FPMT Community: Stories & News

Ven. Elisabeth Drukier addressing the CPMT Summit group about the early years of FPMT, April 7, 2025. Photo by Capucine T. Dekyong.

As FPMT has reached 50 years as an organization, we are taking the opportunity to celebrate the stories and contributions of all who have helped Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche establish centers, projects, services, and study groups around the world, reaching far beyond the Western scope. 

In 2021 Nalanda Monastery, located near Lavaur, France, celebrated its 40 years of existence from humble beginnings as an old farmhouse in 1981 to a leading Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West, home to around 30 monks, as well as a growing lay community dedicated to the study and practice of the Dharma. As part of this celebration, and to preserve their rich history, Nalanda organized special talks  and Q&As via Zoom of all former directors and others who played an important role in Nalanda’s history. These talks offer such an intimate look into the very special history of the FPMT organization, told from those who were there and helped establish centers at the very beginning. 

International Mahayana Institute Sangha, Nalanda Monastery, Lavaur, France, 1983. Foreground left side: Francesco Prevosti.
Photo (L to R): Dieter Kratzer, Murray Wright, Adrian Feldmann/Gyatso, Jean-Marie, Jimi Neale, David Marks, Geshe Tegchok, Pierro Siriani (rear), Steve Carlier, Martin Willson, Thuben Sherab Sherpa (rear), Lama Thubten Yeshe, Elisabeth Drukier, Joseph Fontaine, Merry Colony (middle), Martine Darrou (rear), Father Bastiani (a local priest, in blue), Sangye Khadro (middle), Thubten Chodron, Anne-Marie, Beppe Molinari, Celia Smith. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Today we are sharing the story of Ven. Elisabeth Drukier. Ven. Elisabeth is the director of Kalachakra Centre, Paris, and an early student of the Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche who came to Kopan Monastery in 1974 and stayed for the next five years, ordaining in 1976. Ven. Elisabeth was instrumental in establishing Institut Vajra Yogini, Nalanda Monastery, and Kalachakra Centre. 

Please watch Ven. Elisabeth share her story:

At the CPMT Summit at Kopan Monastery in 2025, Ven. Elisabeth also shared stories about Kopan and Kathmandu in the early days of the FPMT organization. “Lama Yeshe had a talent for picking up people and giving them responsibilities. You didn’t know really you were capable of doing what he asked, but he knew. He knew.”

Are you an early student of FPMT who was there at the beginning? Do you have a story to share about how you met Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche or the impact they have had on your life? Have you personally achieved or actualized a request, advice, practice accomplishment, or project given to you by Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche? We want to hear from you!

Please explore all of the resources we have compiled related to FPMT history. We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way. 

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. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Losar, 2021, Kopan Monastery, Nepal. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

We are delighted to share the January 2026 e-news with you. We share many causes for rejoicing including:

• Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche
• ILTK’s Remembering Lama Yeshe project
• His Holiness the Dalai Lama attends Winter Debate at Drepung Monastery
• Tara Institute students attend long life puja for His Holiness
• FPMT celebrates 50 years!
• FPMT Charitable Projects Grant application is now open
• Resources for your study and practice
• Requests for submissions

and much more! 

Please read this month’s e-news in its entirety.

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email inbox.

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. 

Kopan Monastery’s 8th Meditation Course group photo with Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Nepal, 1975. Photo by Jon Landaw.

December 2025 marked 50 years since Lama Yeshe famously said, “We need an organization to keep this together.” Lama was reflecting on the success of a recent eight-and-a-half month tour of nine countries, the most extensive Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche would ever make. Lama asked nine of his senior students to discuss how to coordinate the rapidly growing collection of centers and students what would soon be known as the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).

Please watch Lama Yeshe offering a talk in 1982 on “How FPMT Centers Began”:

What an unbelievable achievement the last 50 years have been for everyone who has served the FPMT organization in any way. We invite all of our friends in the FPMT Mandala–old students, new students, centers, projects, services, study groups, donors, teachers, board members, volunteers, and anyone who has benefited from FPMT in any way or offered their very kind service–to please join us over the next year to truly rejoice in what has been accomplished from the most humble beginnings. We have compiled extensive resources for celebrating this achievement, along with invitations to please share your story!

We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way. 

