Lama Zopa Rinpoche with IMI Sangha at Light of the Path Retreat, 2017. Photo by Kalleen Mortensen

We congratulate the International Mahayana Institute (IMI) on its 50 years of existence helping FPMT Sangha! The IMI is an FPMT project, established to serve the community of FPMT students who are living in the monk’s or nun’s ordination vows. IMI Director, Ven. Tendar prepared this inspiring report on the history of IMI and a current review, which we share with great rejoicing! 

December 15 Celebration

On December 15, 1973 Lama Yeshe created the IMI, an organization for the monks and nuns of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). This was Lama’s talk on that day, now included in the book, Advice for Monks and Nuns.

This year, on December 15, the IMI will celebrate this occasion early in the day with a live teaching on YouTube of Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi from Kopan and later in the day with Nick Ribush, who was among the ones who witnessed the start of the IMI. In this way the early teachings will be convenient for those in Australia, Asia, and Europe and for night owls in North America. The later teaching will be organized in the day time for North Americans and evening time for Europeans and Asians.

Bodhgaya January 14, 1974. The first IMI group photo, after ordination. (Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s mother, far right, was also ordained on this day.)

History

Around the time of the fifth Kopan meditation course, in November 1973, ten Western Dharma students had requested Lama Yeshe’s permission to get ordained. Lama suggested that they take their ordinations the following January, in Bodhgaya, after His Holiness the Dalai Lama had given the Kalachakra initiation. In December 1973, Lama gathered into his room these ten prospective monks and nuns, together with five or six of his students who had already been ordained.

One of the main messages Lama Yeshe gave was:

Portrait of Lama Yeshe, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1974. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

“My feeling is that it would be much better if the Sangha were to stay together, communicating with each other, rather than people getting ordained and then going off on their own. If you do go off on your own, worldly conditions will make your life difficult; it will be much harder for you to practice Dharma.

“For example, when Sangha members are here at Kopan, we help them lead a monastic life. There are always lamas present, and as a result, our students get some kind of energy that helps them control their minds so that it is easy for them to keep their ordination. If, instead, they run off and stay in some other place where there are not such good conditions, their lives become very difficult. If, on top of that, they get sick, the coming together of internal and external problems makes their lives even more difficult.

“As you know, just because you’re a monk or nun does not mean that you’ve reached enlightenment. It simply means that you have gained an understanding of the nature of samsara and have decided to work continuously to develop within yourself the everlasting, peaceful path of liberation. That’s all. Getting ordained doesn’t give you immediate control over your mind; it doesn’t mean you are completely liberated. It’s not like that.

“Our minds are uncontrolled. We need to control them. Monastic life allows us to develop our minds in a very comfortable way until we have truly achieved complete control over them and have gained such great knowledge-wisdom that even should we go to some berserk place, we are able to control that berserk energy instead of it controlling us.”

Lama Yeshe continued giving lots of advice on what renunciation really means, on respect, on the conditions which are important (and like paper should stay away from fire, sangha should stay away from situations which potentially break their vows) and the advantages of monastic life. 

He concluded: ‘’Now that I’ve expressed my feelings, you should discuss among yourselves how to create strong Sangha togetherness. It doesn’t matter to me where you live, as long as you maintain strong Sangha togetherness. You should create those kinds of conditions. Think with wisdom, and be strong.”

IMI group at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa with Lama Yeshe after Six Yogas of Naropa teachings, 1982–83. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Goals and Mission Statement of the IMI

The guiding vision of the International Mahayana Institute is to provide people all over the world who want to practice the Buddhist path as a monk or nun with places to be and ways to do that. That means to secure conducive conditions for its family of monks and nuns, its members. The basics should be met: having food, shelter, medicine and education.

IMI’s Mission Statement says: ‘The IMI is an FPMT Sangha specific community that serves sentient beings, and is empowered to respond to, and take care of the needs of its family of monks and nuns through the development of quality Sangha training programs, harmonious monastic communities, effective communications, financial support, and advocacy. The IMI is established for ordained sangha within the FPMT who are not part of monasteries and support systems in traditional Buddhist cultures.

As emissaries of Buddhism (teachers, spiritual caregivers, ritual practitioners, meditators, retreat leaders), IMI members inspire others through their speech and behavior and provide the opportunity for lay practitioners to integrate respect and support for Sangha into their practice of Buddhism’.

A Short Review

We are fifty years further along, and monastic institutions have been established in Nepal, Australia (Queensland and Bendigo), Italy, France, and Spain. Additionally, groups of monks and nuns support each other in and around FPMT Dharma centers and have a sense of Sangha community and support. After Lama Yeshe’s passing, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been an excellent example for the monastics by his behavior. He offered essential advice to the monasteries and the individual Sangha members. Also, Rinpoche inspired the ordained sangha for the general public and during retreats, like this teaching from July 2020: Sangha Are “The Real Heroes.”

In return, many nuns and monks have been instrumental in the development of the FPMT and IMI organization and have been at the start of many Dharma centers. Some later disrobed, others ordained later in life upon having offered a lot of service.

IMI Nuns, Chenreziig Institute, 2019.

Over the years the IMI has had many directors who had the honor to serve Rinpoche and fellow brothers and sisters. Among them are Nick Ribush, Marcels Bertels, Ven. Roger, Ven. Dondrub, Ven. Chantal (two times!), Ven. Tony, Monlam, Ven. Chodron, Ven. Carol, and currently Ven. Tendar. Drolkar McCallum has also served for over a decade as office manager. Over the years many monks and nuns have taken on the  responsibilities of being board members, account holders, IMI representatives, or taken on specific jobs within the monastic communities.

We can rejoice that we were able to serve and contribute to the continuation of the Dharma on our planet. Rinpoche said: “The happiest thing in my life, most fulfilling thing is to work for and to benefit sentient beings. Even just the mere thought to cause happiness to sentient beings, to benefit them, to free them from suffering is the BEST offering to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. This is the best offering, the best puja; this is what pleases their holy mind most”.

The IMI created the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund (LYSF) in order to secure the basic conducive conditions (having food, shelter, medicine, and education) for its members. A review committee decides on the awarding of the grants. The IMI provides members with pre-ordination courses and has the ambition to extend and develop more material in this area.

Besides that, the IMI regularly organizes activities. At this moment, we have organized  a continuous worldwide recitation in fulfilment of His Holiness’ advice for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s quick return. You can sign up and join your Dharma brothers and sisters all over the world.

Support

As IMI members we are grateful to everyone who has supported us, some of you for decades. We hope that you continue or that you will consider supporting us. You can also read our latest annual report. 

By supporting us you help to sustain the Sangha on this planet. There is a lot to rejoice about in terms of what has happened so far, but there are also instructions from Lama Zopa Rinpoche which have not been realized yet, like setting up a monastery in North America. And we have plans to create more levels of ordination courses as well.

Celebration

You are invited to join us on December 15 to listen to the talks of Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi from Kopan and later in the day Nick Ribush: https://imisangha.org/the-imi-turns-50/

We dedicate all our effort and energy to the long life of all our gurus and a quick return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. May we always be able to serve them. May the Dharma flourish on this planet for a long time to come.

Please watch this recent video of Ven. Roger Kunsang sharing, as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, many intimate (and humorous!) stories about the early days of IMI coming into formation.

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.