many BP students to graduate, both from online and residential BPs. This is a rare opportunity for BP students worldwide to conduct their one- or three-month BP completion retreat in the inspirational environment of ILTK, home of several consecutive residential BPs and MPs, and located in the beautiful Italian Tuscany hills, Feel free to contact the ILTK Education Coordinator for details.
Nalanda Monastery, France, April-June 2027
Nalanda Monastery’s fourth FPMT Basic Program is planned to be offered from 2023 to 2027. A three-month lamrim retreat traditionally completes Nalanda’s BP. The retreat is offered after Nalanda’s BP review and final exam, and will take place from April to June 2027. Please contact Nalanda’s SPC if you would like to make use of the exclusive opportunity to complete your BP retreat requirement in the wonderfully supportive and conducive conditions of this monastic environment, with its beautiful newly acquired retreat grounds.
One-month retreats are offered as part of their FPMT Basic Program or FPMT Masters Program by:
Kalachakra Retreat Center, France; 170 KM from Paris by direct train. December 2025 -> January 2026, to be cpnfirmed – two weeks of guided retreat, with the option to extend by adding weeks of individual retreat
Centre Kalachakra continues its tradition of offering a month-long winter lamrim retreat in their beautiful retreat center near Paris. The retreats are guided by Ven. Gyaltsen, teaching assistant for the FPMT Masters Program at ILTK, and previous director of Nalanda Monastery. Ven Gyaltsen completed the FPMT Basic Program with the three-month lamrim retreat, and graduated from the FPMT Masters Program upon completion of the year-long lamrim retreat. Currently long-term resident at Kalachakra Retreat Center, he is a much appreciated retreat leader. This is a unique opportunity to fulfill (part of) your BP or MP retreat requirement in an ideal setting.
To explore the option of conducting your lamrim retreat individually or as an extension of the group retreat in Kalachakra Retreat Center please contact the center.
Institut Vajra Yogini, Lavaur, France; yearly winter retreat. Partly guided; February 2026 to be confirmed, with the option to extend
IVY’s four-week lamrim winter retreats are designed to offer BP students the opportunity to fulfill their program completion requirement (3x one month of lamrim retreat) over the course of their FPMT Basic Program (PEBA in French).
The first week of the retreat is lead by Anila Thubten Lhamo and Vén. Lobsang Détchèn, both ordained since many years, and graduates of the FPMT Basic Program with extensive retreat experience. For the second to fourth week of the retreat the meditations are not guided, allowing to expand their personal retreat experience and gain confidence for conducting their own lamrim retreats. Two sessions per day are offered by Zoom to support those who do a personal retreat at home.
Registration is required; outlined here as well are the daily schedule and conditions for participation.
Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Pisa, Italy. Yearly winter retreat January 2026.
ILTK continues its tradition of offering a month lamrim retreat, as a requirement for completing each of the sutra subjects of the FPMT Masters Program, and as part of the FPMT Basic Program completion requirements. These expertly guided winter retreats will be conducted every year up to 2028.
This is a rare opportunity to conduct the month-long lamrim retreat in beautiful Tuscany in Italy. Experience the inspiration of wonderful ILTK, with its highly esteemed resident teachers, a fourth and a fifth round of FPMT’s in-depth education programs in progress, and carrying the blessings of countless visits by beloved and highly respected lamas.
Please contact ILTK’s Education Coordinator for details and count on English support during the retreat.
Nalanda Monastery, Rouzegas, Labastide St. Georges, France. Yearly summer retreat, 31 July – 24 August 2025.
Nalanda offers a lamrim retreat each summer, as part of their FPMT Masters Program and FPMT Basic Program, The retreat is guided by senior Western teachers and open to all.
These retreats, conducted in the inspiring environment of Nalanda Monastery, with its beautiful surrounding countryside and recently acquired retreat grounds, are popular and tend to be fully booked well in advance.
Please visit Nalanda’s webpages for details, news and the registration form, and be sure to apply in time, or contact the SPC for information.
De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, is offering a discount rate of $A 125 per week for FPMT Basic Program and FPMT Masters Program students who choose De-Tong Ling to do their BP or MP retreat. Cost of food and firewood (in winter) are not included
Resources supporting lamrim retreats for FPMT Basic Program and FPMT Masters Program completion
In order to support fulfilling the one-month lamrim retreat requirement for FPMT Basic Program Online and FPMT Masters Program Online students, a web-based resource is provided on the FPMT Online Learning Center: ONE-MONTH LAMRIM RETREAT – Guidelines and Support Materials. Students preparing for the three-month lamrim retreat to complete their FPMT Basic Program will also find these materials helpful. The page is accessible upon request; the materials are intended for individual students who have completed their three-month review and final exam but can not attend a group retreat in a center, or prefer to do an individual retreat.
For students preparing for the one-year lamrim retreat that concludes the FPMT Masters Program, additional resources are available on the page PREPARATION FOR LONG RETREAT – Guidelines and Support Materials . The enrollment key is provided upon request.