Please explore resources for celebrating and learning about the rich history of FPMT, or to share your story:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/fpmt-50-year-anniversary/

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. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the long life puja offered at Drepung Monastery, Mundgod, India, December 24, 2025. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com.

On Christmas Eve 2025, a long-life puja was offered to His Holiness at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, this year’s host of the Annual Winter Debate. Several thousand (mostly monks) attended this event. Cynthia Karena of Tara Institute (TI), Melbourne, was in attendance with Resident Teacher Geshe Doga and others from TI, and shared details and reflections from those there:

It was only for a day’s event, a long life puja, but there was no hesitation to do the long eight-hour drive – on Indian roads – to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We five students from Tara Institute in Melbourne were staying at Sera Je monastery in South India with our dear teacher Venerable Geshe Doga.

On Christmas Eve 2025, we attended the long life puja offered to His Holiness by Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, along with several thousand others (mostly monks ) seated in the courtyard.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama waving to monastics gathered for the long life puja for His Holiness at Drepung Monastery, Mundgod, India, December 24, 2025. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com.

We stayed a few days, and on the day before the puja we were lucky enough to receive a personal blessing from His Holiness, along with around 300 others, including Mongolians, Chinese and people from various Russian republics. We were assigned a group number for the five of us and after a security check we went into a waiting area. We each had an all too brief moment with him, but it affected us greatly.

“The Tibetan official called for the Aussies to join the line up to see His Holiness. This seemed to amuse him greatly,” says Damien Busby, a former director of Tara Institute. “We were all shuffled past His Holiness quite quickly, but still to gaze up into His Holiness’s face and for him to put his hand on my hands and to touch my head was a moment of real contact. The immediate feeling was just joy.” 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama blessing Tara Institute resident teacher Geshe Doga at Drepung Monastery, December 24, 2025. Photo is a still shot of a clip from video taken by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

“There was a lot of excitement and anticipation before the blessing, so I was a little nervous,” says Mary-Lou Considine, a long time member of Tara Institute’s Publishing Group (which publishes books and weekly teachings). “As the queue advanced, I followed the organizers’ instruction to look up and move on quickly. When I looked up, His Holiness was right there in front of me – it was like a dream. And then it was over. Looking at our photos later, everyone looked radiant. I felt blessed and very grateful that my connection with Geshe Doga and Tara Institute had brought me to that moment.”

The next day was the long life puja. As His Holiness arrived in the golf cart horns played and monks chanted the Migtsema (Praise to Je Tsongkhapa). “So many thousands of Tibetans squeezed into the large courtyard outside the gompa – many families had obviously arrived early, sitting patiently on cold paving stones, picnic blankets and camping chairs,” says Mary-Lou..

The crowd watching His Holiness the Dalai Lama leave Drepung Monastery following the long life puja, December 24, 2025. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com

Even though most of the group were seated toward the rear, the energy was palpable.

“All the colos, sights and sounds of the long life puja for His Holiness immediately transported my mind to a different way of thinking,” says Jenny Molloy, long time Geshe Care organizer and Dharma Club for children teacher. “The lingering impression for me was at the end of proceedings when His Holiness was leaving the temple and the prayers were finished. From behind me in the crowd, the Tibetans started their prayers to His Holiness. In repetition of the prayer, their song grew in strength. The wave of sound continued on and the sound of devotion rose in my heart.”

At the end of the puja as the crowd left, I spotted the Nechung oracle, and His Eminence Ling Rinpoche with His Holinesses’ sister. As he left, His Holiness smiled and waved at the hundreds of people who lined the road. We were also lucky enough to have an audience with H.E. Ling Rinpoche, who spent some time chatting with Geshe Doga.

Geshe Doga with students from Tara Institute and monks from Sera Je Monastery with His Eminence Ling Rinpoche. Cynthia Karena

So the single event turned into three wonderful events – personal blessings from His Holiness, his long life puja, and spending time with H.E. Ling Rinpoche. We seemed to fly the eight-hour drive back to Sera.

Please read about His Holiness attending the Winter Jang Debate held at Drepung Monastery in January. 

With grateful thanks to Cynthia Karena for providing this story. 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. 

