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FPMT Community: Stories & News
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, FPMT International Office paused the publication of several stories we had received from FPMT Centers, Projects, and Services in order to focus on sharing the video teachings of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other stories relevant to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the continuation of the COVID-19 crisis, we want to recognize these stories and share them with readers, so we’ve collected them into an abbreviated digest.
We thank all the FPMT centers, projects, and services for all the amazing work they have been doing and continue to do.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa with Kathleen Everett and Jemma Galova, Women’s Healthy Relationships Group at Broome Recovery Centre, Broome, Western Australia, March 2019. Photo by Sandy Faber.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa Welcomed to Broome, Western Australia
Geshe Tenzin Zopa, an FPMT touring teacher, visited the Gyalwa Ensapa Broome Buddhist Study Group, an FPMT study group located in a coastal town in northern Western Australia in March 2019. The week spent together left lasting impressions on everyone involved. Geshe Tenzin Zopa engaged with a variety local of First Nation, health, and community groups, forming connections with people and discussing various topics from a Buddhist psychology perspective.
Broome’s population of 14,500 is a mixture of Indigenous Aboriginal First Nations people along with (due to a history of pearl-hunting in the area) Japanese, Malay, and Indonesian intermixed families, as well as more recent western European arrivals. Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s talks resonated strongly with the many community members who heard him speak.
Sandy Faber, Gyalwa Ensapa Broome Buddhist Study Group coordinator’s shared all of the details of the visit in the recently publihsed online story “Geshe Tenzin Zopa Welcomed to Broome, Western Australia.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre students and volunteers, Riga, Latvia, June 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre Welcomed Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Latvia
Latvians stay up all night celebrating midsummer (summer solstice), a tradition maintained even during the Soviet times. Last June, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre, the FPMT center in Riga, Latvia, coincided with midsummer celebrations. The teachings organized by the center were attended by 150 students, who gathered from all over Europe to hear Rinpoche teaching. Students described the visit as “magical” and the teachings as “magnificent.”
Read more about Rinpoche’s visit to Latvia in “Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre Welcomed Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Latvia.”
Geshe Gelek at Kadampa Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, August 2019. Photo by David Strevel.
Kadampa Center Celebrated Geshe Gelek Chodha
In August 2019, Kadampa Center celebrated their resident teacher Geshe Gelek’s twentieth anniversary at the center. Decorations, delicious Indian food, and Nepalese folk music transformed the center for a joyous afternoon event. In addition to heart-filled speeches and gifts offered to Geshe Gelek by the Tibetan community and Kadampa Center students, center director Robbie Watkins announced the “secret gift” to Geshe-la: the Kadampa Center mortgage had been paid off!
Read the complete story “Kadampa Center Celebrated Geshe Gelek Chodha.”
Heruka Five-Deity Retreat, Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, October 2019. Photo by Andy Melnic.
Atisha Centre Held a Heruka Five-Deity Retreat Led by Ven. Tenzin Tsapel
Atisha Centre, the FPMT center in Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, and nearby FPMT monastery Thubten Shedrup Ling held a Heruka Five-Deity retreat from September 21 to October 27, 2019. The retreat was led by Australian FPMT registered teacher Ven. Tenzin Tsapel. The hosting of this retreat fulfilled the holy wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who offered the initiation during the 2018 retreat at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.
“More than twenty people attended the retreat and not a single session was missed by anyone. The retreat was exceptional and very enjoyable, and everyone appeared to be very happy during and afterwards,” the center reported.
Read more about the retreat in the story, “Atisha Centre Held a Heruka Five-Deity Retreat Led by Ven. Tenzin Tsapel.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Dr. Renuka Singh, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre’s 22nd Dharma Celebration at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi, India, November 2019. Photo courtesy of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Joined Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre to Celebrate Forty Years
Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre‘s 40th anniversary and 22nd Dharma Celebration was held on November 20, 2019, at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the momentous occasion and gave a teaching on “Overcoming Anger and Anxiety” to an audience of 6,740 guests.
“Very large numbers of people lined up for the teaching. I had never seen so many in any of the Dharma Celebrations organized since 1981,” observed Ven. Kabir Saxena, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre spiritual program coordinator.
“It was particularly satisfying for all of us to be able to fulfill His Holiness’s wish to provide everybody with a copy of Eight Verses for Training the Mind in English and Hindi to benefit one’s mental hygiene,” said Renuka Singh center director.
