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Nuns of Machig Labdron Nunnery, a new Australian Buddhist nunnery, and a friend.
The Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund (SOSF) is offering comprehensive support to nunneries, monasteries, and individual monks and nuns across the globe. This essential support includes providing food, accommodation, healthcare, education, and practice resources. This fund is not limited to any specific institution, lineage, or ethnicity and benefits numerous nunneries, monasteries, and Sangha members requesting assistance.
Within the FPMT organization, the support of monks and nuns is of utmost importance as the preservation of the Buddhadharma is linked to the existence and wellbeing of the Sangha.
So far in 2024, the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund contributed a total of US$342,986 toward the needs of our Sangha. We invite you to take a closer look at the various ways we have been able to offer this collective support.
Tashi Chime Gatsal Gumba Nunnery | Thame Dechen Chokhorling Monastery | Shalu Monastery | Idgaa Choinzinling Monastery | Gyudmed Tantric Monastery | Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery | Nalanda Monastery |
Machig Labdron | Department of Religion and Culture | New Robes
The teachers and nuns of Tashi Chime Gatsal Gumba.
Tashi Chime Gatsal Gumba Nunnery is a small Drikung Kagyu Nunnery in Bigu, Northeastern Nepal. The nunnery has a close connection with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who visited in 2022 and commented that the nunnery feels like it is in the lap of Mother Tara. Rinpoche directly wished for FPMT to support this nunnery and in turn for the nunnery to dedicate the prayers of 100 million mani recitations (once or twice a year) for the benefit of the FPMT organization. Rinpoche personally set up this arrangement 14 years ago and we are honored to continue to fulfill Rinpoche’s wish.
To date an incredible 24 different 100 million mani retreats have been offered by the nunnery, that is 2.4 billion recitations of OM MANI PADME HUM for the benefit of all beings.
In 2024, the SOSF contributed US$20,302 to support this nunnery. This sponsorship encompasses vital necessities such as food, gas, firewood, transportation, medical expenses, and offerings to the Sangha upon completion of the retreat.
In addition, we are supporting the salaries of six teachers who teach at the small school in the nunnery, so that the younger nuns can receive a secular education, in addition to their religious training. This allows the nuns to stay at the nunnery and not have to walk the long distance to the local school and ensures they do not miss out on their education.
Thame Rinpoche and the monks of Thame Dechen Chokhorling Monastery.
Thame Dechen Chokhorling Monastery is located in the region of Solu Khumbu, Nepal. Thame was also the birthplace of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and is situated near Lawudo, where Rinpoche’s previous incarnation, the Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe, practiced in strict retreat for many years.
The Thame Monastery is a small Nyingma Monastery perched upon a rock, nearly four thousand meters above sea level. It is the oldest monastery in Solu Khumbu, more than 350 years old, and is the residence of the Thame Rinpoche.
The monks of Thame Monastery offered special prayers every day during the 49 days after Lama Zopa Rinpoche showed the aspect of passing away, in front of Rinpoche’s kundung (holy body) in Kopan Monastery. They offered special prayers to Chenrezig, that is unique to their monastery. They also attended the consecration of the Victory Stupa built in Lawudo for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Since 2017, the SOSF has been providing support for three meals a day to the 22 monks residing in Thame Monastery and in 2024 we offered US$9524 for this.
His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche and the monks and participants of the Kalachakra Mind Mandala retreat held at Shalu Monastery.
Shalu Monastery in Himachal Pradesh, India, is a Sakya Monastery and is committed to reviving and preserving the Bhulug lineage tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which was founded by the Sakya master Buton Rinchen Drub in the fourth century. Recognizing the importance of this lineage, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has blessed and supported the establishment of Shalu Monastery. This year His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche led a Kalachakra Mind Mandala approaching retreat at the monastery with over 300 participants, mostly Sangha, and including Ven. Joan from Kopan Monastery and Ven. Tsomo from FPMT International Office.
Since 2018, the SOSF has been offering all the food for the monks of Shalu Monastery, and this year we have allocated US$15,328 for their food.
Prayer session for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Bodhgaya, India, December 31, 2023. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Michael.
The monks of Shalu Monastery feel a very close connection to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT, due to the support we have offered for the last six years. They were experiencing a lot of hardship prior to this, being unable to cover the costs of food for the Sangha. Their daily prayers include the heartfelt request for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
On December 31, 2023 a powerful prayer session was held in Bodhgaya, India, under the Bodhi tree for the swift return of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, where 2,500 ordained Sangha participated including Ganden Tri Rinpoche, His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, His Eminence Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche. Over 2,500 recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s swift return prayer was offered.