Rinchen Jangsem Ling receiving an award for most candles lit in an event. Photo courtesy of Malaysia Book of Records

The grounds of Rinchen Jangsem Ling retreat center (RJL) in Triang, Malaysia, were illuminated by 102,647 tea lights during its recent 100,000 Light Offerings to Thousand-Armed Chenrezig on the evening of December 6, 2025, breaking a record for the most tea lights offered in any event in Malaysian history. FPMT ESEA Coordinator Selina Foong shares the story:

December 2025 was truly an extraordinary month for Rinchen Jangsem Ling (RJL).  With beloved guest teacher Geshe Tenzin Zopa presiding over numerous events including pujas, Ngondro teachings, and a Chenrezig retreat, every single day rained a torrent of blessings on the large and devoted audience who had congregated at RJL from all over the country and, indeed, the world.  An undoubted highlight of this special time was the evening of December 6, when more than 100,000 candles were lit for world peace, the swift return of Kyabje Lama  Zopa Rinpoche’s unmistaken reincarnation, and the happiness of all dear sentient beings. 

On that balmy evening, the expansive grounds of RJL truly came alive with the glow of 102,647 candles, to be exact.  What an amazing sight it was – this vast ocean of light, charged with prayers, love, and hope!  Even though several major works such as the 1,000 Buddha Wall and Giant Prayer Wheel are still in their early construction stages, the setting was just magical – with the glorious Kwan Yin, Medicine Buddha & Namthose marble statues, the majestic Namgyalma Stupa, and the lush Bodhi tree (descended from the original bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, and which had been brought to RJL and planted by Kyabje Lama  Zopa Rinpoche himself at the grand opening in April 2005). 

The grounds of Rinchen Jangsem Ling, Malaysia, December 6. Photo courtesy of Malaysia Book of Records.

The 2,000 or so visitors started arriving from early afternoon, to enjoy the wonderful camaraderie of making offerings, wandering through the grounds, enjoying the beautiful views, and partaking in free meals.  The joy and excitement was palpable.  By the time dusk fell and Geshe Tenzin Zopa walked up to the giant Chenrezig thangka together with RJL center director Ven. Sonam Yeshe and RJL resident sangha Ven Thubten Jampa to begin the evening’s proceedings, the gravity of the occasion was apparent.  This was no ordinary event. 

After a powerfully inspiring speech, Geshe-la led the sangha and all visitors on a long and winding circumambulation route around RJL.  Eventually returning to their seats, everyone then witnessed the official Malaysia Book of Records award ceremony, for the most number of candle lights lit at a single event.  Wow!  To celebrate, a a grand fireworks display lit up the night sky in jubilation. 

Aerial view of the grounds of Rinchen Jangsem Ling, Malaysia on December 6. Photo courtesy of RJL Facebook page.

What a huge success this event was … and even the weather was perfect, which was a wonder in itself.  In retrospect, hardly anyone could believe that in the thick of monsoon season and with black clouds looming, it had managed to stay bone-dry throughout the event, enabling the candles to be lit…and that immediately after the event concluded when people started making their way back to their cars, the drizzle began!  Lightly at first as auspicious rain, before turning into a full-on downpour. 

Congratulations to RJL!  May all negativities be washed away, may all meriits increase, and may all sentient beings have every happiness and be free from all suffering.

Grateful thanks to Selina Foong for this inspiring story, and to Rinchen Jangsem Ling for hosting such an incredible event. 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. 

The generous team who helped facilitate food relief in Sri Lanka.

In a collaborative effort between Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC), Singapore; Tara Lanka Study Group, Sri Lanka; and dedicated selfless volunteers, disaster relief was offered to those devastated by recent floods in Sri Lanka. 

Ven. Tenzin Lekdon of Tara Lanka Study Group shares the story:

In the wake of devastating floods and landslides in Sri Lanka this November, a spontaneous yet deeply meaningful relief effort unfolded—driven by urgency, cooperation, and heartfelt compassion.

When news of the disasters reached us, the wish arose to offer immediate support to those displaced, dedicating the act of generosity as a dāna on the auspicious occasion of Lama Tsongkhapa Day (December 14). With only a few days available, swift coordination was essential. In a remarkable response, Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore reached out almost instantly with an offering of over SGD 5,000 (US$3,900), making it possible to act without delay. This donation was a combined effort of ABC (including ABC members and friends), and the FPMT Social Services Fund (on behalf of the FPMT organization). 

