In the heart of Kopan Monastery, nestled in the beautiful hills of Nepal, a quiet yet monumental task unfolds each day. Ven. Lobsang Tsering has been entrusted with a project that embodies the very essence of continuous joyous effort and guru devotion: writing the Prajnaparamita Sutra in beautiful calligraphy in pure gold ink on archival quality paper. This project for world peace has a huge significance for the entire FPMT community and should continue for as long as FPMT exists.

Ven. Lobsang Tsering’s journey of writing out the Prajnaparamita Sutra in gold began over two decades ago when Lama Zopa Rinpoche, recognizing his potential and devotion, assigned him this important job. Since then, Ven. Tsering has devoted himself wholeheartedly to this practice with unwavering focus, patience, wisdom and compassion. As of now, he is working on the fifth of twelve volumes, a testament to the magnitude of this task.

In a recent interview, conducted by Yanzhina Bartanova at Kopan Monastery, Ven. Lobsang Tsering shared his life story and the deep sense of responsibility he feels towards this assignment. His humility and dedication shine through as he recounts the moment Lama Zopa Rinpoche entrusted him with this work. His words offer a profound insight into the importance of the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the personal transformation he has experienced over the years. This interview provides a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of a practitioner whose life is devoted to the Buddhadharma.

You can read the full interview below and also watch it on video. 

The Prajnaparamita Sutra contains the highest teachings of the Buddha and is among the most precious texts available in the world today. Due to the power of this text, writing it out is a way to generate tremendous merit, remove obstacles, and create peace in the world. 

Each year, FPMT allocates over US$50,000 for the pure gold and related expenses. This financial commitment highlights the importance of this project within the FPMT community.

While Ven. Tsering’s contribution is unparalleled in its duration and intensity, he is not alone in this virtuous activity. Jane Seidlitz, working from the USA, has also been writing out the Prajnaparamita Sutra in pure gold. Although her involvement has not been for as long or as intense as Ven. Tsering’s, her contribution is equally valued and cherished. Together, their efforts symbolize a huge commitment to preserving the teachings of the Buddha.

This project is a living legacy of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vision, a vision that continues to inspire and uplift those who come into contact with it. Rinpoche asked that the sutra is continually being written out as it is a powerful holy object. 

Interview with Ven. Lobsang Tsering

Gen la, can you please, introduce yourself?

My name is Lobsang Tsering. Actually, my hometown name is Lobsang Tsering, but my gelong name is Thubten Dawa. I’m from Manang Village. It’s a very remote area here in Nepal.

At age of eight, my parents brought me here at Kopan. I grew up here with many children. It was good. I finished my study in 1990. Then I started to serve monastery, working in the office, as a lama gyupa, making sand mandalas. I also got a chance to do some translation work. Then Rinpoche invited me to the United States, I had an opportunity to go there. Rinpoche advised me to write out Prajnaparamita Sutra.

So then I studied again, Rinpoche was showing me caligraphy and the way how to write, how to set up the motivation and the dedication. I was so fortunate. At the beginning of 2002 I started writing out the first volume. It took me 5 years. The second volume took me 5 years. This is the 5th volume I’m working on right now.

So I’m all all the way, 70% of the fifth volume. I was so fortunate that I got this opportunity and I got to carry it on. Still now, my mind is so blessed. I feel like this. I’ve decided I will do it as long as my body supports me, my eyes support me. As long as the gold is supported. I decided I will carry on. Rinpoche has mentioned to me even after His passing away I have to keep writing. Rinpoche mentioned this on a few occasions.

Can you please explain for those who are very new to Buddhism, what is Prajnaparamita Sutra?

Prajnaparamita Sutra is the the wisdom of perfection. The wisdom of perfection was taught by Buddha in Rajgir. It has many different versions, like short, medium, and long versions. Shortest one is very common, well known, is the Heart Sutra, which consists of 25 stanzas, and then when we talk about the short version of the Prajnaparamita Sutra is 8,000 verses. Rinpoche was doing that one, writing in gold letters. And then the middle one is 20,000 verses, which has 3 volumes.

And then the long one is a 100,000 verses, which has 12 volumes. So that’s what I’m working on here right now. I’m on the 5th volume out of 12 volumes. It’s slowly but steadily is going on.

When we’re talking about the Heart Sutra is mainly we’re talking about the interdependent origination and emptiness, and it’s a very crucial teaching of the Buddha. That’s why it’s so important text of the Buddha. It is very important to write with the gold so to collect merit. So all the projects of Rinpoche and the FPMT will come true. As Buddhists we believe in order to fulfill or to accomplish the wishes, we need to have merits. So that’s the main reason why we are writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra to accumulate merit so all projects can be done without any obstacles. That was the main purpose.