Read Renuka Singh’s inspired and detailed story “His Holiness the Dalai Lama Joined Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre to Celebrate Forty Years.”
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Kopan Sangha distributing emergency aid to those in need during COVID-19 crisis in Nepal. Photo courtesy of Kopan Monastery Facebook page.
Immediately following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015, the monks and nuns of Kopan Monastery and Nunnery (which were badly damaged by the quake) sprang into action by establishing Kopan Helping Hands to help those in need with supplies of emergency aid, including much needed clean water, food, clothing, and tarpaulins.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the same spirit of charity has resurfaced with the revival of Kopan Helping Hands, now serving those in need due to the lockdown. In the first phase, Kopan Helping Hands distributed 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of rice, 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of lentils, 2 liters (2 quarts) of vegetable oil, and 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of salt to almost 500 local families over a period of three days. This was done in collaboration with the district government, which identified and registered the families in need of help. District officials and local representatives were present at the distribution to ensure only registered families were given the food and everyone abided by safe social distancing guidelines. A group of strong and enthusiastic Kopan monks, wearing face masks and gloves, supervised the distribution and loaded the heavy bags of rice onto people’s shoulders, while handing them a bag filled with lentils, oil, and salt.
However, this first distribution was only just the beginning. Lama Zopa Rinpoche met with the senior monks of Kopan to encourage them to seek out the families most in need. Therefore, Kopan is working with the local government to identify even more families in need and in the coming week the monks plan to package and distribute food to as many as 400 families. In addition, Kopan is working with trusted local contacts to identify elderly people living by themselves and families without any means of support in the Upper Solu Khumbu area of Nepal. Food will likely be distributed to them through the local shops, which are fortunately well stocked as the lockdown coincided with the beginning of the busy trekking season.
Individuals lined up to receive aid from Kopan Helping Hands. Photo courtesy of Kopan Monastery Facebook page.
In Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s recent teachings at Kopan Monastery, he emphasized the importance of charity, quoting the Arya Sanghata Sutra:
Anyone who makes charity even the size of a hair
To sentient beings during my teachings
Will for eighty thousand eons have
Much wealth and also much comfort.
They will have a healthy body
And enjoy happiness.
They will achieve whatever power they wish.
At the end, they will achieve enlightenment, the great result.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche meeting with Kopan senior Sangha. From left to right: Khen Rinpoche Chonyi, Losang Namgyal Rinpoche , Gen Tenpa Choden, Gen Tharchin, Geshe Ngawang Sangye, Geshe Losang Sherab (Umdze-la), Ven. Tenzin Choden, Gen Thubten Kunkyen, Gen Thubten Jangchub. Photo by Ven. Tenzin Tsomo.
At the meeting with the senior monks, Rinpoche spoke about how important it is for monks and nuns to engage in social activities that directly relieve the suffering of sentient beings. However, in addition to the immediate benefit, Rinpoche emphasized that by seeing monks and nuns do activities for their benefit, people will develop faith in them and this will plant the seed of liberation in their minds and cause them in future lives to meet the Dharma and the Sangha.
Please rejoice in this incredible effort of generosity on the part the Sangha at Kopan. Rejoicing in the generosity of others is an easy and powerful way to participate in acts of charity and, as Lama Zopa Rinpoche so often says, it also creates “limitless skies of merit.”
The funds for the food have so far come from many generous sponsors in Singapore and the United States. To get involved in this charitable work, offer your support here.
Find more advice and video teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche from Kopan Monastery during the COVID-19 crisis and also links to videos in translation, transcripts, MP3s, and more:
https://fpmt.org/fpmt/announcements/resources-for-coronavirus-pandemic/advice-from-lama-zopa-rinpoche-for-coronavirus/
De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre Enlightenment Stupa and Prayer Wheel House prior to the brush fires, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 2019. Photo by De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre.
The 2019-2020 Australian bushfires came within one-hundred feet of De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, an FPMT center on Kangaroo Island, Australia. Rebecca Geisler, center director, Will Abram, assistant director and building coordinator, and Anthony Reid, member of the board, share about the importance of community bonds and volunteer support.
The kangaroos are back, De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, February 2020. Photo by De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre.