On the ground in Sri Lanka, the challenge was to ensure that assistance reached those most in need through appropriate and reliable channels. I contacted my brother, whose enthusiasm was immediate. He had long hoped to establish a temporary food facility during a crisis but had not previously been able to realize this aspiration. This time, circumstances aligned.

Healthy food packets offered to flood victims.

Working closely with his dear friend Chandana, he approached the District Governor’s office and followed official government procedures to identify a suitable relief camp. Through this process, they were guided to a camp sheltering families who had lost their homes and were unable to return due to ongoing conditions. The displaced residents were housed in a school, transformed into a place of refuge.

What stood out profoundly was the dedication of the camp’s main volunteer—himself a flood victim who had lost his own home. Despite his personal loss, he remained calm, organized, and committed to caring for others. When my brother and Chandana visited the camp, the trauma of the disaster was still clearly visible in the faces of many residents, a silent reminder of the shock and uncertainty they were enduring.

With 160 people living in that camp alone, it was not feasible to prepare food on site. Instead, arrangements were made with the Sanasa Education Canteen, which prepared nutritious and carefully packed lunch packets. Ensuring that the offering was both appropriate and respectful, my brother traveled twice to Meepitiya—several hours from Colombo—to personally assess conditions and oversee the distribution.

At the same time, another urgent request for assistance emerged. We were contacted by the Abbot of Abhayagiriya Temple, who has worked with Tara Lanka for over 10 years. He was visiting a village devastated by landslides in Hatharaliyadda. The situation there was dire, with over 300 people requiring immediate food support. Tara Lanka Foundation was glad to respond, extending its assistance to ensure that meals reached this vulnerable community as well.

Ven. Gendun donating lunch packets in Colombo.

A third act of service took place in Kotte, in partnership with a local temple. This offering provided a meaningful opportunity for Venerable Gendun—a Sri Lankan-born monk and FPMT registered teacher, currently residing in Nalanda Monastery in France— to engage directly in service to his homeland. The event was beautifully organized by Janaka Edirisingha, a dedicated and long-standing Tara Lanka student, whose commitment and careful coordination ensured the dāna was carried out smoothly and with great care.

Across all three locations, these collective efforts—spanning countries, traditions, and communities—demonstrated the power of compassion in action. Though the offerings were simple meals, they carried a deeper intention of care, dignity, and shared humanity. Offered on Lama Tsongkhapa Day, the dāna became not only a response to physical hunger, but also an expression of solidarity, connection, and hope during a time of great difficulty.

May the merit of these offerings contribute to the relief and recovery of all those affected and to bring the healing of the Medicine Buddha promptly to Sri Lanka. 

With grateful thanks to Ven. Lekdron for this inspiring report and to all who contributed to this disaster relief in so many ways. 

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. 

Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bangkok 1974 on the their first world tour. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

December 2025 marks 50 years since Lama Yeshe famously said, “We need an organization to keep this together,” during an eight-and-a-half month tour of nine countries–the most extensive Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche would ever make. 

What an unbelievable achievement the last 50 years have been for everyone who has served the FPMT organization in any way. We invite all of our friends in the FPMT mandala–old students, new students, centers, projects, services, study groups, donors, teachers, board members, volunteers, and anyone who has benefited from FPMT in any way or offered their very kind service–to truly rejoice in what has been accomplished from the most humble beginnings.

Today  we share some of the rich history formulating 50 years ago this month from Nick Ribush, early student and pioneer of the FPMT organization, as well as this accompanying photo gallery to help illustrate the story. 

Nick shares: “Fifty years ago this month, I was standing on the steps of the Kopan Gompa with Lama. He gazed into the distance, as if surveying with his mind’s eye his already wide-ranging dharma works, and said, ‘We need an organization to keep this together.’ Lama then named nine of his students who should meet regularly to discuss how to make this happen. He called us the “Central Coordinating Committee. You can read here how and why Lama established the FPMT. I have also written a sort of personal commentary to this talk, published as Bamboo Through Concrete.”

Please read Nick’s full personal history including the formation of the FPMT organization, the beginnings of Wisdom Publications (also turning 50 this year!), and how Nick ended up giving up his career as a doctor to offer a lifetime of service to Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and the FPMT organization. 

