Charitable Activities

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at long life puja, Kopan Monastery, December 14, 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.

A long life puja was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Thursday, December 14, on behalf of the entire FPMT organization. Kopan monks, nuns, and November course students filled the main gompa at Kopan for the puja, which was also broadcast live over the internet. The long life puja came at the end of the fiftieth month-long lamrim course with teachings by Rinpoche at Kopan.

Umze Geshe Sherab leading the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.

At the end of the long life puja, Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of FPMT and assistant to Rinpoche, gave a special thanks to Rinpoche on behalf of all the students for teaching fifty of these courses. Ven. Roger also recognized how the courses have resulted in the establishment of FPMT Dharma centers in 39 countries. He also thanked Rinpoche for “the many, many more lamrim courses and teachings to come.” Rinpoche was then presented with a large Buddha statue and thangka.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the statue offered to him at the end of the long life puja, Kopan Monastery, December 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.

This year, Australian nun Ven. Ailsa Cameron, a long-time Dharma editor and teacher, was appointed by Rinpoche to lead the course. Each year more than two hundred students come from around the world to attend. 

Vens. Karin Valham and Ailsa Cameron during the long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.

Watch the video recording of the puja

You can find video recordings of Rinpoche’s teachings from the 2017 November course here:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/teachings-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche/lama-zopa-rinpoche-teachings-in-kopan-2017/

Offering for Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life puja, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 2017. Photo by Bill Kane.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visiting Sagarmatha Secondary School, March 2017.

For the past three years, the Social Services Fund has been offering a grant to cover the cost of running Sagarmatha Secondary School in Chailsa, Nepal. The school is located on what was once a Tibetan refugee camp and currently serves 120 young students. Thanks to the generosity of donors, support for this school continues this year. 

Children of Sagarmatha Secondary School engaged in prayer.

Kopan Monastery oversees all operations of this school as well as Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and the Maitreya Children’s Home, a hostel for nearly fifty children.

Childred of Sagarmatha Secondary School playing and enjoying.

Approximately US$25,000 is dispersed each year for this school. 

Other school activities currently supported in an ongoing way by the Social Services Fund:

• Offering daily food for The Central School for Tibetans, Cauvery Valley Project located in Bylakuppe, South India. This school was established in 1971 to serve the children of refugees living at Dickey Larsoe Tibetan Settlement. Twenty-four staff help educate 217 elementary, middle, and secondary students.
• Offering support to the Maitreya School for Universal Education at Root Institute in Bodhgaya, India. The school gives 200 children living in one of India’s poorest states a precious opportunity. Not only do they have the chance of a traditional education but they receive life skills of compassion, honesty and loving-kindness.
• Daily food offered to over fifty students, teachers, and young monks at Ngari Institute in the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh, India. The main aim of this school is to empower and enrich the poor and needy remote-area students by imparting a combined learning of both modern scientific knowledge and ancient Buddhist wisdom.

The FPMT Social Services Fund offers over US$73,000 annually to schools providing education to children of Tibetan, Nepali, Sherpa, and Indian heritage. This is made possible by all those who generously contribute to the Social Services Fund. 

If you would like to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants such as this can continue, you can read more about the charitable projects this fund supports, or donate any amount to the fund itself. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche being offered a long life puja at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, November 3, 2017. Photo by Ven. Sherab.

Every year, the Long Life Puja Fund supports a long life puja offered on behalf of FPMT centers, projects, services and students to our most kind and immeasurably precious spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The next puja will be offered at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on December 14 following Rinpoche’s teaching during the one-month lamrim course.

The ritual itself is the extensive Lama Chöpa with an added request to the dakinis, a moving plea by the students for the five dakinis who have come to take away the teacher to a pure land to allow the students’ teacher to remain with them on earth.

The purpose of the long life puja is for students to purify the mistakes that occur in relation to their teacher, and to create the causes and conditions to continue to receive benefit from that teacher for a very long time. Lama Zopa Rinpoche also mentions regularly that offering long life pujas is a cause for one’s own long life. Additionally, Rinpoche offered advice in response to requests by students to help them understand how best to prolong the life of the guru, and how to avoid obstacles that can cause him sickness and a shortened life.

You can enjoy a video of moments from a long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery in December of 2013:

All are welcome to contribute to this upcoming long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery. Additionally, you may download one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s long life prayers to use at any time:

• “Bestowing Supreme Immortality” by His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche
• Long Life Prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche by Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme

The Long Life Puja Fund always contributes to long life pujas offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. You can also learn about the many Charitable Projects of FPMT and discover the many ways the various funds and projects are benefiting others.

Pema Choeling Monastery suffered severe damage following the 2015 earthquake.

Pema Choeling Monastery has stood above the village of Phakding for more than 500 years. Phakding is a small village in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It is just north of Lukla.

