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Lama Zopa Rinpoche making offerings for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s long life at the conclusion of this year’s Jangchub Lam-Rim teaching event at Sera Je Monastery.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche had a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Sera Je Monastery on January 2, 2014. Ven. Roger Kunsang shares that during the interview, His Holiness highly praised the three great monasteries (Sera, Ganden and Drepung) for their learning and for preserving the teachings of the Buddha in their entirety. Then His Holiness said that even the Buddha had to eat so that he could teach, and it was the same with the great Indian pandits – they needed to eat in order to be able to teach others. The monks need to rely on food in order to be educated in these great establishments of learning and His Holiness said that this is why the food fund that Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT has established and offered for many years[the Sera Je Food Fund] is so very important.
What is Offered?
Every month an incredible amount of food is bought, prepared and offered through the Sera Je Food Fund in order to provide food for the 2,500 monks of the monastery.
For example, over three recent months US$11,458 (712,243 rs) was spent on food purchases for breakfast. Food is offered to 3,300 monks for breakfast. This included:
- 8,631 pounds of flour
- 6,831 liters of milk
You can see more details about what is offered daily for breakfast.
For lunch, US$16,111.26 (1,001,502 rs) was spent on food purchases over three recent months.
This included:
- 51,380 bananas
- 4,432 bundles of green vegetables
You can see more details about what is offered daily for lunch.
US$11,287 (701,620 rs) was spent on dinner over three recent months. This included:
- 97 bottles of soy sauce
- 5,260 pounds of rice
You can see more details about what is offered daily for dinner.
The Sera Je Food Fund provides three nutritious meals to all of the monks studying at Sera Je Monastery.
During His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Jangchub Lam-Rim teaching event at Sera Je Monastery
The Sera Je Food Fund Kitchen offered dry food to all of the monks as the kitchen was not able to prepare food due to some restraints associated with this massive event. However, during that period the kitchen made sure all the monks had the food to prepare themselves.
Thank you
This ongoing offering is possible due to the incredible kindness of so many who supported the Sera Food Fund over the last twenty-two years, as well as the team at Sera Je Monastery: Ven. Ngawang Sangye, Ven. Rabten, Ven. Kelden; the amazing cooks and monastery staff and administration including the monastery manager, Geshe Thubten Monlam. On behalf of all the monks: Thank you for your incredible support and please rejoice in this amazing offering that we are able to make every day of the last twenty-two years to over 2,500 monks.
You are welcome to offer any amount at any point to this incredible daily offering of food to Sere Je Monastery’s most precious Sangha.