Lama Yeshe reflected in 1983:

Lama Yeshe, Sicily, 1983. Photo by Jacie Keeley, courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

“Why have we established the FPMT? Why are we establishing these facilities all over the world? I think we are clean clear as to our aim – we want to lead sentient beings to higher education. We are an organization that gives people the chance to receive higher education. We offer people what we have: the combined knowledge of Buddha’s teachings and the modern way of life. Our purpose is to share our experiences of this.

“We know that people are dissatisfied with worldly life, with the education system and everything else; it is in the nature of our dualistic minds to be dissatisfied. So what we are trying to do is to help people discover their own totality and thus perfect satisfaction.

“Now, the way we have evolved is not through you or me having said we want to do these things but through a natural process of development. Our organization has grown naturally, organically. It is not “Lama Yeshe wanted to do it.” I’ve never said that I want centers all over the world. Rather, I came into contact with students, who then wanted to do something, who expressed the wish to share their experience with others, and who then put together groups in various countries to share and grow with others.

“Personally, I think that’s fine. We should work for that. We are human beings; Buddhism helps us grow; therefore, it is logical that we should work together to facilitate this kind of education. And it is not only us lamas who are working for this. Actually, it is you students who are instrumental in creating the facilities for Dharma to exist in the Western world. True. Of course, teachers help. But the most important thing is for the students to be well educated. That is why we exist.

“When we started establishing centers there was no overall plan – they just popped up randomly all over the world like mushrooms, because of the evolutionary process I’ve just mentioned and the cooperative conditions. Now that all these centers do exist, we have to facilitate their development in a constructive, clean-clear way; otherwise, everything will just get confused. We have to develop properly both internally and in accordance with our twentieth-century environment.”

Excerpted from the full talk given by Lama Yeshe at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, 1983. Edited by Dr. Nicholas Ribush.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe in group photo for the 16th Kopan Meditation Course, Fall, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1983. Photo courtesy LYWA.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Nick Ribush, LYWA gompa and library, Lincoln, MA October 2012. Photo courtesy of LYWA.

“Of course, I’m nowhere near the only one. Many other FPMT students from the 1970s have also served the Lamas, the Dharma and all sentient beings through their devotion to this beautiful organization that Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche have bequeathed to us, and I rejoice in their efforts,” Nick shares. “I also encourage newer FPMT students to take a literal leap of faith and dedicate themselves fulltime to the Dharma. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Then, we all need to work together harmoniously to make sure we preserve this precious gift for centuries to come. If we do, the Dharma will surely look after us.”

Please continue to read Nick Ribush’s full story, and enjoy this gallery of photos which beautifully illustrate the history shared here. With tremendous thanks to Nick and the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive for providing these rich details and institutional, as well as personal, history.

Are you an early student of FPMT who has a story to share? We’d love to hear it!

Further Resources

Video: How FPMT Centers Began (Lama Yeshe)

PDF: How the FPMT Organization Started (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)

Transcript: How FPMT Began (Ven. Roger Kunsang)

Video: History Of FPMT (Nick Ribush)

Video: The Formation of FPMT (Peter Kedge)

[1] These teachings will be published in 2026 or 2027.

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.

[1] These teachings will be published in 2026 or 2027.

The cover photo for Enjoy Life Liberated from thh Inner Prison by Lama Zopa Rinpoche; Rinpoche is enjoying the flower offerings at the Jewel, Singapore, 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Warmest wishes, happiest of holidays, and a happy new year to you from
all of us at FPMT International Office!

Our December e-news is now available and brings many causes for rejoicing including:

• Teachings and precious video of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
• Support offered to ordained Sangha in 2025
• Resources and opportunities for study and practice
• Causes for rejoicing from around the world
• Opportunities to offer service in the FPMT organization
• Calls for stories, interviews, and submissions

And much more!

Please read this month’s e-news in its entirety. 

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email inbox.

LRZTP welcomes new students.

Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP) is an FPMT project in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India. LRZTP has produced many gifted Dharma interpreters-translators for FPMT Dharma centers since its conception over twenty-three years ago. In addition to the two-year intensive training program, LRZTP also runs short Tibetan language courses and offers private online Tibetan language lessons.

