Dr. Steve Line gave a lecture during a death and dying workshop hosted by Heruka Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan, July 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.

Ven. Thubten Osel, director of Jinsiu Farlin, reported on the events happening at the three centers – Heruka Center, Jinsiu Farlin and Shakyamuni Center – that comprise FPMT Taiwan:

Heruka Center

Buddhist Education – Satellite Program

Last year, Heruka Center expanded its education program to neighboring city Tainan, where we continue to have a steady and thriving group of students attending the weekend class on tenets taught by Geshe Tashi Tsethar, resident teacher of Heruka Center in Kaohsiung.

Together with FPMT Taiwan, Heruka Center launched an annual 100 million Tara mantra marathon from May 24 – July 4, 2014, covering the entire Saka Dawa month, with specific dedications for Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. What was originally meant to be just an individual center’s Saka Dawa practice ended up to become an international FPMT endeavor, with more than 900 people from 22 countries and 14 FPMT centers taking part. Together we accumulated 9,780,941 Tara mantras.

Even though what had been achieved was less than 10% of our goal, it still caused goose bumps to think of how more than 900 people from across the globe did the same practice with the same motivation and dedicated for the very same purpose during the auspicious month of Saka Dawa! On behalf of all of us who participated in the Tara mantra marathon, FPMT Taiwan presented a letter to His Holiness on July 6 and another letter on July 7 to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, explaining and offering our Saka Dawa practice completely dedicated for them.

Death and Dying Seminar

On July 19, 2014, Heruka Center organized a full-day death and dying seminar in a lecture hall in National Cheng Kung University which was attended by over 150 people. Dr. Steve Lin, chairman of FPMT Taiwan and director of the medical research department in Kaohsiung Medical University, presented the process of birth and reincarnation with plenty of medical data and visual aids which were both informative and entertaining. Geshe Tsethar spoke on the dying process, the intermediate state, taking rebirth, as well as the practice of the five powers. The seminar was so well received that Heruka Center is now planning a second one in October 2014, when both speakers will touch on issues such as terminal diseases, karma and Buddhist healing meditation.

Jinsiu Farlin

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the newly renovated gompa of Jinsiu Farlin, Taipei, Taiwan, April 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.

Jinsiu Farlin received news on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s arrival on April 2014 on very short notice.  Rinpoche’s short visit was not only a big surprise to everyone, his arrival in the airport – an hour earlier than scheduled – was an even bigger surprise! There were only a few students waiting in the airport at that time. The bouquet to welcome Rinpoche was not there, the car to pick up Rinpoche was not there, and the transport to pick up Rinpoche’s entourage was not there too! News about Rinpoche’s early arrival started to spread, and we began seeing students running toward the lounge from the arrival hall entrances and car park. It reached the point that whenever we saw someone running in the hall, we could be quite sure that that person was coming to receive Rinpoche! There were only about 10 students in the beginning, but slowly as people rushed in, we ended up having nearly a hundred students greeting Rinpoche in the airport. 

Vens. Drolkar and Gyaltsen painting the wall during minor renovations at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung City, Taiwan, 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.

During Rinpoche’s one week’s stay in Taipei, he met the members of the FPMT Taiwan board, gave Hayagriva long life Initiation, conducted the opening ceremony for the completely renovated center and did a few private pujas for the center. Both the initiation and opening ceremony were attended by nearly 250 people. Many old students returned, and there were many new faces too. Rinpoche was very pleased with the renovations, spending time going through each floor and checking out every corner.

During the opening ceremony, Rinpoche emphasized the importance of the existence of a center. “There is a BIG difference between working in a center and working in a company,” Rinpoche began. “When you work in a company, even though you make money, it doesn’t become purification unless you work with compassion.  But, when you work in a center – the center gives teaching, educates people about reincarnation, karma, taking refuge, avoiding negative karma, practicing good karma, abiding in vows, keeping precepts, or gives Mahayana teachings, like generating compassion for sentient beings, practicing bodhichitta and so forth. When you work in a center, which educates sentient beings by giving teachings, it purifies the past negative karma to be born in the lower realms. It purifies that. And it makes serving sentient beings and serving the teachings of Buddha with compassion happen. So through the center, it helps to create morality and practice; it helps to achieve higher rebirth.”

Even though it was a short visit, Rinpoche’s presence itself rejuvenated and inspired everyone to want to practice Dharma and attend Dharma classes and prayers. These days we continue to see more members attending the center’s activities and more people are inspired to serve the center.

Shakyamuni Center

Geshe Gyatso leads lam-rim meditation at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung City, Taiwan, 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.

In March 2014, Shakyamuni Center in Taichung thanked its outgoing director, Ven. Gyalten, a Taiwanese monk ordained by Choden Rinpoche, for his two years of service. During his stay, he did a minor renovation and adorned the main prayer hall with newly framed thangkas of the 16 Arhats and Pandits.

The center then welcomed on board its new director Ven. Drolkar, a Taiwanese nun ordained by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1995. Ven. Drolkar recently initiated a monthly lam-rim meditation weekend retreat led by the resident teacher, Geshe Ngawang Gyatso, and commenced yarne (summer retreat) with three other nuns in the center.

Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.