The Importance of Community
Rebecca shared, “We are slowly coming to terms with the fact that our center and some surrounding properties were spared during the bush fires. We feel immense gratitude towards those from the local community who helped us survive, as well as deep respect for the way they have supported each other and have shown such resilience and generosity in the face of disaster.
“Strong links with the local community—particularly Heidi’s work as an ambulance volunteer—enabled this and other appropriate responses to the fires, as well as access to up-to-date information from the County Fire Service control center. We are also sincerely thankful for the many prayers and dedications we received from around the world, especially from the FPMT community.
“We have formally thanked the firefighters and locals patrolling the control lines, the bulldozer drivers improving the survival chances of buildings by creating containment lines, and those who provided accommodation when people were evacuated from the center. We have also acknowledged the De-Tong Ling and Yacca Creek retreatants and residents who endured so much, including those residents who assisted while the fires were active and during the follow-up scrub clearing.”
The Power of Volunteers
Will Abram shared, “When we talk about the De-Tong Ling volunteers, that is a very big story. The volunteer culture has grown since the Enlightenment Stupa project began in 2002. We followed Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice: build a very large stupa at the center before anything else, and then everything else will follow.
“It didn’t exactly happen like that because some people donated money specifically to build retreat houses. From 1999 to 2003 three retreat house were built. We continued through 2002 and 2003, making mud bricks needed for the Enlightenment Stupa.
“The volunteer energy continued to grow. We assume that was primarily because the opportunity was there to help build a very significant holy object, the largest completed stupa in Australia, and in the most pristine natural environment available.”
Describing the location, Anthony Reid said, “How the stunning white dome and golden spire stands out against the blue sky and pastel green of the surrounding bushland! Prayer flags flutter from the pinnacle and the Enlightenment Stupa radiates an undeniable feeling of peace, tranquility, and steadfastness. Amidst the madness of the world, here is a place of refuge.”
Just a few of the De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre volunteers inside of the Prayer Wheel House, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 2019. Photo by De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre.
Will Abram continued, “Building holy objects and communicating the intention is key to harnessing volunteer energy. The initial spreading of the intention brought in a number of people who to this day still return to help from time to time. Providing good food also helps!
“For example, Richard Miller laid the first brick at the stupa site. He still contributes along with his wife, Joan. Richard worked on the supporting metalwork for the large prayer wheel as well as the mantra loading. Thomas Appleby, a master stonemason also continues to return, building the stone entrance flanked by small prayer wheels, the prayer wheel house walls, and now the front office wall at the group retreat facility.
“These are just two examples of the many dedicated volunteers who have connected with this incredible and most beneficial project, the building of a retreat center and its associated holy objects.
“The construction is also dependent on the many generous people who donated money for the services of craftspeople and precious objects for the Enlightenment Stupa. Volunteers not only gave their time and energy but also paid their own way to get to the remote retreat center and donated money for food.
“Volunteering at De-Tong Ling has become a wonderful tradition. It continues through a combination of dedication to Rinpoche‘s vast vision, the power of the holy objects themselves, and the center’s remoteness and beauty. It draws people back again and again.”
To learn more about De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, visit their website:
http://detongling.org/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Providing care at MAITRI, Bodhgaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India, January 2020. Photo by Phil Hunt.
MAITRI Charitable Trust, a FPMT project in Bodhgaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India, celebrated World Leprosy Day and India’s Republic Day on January 26, 2020. Adriana Ferranti, MAITRI director, shares the story.
World Leprosy Day was founded in 1954 thanks to French writer Raoul Follereau, who chose the last Sunday of January for the yearly celebration. It is not only a day to reflect on the victims of this devastating disease; it is first and foremost a day of solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are afflicted by it. Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) continues to infect tens of thousands of people throughout the world every year.
The lack of painful symptoms is paradoxically the blessing and the curse of leprosy. Its silent advance may take years. The progressive destruction of sensory and motor nerves may lead to irreversible damage without clear warning signs. When ignorance and fear of being stigmatized causes people to disregard the signs of the disease, the outcome can be the development of permanent disabilities. The lack of sensation in the affected limbs can cause serious ulcers that require special attention and care.
Distributing information on World Leprosy Day, Gaya District, Bihar, India, January 2020. Photo by Phil Hunt.
Women in Indian villages are generally less exposed to media information. A direct type of awareness-raising is the only solution for prevention of deformities (POD). MAITRI combines POD work in villages with care provided at its hospitalization facilities. People with disabilities are offered appropriate care in a friendly, integrated environment where stigma has no place.