Pema Choeling Monastery has stood above the village of Phakding for more than 500 years.

The monastery suffered severe damage following the massive earthquake and aftershocks of 2015. Rooms, the kitchen, and gompa had to be completely rebuilt. The Nepal Earthquake Support Fund recently offered US$15,000 to rebuild the gompa. 

To date US$923,822 has been offered to toward rebuilding and disaster relief following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes.

Beautiful and traditional paintwork being offered on the new gompa at Pema Choeling Monastery.

Please rejoice that this historic and important monastery has received the support it needs to rebuild and continue serving as a place of refuge for the resident monks to study, practice, and live in the monastic vows. This grant was made possible due to the kindness of so many people who immediately wanted to offer support after the devastating earthquake. Thank you to all who contributed.

If you would like to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants such as this can continue, you can read more about the initiatives this fund supports or donate any amount to the fund itself. 

751 top scholars participated in this year’s Gelug exam at Drepung Monastery.

Participants enjoying a meal sponsored by the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund.

Each year the foremost scholars from the main Gelug monasteries come together for the annual Gelug examination and the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund offers a grant to cover the basic expenses including food for participants. 

In September of this year 751 monks participated in this annual Gelug exam at Drepung Monastery, South India. 

Monks participating in the yearly Gelug examination.

Yearly stipends were also offered to the 128 current abbots, past abbots and main teachers of the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition. This small offering of money supports these incredibly precious teachers’ basic needs. This allows them to be able to focus more of their time on transmitting Dharma to their students at the monasteries and strengthening their own practices.  

US$20,778 was offered this year for expenses associated with the exam and for the teacher stipends. 

The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund would like to congratulate all the monks for their commitment and dedication to their studies. Due to this grant each year, all qualified monks are able to participate in the debate and examination, rather than being exempt due to prohibitive costs.

Since its inception, the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund, an extension of the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund, has supported up to 150 senior teachers each year of the main monasteries, plus hundreds of monks attending the traditional winter debate and annual Gelug exam. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering prayers during a puja at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington State, USA.

Lhabab Duchen, one of the four great holy days of the Buddhist calendar when merit is multiplied by 100 million times, takes place this year on Friday, November 10. Don’t miss the opportunity to rejoice in an incredible array of beneficial activities being sponsored by the Puja Fund and offered by up to 15,650 Sangha. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently commented: “When doing any puja think: I am doing this puja for any sentient being who needs this. So motivate for everyone, not for yourself, not for money. Then doing the puja becomes Dharma, pure motivation, because of the thought to benefit others. Then dedicate it for any people who are dying, sick, or need this puja done for them. Think of all those people who need so much prayer. In this same way whatever practice you do, try to do it for the benefit of sentient beings. Not just recite prayer.”

Please remember that on November 10 the following will be happening around the world and dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and to the success of all the FPMT centers, projects, services, students, benefactors and those serving the organization in any way, as well as all beings:

Sangha participating in a puja at Kopan Monastery.

Practices Offered by Over 15,650 Ordained Sangha

• Recitation of the Prajnaparamita (three versions) offered by 650 monks of Gyurme Tantric College.
• Druk Chu Ma, Namgyäl Tong Chö, and Zangcho offered by 6,000 monks of Sera Je and Sera Mey Monasteries.
• Druk Chu Ma, Medicine Buddha Puja and Zangcho offered by 3,400 monks of Gaden Jangtse and Shartse Monasteries.
• Druk Chu Ma, Namgyäl Tsechog and Zangcho offered by 4,200 monks of Drepung. Gomang, Loseling and Deyang Monasteries.
• Namgyäl Tong Chö and Zangcho offered by 600 monks of Gyuto Tantric Colleges.
• Druk Ch Ma, Medicine Buddha Puja and Zangcho offered by the 370 monks of Kopan Monastery.
• Druk Chu Ma, Medicine Buddha Puja and Zangcho offered by the 400 nuns of Kopan Nunnery

Offerings are made to all of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus

Offerings are made to Sangha at IMI communities

Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal, December 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Offerings Made to Holy Objects in Nepal, India and Tibet 

• Bouddhanath and Swayambunath stupas: Offering white wash and four giant saffron flower petals and new umbrellas to the stupas’ pinnacles
• Buddha inside the Bodhgaya Mahabodhi temple: Offering a new set of robes of the most precious material
• Jowo Buddha in Lhasa’s Jokang: Offering gold to the holy body of the Jowo Buddha

How to Participate

• Take a few moments on Lhabab Duchen to join in with prayer in your mind and rejoice that thousands of ordained Sangha are doing prayers at the exact same time. 
• Take a few moments on Lhabab Duchen to rejoice in some of the incredible offerings happening around the world. 
• Make an offering that goes toward covering the cost of these prayers, pujas, and offerings. 
• Join in on a group practice recommended for Buddha multiplying days at your local FPMT center or participate at home. 