We were honored, on behalf of the entire FPMT, to make offerings to all the 2,500 Sangha, and this came to US$17,928.
Monks of Idgaa Choinzinling Monastery.
Idgaa Choinzinling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, shares a longstanding relationship with the FPMT organization and since 2015, the SOSF has been providing funds for all the food for the monks each year.
In 2024, US$10,800 has been allocated so that the 32 Mongolian monks are provided with nourishing meals throughout the year.
Monks at Gyudmed Tantric Monastery.
Gyudmed Tantric Monastery is a distinguished center for the study, practice and preservation of the Guhyasamaja Tantra lineage. The monastery accommodates approximately 600 monks and offers the best education, free food, and accommodation for all the monks. The monastery does not have any stable source of income, particularly for the food expenses for the monks. Realizing the need to set up a long term plan and Food Fund to support the monastery, the monastery requested Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the FPMT organization to help. Lama Zopa Rinpoche immediately accepted their request and the food fund proposal. The Food Fund was then established in 2021 and to date we have raised US$1,418,056. We are committed to continuing Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sincere wish for the Food Fund and in 2024 SOSF contributed an additional US$100,000 toward it. The overarching goal is to raise US$3 million.
Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastery in Pomaia, Italy, is 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa. The future monastery will be built on the rock just like the monasteries of Tibet and the project envisages an ecological architecture in harmony with the surrounding area, and the use of natural and clean energy resources. The monastery aims to provide hospitality to about one hundred monks and nuns. In 2022 the building permit was signed. After 18 years of waiting and bureaucratic procedures, this was a tremendous accomplishment. Last year His Holiness the Dalai Lama personally offered a donation toward the building of the monastery and gave essential advice.
In 2024 due to the kindness of a benefactor, through the SOSF we offered US$100,000 as a matching grant for the building of the monastery. The monastery building is in a critical stage now and still needs a lot of support to be actualized. This is a precious opportunity to be part of the first Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Italy.
Participants of the first Gelug Monlam held at Nalanda Monastery, France. Photo by Sonam Sherpa.
Nalanda Monastery held the first historic Geluk Monlam in the France in February 2024. Known as the Great Prayer Festival, Monlam is regarded as one the “four great activities” of Lama Tsongkhapa’s life. Chant leaders from Sera Monastery came from Bylakuppe to Nalanda Monastery and taught the chanting to most of the Sangha and about 15 lay people. Six geshes, the chant master, forty-four sangha and about sixty lay people participated in the Monlam, chanting the profound prayers celebrating Buddha Shakyamuni, Lama Tsongkhapa, and Maitreya and concluding with the traditional procession and offering bath to Maitreya, circumambulating the main temple.
Ven. Roger Kunsang attended the Monlam and on behalf of the FPMT organization, through the SOSF, offered US$5259 to the Sangha community on this auspicious occasion.
Building underway of two buildings for Machig Labdron, Bendigo.
Machig Labdron is a new Australian Buddhist nunnery located north of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, in Bendigo. After a lengthy planning stage, the building of the nunnery is now underway. The nunnery location is peaceful with a natural beauty surrounded by bush. Two single story buildings are planned for the site.
In 2024, the SOSF, due to the kindness of a benefactor, was happy to offer US$63,066 toward the nunnery building. The nunnery is in need of more support to be able to complete the building project.
The Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration presented and important project to assess the current challenges and opportunities in strengthening monastic institutions. The aim is to conduct surveys involving 20,000 monks and nuns across 80 larger monasteries and nunneries, comprising 18 from India and 62 from Nepal. From this survey to then categorize and identify the challenges encountered by monastic institutions and propose viable solutions to address them and also to explore opportunities for the development of the monastic education system with the aim to achieve increased enrollment and decrease dropout rates within monastic institutions and to implement improvements to the overall monastic education system and in this way to contribute to the preservation and continuity of monastic institutions.
Understanding the importance of this work, the SOSF offered US$10,215 toward this project and long-term plan to assess the overall needs within the monastic institutions in India and Nepal.
Many robes were offered to the Geshes attending the Geshe Conference at Kopan, January 2024.
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes was to offer a set of robes to each of the resident and touring teachers who offer service in FPMT, including all the geshes, as a token of thanks for their kind service within the organization. This year, 30 sets of robes were offered and SOSF offered US$1632 to cover that.
Each of these offerings were made on behalf of the whole FPMT organization to support our precious Sangha. The ability to make these offerings each year is made possible by each and every donor who has contributed to the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude and hope the transparency in the grants offered in 2024 is a means for rejoicing.
All are welcome to contribute to the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund, to help ensure grants like these continue for the benefit of monks and nuns around the world.