Association of Tibetan Women engaging in traditional dance. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

Recently Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) hosted community events centered around the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday and the Year of Compassion, and in observance of Chokhor Duchen. Carlota Pinheiro and Fabiana Lotito share details of these events for great inspiration and rejoicing:

Lama Yeshe dreamed of ILTK as being something beautiful—a sacred space where people could walk the complete gradual path to enlightenment. Following Lama’s advice, the heart of everything we do here is simple: service.

Celebrating His Holiness’s 90th Birthday with the Italian Tibetan Community,
July 5-6 2025

It is fantastic to witness how the community keeps its cultural identity so intact, and how much they are willing to share it with us. After all, we owe the access to these life-changing teachings to the Tibetan people, and this is also a way of showing them gratitude.

The amount of young people that joined the 90th birthday celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama was astonishing. Their presence reflects not only how well the traditions are being passed down but how much hope there is for the future of the culture. The universal nature of this celebration is truly remarkable. Two full days in which everyone comes together to honor one thing only: the heart knows no borders.

Gathering in the ILTK courtyard, July 5, 2025. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

On Saturday, July 5, more than 70 Tibetans started to gather around the courtyard of ILTK as we began the celebration. ILTK invited the Tibetan Community in Italy to come together to honor the person that brings us all together with his wonderful teachings on compassion. As the sun rose higher, so did the colors of our gardens, with colorful chubas and kids running around. This weekend means a lot not only to Buddhists, but to the whole world: celebrating the human values of love and kindness we all have within, through celebrating the person who makes it all possible—His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The weekend was a beautiful reminder of how his teachings make the world a better place and life easier to live, even in the hardest of times.

Day One:  Voice for the Voiceless

On Saturday July 5 we started with something new called our Book Club of Compassion where we dive into one of His Holiness’s books each month. Everyone gathers in the coffee shop to chat about what they’ve read and share their insights and stories. Guided by Fiorella Rizzi, this is an initiative ILTK is doing to celebrate the Year of Compassion on the occasion of His Holiness’s 90th birthday celebration. 

 His Holiness’s new book, Voice for the Voiceless, is a profound collection of speeches, statements, and writings on the Tibetan people’s struggle under Chinese rule, their aspirations for peace; and the importance of human rights, nonviolence, and compassion. After discussing it in the book club, the opportunity and occasion was perfect to present it, surrounded by Tibetans, some of whom lived his words firsthand.

Discussing His Holiness’s new book, Voice of the Voiceless at ILTK. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

Geshe Gelek and Geshe Thenpel, the resident teachers of ILTK, sat in the tea garden, together with the president of ILTK, Lucia Landi; Marco Ventura, a university professor of “rights and religion;” the Vice President of the Tibetan community in Italy, Nyima Dhondrup; and a special guest, Sangjey Kep, the Chinese Liaison Officer for Europe in Geneva. They discussed, among many things, the importance of speaking up about the Tibetan cause every time we have the opportunity, about human rights and religious freedom, and how this matter goes much beyond politics. Sangjey Kep said, “China is not the enemy. It is the Guru.” One of the most inspiring phrases of His Holiness: “These are the teachings we need to put into practice.” 

Grateful for this open discussion about such an important topic, we moved to the big tent where members of the Tibetan community gifted everyone with opera, group songs, and beautiful traditional dances. 

Day Two: Songs of Home

On Sunday July 6, the Tibetans rose early to prepare the long life puja for His Holiness. The traditional laid-back and devotional atmosphere made everyone feel at home. At the end of the prayers, we rose to sing the Tibetan national anthem. The pain and love, loss and compassion was felt in everyone’s voices. It is such a united people—even though spread across the world, their home is now their community. It was a true honor to witness this celebration unfolding.

Geshe Tenzin Tenphel with the ILTK President Lucia Landi and , Sangjey Kep, the Chinese Liaison Officer for Europe, cutting cake. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

Happy Birthday was sung in three languages by a group of young Tibetan girls and the big cake was cut and distributed to all. Such a joy! We gathered again in the courtyard where ILTK’s group of workers and volunteers presented three Tibetan dances they have been practicing for months. With traditional dresses and braids and a shared love and honor for the culture, there was no distinguishing between the East and the West in this moment, everyone joined the circle and we danced in joy and laughed together with the geshes seated at the table of the puja.

Massimo Corona, co-founder and former director of ILTK, gifted us with a wonderful Q&A session in the gompa where he opened up his treasure chest of memories about His Holiness, sharing stories that sparkled with warmth—from that very first meeting all the way through His Holiness’s many visits to ILTK over the years. People asked questions, both in the gompa and following us online, all curious about what makes this figure so unique and important in our world. There was something special about listening to Massimo speak—it felt like all of of His Holiness’s teachings were somehow present in that room, woven into every story and response.

Celebrating Chokor Duchen and the International Sangha Day

On July 28 we gathered to celebrate the Sangha by inviting two monastics to tea in our tea garden, blessed with the statues of both Lama Yeshe and Geshe Jampa Gyatso (former resident teacher at ILTK).

Every month, we offer open sessions, “At the Tea Garden to Answer Your Whys” with members of the Sangha to answer questions of anyone who wishes to come. This is an initiative to create awareness, inspiration, and an effort to be accessible and inclusive to all. People came from cities across Tuscany—some for the first time—to gather in an informal setting where Dharma becomes accessible in the most relaxed way.

Since on this special we also celebrated Chokor Duchen, Ven. Raffaello opened the session with a wonderful introduction to the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. He told the story of Siddhartha leaving his palace to encounter the four types of suffering, and how that led to his ascetic practices and later to his enlightenment. The Buddha’s first teaching was about the Four Noble Truths, at Deer Park in Sarnath, India. This being the foundation of all Buddhist philosophy, made this occasion at the tea garden very special, where a lot of new people had the opportunity to listen to the foundations of what truly brings us together: the recognition of suffering and the wish to free all beings from it.

Afterward, people wrote their questions on small papers that Ven. Carla Tzultrim and Ven, Raffaello drew from a box, reading and responding to each one aloud. This time, the theme was “emotions.” Two nurses shared how vital these insights are for their work and how much they appreciate finding another way to ease their suffering and discover answers to their questions—something that isn’t a formal talk or retreat they can’t attend because of their demanding jobs. It was deeply inspiring to watch people of all ages come open-heartedly to sit on the grass and listen to ordained practitioners speaking directly to our hearts, as if they understood exactly what kind of suffering we each carry.

Lama Yeshe’s Legacy

Lama Yeshe at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, 1983. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, donated by Merry Colony.

Life here at ILTK has this wonderful rhythm to it—always something happening, always new faces appearing. We love seeing fresh people join our monthly pujas, and beyond our daily meditations, volunteers gather each week for Dharma Talks. For many, these talks become their first real taste of the Dharma, which feels pretty special.

Lama Yeshe used to remind us that ILTK should serve the community and be a refuge for everyone. That spirit still guides everything we do here. As he taught, we build this mandala by offering our body, speech, and mind to others. When we’re lucky enough to encounter Buddha’s Mahayana Dharma, we naturally want to share that gift with others. He called for harmony, mutual respect, and open hearts among all members, regardless of cultural differences, united in the common goal of guiding others toward enlightenment. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity of serving, providing these spaces and welcoming everyone!

With grateful thanks to Carlota Pinheiro and Fabiana Lotito for sharing this inspiring report on recent activities at ILTK. 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!

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.