All are welcome to donate to the Puja Fund and directly support these most precious offerings. 

A new recreation room was built for 156 elderly Tibetan refugees residing at Jampaling Elder’s Home.

Jampaling Elder’s Home, situated in Dharamsala, is about 15 minutes walking distance from the main temple of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with many prayer wheels lining the way. This home was built to accommodate elders who are sixty and older and particularly vulnerable with no family to look after them as well as ex-army members who are scattered in different Tibetan settlements without appropriate facilities. The resident Tibetan elders are able to attend all the teachings of His Holiness at the main temple. This facility provides food, shelter, and medical services to 156 residents. 

Residents of the Jampaling Elder’s Home.

Last year, the Social Services Fund offered a grant to this home to build a recreation and community room. The previous activity room was on the third floor and very inconvenient for the elders to access. The room itself was too small for all of the residents to gather and watch His Holiness’s teachings. The new community room allows the residents to enjoy their leisure time without obstacles. They can also enjoy indoor games anytime as the space is so much bigger. The old recreation room will be using for bedroom so the home can accommodate even more residents.

Please rejoice that this new recreation room is now completed and the elders can enjoy their new space as a community. 

One of the key priorities of the Social Services Fund is to provide support to elderly homes serving Tibetan refugees in India.

Monks of the new Maratika Monastery located adjacent to the holy Maratika Cave.

Due to the kindness of a generous donor the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund issued a grant of US$70,000 to build a monastery in Maratika, Nepal. The small monastery was built adjacent to the entrance of Maratika Cave. This holy site is where Padmasambhava achieved immortality.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has a strong connection with the Maratika Lama, Khenpo Karma Wangchuk, who takes care of the area. The Maratika Lama is the son of Lama Ngawang Chophel, who was a close disciple of the Lawudo Lama Kunsang Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s previous incarnation. (For more on this important pilgrimage site, see “The Caves of Maratika,” published in Mandala June-July 2008.)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Sangha doing practice at Maratika Cave, Nepal, February 2016. Photo by Ven. Losang Sherab.

In 2009, Rinpoche shared the following about Maratika:

“This place, which is called Maratika, is greatly blessed, as the great master Padmasambhava meditated here on Amitayus (the long life deity) and actualized the state of deathlessness (the siddhi of immortal life). Apart from other lamas, the great Kyabje Trulshig Rinpoche [did] long life retreat every year here for His Holiness’s long life, which also greatly blesses the place. Especially, according to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, due to this accumulation of white virtue, just through seeing, hearing, remembering, and touching this place, the two obscurations of beings will quickly be purified, one will be looked after by the all-knowing one (the great master Padmasambhava) from Urgyen, and easily attain the state of omniscience. This holy place has many more infinite blessings than just explained, and every sick and afflicted being should go there.”

Monks of Maratika Monastery in the new gompa.

During Rinpoche’s 2016 pilgrimage to Maratika, Rinpoche received from Khenpo Gyurme Thegchog Gyaltsen a prayer he had composed called “A Requesting Prayer to Maratika: The Source of an Ocean of Siddhis.” Rinpoche translated this prayer into English.  

His Holiness Trulshik Rinpoche included this in his verses of praise, “The Vajra Song Melodiously 
Praising Maratika”

I, an ordinary person cannot express this Place in mere words
No one can deny the truly powerful blessing of this Place
By the prophesy of the all pervading two great Terton Lords
And the prayers from past life karmic connections
Amitayus, Protector of Boundless Life and Wisdom
Shakyamuni, Excellent Refuge Buddha
And Padmasambhava, the Saviour of the Dark Age
Consecrated and established the Maratika Monastery.

Please rejoice in the Supporting Ordained Sangh Fund supporting the building of this small monastery in such a precious place. This monastery will benefit the monks residing there as well as pilgrims visiting the area for years to come.

You can learn more about the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund and the ways it supports monasteries and nunneries. 

Residents of Lugsung Samdupling Home for the Aged and Disabled in Bylakkupe, India.

The Social Services Fund sponsored five new rooms for elderly Tibetan refugees residing at the Lugsung Samdupling Home for the Aged and Disabled in Bylakuppe, India.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited this home in 2016 and spent time with the forty-six residents who are living in extremely modest conditions, many with health issues due to the advanced age. 

The work begins on five much needed rooms at Lugsung Samdupling Home for the Aged and Disabled.

Please rejoice that these new rooms are now being built and will be finished in approximately six months. Without homes and accommodation like this, many elderly first-wave Tibetan refugees have very little prospect of accommodation or support as many are without families of their own. Offering support in this way is one way that FPMT can help repay the kindness and bravery of the Tibetan people. Lama Zopa Rinpoche avows the profound importance of His Holiness, the Dharma Kings, Shantarakshita, Padmasambhava and the Tibetan people in general. He has said that, because of them, the “sun of Tibetan Buddhism has now risen in the West.”