Each year on World Leprosy Day MAITRI carries out its usual range of education, awareness-raising, and other activities with local people. Community need highlights the importance of the continuation of MAITRI’s painstaking work in the field, bringing awareness, assistance, and relief to the hansenians (people with leprosy). This year as usual two MAITRI jeeps traveled in opposite directions throughout Gaya District, raising awareness about leprosy. After traveling throughout Gaya District the jeeps returned to Bodhgaya, meeting at 3 p.m. in front of MAITRI’s stall on a roadside in Bodhgaya. Awareness-raising activities continued until 5 p.m.
Raising the Indian flag for Republic Day, MAITRI Charitable Trust, Bodhgaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India, January 2020. Photo by Phil Hunt.
January 26 is an annual national holiday in India celebrating the day India adopted its constitution in 1956, turning India into a republic. MAITRI staff and patients celebrated Republic Day together at MAITRI by hoisting the Indian flag. Members of the Rotary Club of Uruvela (Bodhgaya) were the guests of honor. Meanwhile MAITRI teams met several celebrations in their tours. It was a big day of celebrations.
Watch “MAITRI 30 Years in the Service of Others,” a new video created by volunteer Phil Hunt, on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/i0JqRUIPOOE
For more information about MAITRI Charitable Trust, visit their website:
http://www.maitri-bodhgaya.org/home/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Rock-covered US Forest Service access road near Cambria, CA, US, January 2020. Photo by Ven. Namgyal.
Land of Calm Abiding is an FPMT retreat center located on 485 acres of pristine forest in central California, US. Director Ven. Namgyal shares a story from January 2020.
We’ve had a very exciting beginning of the year here at Land of Calm Abiding. During a routine bi-weekly shopping trip we found a massive rock slide completely blocking our six-mile long driveway. This driveway, actually a US Forest Service access road, is our only road out of and into Land of Calm Abiding. The road leads to Highway 1 and the nearest fully functioning village, Cambria, fourteen miles south of us.
We were able clear a pathway over the rock slide and then hiked down the rest of the way to where our truck was parked so that we could continue on with our shopping trip. (We were lucky because the truck was parked at Highway 1 and not at Land of Calm Abiding.) Our shopping trip took a bit longer than usual but we made it back and began thinking of ways to clear the rock slide.
We began by viewing the blocked road project as a way to purify karma as well as a way to quite literally remove obstacles to Land of Calm Abiding. In the space of a few phone calls an amazing thing happened: our dilemma was met with spontaneous kindness and generosity. The first example of Dharma in action came from Gene Richeson. (Some of you reading might know Donna and Gene Richeson from our sister centers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) After hearing about our situation Gene offered to come to help us. He would be traveling to us from up north on the California coast, a four-hour drive each way. Gene offered to bring an equipment operator with him, named Justin, and rent an excavator to remove the debris and re-open the road.
Justin clearing rocks using a Kubota Excavator on the US Forest Service access road near Cambria, CA, US, January 2020. Photo by Ven. Namgyal.
The second act of spontaneous kindness and generosity came in the form of an incredible and immensely helpful donation. Our friend heard of the road obstacle as well a rather large deficit in our 2020 budget and immediately made a donation, which will cover any secondary road expenses as well as nearly closing the deficit for 2020.
To say we were completely taken aback by both these amazing acts would be an understatement. Acts of kindness completely shifted what was a very stressful situation into one that was completely manageable. It reminded me of the slogan, “You never know what someone else is going through so be kind.” This is a simple and true statement, and is one most of us recite every day in the form of the Four Immeasurables: immeasurable equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and joyfulness.
The Kubota Excavator is the little engine that could, US Forest Service access road near Cambria, CA, US, January 2020. Photo by Ven. Namgyal.
We are sharing a few pictures taken before, during, and after the rock slide removal. As you can see, even that two-day process was not without its own obstacles, but Justin handled them with cool and ease. It was Gene’s first time at Land of Calm Abiding, and we had a wonderful time getting to know both Gene and Justin. Hopefully they can return in the future just to enjoy the space. We also had a wonderful four-legged friend of Justin’s named Emmitt. A beautiful border collie/Australian shepherd mix, Emmitt helped by keeping watch for upcoming hikers.