We are happy to share a report on LRZTP’s successes and  losses from the past year, including the passing of LRZTP teacher Geshe Tenzin Wandak in September, and starting the new interpreters training course, LRZTP 10, which has welcomed 18 new students from around the world, in October.  

2025 has been an eventful year for Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translation Program. First, there was the bittersweet moment of saying goodbye to the graduates of LRZTP 9, who in June received their certificates and are now continuing their studies in monasteries or training as interpreters in various places.

Then in September came an extremely sad and painful moment when we said our final farewell to Geshe Tenzin Wandak who passed away after his long illness. Geshe-la was a longtime teacher and the school’s main driving force as well as a very precious friend to everyone in LRZTP.

But a very happy occasion was welcoming a group of new students from all over the world who began their studies in the LRZTP 10 program in the second half of October. We are very happy to have eighteen devoted and highly motivated students joining the new two-year intensive course of Tibetan language. During the next two years they will study colloquial Tibetan, classical Buddhist texts and train in interpretation of Dharma teachings. This way the school continues its mission and follows the vision of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who created the program in the late 1990s.

The students of LRZTP 10 come from: Mexico, Austria, United States, Canada, Israel, Brazil, France, Poland, Russia, Belgium, India, United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland. The program currently has eighteen students and two who attend the first eight weeks of the course. The new program was inaugurated on October 17 and classes began on October 20.

As in previous years students attend 2.5 hour classes in the morning to study vocabulary and grammar of colloquial Tibetan on Mondays and Tuesdays, classical/literary Tibetan on Wednesdays and have drilling, listening and reading classes on Thursdays and Fridays. Four times a week in the afternoon they attend one-on-one conversation classes (two hours) with Tibetan native speakers, all trained professional teachers. Later in the program they will have lessons in Tibetan handwriting and in the second year will dive into studying Dharma texts in Tibetan and learn the interpretation techniques.

The LRZTP two-year course is famous for its effectiveness but also for its intensity. December is the month when the first major break is scheduled, so that everyone can come back to study with fresh minds in the latter part of January.

We wish all new students great success in this amazing adventure they have just begun! Additionally the school will soon announce a 2-month intensive language course for beginners. And as always we welcome anyone who wishes to have private classes with our highly qualified teachers at the school or online. 

Grateful thanks to Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program for sharing this inspiring update. You can learn more about LRZTP by visiting their website.

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.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the stupa garden at Kopan Monastery, November 2021. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Our November 2025 e-News is now available and brings many causes for rejoicing including:

• Progress on the Stupa of Complete Victory
• Teachings and advice from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
• A generous offer for FPMT centers from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive
• Grants offered for education and preservation of the Gelugpa tradition
• Powerful pujas and prayers offered on Lhabab Duchen
• Resources and opportunities for study and practice
• Causes for rejoicing from around the world
• Opportunities to offer service in the FPMT organization

and much more! 

Please read this month’s e-news in its entirety. 

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email inbox.

Ven. Roger visiting the soup kitchen during preparations. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited Mongolia for the first time in 1999 at the invitation of Bakula Rinpoche, who had already been working for 10 years to reestablish Buddhism in the country, and a small group of Mongolians. It was explained to Rinpoche how important it was for high lamas to come to Mongolia to teach and actively support the revival of the Buddhist heritage for future generations. Due to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish to help, FPMT Mongolia became a registered Mongolian religious organization in 1999 and a few dedicated FPMT students moved to Ulaanbaatar to begin work. Since then, dozens of Westerners and hundreds of Mongolians have developed an organization that provides Dharma education, Universal Education, Sangha support, and social services for some of Mongolia’s most needy.

Director of FPMT Mongolia, Susan Roe, overviewed Chief Executive Officer of FPMT Inc. Ven. Roger Kunsang’s recent visit to Mongolia this October. We share this report to inspire you to rejoice in the incredible activities happening in Mongolia for the benefit of so many! 

The FPMT Mongolia team was happy and honored to host Ven. Roger’s recent visit in October in Ulaanbaatar. The week was very busy and full of many activities but the team rejoiced in having him return as there was much to discuss and share with him since his last visit in 2017.  

Key activities included a warm welcome from monastic partners at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery who requested support from FPMT for various activities. They were appreciative of the continued support to the monks’ food program, and this also supports logistics for the annual Mani Retreat and other needs. (One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is to establish 100 Million Mani Retreats (100,000 recitations of 100 million OM MANI PADME HUM) around the world and FPMT Mongolia has been hosting this annual retreat for thirteen years.)