FPMT Charitable Projects is honored to support the homes of the eldest and destitute Tibetan refugees. You can show your support by making a donation to the Social Services Fund. 

Construction of the new Khumjung Gompa.

The Nepal earthquake and aftershocks of 2015 devastated much of Nepal including many parts of Khumbu region where Khumjung Gompa is located. At 12,400 feet near Everest, this monastery is a 400-year-old monastic center of Sherpa culture and Tibetan Buddhism. Over its lifespan, Khumjun Gompa was extended several times. Its original small size and weak foundation required much renovation and restoration. The last renovation was completed in 2000. The 2015 earthquake worsened the condition. Following the earthquake,  the property was assessed for overall damage. The concluding report was clear that there had been major cracks and distortion of structures at multiple sites, which required reconstruction of the whole building. At this point two committees were formed (Samten Choling Gompa Management Committee and Khumjung Gompa Rebuild Committee) to raise funds and organize all aspects of rebuilding the gompa.

You can watch a short video of some of the initial damage and rebuilding efforts:

Approximately 4,000 local Sherpas live in the area. There are about 300 households which share this gompa for religious festivals. 

The Nepal Earthquake Support Fund, a sub-fund of the Social Services Fund, offered US$50,000 toward this important rebuilding project. 

Khumjung Gompa Reopening Ceremony.

The rebuilding was successfully completed in August of 2017 and inaugurated by the abbot of Tengboche Monastery, Nawang Tenzing Jangbu, who reported, “Cultural Restoration especially after the April 2015 earthquake has become more important than ever before. It is our duty to preserve our cultural heritage for our future generation. We deeply appreciate all our friends and donors who have generously contributed towards the rebuild of Khumjung Gompa”

Welcoming guests during the reopening ceremony of Khumjung Gompa.

You can read a full report on this project completed by the Khumjung Gompa Welfare & Development Committee. 

Please rejoice on this incredible effort by many in the Sherpa community and many kind and generous donors who contributed to the completion of this important restoration project. 

If you would like to support the Social Services Fund and help ensure grants such as this can continue, you can read more about the charitable projects this fund supports or donate any amount to the fund itself. 

Sera Lachi Sangha participating in the long life puja offered to Lama Zopa earlier this year.

Earlier this year when Lama Zopa Rinpoche was in Bangalore, he was requested to help with a desperately needed new sewage system at Sera Lachi.  Sera Lachi is made up of Sera Je and Sera Mey Monasteries in southern India. 6,000 monks study between the two monasteries. 

Rinpoche immediately said he wanted to help and then during a long life puja which Sera Je Monastery offered to Rinpoche after, Rinpoche offered all of the cash offerings made to him which totaled about US$2,988. Recently an additional US$2,156 was offered toward the completion of this project which has an estimated total cost of US$71,112.

The Sera Lachi monks. Photo courtesy of the Sera Lachi Facebook page.

This grant contributes to making the environment at Sera Lachi clean, hygienic, and conducive to thoughtful study for the Sangha on the grounds. The monasteries are still raising money for this important project. Grants such as this are just one way the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund is working to care for monks and nuns. 

You can learn more about the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund and the ways it supports monasteries and nunneries. 

Students, staff, and guests welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Ngari Institute in August 2016.

For the forth year, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, through the Social Services Fund, has offered food every day of the year to the school children and staff of Ngari Institute in Ladakh, India. This year, 53 school children in addition to teachers and young monks will benefit from this offering. The cost for 2017 is US$23,124.95. 

Supporting those in need (such as children, the elderly, poor, and sick) is one of the main priorities of Social Services Fund and Lama Zopa Rinpoche has also indicated that in addition to offering for material needs, we must help in the ultimate way as well by offering Dharma education or creating holy objects as this creates the cause to change the karma and bring real lasting benefit. 

Students of Ngari Inistute studying together.

Ngari Institute is located  in the Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh in a small village called Saboo. The campus is spread over 20 hectares of deserted land. The main aim of this school is to empower and enrich the poor and needy remote-area students by imparting a combined learning of both modern scientific knowledge and ancient Buddhist wisdom. It was founded by the Ladakh alumni of Sera Je Monastery in South India.

Students of Ngari Inistitute.

Thanks to all who donate to the Social Services Fund enabling the offering of important grants such as this. If you would like to contribute to the offering of grants such as this, you are welcome to donate any amount you can. 

The Social Services Fund has sponsored the food for Ngari Institute for the fifth year in a row and hopes to be able to continue long into the future. If you are inspired by grants such as this, you are welcome to contribute to the Social Service Fund and help ensure that work like this can continue.