A huge thanks to Justin and Gene for your time patience and confidence with this whole process. Thank you to all for helping Land of Calm Abiding exist so we can continue our legacy of meditation and retreat. We consider ourselves so very lucky to be able to benefit sentient beings.
For more information about Land of Calm Abiding, visit their website:
http://landofcalmabiding.org/
The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships for students engaged in retreats such as 108 nyung nä retreats, 100 million mani retreats, recitations of sutras, and long term retreat:
https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/practice-and-retreats-fund/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Thousand-Arm Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) statue, Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, December 2019. Photo by Robert Schwabe.
Aryatara Institut, the FPMT center in Munich, Germany, observed the Christmas holiday season with two events—a “Chenrezig Christmas Meditation on Love and Compassion” held on December 16, 2019, and a “Christmas Retreat: Debate Between Wisdom and Ignorance” from December 26-30, 2019. Sabine Kehl, a long-term member of the center who translates for the center, shares the story.
Chenrezig Christmas Meditation on Love and Compassion
Christmas is a contemplative time of closeness and warmth, peace and tranquility. For the past few years Aryatara Institute in Munch has made it a beautiful tradition to dedicate the weekly “Monday Meditation” that falls on the last Monday before Christmas to world peace. In 2019, that “Monday Meditation” was dedicated to Buddha Chenrezig (Skt. Avalokiteshvara) who is the embodiment of the compassion of all buddhas. His practice benefits the mind, purifies negative karma, and creates the basis for the development of love and compassion. These are attitudes the world needs more than ever.
On the evening of December 16, 2019, the group of meditators, guided by spiritual program coordinator Robert Schwabe, devoted themselves to the practice of Chenrezig. They visualized the four-armed Buddha Chenrezig radiating rays of light and spreading love and compassion all around. It was a wonderful hour of meditation in which the meditators focused on the well-being of others with loving and compassionate minds.
Ven. Fedor Stracke teaching from and holding the Christmas retreat’s root text, Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, December 2019. Photo by Sophie Kaiser.
Christmas Retreat: Debate Between Wisdom and Ignorance
The topic of this year’s retreat over the Christmas holidays was “Debate Between Wisdom and Ignorance.” The teachings were based on the root text A Discussion Between Self-Grasping and the Wisdom Realizing Selflessness, Arising out of an Identification of the Nature of Basis, Path and Resultant Mahamudra (Tib. gzhi lam ‘dras gsum gyi phyag rgya chen po’i ngo bo ngos ‘dzin las brtsams pa’i she rab bdag ‘dzin gnyis kyi shags ‘debs) composed by Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen and translated from Tibetan to English by FPMT resident teacher Ven. Fedor Stracke.
From December 26-30, 2019, a group of about twenty participants intently followed Ven. Fedor’s teachings on this advanced but vital topic in Buddhism, starting each day with meditation and concluding with purifying practices.
In the 667-verse text on ignorance and wisdom, Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen explains the right way of meditating on the view of emptiness. He does this by going through every possible mistake one could make in the process, both in sutra and tantra. The text is written as a first-person dialogue that sometimes leads to heated debates about the existence of an independent self. Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen explains how ignorance reaches for a self that has not existed since beginningless time, how through this deluded view ignorance creates new causes for samsara every moment, and how wisdom refutes the existence of an inherent I.
Ven. Fedor inserted the only existing printed commentary, written by Yongdzin Losang Jinpa, into the translated text. He also inserted the main commentary on the first third of the text given by His Eminence Chöden Rinpoche at FPMT center Vajrapani Institute in May 2000.
Ending the year with these unique and valuable teachings was a special opportunity for all participants.
For more information about Aryatara Institut, visit their website:
https://aryatara.de/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Arnaud Berger and Ven. Elisabeth Drukier, Kalachakra Centre, Paris, France, November 2019. Photo by Laura Haughey.
Kalachakra Centre, the FPMT center in Paris, France, celebrated their twentieth anniversary in 2019. Laura Haughey, a student at the center shares the story.
The Twentieth Anniversary Celebration
On November 30, 2019, Centre Kalachakra joyfully celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its founding. Participants enjoyed a slideshow of the center’s history, a video of a teaching by Lama Yeshe, a theatrical performance inspired by the Eight Verses of Mind Training, and a potluck meal. Small group discussions focused on the different ways the center has contributed to community members’ lives. And a very moving meditation on rejoicing concluded the special evening.