Ven. Roger spent much time meeting and discussing with FPMT Mongolia staff and the FPMT Mongolia Board through both one-to-one meetings and by participating in regular administrative meetings such as the management meeting and specially organized board meeting to discuss more complex, pending issues and future directions for the center. He also visited Lamp of the Path and the Dolma Ling Nunnery property to observe ongoing and new community support programs and spent time inspecting improvements to the Mahayana Apartment Building while also considering future directions and alternatives related to ongoing management and continued development of these assets or resources. (Lamp of the Path, FPMT Mongolia’s flagship community service project, continues to serve as a vital support system for vulnerable populations in the Amgalan ger district of Ulaanbaatar. FPMT’s Social Services Fund has been substantially supporting Lamp of the Path since 2012 to date, most years covering the entire budget, in recognition of their incredible life saving work.)

Ven. Roger with the Mahayana Children’s Program, Mongolia. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

Ven. Roger visiting the progress of the Maitreya statue in Mongolia. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mongolia.

While in Mongolia Ven. Roger also helped to inaugurate the Fall session of the Mahayana Children’s Program and attended a book launch aimed at generating interest in a new 16 Guidelines resource which has been translated into Mongolian language in support of Universal Education. He was also able to meet with local donors and long-time FPMT Mongolia friends and enjoyed a day traveling outside of Ulaanbaatar to visit the new Maitreya statue which is currently under construction, to visit a newly established retreat center being operated by Buddhist friends, and to enjoy a traditional Mongolian lunchtime feast at one of Mongolia’s most famous ger camps with selected members of the team.

The entire FPMT Mongolia team was thrilled and felt equally blessed to have Ven. Roger’s extensive support and guidance throughout his short visit; his continued advice and recommendations related to the further development of the spiritual program and the importance of continuing our work on secular education was also greatly appreciated. And of course, everyone was very interested in and happy to hear his many stories of shared adventures, informal or unexpected teachings and unique experiences with both Lama Yeshe and Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche based on his long service and deep devotion to our guiding teachers. It is hoped that Ven. Roger will find time to come again to Mongolia and continue to provide his wisdom, insight and encouragement to the team and our continuing efforts and that his next visit will happen before too much time passes us all by again!

You can learn more about all of the exciting beneficial activity happening through FPMT Mongolia’s compassionate effort. 

With grateful thanks to Susan Roe for this report. 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.

Namgyalma

By Ven. Tenzin Tsomo

Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB) in Soquel, California, completed its tenth annual Namgyalma Retreat in October 2025, once again fulfilling the holy wishes of Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche to make it a yearly event.

The initial impetus for the practice was sparked by the incredible kindness of Kyabje Khenzur Jhado Chogtrul Rinpoche. Ven. Steve Carlier, LMB’s resident teacher who regularly leads the retreat, shares this account:

“When Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche returned to Sacramento in 2013, we invited him to teach at LMB, and accordingly, we sought his advice on the program. To our surprise, Rinpoche said it was his belief that Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche had named the center “Land of Medicine Buddha” because he hoped it would become a place for the study and practice of kriya tantra. Jhado Rinpoche added that he knew of a Namgyalma sadhana by Panchen Lozang Chokyi Gyaltsen that was pure kriya tantra, along the lines of Je Tsongkhapa’s writings on that subject. He thought it would be really good, therefore, if he were to teach that to us. He came the following year, conferred the Namgyalma initiation, and after his teachings, set us up in retreat while he went off to teach elsewhere, before coming back at the end of our retreat to conduct the compensating fire puja. 

“Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche got to hear about all this, and at the 2015 retreat in Guadalajara, Mexico, he told me that we should hold a Namgyalma retreat at LMB each year, to allow anyone who wanted to purify and cure illness, especially such illnesses as cancer, to recite 1,000 of the long mantra. Rinpoche also mentioned that it would be really amazing if someone could do a 100,000 Namgyalma long-mantra retreat for all the doctors and hospitals in the world to be able to cure all illnesses, and to immediately find cures for new illnesses as they emerge.”

Ocean blessing with blessed Namgyalma mantra water in the first retreat in 2016.

