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Foundation Service Seminar participants at IVY, France, September. Photo by Capucine Reddon.
FPMT International Office staffer Zarina Osmonalieva attended her fist Foundation Service Seminar at Institut Vajra Yogini in France this September. Here she shares her experience joining this FPMT immersion retreat.
Led by Francois Lecointre and Wendy Ridley, the latest Foundation Service Seminar was held at Institut Vajra Yogini, France (IVY), from September 24-28, 2025. Around 40 participants from different FPMT affiliates from Europe joined. We had the pleasure of sharing the FSS with Sangha members and a new team of volunteers and directors, Venerable Tendar and Christophe Rotiel, of Vajrayogini Institute. What a great start it must be for them, I thought, as FSS with its rich content about the history and values of FPMT, teachings of lamas, Vast Visions for the next thousand years set out by Lama Zopa Rinpoche could be a great boost of energy and motivation!
Many conditions made this FSS a harmonious and safe space to learn about the culture and significance of service within FPMT. Vajrayogini Institute’s team of volunteers offered their best to make everyone feel welcomed and comfortable and nourished by tasty meals. Wendy and Francois, with their many years of service as center directors and FSS trainers, skillfully facilitated the process of internalizing the values and learning the ways of serving at centers and study groups and igniting the “family feeling.”
FSS facilitators, Francois Lecointre and Wendy Ridley, leading a session at IVY. Photo by Capucine Reddon.
The format of FSS reminded me of the creative methods used in the 16 Guidelines workshops, where group exercises and playful activities do some magic – they open hearts to new encounters and friendships and allow space for collective wisdom to emerge. I am sure we all made meaningful connections and found new friends!
All participants were gifted a set of Inner Job Description cards, a tool that helps developing mindfulness of our thoughts, speech, and actions. A few participants mentioned they would be happy to use them in their services at centers. One participant shared, “Lots of aspects (of IJD) are practical and I will put them into practice personally.”
One very important message that we were all reminded of was that when offering Dharma service, we do not focus on the outcome only, but on how we do things. We also discussed how understanding our dependence on each other guides us in doing things in a more holistic and sustainable way.
My personal takeaway from FSS this time would be the importance of how we offer service versus getting things done. Very often we may focus on our to-do lists more than creating spaces for spiritual maturation. We may ignore the needs of others because we are busy ticking off completed tasks, or we may ignore our own needs for reflection and rejuvenation and forget that rest and joy are also important ingredients of success.
As Acharya Shantideva says: “The supports when working for the sake of living beings are aspiration, steadfastness, joy and rest.”
We all left IVY feeling immense gratitude and joy. As one of the participants said, “Thank you very much for your tireless preparation and presentation. Thank you also to all those work so hard for FPMT providing resources, archiving teachings, fundraising, but above all, practicing sincerely the Dharma and Wisdom Culture.”
I felt that FSS is not limited to the service within FPMT, it is about cultivating the mindset of offering our best to our family members, friends, and the world at large.
Zarina Osmonalieva worked for Yeshin Norbu Center in Stockholm, Sweden, between 2018 and 2023, first as social media person, then as SPC. Zarina joined the team at FPMT International Office in 2023 and offers service across several departments, including the FPMT Foundation Store, which she manages.
A Foundation Service Seminar is scheduled at Istituto Lama Tsong Khapa, Italy, June 10-14, 2026.
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.