Geshe Drakpa Tsundue, the center’s FPMT resident geshe, spoke to the gathering. He remarked that there are many Tibetan Buddhist centers, but few centers provide opportunities for serious study. He said even for Tibetans it is very rare to have access to teachings. Geshe-la said some of the texts Centre Kalachakra students are studying are the same texts studied in the great monasteries. He also shared that teaching two rounds of the Basic Program allowed him to learn even more about these texts. Geshe-la thanked everyone for offering him the opportunity to learn so much by teaching at the center for the past ten years.
Justine Wolski and Raj giving a performance, Kalachakra Centre, Paris, France, November 2019. Photo by Laura Haughey.
Kalachakra Centre’s Founding Story
In 1975, Parisian Elisabeth Drukier followed the hippie trail to Nepal, attending the lamrim course at Kopan Monastery. Elisabeth stayed at Kopan for five years total (three of those years without going back to France) and took ordination. She often translated for French speakers who visited Kopan and through this met Denis Huet. When she returned to Paris, she couldn’t find a Dharma center able to help people continue their studies. Denis offered help and some money, and in 1979 Ven. Elisabeth founded the FPMT center Institut Vajra Yogini in Marzens, France, following Lama Yeshe’s advice. In 1981 she also purchased the property that was to later become Nalanda Monastery, an FPMT affiliate, in nearby Lavaur, France.
The Kalachakra Association was officially created in 1985, following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Paris. The fledgling center’s first meetings were held in an apartment in the 17th arrondissement. Lise, the first center director, and Christian invited geshes from Institut Vajra Yogini to come teach. Monthly meetings were held in various rented dining rooms. Marie, the second director moved the center to her place near the Parc Monceau. Afterwards the center rotated around to various locations in Paris.
In 1999 a very generous donor provided the means to buy the center a permanent home. Ven. Elisabeth found three possible properties for a new center. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, using divination, chose the current location on the Passage Delessert. The building, a former printing press, was inaugurated as Centre Kalachakra in 2000 with Lama Zopa Rinpoche in attendance.
Ven. Thubten Kunsang was very involved from the beginning. Ven. Elisabeth said, “In 1999 Lama Zopa Rinpoche asked me to become the center director. When my friend Ven. Thubten Kunsang offered to help me, we were able to buy the current building.” Ven. Thubten Kunsang also assisted with the renovation work and served as a Dharma teacher at the center. One of the first lamas invited to teach at Centre Kalachakra was Mogchok Rinpoche, who taught at Nalanda Monastery.
A seminal event in the center’s history was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Paris in 2003. The visit was collectively organized by Centre Kalachakra, five other Buddhist centers from the Ile de France region, and the Paris Bureau of Tibet. Around 12,500 people attended the events organized for the general public. Held at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, the large stadium event served as a big boost for Centre Kalachakra.
Centre Kalachakra began offering the Basic Program (Le Programme d’Etudes Bouddhiques Approfondi, or PEBA), taught by the current abbot of Nalanda Monastery, Geshe Lobsang Jamphel in 2007.
Ven. Elisabeth continues to serve as the center director. She shared, “In my nineteen years as director, my work has become my practice. Every morning I reinforce my motivation to help sentient beings by ensuring they have an accessible center and a diverse program where people are happy. I try to maintain this motivation throughout the day.”
Geshe Drakpa Tsundue, Kalachakra Centre, Paris, France, November 2019. Photo by Laura Haughey.
Establishing a Retreat Center
In 2008 Ven. Elisabeth asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche to help choose a location for a retreat center, a place outside of the city where students could deepen their understanding of Buddhism and advance in their Dharma practice. She visited dozens of locations. Rinpoche did a divination and identified an old farm in the Perche region, a little less than two hours southwest of Paris. Despite the need for many repairs and renovations, the center trusted Rinpoche’s guidance and forged ahead with the purchase. The newly acquired property is in an idyllic peaceful spot amidst fields and forests.
In 2009 Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited Centre Kalachakra for a second time. FPMT touring teacher Khensur Jhado Tulku Rinpoche and His Eminence the 7th Kyabje Ling Rinpoche also visited and taught at Centre Kalachakra. In September 2009 the center was blessed with the arrival of its first FPMT resident teacher Geshe Drakpa Tsundue.