In accordance with Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes, since 2016, LMB has been hosting an annual Namgyalma retreat for the purpose that Rinpoche outlined. We also made it a point to dedicate our practice to the long lives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, and Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche, until Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sad and sudden departure in 2023 behooved us to dedicate for his swift return instead.

At the end of our second retreat in 2017, when we offered our accumulated recitations of 10,276 mantras to Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, he had replied with this heartwarming message:

Dear Tsomo and all the kind retreaters,

Billion zillion times I thank all of you, from the heart to all of you who did the retreat. So much power when you recite for others and yourself; it has so much power, so much power. Even what expert doctors can’t cure, you can, if done 1,000 or more. Bless the cream by blowing on it after each time you recite the mantra; you can do that—becomes powerful healing method. And besides, that becomes incredible purification and accumulation of merit!

With much and prayers to all of you… big appreciation!

Lama Zopa

Ocean blessing with blessed Namgyalma mantra water in the eighth retreat in 2023.

When the Covid pandemic broke out in 2020, it did not disrupt our plans; we simply shifted the retreat online. This, in fact, turned out to be a boon. The medium offered both the benefits of a personal, solitary retreat and those of a group retreat. For example, according to the teachings on karma, each participant gets the merit of all the recitations accumulated by the group. The virtual format also made the retreat globally accessible. Hence, since Covid, the retreat has been offered online annually, reaching a wider community with students joining from across the United States and from such countries as Canada, Puerto Rico, India, New Zealand, Sweden, and Singapore.

We are especially happy to have accumulated 101,091 Namgyalma long mantras in the last ten years as this is the number that Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche had expressed would be beneficial. The total includes the mantras accumulated during the annual retreats as well as those recited during continued practice in between those retreats, organized by retreaters who wanted to keep the practice going throughout the year, particularly in earlier times, to dedicate the merits toward Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche’s good health and long life.

Ven. Steve informed us that after receiving the news of us finishing our tenth retreat, Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche sent us this encouraging message: “It’s fantastic that you’ve been able to do this retreat every year for ten years. You’ll find you become more experienced as the years go by. And you’ll get better and better. I rejoice.”

Of the sixty-nine individuals who have participated in the retreat since 2016, two have done the retreat all ten years; one did seven; ten did at least three each, and there were three returning retreatants in the last five years. Participants expressed gratitude for the practice and found joy in it. We usually parted after each session with big smiles all around, with appreciation for the group energy from practicing together.

Trish Crout, who had completed five Namgyalma retreats, shared:

“My introduction to Vajrayana Buddhism was my first Namgyalma retreat five years ago. I had absolutely no idea what I signed up for; I just knew I had to do it. Sometime during that retreat, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the practice and the all-encompassing love of the deity Namgyalma. Tears flooded my eyes uncontrollably. I cried out of sheer joy for finally finding my spiritual path, my home, my yidam; I had never experienced such beauty, such bodhicitta, such love, and I longed for all beings to have this experience.

“Ven. Steve has led this amazing, transformative retreat for ten years in a row now! His joyous effort and ease had me feeling comfortable right from the beginning. Slowly, slowly, I’ve become more fluent in the practice, and finally, in my fifth retreat this year, I reached 1,000 Namgyalma long-mantra recitations. It’s amazing! May the causes and conditions arise so that I may be fortunate to continue practicing Namgyalma until I become an enlightened being for the benefit of all.”

Land of Medicine Buddha does a monthly online practice of Panchen Chokyi Gyaltsen’s Namgyalma practice with the pure kriya tantra elements as taught by Kyabje Jhado Rinpoche; and will continue doing the annual 1,000 Namgyalma long-mantra retreat that Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche advised.

The 24-foot Medicine Buddha thangka raised for the annual Medicine Buddha Festival.

Written by Ven. Tenzin Tsomo, edited by Doris Low, Oct 2025. 

We also rejoice that LMB recently celebrated their 19th Medicine Buddha Festival with the raising of a 24-foot Medicine Buddha thangka and community event including the Medicine Buddha puja, a talk on Medicine Buddha and guided meditation, and the opening of their new food cart, The Big Love Cafe. One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is for centers to display these large thangkas as a way to receive imprints for enlightenment for all who see them. 

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 explore the materials on Namgyalma and Medicine Buddha available to you.

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.