Foundation Service Seminar participants at Losang Dragpa Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 2017

Attention student offering service in the FPMT organization: Opportunities for developing your skills and deepening your Dharma practice await when you attend an FPMT Foundation Service Seminar! 

What Is the Foundation Service Seminar (FSS)?

The Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) is a five-day retreat that has been especially designed, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice, for students committed to offering service within the FPMT organization. The FSS offers participants:

• Opportunities to learn, meditate on, and practice applying Dharma to their service in centers, projects, and services. 
• Exercises in team building, skillful management and people development, effective communication, stress management, and more, all delivered within an explicitly FPMT Dharma context.
• Information on how to effectively draw strength, inspiration, wisdom, and guidance from the Dharma during difficult times to help prevent and alleviate burnout.
• Introduction to Inner Job Description (IJD), a  helpful tool for integrating the Dharma into work life.
• A showcase of the vast activities and resources available within the FPMT organization.
• Immersion in FPMT Wisdom Culture.
• Opportunities to make long-lasting connections with other FPMT students, what Lama Yeshe called “family feeling.”
• An entry point to other in-depth FPMT service seminars, including the Teacher Development Service Seminar and the Rituals Service Seminar.
• Preparation for those wishing to be come registered FSS facilitators.

Foundation Service Seminar participants at Losang Dragpa Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 2017

When and Where Are FSS Held?

The next scheduled Foundation Service Seminar takes place in December 2017 in Spain. Other seminars are being planned for 2018 in the UK, Switzerland, and Mexico. Interested students should contact your area’s regional or national coordinator to find out more about upcoming Foundation Services Seminars.

What Do Participants Have to Say?

“Having seen how challenging life in a Dharma center can be, how easily good intentions can get blown away, I believe it is essential that everyone working or wishing to work in the FPMT does this seminar-retreat,” one participant recently said. “So much suffering could be alleviated if people were more aware of the toolkit available to them, and even more importantly, how working in a center positively helps to develop a deep understanding of wisdom and compassion in action.”

“I definitely recommend to new directors to go to an FSS!” encourages another student. “It’s very informative. An FSS could fill any gaps of knowledge the new directors might have. Plus it’s a very inspiring seminar! I rejoiced a lot! As well, it’s a good team-building activity. New directors will learn something just by listening others’ experience; it’s indeed precious knowledge. Plus, through sharing information and representing their own center, the new directors plant the positive seeds for the future. Definitely the FSS practices will help me to be a better manager!”

Foundation Service Seminar participants at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California, USA, February 2017

Learn more about Foundation Service Seminars on FPMT.org. Next week, we’ll share a first-hand report from the Foundation Service Seminars held in New Zealand and in Malaysia earlier this year!