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Rejoice! The 3,000 monks of Sera Je Monastery are offering 9 days of prayers and pujas dedicated to all our kind and generous benefactors.
We have just received this letter from the Abbott of Sera Je Monastery thanking Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT and all the benefactors of the Sera Je Food Fund project.
Due to the kind and generous support of so many, FPMT has been able to offer food to all the Sangha at Sera Je Monastery now for the past 22 years. THANK YOU.
Five dakinis in front of Lama Zopa Rinpoche during long life puja, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 29, 2012. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
A long life puja was offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery on December 29, 2012. Mandala Publications reported on this puja.
Light Offering Prayer
Composed by Lama Atisha
May the light of the lamp be equal to the great three thousand
worlds and their environments,
May the wick of the lamp be equal to the king of mountains –
Mount Meru.
May the butter be equal to the infinite ocean.
May there be billions of trillions of lamps in the presence of each
and every buddha.
May the light illuminate the darkness of ignorance of all sentient
beings
From the peak of samsara down to the most torturous hell,
Whereby they can see directly and clearly all the ten directions’
Buddhas and bodhisattvas and their pure lands.
OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM
E MA HO
I offer these beautifully exalted clear and luminous lights
To the thousand buddhas of the fortunate eon,
To all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the infinite pure lands and
of the ten directions,
To all the gurus, meditation deities, dakas, dakinis, dharma protectors,
and the assembly of deities of all mandalas.
From “Extensive Offering Practice,” by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Available through the FPMT Foundation Store.
“Building stupas helps develop so much peace and happiness for numberless sentient beings. As a result, wars, disease, and desire will all be pacified. Instead of feeling hopeless, people will gain courage. This is about peace – for the beings who see it, for the whole country, for the entire world, for all sentient beings.”- Lama Zopa Rinpoche
In 2012 the Animal Liberation Fund liberated over 33,000 lives!
Sangha living at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s residence performed three animal liberation practices every month, with extensive prayers and dedication to all who are sick or need prayers.
Please rejoice as the Animal Liberation Fund has now liberated well over 2,183,100 animals of varying sizes!
Please read this touching short story about Lama Zopa Rinpoche carrying 400 of his “fathers and mothers” on his back, as seen in the photo on the left.
Each month, pujas are performed by as many as 9,000 Sangha. The enormous number of Sangha engaged in these practices is an extremely powerful means to overcome obstacles and create merit for the entire organization.
January 2013: Ven. Roger Kunsang and Frances Howland met with Dr. Ruit to discuss FPMT’s Tibet Heath Services Project and its ongoing aims, as well as reviewing the Amdo Eye Hospital and future plans for possible eye camps.
Due to the situation in the area we are not able to arrange a big scale eye camp at this time, but within a year we hope to be able to arrange this with Dr. Ruit. These eye camps provide up to 500-700 surgeries. The cost to arrange an eye camp of this scale is US$40,000 and we are currently raising funds for this.
In the meantime, the Amdo Eye Hospital is still able to do smaller scale remote eye camps where up to 30-35 eye surgeries are performed every three or four months.
In 2012 the Amdo Eye Hospital was able to perform over 578 eye surgeries and it is envisioned that 2013 will bring much more.
The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund was very happy to support the Geluk International Foundation which is establishing an office at Ganden Monastery, Tibet, as well as accommodation for Ganden Tripa by donating $4,518 for two computers and office equipment and furniture.
Please read a letter of thanks from the President of the Geluk International Foundation.
Photo: Early stages of the construction of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup’s stupa.
From the Sutra Essence of Earth:
While there are the three rare sublime ones
Fulfilling the hopes without any effort
Like the unimaginable wish-granting tree and wish-granting jewel;
[But] believing the method to achieve happiness is something else
All the activities one attempts become only negative karma
And this precious human rebirth with qualified freedoms and richnesses,
Which is rarer than a wish-granting jewel, becomes meaningless and empty;
It becomes only a cause of harm;
This is more foolish than an animal.
Friend, by realizing this body, this life is like a water bubble
And material enjoyments like the dew on the tip of the grass
Attempt the white (virtuous) actions, offer to the three rare sublime ones (Buddha Dharma, Sangha)
And take the essence from this essenceless body and possessions.
Due to this merit may I and each and every sentient being respect
And make offerings to the three rare sublime ones;
By the happiness of the joyful occasion of listening, reflecting, meditating and practicing
May all the transmigratory beings’ wishes be completely fulfilled.
Colophon: Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche regarding having many holy objects. Scribe Ven. Holly Ansett, Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, November 2003. Lightly edited by Ven. Thubten Labdron, May 2004.
You can read more about this Namgyälma mantra board and Pam Cayton’s efforts in this recent Mandala blog post.
In 2012 The Stupa Fund sponsored the cost of Sangha at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s house to make over 1,000 small kadampa stupas (filled with the Four Dharmakaya Relic Mantras as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche). Each stupa is dedicated with prayers for those who have recently passed away.
These small stupas are then placed around other stupas so that people can circumambulate this collection of stupas and create merit.
Photos: Vens. Anet (above) and Chosang (below) creating kadampa stupas at Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s house. Photo by Whitney Dafoe.