The retreat center located outside of the city, Centre de Retrait de Saint Cosme en Varais, was inaugurated in May 2010 by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. A lot of restoration work has been done and the retreat center has become a great success. Around thirty retreats are held each year. The retreat center has comfortable rooms which can accommodate more than forty guests. The retreat center has a beautiful gompa and a modern yoga/classroom space. Construction on a beautiful Kadampa stupa began in 2017 and is slated to be completed this year.
Ven. Elisabeth said, “The decision to buy the retreat center in 2008, to allow people to integrate the teachings given at the Paris center, has both increased our overall number of students and brought them back more often.”
Centre Kalachakra looks forward with great enthusiasm to the next twenty years and beyond. The center is committed to sustaining and growing a diverse, supportive community for those interested in studying and practicing in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
For more information about Kalachakra Centre and Centre de Retrait de Saint Cosme en Varais, visit their website:
http://www.centre-kalachakra.com/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Meditation at Centro Shiwa Lha, Brazil, December 2019. Photo by Marcia Rocha.
In December 2019, fifteen teenagers from Morro da Providência, the first favela community in Brazil, spent an afternoon at Centro Shiwa Lha, the FPMT center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, learning more about Buddhism. The event was a community service activity, which is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. The teenagers’ visit was organized by Centro Shiwa Lha and Thayná Bonin, a volunteer photography teacher at the nonprofit Casa Amarela, an arts and cultural center in Morro da Providência. Center volunteer Daniela Vignoli shares the story.
The children arrived on time at Centro Shiwa Lha. Thirsty, they asked for water. They were curious, looking around and asking about everything. Within a few minutes they already seemed to be at home.
Ven. Tenzin Namdrol at Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, December 2019. Photo by Marcia Rocha.
After introducing ourselves to each other, we all sat in silence to listen to center director Ven. Tenzin Namdrol tell us Buddha’s life story. The children managed to meditate for a few minutes, and then everyone recited OM MANI PADME HUM twenty-one times.
Full of energy, they went into the garden to enjoy the treats that were waiting for them—delicious Christmas cake, snacks, and drinks.
It got dark, but we continued outside in the garden. The adults and teenagers talked, exchanging knowledge and experiences. Then it was time to go. After all there was still a long way to go back home.
Centro Shiwa Lha garden, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. December 2019. Photo by Marcia Rocha.
I don’t really know if the children understood or if they were really interested in the explanation of the Buddha and the concepts of Buddha’s philosophy, but I am sure they felt the vibration of this very special place. It was a pleasant afternoon full of joy, love, and affection.
After the visit Casa Amarela staff shared, “We would like to thank Tenzin Namdrol, the director of the center, for the warm welcome! We hope to be back and learn more about your center and masters.”
Daniela Vignoli talking with two teenagers, Centro Shiwa Lha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, December 2019. Photo by Marcia Rocha.
For more information about Centro Shiwa Lha, visit their website:
https://shiwalha.org.br/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Dr. Renuka Singh, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre’s 22nd Dharma Celebration at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi, India, November 2019. Photo courtesy of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre.
Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, the FPMT center in New Delhi, India, celebrated their 40th anniversary with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at their 22nd Dharma Celebration. The two-hour event was held at an all-boys Christian Brothers school with more than 3,400 students. Center director Dr. Renuka Singh shares the story.
Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre’s 40th anniversary and 22nd Dharma Celebration was held on November 20, 2019, at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the momentous occasion and gave a teaching on “Overcoming Anger and Anxiety” to an audience of 6,740 guests.
Guests kept trickling in until the last minute. Ven. Kabir Saxena, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre spiritual program coordinator, observed, “Very large numbers of people lined up for the teaching. I had never seen so many in any of the Dharma Celebrations organized since 1981.” Around five hundred people were sent back by the police security personnel.
Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre’s 22nd Dharma Celebration at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi, India, November 2019. Photo courtesy of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre.
Over two thousand students ages twelve to seventeen enlivened the program. A handful of students at the beginning of the program offered a prayer dance. A group of underprivileged students sang a song on what happened to be International Children’s Rights Day (World Children’s Day), a day celebrated annually on November 20. A book titled Daily Inspiration from His Holiness, edited by Renuka Singh and published by Penguin Random House, was also released by His Holiness.