Can you please explain what is merits and why we need to accumulate it for those who don’t know?

Merit is some kind of the positive energy. So the more negative energy around, the atmosphere becomes negative and then everything actually becomes negative. So all we need is positive energy around. So then positive energy in, out, everywhere. So more positive energy around, the wish come true. That’s what I understand. Something like a virtue as we say, it’s virtues actions. Also, positive energy.

Can you please advise people who would like to do the same as you do, to collect merits by writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra? What they can do, how they can start, if they want to do the same as you?

To write Prajnaparamita Sutra – anybody can do it, but what I understand for us, we need to have a wish to do. That’s so important. So if we have an eager to do it or wish to do it. To have a wish, we need to understand the benefit of that. If you understand the benefit of writing Prajnaparamita Sutra, then because of that the wish will come true. You have a wish, and then you make an effort, then you need to be trained, you can train, anything can be trained. So as we say once it’s habituated, there’s nothing that cannot be done. So that’s all, we need to make an effort on that.

So to make an effort, we need to have a wish first. Then we can do anything – writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra, writing or reading, with the gold or with the ink. It doesn’t matter. While you are writing, make sure that you set up a bodhichitta motivation, it’s very important. Or fulfilling the guru’s wishes or for the sake of the Buddhadharma or Buddha’s teaching or for the sake of all mother sentient beings.

These are very important motivation that we need to set up at the beginning. And then once we done that and then whatever you do or whatever skill you have, you offer your time. So we can do it for years, keep carrying it on as your own practice. Once you carry on as your practice, gradually, maybe a year after year, after year, you keep doing that. I believe by doing that, we will create a lot of positive karma as well and same time with a lot of purification. The more we purify our negative karma, the more positive karma will raise. It felt to me like that.

So with less negative karma, more positive karma will be naturally there. With more positive karma there, your willingness will increase. Then you will be doing more and more and more. More purification is happening, more and more you turn towards the Dharma. More and more compassion is coming. More and more positive thoughts are coming.

More and more you feel devoted to your guru. You feel more kindness.

So this all automatically comes. So that’s very important. To make an effort with it. And by the way, we were saying that short term effort will make a short result, but we have to carry on.

So seriously, keep carrying on, and the rest will be okay. Since we are beginners we need to make effort without losing a hope. No matter what obstacles you may encounter or the challenge you may encounter, but thing is – it’s Dharma practice for the sake of all mother sentient beings. It’s for all Buddhadharma. So if you’re thinking this way, if you keep it in your mind, recollecting it in your mind, then the energy will come. And then you can carry on year after year, after year, after year. And then finally, after 10 years, 20 years, you will see the benefit, and then you’ll find the peace of your mind. And once you have peace of mind you will see how important Buddhadharma is.

All these are coming to you. But definitely we need to make it long. We have to plan for long term.

You discussed a lot about benefits of writing, reading, seeing Prajnaparamita. What would be the top three benefits if we narrow them down?

First, I think is the imprint. The imprint is so important. Sometimes what I do is I play His Holiness Dalai Lama’s teachings. Because I cannot play a song here [laughing], I like playing lamas’ teachings.

So this all comes together. That gives me a lot of knowledge as well. I believe when I first began my writing I can say that I didn’t understand Dharma. I was a monk. I was happy in the monastery. So I carried on like that because of kindness of Rinpoche. But when I look back now, I didn’t understand Dharma at that time.

But luckily, while I’m writing it, I listen to His Holiness’ teachings or Rinpoche’s teachings. Then in between, there are some questions coming up and also negative questions are coming. I’m still a normal human being, so they’re all these nonsense questions are coming. But luckily, because of writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra I got all the answers, which really keeps me strong! So this is how I’m able to carry on still now, after almost 23 years. My mind is still going on maybe because of this. I will say this is the benefit of writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra and listening to teachings. So that’s the first benefit.

The second benefit, definitely, because of doing this, I feel myself very peaceful. Very satisfied with myself. Because of that I can sleep peacefully. Because of that, I can feel my body. So that’s a benefit too. Because as long as we keep our mind in peace our health will be good. Because of that, we could sleep. You can happily live with anybody around. So that’s the second benefit.

The third benefit, of course, it will guide us to the enlightenment. Rinpoche told me one time, “Tsering, because you’re writing out Prajnaparamita, this will guide you to the enlightenment!”. This is so important to me. Wow! There are so many benefits of doing this!

[Please watch a two-part video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche explaining some of the profound benefits of writing out the Prajnaparamita Sutra and why he started this project]

Can you please describe briefly your day at work?

