The News Roundup is a digest of short community highlights from FPMT centers and individuals around the world, as part of our ongoing effort to nourish the “family feeling” and bring back the “News Around the World”  and “News in Brief” sections previously featured in the print Mandala magazine that so many of us have missed! This list of stories is not exhaustive, —just a sample of all the great activities happening in the FPMT family worldwide. 

We hope that reading these highlights will inspire you to rejoice in the family feeling and good works happening in our global FPMT community!  If you would like to share photos or details from your center, we would be happy to include them in the upcoming edition.

Prayers and Aid for Nepal | Practices | Holy Objects  | Milestones | International

Prayers and Aid for Nepal

Prayers for Rasuwa at Kopan Monastery. Photo courtesy of the Kopan Facebook page.

On August 26, 2026, in the Himalayan border region of Nepal and Tibet, a massive glacier collapse triggered catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal–Tibet border. Hundreds of people have died, hundreds more remain missing, and thousands have been affected or displaced. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing amid difficult terrain and challenging conditions. At this time of immense loss and suffering, FPMT centers around the world have offered special pujas, prayers, and programs dedicated to all those affected. 

Kopan Monastery and Nunnery dedicated prayers for those who passed away in the Rasuwa floods and wished a swift and full recovery to all those injured. As part of the one-door relief collection system initiated by Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kopan Nunnery has provided immediate relief assistance consisting of 40 sacks of rice and 20 sacks of lentils (dal). The relief materials were handed over to the municipality for distribution to the affected victims and families. Additionally, the FPMT Emergency Relief Fund was established to assist individuals and families affected by natural disasters, emergency situations at FPMT centers and projects, and other urgent crises requiring swift aid. FPMT is working directly with Kopan Monastery to identify those most in need and to help ensure that support reaches affected families directly. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa shared the following heartfelt words of condolence: “To my brothers and sisters in Tibet and Nepal, and to those every individuals who have been impacted by the devastating flood. I mourn with those who have lost their lives and hold the affected families and communities in my prayers. May those who have passed away rest in peace. May those still missing be found swiftly and safely, reunited with family. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected during this extremely difficult time.”

Read more on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice on practices to do during times of natural disaster.

Practices

(Canada) Lama Yeshe Ling Centre, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vast vision to recite this sutra as much as possible to bring peace and stop wars, gathered on August 1 to recite the Sutra of Golden Light for peace in our world.

(Australia) Tara Institute‘s students marked the completion of 3,000 recitations of the Sutra of Golden Light in May 2025, as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and have continued reciting it weekly, with the tally now at 3,105.

We rejoice in this, and invite centers to keep us updated with their tally of complete recitations and to share your experiences of hearing, reading, reciting, giving, or receiving, or simply thinking about the Sutra of Golden Light.

(Australia) Following advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama last year, Tara Institute‘s students are also doing the White Tara practice to remove obstacles to the health and long life of their resident teacher, Geshe Doga, with a collective goal of reciting 10,000,000 White Tara mantras by 2028. We rejoice in this group practice!

(Nepal) On August 20, 2026, at Kopan Monastery, the Lama Gyupa monks began constructing the Yamantaka Thirteen-Deity Sand Mandala and commenced the great Self-Initiation Puja, engaging in profound practices for purification, protection, and the accumulation of merit. 

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi at Losang Dragpa Centre Photo credits of Losang Dragpa Centre Facebook page.

(Malaysia) On August 21, the auspicious and joyful arrival of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi at Losang Dragpa Centre marked the beginning of the annual Festival of Prayer with Thousand Offerings, which continued through August 23 with the Yamantaka Fire Puja Preliminary Prayers, Yamantaka Controlling Fire Puja, Dzambala Puja, Green Tara Jenang & Short Tsog Offering, Incense Puja & Protector Puja Torma Gyatsa Puja, and Medicine Buddha Jangwa Puja.

(US) Land of Medicine Buddha, on August 30, celebrated the Ksitigarbha Festival with 100 Torma Offerings and made prayers for all beings. Monks from the Gyuto Tantric College led a special puja to make offerings and requests to the enlightened beings and dedicate prayers for the benefit of all beings in the six realms. We rejoice in the merits generated by the practice!

(France) At Nalanda Monastery, daily from August 3–8, the monks of Sera Thekchenling Lachi monks led a Medicine Buddha puja each morning and created a sand mandala representing the celestial palace of the Medicine Buddha. On August 8, they performed a puja for rain, which was answered, and then the mandala was dismantled on August 9. On August 12, the 2026 FPMT Most Secret Hayagriva Retreat began during the solar eclipse—a highly auspicious day for the practice—and continued until August 28, for the benefit of all sentient beings and specifically to eliminate obstacles and gather favorable conditions for FPMT. We are deeply grateful to all the students who took part in this!

