Some of the participants of the first Heart Sutra retreat in Europe, with retreat leader Stefano Gaviglio, center, in the Chenrezig Gompa at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, July 27, 2025.

In July 2022, Lama Zopa Rinpoche expressed his wish to lead a Heart Sutra Retreat, but did not do so before showing the aspect of passing away in April 2023. To honor the first anniversary of Rinpoche’s parinirvana and to fulfill his wishes, the first Heart Sutra Retreat was offered at Kopan Monastery, Nepal from April 15-20, 2024. The momentous retreat was attended by over 200 students, with Ganden Trisur Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche providing commentary on the text, and Ven. Steve Carlier guiding meditations on the topic. Short video recordings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching on emptiness were shown in the evening sessions. Continuing on in this spirit, the first European Heart Sutra Retreat, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s instructions, was held at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Italy in July 2025. Below is an inspired report from two staff members of ILTK.

By Carlota Pinheiro and Fabiana Lotito

The Innovative Retreat

On Sunday, July 27, 2025 at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia, Italy, the first European Heart Sutra meditation retreat was completed, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s instructions.

FPMT registered teacher Stefano Gaviglio, who attended the first Heart Sutra Retreat in April 2024 at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, led by Ven. Steve Carlier, proposed this retreat, creating an innovative structure that honored the lineage instructions while accommodating modern learning needs—modulating it into two long weekends separated by approximately two months, interspersed with six weekly online meditations. The result was a unique program that would guide approximately 40 participants through the profound depths of the Heart Sutra’s teachings on emptiness over several weeks. This format allowed participants to deepen their understanding progressively, moving from the correct recognition of the object of negation to Chandrakirti’s sophisticated seven-fold reasoning on emptiness.

The Traditional Program

The first weekend, after providing essential theoretical context for newcomers, began with sharing Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s oral transmission of the sutra, followed by intensive meditation on the “four profundities” up to the aggregate of feelings. As an auspicious conclusion, participants received explanations of the Heart Sutra’s mantra and its embedded five paths of realization.

The intervening weeks proved crucial to the program’s success. Six online sessions maintained momentum and allowed participants to integrate their weekend experiences into daily practice. These sessions specifically focused on meditations providing the foundation necessary for the more advanced practices that would follow.

The second weekend built upon this groundwork, beginning with meditations on the emptiness of the person’s inherent existence before expanding to explore the four profundities in relation to all five aggregates. The program culminated in meditations on the Eight Aspects of Emptiness as they relate to the Three Doors of Liberation, before completing the sutra to Buddha’s final expression of joy. Throughout both weekends, even break periods were conducted in awareness of emptiness, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s specific instructions for maintaining contemplative focus.

Each day of the retreats began with preliminary practices including the Guru Yogas of Lama Tsongkhapa and Avalokiteshvara, incorporating the “All-encompassing Yoga Mind” meditation as recommended by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Formal recitation sessions were preceded by traditional prayers, including Praise to Manjushri and invocations to the lineage lamas, ensuring authentic connection to the unbroken transmission of these teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Retreat leader Stefano Gaviglio, center, with some of the second Heart Sutra retreat repeating participants, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, July 27, 2025.

Community Impact

The retreat attracted a remarkably diverse group of practitioners, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Among the 32 core participants were five complete beginners who had never encountered fundamental Buddhist concepts. This diversity reflected the retreat’s appeal but also highlighted the need for prerequisites in future programs. The teacher’s ability to accommodate such varied experience levels while maintaining the integrity of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s instructions demonstrated both pedagogical skill and the teachings’ inherent accessibility when properly presented.

“There would be so much to say! But if I wrote them down, the words would be like a jar trying to contain the breeze… So the best to say is an infinite thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for these precious teachings and for having fostered a beautiful sharing environment,” said participants Sonia and Anna.

he first weekend group contributed over 10,800 mantras toward the global accumulation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebration, with the final count reaching 47,600 mantras. Both groups completed the recitation of Manjushri’s holy names, dedicating these accumulations to the swift recognition of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s perfect reincarnation. Each evening concluded with viewing carefully selected videos of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings on emptiness from the original Kopan retreat, maintaining direct connection to the source of these instructions.

Looking Forward

“This week I’ve meditated daily on the Heart Sutra, reading it, praying and reflecting. I truly believe it has changed something in me. It has created a beginning, it has lit up something. It is astonishing,” expressed Eleanora, one of the participants.

A print of the Heart Sutra in Sanskrit, Tibetan, English, and Italian sponsored by Stefano Gaviglio for the occasion of the Heart Sutra Retreat at ILTK.

The retreat has already generated momentum for future programs. ILTK has scheduled another intensive Heart Sutra meditation retreat for October 2026, fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s expressed wish for the continuation of these teachings as shared by Ven. Roger at Kopan.

On the occasion of such an important retreat, Stefano Gaviglio sponsored the printing of 1,000 Heart Sutra booklets translated into Sanskrit, Tibetan, English, and Italian, ensuring these precious teachings remain accessible for altar practice and study. They are now offered for free at ILTK. This offering embodies the retreat’s ultimate purpose: not personal accomplishment, but the benefit of all sentient beings.

While not every participant could remain for group photos, each contributed to creating a mandala of practice that honored the lineage while adapting skillfully to contemporary needs. As these teachings continue to spread through future retreats and individual practice, they carry the potential to transform countless lives through the profound understanding of emptiness—the Heart Sutra’s ultimate wisdom to our suffering world.

With grateful thanks to Carlota Pinheiro and Fabiana Lotito for this story!  We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

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.