Here at Kopan, I get up around 6 o’clock in the morning, and then I make my water bowl offering. I set up my motivation in the morning. And then do a half part of my prayers, and then go for breakfast around 7:30am. Come back and finish all my prayers.

I finish by 9 or 9:30am. Then I come here and get prepared for my day for the writing out Prajnaparamita Sutra. I prepare everything, like mixing gold with glue, paper. Make a cup of tea. Then again, I set up the motivation here. I’m writing till 11:30am, and then I have a lunch break till 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and then I’m writing from 1 o’clock till 4 o’clock. That is my period of writing Prajnaparamita Sutra. Then after 4pm, I dedicate. That’s so important practice of Dharma. When we’re setting the motivation and at the end we do dedication. If we don’t dedicate at the end, what happens is because we have a lot of delusions inside, such as anger or attachment or something like that. We don’t know when it will arise. So at the moment of anger, they say, that countless, many years of merits will be destroyed. That’s why dedication is so important. I set up dedication, that’s the end of my day. Then I make a cup of tea in my room, get rest. Then I go for a walk. I need to walk because I need to move my body, doing exercise so I will be able to carry on. We need a good health. Without a good health, it’s not possible. That’s very important for the Prajnaparamita project, for the practice of Dharma, whatever activities you are doing the health is so important. So that’s why I go for a walk maybe an hour or so. While I’m walking, I recite the mantras that I need to recite. Then around 6:30pm is dinner, then at the end, again, I have evening prayers to do. Maybe half an hour. And then rest. That is my 5 days a week, 2 days I take days off.

Another question is, you are doing this virtuous activity for more than 20 years. What encouraged you to start this activity?

At that time it was Rinpoche’s power. Rinpoche invited me to America. Rinpoche trusted me. My mind would feel bad, if I didn’t obey Rinpoche. That mind kept me there. Secondly, it’s because Rinpoche is so pure! More we serve him, we want to serve even more.

Maybe Rinpoche’s power. A lot of my friends are saying that I’m the only one who got the renunciation after going to America. Mostly people go to America and they finish their monks life. They want to live a normal life. I think most are like that. Just a few came back still as monks. I am the one of them. So that’s why I feel very blessed.

I would definitely say because of Rinpoche’s power. One reason is I’m in the mandala of Rinpoche. So I need to do well. I’m also a Kopan boy. I need to respect Kopan as well. So this kind of mind helps me to carrying on. Maybe at the beginning I didn’t understand, but because of this kind of mind it helped me. After I’ve been writing for 6-7 years I started to understand. Started to understand maybe 6-7 years after. At the beginning for many of us, we don’t pay attention because we’re young. We just go around or something like that. But once we start to understand, all answers come. Like I said I listened to His Holiness’ teachings and Rinpoche’s teachings. Then I found all the answers to my questions. Then my mind became stronger. I feel very joyous! Now I feel like if I don’t do, if I don’t write one day, I feel like I’m wasting my day.

So important to make sure your day is meaningful. As we say, we have a precious human rebirth, it is so important. If we miss this time, then next life, we don’t know where we will be reborn. As we understand all these things, it’s so important to make sure, while you have this precious human rebirth, you use it in a meaningful way. By thinking that, I’m using it as maximum as possible. So here I am.

You talked about meaningful life, happy life, not wasting your life. So what would be your one advice for people to live happy, meaningful life?

I would say don’t engage in any kind of “happy” negativities. Don’t do that. Live the life positive as much as you can. I think in that way you will definitely find a happy life. Carry on year after year, year after year. You’ll find deep satisfaction, because of your positive actions, positive deeds that you have done in your entire life. If you do some negative action somehow, somewhere you have a regret in your mind. That leading you to the problems, unhappiness, depression. Make sure your day, your month, years are meaningful in the positive way. That’s so important. Then to live in the positive, living with the bodhicitta is the most important. That’s the essence of the Dharma as we say. You live the best way with compassion, with bodhicitta. If not, then at least, restrain from the negative actions as much as you can. Even the small negative action, we have to restrain from it. You have to avoid it.

If you do that, maybe at the end of your life, you will be able to find a deep satisfaction. Then you will definitely be happy. That’s what I believe.

We offer grateful thanks to Yanzhina Bartanova for conducting this extremely moving interview. 

 As we reflect on Ven. Tsering’s journey and the ongoing efforts of individuals like Jane Seidlitz, we may be inspired to support this incredible work. Whether through financial contributions or rejoicing in this achievement, we can all be part of this extraordinary endeavor. In doing so, we create an incredible amount of merit and help ensure that the Prajnaparamita Sutra continues to shine brightly, guiding countless beings toward the path of enlightenment.

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You can learn more about the Prajnaparamita Project as well as the other Charitable Projects of FPMT.