(UK) Togme Sangpo group in Scotland recently sadly lost their founder and FPMT registered teacher, Margo van Greta. Togme Sangpo group is deeply grateful to Margo for creating and running it, and they look forward to continuing in the same spirit of service to all sentient beings. Read more about Margo.

Holy Objects

New Stupa in  Bucharest . Photo credit of Garden of Maitreya Study Group Facebook page.

(Romania) Congratulations to the Romanian Dharma brothers and sisters of the Garden of Maitreya Study Group who completed the first stupa in Bucharest! August 18 marked the culmination of a project that began with cemetery plots, a groundbreaking ceremony, a Kadampa stupa built and blessed at Nalanda Monastery in France, and months of gathering, preparing, and consecrating everything that would eventually rest inside it. All of that came together in a single day. Offerings and a mandala were presented, Ven. Tenzin Gendun officiated the Gektor and Rabné ceremonies, and during the final consecration a rainbow appeared. Rejoice in the great merit generated by the Romanian students!

(Italy) Congratulations also to the Italian students who finished construction of the Stupa of Enlightenment dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa. The work was organized and carried out by volunteers from Stupa Onlus, and the stupa will be consecrated on December 3, 2026, during the auspicious day of the birthday celebration of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

(Netherlands) We rejoice that another stupa dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche is on the way! Thanks to the community of Maitreya Instituut Loenen, 318 large mantra scrolls have now arrived at the center, each with 273.40 yards (250 meters) of paper—106 with the lotus mantras, 106 with the name mantras of Lama Tsong Khapa, and 106 with the mantras of the long-life deities and the three leaders. The scrolls were filled with incense (a conifer and lavender mixture) and covered with satin, thanks to a volunteer day on June 7 and to the summer lamrim students who spent many hours on the work. Thirty-two microfilms have also arrived to be placed in the stupa; each contains hundreds of thousands of mantras, prayers, and sutras. We rejoice in the efforts of all the people involved in the realization of the stupa in line with the vast vision of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Work in progress at f Maitreya Instituut Loenen. Photo credit of f Maitreya Instituut Loenen Facebook page.

(France) Among the new holy objects in progress are also holy statues in several French centers. At Institut Vajra Yogini, Geshe Loden filled and blessed the new statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, which now sits in the small upper gompa alongside the new statue of Vajra Yogini, also blessed by Geshe-la. From August 11 to 13, they also had the joy of welcoming four monks from Sera Jey Monastery, who came especially from southern India to perform the blessing rituals for the Institute’s prosperity vases in the gompa. Meanwhile, Nalanda Monastery has completed preparations to fill the statues of Lama Tsongkhapa and his two disciples, Khedrup Je and Gyaltsab Je, with new mantras, purchased through the generous support of the community. Geshe Jampa Kalden of Sera Monastery, a classmate of Nalanda’s abbot, Geshe Jamphel, was invited to Nalanda to carry out this important work! May all these new holy objects help to bring peace, wisdom, compassion, and liberation into the world.

(Australia) Rejoice also in the effort of Langri Tangpa Centre‘s tsa-tsa production, now busy painting and gold-leafing hundreds of tsa-tsas in time to be blessed in preparation for the Guru Bhumtsok, this special national event, with Geshe Tenzin Zopa leading the puja and many of Australia’s geshes expected to attend to recite 100,000 Tsok Offering prayers and mantras to Guru Rinpoche, accompanied by abundant offerings of lights, flowers, incense, food, and tsok and traditional musical instruments to dispel obstacles for the entire world and dedicated to world peace and the long life of all our teachers. For the big occasion, a second drum stand—constructed by Manly Men’s Shed, decorated by SPC Miffi, with a drum donated by Stefan Shepherd and a deer 3D-printed by Helene Holland and her son—has also been completed. Congratulations to all the people involved in this collective practice of great generosity! 

We also recently shared a report on several holy object projects sponsored through grants provided from the FPMT Holy Objects Fund. 

Milestones

(Spain) This year is a year of celebrations for Tekchen Chö Ling Center. In addition to marking its fortieth anniversary as a Dharma center, the community celebrates thirty-one years of practicing rotating offerings, following the direct advice of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, with the Ontinyent practitioner group. It is a wonderful reason for joy.

FPMT Basic Program students giving thanks to Geshe Namdak and receiving blessings from relics now housed in the Gompa at Jamyang London. Photo credit of JBC.

