receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom
Lama Thubten Yeshe
In Buddhism we have an incredible arrangement, universal education from the beginning at birth up until death, as an old man. I feel these things could be put into a universal language. Give up religion, give up Buddhism. Go beyond Buddhism. Put the essential aspect of the philosophy into scientific language. This is my aim.
—Lama Thubten Yeshe, January 1983
Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom
Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. The UECW pillar sits with the other four Pillars of Service – Dharma, Social or Community service, Interfaith activities and Revenue-generating activities.
There are currently two FPMT international projects focusing on Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom – the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) and Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth (LKPY).
About FDCW
The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) is dedicated to promoting peace in the world through Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom (Universal Education for short), a system of inner development that enables people of all ages, cultures and traditions to lead a happy and meaningful life and to be of service to others.
FDCW is an FPMT International Project registered as a charity in the UK in 2005 to take forward Lama Yeshe’s vision for ‘a new kind of education for the world’ first developed in the early 1980s. It takes inspiration in His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the world’s leading advocates for the promotion of positive human values and secular ethics in education:
Since the launch of FDCW in 2006 FPMT centers and groups in more than 23 countries have hosted one or more of FDCW’s recognized learning programs.
Each course is designed to encourage participants to think for themselves – to access their own inner compassion and wisdom – and to provide practical tools that can be immediately put to use in daily life. They feature exercises, meditation practice, brainstorming and discussion, video, music, and the creation of personal action plans.
FPMT centers and students are also making use of Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom resources to develop children and family activities, as well as using them as a basis for community projects such as supporting the Liberation Prison Project and hospice work.
FPMT centers: please click here for some practical suggestions, or contact FDCW about taking this further.
For more information and to read examples of Universal Education in action visit www.compassionandwisdom.org
The key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, but to each develop our good human qualities
—His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Patron of FDCW)
FDCW-recognized programs offer people of all ages and cultures the opportunity to develop: mindfulness and self-awareness; emotional intelligence and resilience; empathy, kindness and social responsibility; harmonious and caring relationships; and a greater sense of well-being and purpose.
The work of FDCW is guided by the following five principles:
- Universal: suitable for people or all ages and cultures, and of any faith or none
- Practical: immediately applicable to everyday life, from birth up until death
- Appreciative: celebrating the unique potential of every individual
- Non-dogmatic: encouraging critical thinking and self-reflection
- Integrated: promoting learning methods that bring together both head and heart
Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth
