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Animal blessing at Tara Institute, Oct 4, 2026. Photo courtesy of TI.
On October 4, 2026, Tara Institute in Australia celebrated World Animal Day, an international day of action for animal welfare. The community gathered for an animal blessing ceremony, an animal liberation, and candle offerings for lost or ill pets. Their event reflects the wishes of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who has taught extensively on benefiting animals.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche wished for FPMT centers to host animal blessing events to bring new people to the Dharma and to benefit all the animals. In his words: ” The pets and the people get so much benefit from these events. This is a new thing that I would like to start. As much as possible for there to be animal blessing events when I visit the centers.”
The Dharma community offered an animal blessing ceremony led by Geshe Lobsang, an animal liberation, and candle offerings in remembrance of lost or ill pets. Forty dogs, one cat, and one chicken took part in the animal liberation, and twelve containers of worms were given a second chance to live out their natural lives.
Animal blessing ceremony led by Geshe Lobsang, Photo courtesy of TI.
By holding these practices, the community at Tara Institute is helping to realize the wish of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his vast vision for the animals’ lives. Lama Zopa Rinpoche shared about animal blessings: “The purpose is to bring peace to the animals and to make their lives meaningful, so sooner or later they can be fully awakened and achieve highest happiness.”
There are many ways we can help animals, including rescuing them from untimely death, caring for their health, and helping plant imprints that purify their karma, create merit, and become the causes that can ripen their future enlightenment.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained the benefits of the practice of animal liberation: “By doing prayers and chanting powerful mantras for the animals, they receive a higher rebirth and liberation. This practice purifies immediately the oceans of samsaric suffering.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing a dog at an animal blessing in Moscow, Russia, 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Tara Institute also raised funds for the FPMT Animal Liberation Fund as part of its World Animal Day activities. The fund has supported ongoing animal liberations throughout the FPMT organization for many years, including weekly liberations and blessings. The Animal Liberation Fund and has also offered substantial support to projects that rescue and benefit animals like Kopan Monastery’s Animal Liberation Sanctuary, and others.
Animal Liberation Resources Available
FPMT Education Services has also published a number of prayer and practice resources that are available to engage in animal liberation practice at home, including ebooks and PDFs, a printable liberation bug catcher tool designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and audio recordings. .
Resources for Benefitting Animals
- Advice page for benefiting animals
- Recitations for Animals audio album
- Charity to Ants PDF
- Animal Liberation Tools
- Liberating Animals from the Danger of Death PDF
- Blessing the Animals in the Ocean PDF
- Liberating Animals eBook & PDF
- The Five Powerful Mantras for Liberating Sentient Beings from the Lower Realms:
- Wish Fulfillment for All Animals: Their Happiness and Liberation—Powerful Buddha Names and Mantras and the Benefits of Reciting Them
Thanks to Tara Institute and to everyone who takes part in these practices, helping Rinpoche’s wishes for benefiting animals become a reality.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has taught extensively on methods for benefiting sick and dying animals. You can find Rinpoche’s advice on the “Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche” page and also on Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s“Lama Zopa Rinpoche Online Advice Book” and “Benefiting Animals”
To learn more about FPMT’s Animal Liberation Fund, which directly supports Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes to protect animals from danger and expose them to the Dharma, and to offer support to ongoing animal liberation activities, visit the Animal Liberation Fund page online.
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.