(UK) Jamyang Buddhist Centre London (JBC) celebrates the 2026 class that completed the FPMT Basic Program with Geshe Tenzin Namdak in August, after five and a half years of study, debate, retreat, and examination. We rejoice in this wonderful milestone—congratulations! May it inspire everyone considering a Buddhist study program at their own center.

(US) We rejoice with Thubten Kunga Center for Wisdom Culture in Florida, whose offer to purchase its center’s location was accepted, securing a permanent home. The community is now actively raising funds to complete the payment, and thanks to the generosity of a matching donor, Home Fund contributions are currently being matched dollar-for-dollar. May they soon have a definitive home for the community! Discover more here.

(Australia) While Vajrayana Institute has just completed the center renovation, see the final look here. A huge congratulations and thank you to all the people involved!

(Australia) De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre has received a generous $65,000 donation from the sister center Buddha House in South Australia. Buddha House has completed a ten-year pledge to De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre with a lump-sum gift of $65,000—the result of an anonymous benefactor’s original request, years of annual deposits, and, most recently, three bequests from Buddha House members who have passed away. The pledge began when Buddha House raised funds to purchase a retirement property for their teacher and DTL Executive Committee chairperson, Venerable Dondrub; the donor’s sole condition was that Buddha House also support De-Tong Ling over the following decade. De-Tong Ling rejoices in this uncontaminated generosity and offers heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Interfaith event at Potowa Study Group. Photo credit of o Potowa Study Group Facebook page.

(Australia) Congratulations to Potowa Study Group for bringing faith communities together to discuss mental well-being, hosting the event One Humanity, Many Faiths: Supporting Mental Well-Being on August 22 in Wagga Wagga. The event brought together representatives from eight faith, spiritual, and cultural traditions, including Geshe Tenzin Zopa representing Buddhism, to explore how spirituality, compassion, and connection can support mental well-being and strengthen understanding across communities. 

While Cittamani Hospice Service organized its 2026 Spirituality Conference on July 31. The event brought together healthcare professionals, carers, community members, and spiritual practitioners to explore the role of spirituality, hope, and connection in palliative care, with the theme “Sustaining Hope and Staying Connected.” Congratulations to Cittamani Hospice Service for offering an opportunity to share diverse perspectives and foster community!

International FPMT Family 

The FPMT Global Mani Retreat continues to offer an opportunity for the international FPMT family to practice together, create the causes for peace in the world, and support the long life and activities of our teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. As recently shared in the latest FPMT Inc. board update, this has been the first project to bring students from all over the world together, and the results have been very encouraging. In fact, the virtuous goal of 100 million mantras may possibly be doubled thanks to the dedication of all the teachers, the students, and the people behind the scenes, especially the Retreat Coordinator, Selina Foong, and her team.

On August 9, His Eminence Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche bestowed teachings on bodhicitta, based on Maitreya’s Sublime Continuum (Ratnagotravibhaga), chapter 1, verse 27. During the session, he strongly emphasized the importance of proper understanding, without which our Dharma practice is nothing more than a collection of words. He also taught the seven-point method for developing bodhicitta. With more than 340 Zoom logins, some forty YouTube viewers, and many more participating in groups, we rejoice.

On August 15, Ven. Amy Miller led the Chenrezig group practice. She conjoined the Four Immeasurables prayer with tonglen practice, taking time to contemplate “giving and taking” while reciting each verse three times.

On August 20, FPMT Mongolia started the fourteenth 100 Million Mani Retreat. Rejoice in this remarkable milestone to fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes for Mongolia and the world to accumulate extensive merit. Sessions will be livestreamed every Wednesday for the duration of the retreat (August 20–September 17, 2026).

On August 22, Ven. Tenzin Drachom led the latest Chenrezig group practice. 

We are honored that His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will bestow teachings on “Practicing Compassion Through the Profound View of Emptiness” on September 7, 2026, on Zoom for the FPMT Global Mani Retreat—a rare and precious opportunity for all.

**Running in tandem with these main sessions are Chenrezig Group Practice sessions offered in Spanish and Italian; as well as in English for those in North American time zones.** Please check our Facebook page for all upcoming opportunities. 

Join the FPMT Global Mani Retreat, a precious opportunity to gather in unity, generate collective merit, and deepen our community connections. The mantras we recite together until November 1 will be offered at the conclusion of the retreat for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Discover more about the Global Mani Retreat

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will bestow teachings on “Practicing Compassion Through the Profound View of Emptiness” on September 7, 2026,

We Want to Hear Your Story! 

These highlights are sourced from the social media, newsletters, annual reports, websites, and WhatsApp groups of FPMT centers, projects, and services. If you would like to share your news and highlights with the wider FPMT family, we would be so happy to hear from you! 

In addition to these highlights, please also read longer community news stories and news from around the world!

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.