The 1.5 meter Medicine Buddha statue arriving to Sri Lanka in October 2025, which is a prototype of the five-story statue advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for Sri Lanka. Photo courtesy of the 5MB Project website.

Tara Lanka study group is committed to fulfilling the wish of Lama Zopa Rinpoche to build a five-story high (approximately 15 meters/50 feet) Medicine Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. Ven. Tenzin Lekdron has led this initiative and a 1.5-meter high prototype statue has been completed and will be formally offered and received in Sri Lanka in October 2025. We share a report from a friend of Tara Lanka, Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi, of the upcoming event.

By Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi

This Historic Initiative Will Be Gifted to the People of Sri Lanka in a Landmark First

In what promises to be a landmark moment for Buddhism in Sri Lanka, a 1.5-meter high statue of the Medicine Buddha—venerated in Mahayana Buddhism as the embodiment of healing and compassion—will be formally offered to the Sri Lankan people at a special blessing ceremony at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo on October 29, 2025.

This newly built statue from Nepal marks the first time an image of the Medicine Buddha will be enshrined for public worship and ritual at a major temple in Sri Lanka. This event carries profound historical significance, bridging a centuries-old divide between the Theravada and Mahayana traditions.

Healing Beyond Sects: A Courageous Offering

Gangaramaya Temple has long been admired for its inclusive spirit, quietly housing images of Mahayana deities without actively engaging in rituals around them. The upcoming ceremony marks a turning point—it will be the first time pujas are formally conducted for a Mahayana deity at the temple, with blessings offered jointly by Theravada and Mahayana monks. This act of shared devotion stands as a powerful symbol of mutual respect, unity, and healing.

Six monks from Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, will travel to Sri Lanka for the event. They will lead the country’s first-ever Guru Bhumtsok Puja as well as a Medicine Buddha Puja.  In the days following the ceremony, they will journey across the island performing pujas in collaboration with the Tara Lanka study group.

Ven. Tenzin Lekdron leading Medicine Buddha puja in Sri Lanka. Photo courtesy 5MB Project website.

The Vision Behind the Effort

This historic initiative is the vision of Venerable Tenzin Lekdron, the only ordained Mahayana nun from Sri Lanka. Inspired by her teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, she launched the project in 2021 in response to Sri Lanka’s ongoing political and economic challenges, which have brought immense suffering to its people.

“Lama Zopa Rinpoche had initially envisioned a 15-meter statue,” said Ven. Lekdron, “but given the financial constraints and the delicate inter-sectarian climate, I chose to start with a one-meter prototype to gently prepare the ground.”

That ground now appears fertile. “It is extremely auspicious that a temple as prominent as Gangaramaya has not only agreed to house the statue but has also chosen to open it for public veneration,” she said. Local monks will conduct daily prayers and offer blessings before the statue.

Ven. Lekdron expressed deep gratitude to the many donors who contributed to the statue’s cost, with special thanks to Frank Brock and Gen Tenpa Choden for their meticulous oversight of its creation.

Acknowledging Courage and Openness

Ven. Lekdron offered heartfelt respect to the Abbot of Gangaramaya Temple, Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thero, and the senior monastic community for their openness and courage.

“It takes great bravery to support a Mahayana initiative in a predominantly Theravāda context,” she said. “Even more so when it is led by a nun—especially given that nuns often do not receive equal respect or recognition in Sri Lanka or elsewhere.”

Since 2016, the Tara Lanka FPMT study group has been quietly conducting Medicine Buddha pujas across the country, gradually cultivating familiarity with the practice as if in anticipation of this moment.

Speaking to a gathering of local devotees, Ven. Assaji Thero reflected:

“This is a Theravada country. However, the three vehicles taught by the Buddha are like different trails leading to Sri Pada Mountain. Each path offers its own experiences, but all reach the same summit. We respect all three traditions. What truly matters is healing hearts and minds.”

Ven. Lekdron with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. Sunil Senavi, and Tara Lanka member Dr. Sunil Wijesiriwardana. Minister Senavi will visit Tara Lanka in October to discuss plans for further healing practices in Sri Lanka, inspired by the 5MB Project.

Rediscovering What’s Already Here

Ven. Lekdron noted that many traditional healing rituals in Sri Lanka already incorporate Mahayana elements—often unknowingly.

“Healers and herbalists commonly use Mahayana mantras without realizing their origin,” she explained. “So, rather than introducing something foreign, we are helping the people reconnect with what has always been part of their spiritual heritage.”

By formally integrating these practices under the compassionate presence of the Medicine Buddha, Ven. Lekdron hopes to support reconciliation, foster unity across traditions, and promote a national healing that extends beyond individual well-being.

An Invitation to the FPMT Family

Ven. Lekdron warmly invites members of the global FPMT community to take part in this historic event. Join the Guru Bhumtsok Puja and receive the blessings of the six Kopan monks during their journey across Sri Lanka, from October 28 to November 5. A full itinerary of pujas and locations will be shared upon request. You can learn more and contact Ven. Lekdron through the 5MB Project website.

With grateful thanks to Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi and Ven. Tenzin Lekdron for sharing news of this inspiring development!  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!

Please learn more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization to have hundreds of thousands of holy objects around the world: fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#hobjects