Medicine Buddha puja during the Healing and Reconciliation event at Abhayagiriya Temple led by Kopan geshes, with disabled Army personnel and families in attendance. Photo by Capucine Redon.

Lama Namgyal Rinpoche and five Kopan geshes were welcomed to Sri Lanka for the first extended tour by Tibetan Buddhist monks in the country to fully consecrate Sri Lanka’s first Medicine Buddha statue. The tour was organized by the Tara Lanka Study Group, led by Ven. Tenzin Lekdron and carries profound historical and interfaith significance.

After three years of dedicated effort, the Tara Lanka Study Group has completed a 5-foot/ 1.5-meter Medicine Buddha prototype statue. It was formally offered and installed in the heart of Colombo in October 2025. This marks an important step towards fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish to build a five-story (approximately 50 feet/ 15 meters) Medicine Buddha statue in Sri Lanka.

Consecration of the prototype of Medecine Budha Statu at Gangaramaya temple on October 29, 2025. Photo by Capucine Redon.

This was the first time an image of the Medicine Buddha had been enshrined for public worship and ritual at a major temple in Sri Lanka. This is a remarkable moment that advances Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vision of reconciliation between the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions.

The Kopan geshes arrived in the capital, Colombo, on October 26. The following day, they gathered with the Tara Lanka community. During this meeting, Lama Namgyal Rinpoche offered a clear and accessible introduction to Mahayana Buddhism. Students’ questions were encouraged and translated into Sinhala by Hirushan Fernando.

On October 28, one of the four major events of the tour took place at Kelaniya Temple, where the Naga Puja was performed. It was led by Lama Namgyal Rinpoche together with the geshes. At this temple, which is believed to have been visited by the Buddha himself, a small group of students received the rare and precious opportunity to take the Bodhisattva vows. Tara Lanka students Hirushan Fernando and Dilini Wijesekara, representing the local community, made this request to Lama Namgyal Rinpoche, who kindly agreed.

Naga puja at Kelaniya temple of Colombo, October 28, 2025. Photo by Capucine Redon.

On October 29, at Gangarama Temple, Lama Namgyal Rinpoche, with the geshes, consecrated the Medicine Buddha prototype statue in a private ceremony performed exactly according to Tibetan tradition.

On October 30, the Kopan monks travelled to Anuradhapura to meet the Atamasthana Adhipathi, who holds the highest authority over the eight sacred Buddhist sites in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

October 31 marked the Healing and Reconciliation event at Abhayagiriya Temple for disabled former army personnel. The event was attended by 300 participants, including wounded soldiers and widows. The Kopan geshes conducted a Medicine Buddha puja while participants meditated in silence and reflection. Lunch was offered by the army to all participants. This act of shared devotion stood as a powerful symbol of mutual respect, unity, and healing.

On November 1 at Abhayagiriya Temple, a prominent Theravada site, the Kopan geshes led a Guru Bumtsog puja attended by nearly 100 people. The atmosphere was palpably sincere.

In the days following the ceremonies, the monks journeyed across the island. On November 2, they visited the Ruwanwelisaya and Jethavana temples. The following day, they returned to Abhayagiriya to see 400 hectares of Mahayana archaeological ruins and then travelled to Kandy. There, the geshes visited the Sacred Tooth Relic, which left a deep impression on them. They were honored to be granted a rare audience with the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter. This marked a historic event that will be remembered in the Buddhist annals of Sri Lanka.

Rare audience with the head of Asgiriya Chapter which is the most powerful religious title in Sri Lanka.

The Ambassador of Nepal formally acknowledged the geshes and their contribution to the people of Sri Lanka by hosting an official reception at the Nepalese Embassy. The event honored the first official group of Tibetan Buddhist monks from Nepal to undertake an extended tour of Sri Lanka and marked the gifting of the Medicine Buddha statue.

On November 5h, the geshes returned to Kopa Monastery. Throughout the journey, they were welcomed everywhere with genuine warmth. Their presence, prayers, and humility touched all those they encountered.

The entire project was led through the dedicated effort and devotion of Ven. Lekdron, who shared: “The wheel of Mahayana is turning in Sri Lanka. Tara Lanka has done 10 years of purification practices and created the foundation for change.”

With grateful thanks to Ven. Tenzin Lekdron for sharing news of this inspiring development!  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!

Please learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization to have hundreds of thousands of holy objects around the world: fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#hobjects