It was particularly satisfying for all of us to be able to fulfill His Holiness’s wish to provide everybody with a copy of Eight Verses for Training the Mind in English and Hindi to benefit one’s mental hygiene. People often talk of justified anger and that anger is the root cause of human unhappiness, conflict, and violence in the world. This manifests in a myriad ways in our individual lives and also in society—from family, media, politics, the economy, and the environment to self-hatred and destructiveness. The challenge today is to envision and live a future full of hope, patience, kindness, and compassion.
Dr. Renuka Singh and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre’s 22nd Dharma Celebration at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi, India, November 2019. Photo courtesy of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre.
Questions for His Holiness came in quick succession during the question-answer session. His Holiness addressed the students’ questions in a very endearing manner.
This Dharma Celebration was perceived as a true reflection of Indian pluralism. Someone put it this way: “A Buddhist function was held in a Catholic school, organized by Sikhs, and attended by people of all denominations.” One feels that a lot of people received an incredibly beneficial imprint at the event due to the power of the teacher and the teaching, and we rejoice greatly. Congratulations and thanks to one and all who helped to make this event a huge success.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche congratulated the center, writing in the introduction to the 22nd Dharma Celebration souvenir booklet:
Since many people have come to Tushita, where compassion is taught and everybody practices it, over the years, many, many sentient beings have received peace and happiness. If just one person who has come to the center practices compassion and stops giving harm to others, if he or she makes a vow and tries to do that, numberless sentient beings don’t receive harm from that person. This is the benefit to all sentient beings. All sentient beings receive benefit from that one person, and this is due to the center. As many people have come to the center over the years since it started, that many numberless sentient beings have received benefit, peace and happiness from each one of them. …
My main emphasis is that Tushita and other Dharma centers play a most important role in creating world peace, so this is our offering of service. We offer service to the center and try to develop it so that more sentient beings can have contact with Dharma. Sentient beings’ suffering is a serious emergency, a billion times more urgent than regular hospital emergencies, and I hope you can see how your service to Tushita brings incredible benefit to all sentient beings. There is no question that the center liberates beings from the lower realms and brings them to liberation and enlightenment. Such are the skies of benefits of working for sentient beings and the center.
For more information about Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, visit their website:
https://tushitadelhi.com/
Watch His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s November 20, 2020 talk, “Overcoming Anger and Anxiety” on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/z0YBKPAGewI
Read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s introduction to the souvenir booklet on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website:
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/dharma-celebration-2019
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Heruka Five-Deity Retreat, Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, October 2019. Photo by Andy Melnic.
Atisha Centre, an FPMT center in Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, and nearby FPMT monastery Thubten Shedrup Ling held a Heruka Five-Deity retreat from September 21 to October 27, 2019. The retreat, which was restricted to students who had previously received initiation of Heruka/Chakrasamvara from a recognized, qualified, tantric master, was led by Australian FPMT registered teacher Ven. Tenzin Tsapel. Andy Melnic, Atisha Centre spiritual program coordinator, who coordinated the retreat, and Owen Cole, a long-time FPMT student from Hayagriya Buddhist Centre, the FPMT center in Perth, who attended the entire retreat, share the story.
In October 2019 we completed a five-week Heruka retreat at Atisha Centre and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery in Bendigo, led by Ven. Tenzin Tsapel. The hosting of this retreat fulfilled the holy wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche that we do so following his initiation last year at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.
More than twenty people attended the retreat and not a single session was missed by anyone. The retreat was exceptional and very enjoyable, and everyone appeared to be very happy during and afterwards. That energy spread around the center.
Ven. Tenzin Tsapel, Myers Flat, Victoria, Australia, October 2019. Photo by Owen Cole.
No sessions started late and almost everyone finished the mantra count. However, it was far more than a dash to finish mantras. Under the experienced and wise guidance of Ven. Tenzin Tsapel, there were practices before or after every session (including at various times of the day), prostrations, prayers on the lamrim, guru devotion, thought transformation, and long Life and protector prayers in accordance with the retreat style developed by our precious guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Some retreat experiences:
Ven. Tenzin Tsapel said, “The retreat was very harmonious and I appreciated everyone’s efforts. The practice is very powerful and I enjoyed it.”
Ven. Losang Yeshe commented, “The retreat was challenging, but it’s the faith in the guru that guides us so we don’t get lost on the way.”
Lynda Blamires shared, “I did the initiation with Lama Yeshe at Atisha Centre in 1981 and wanted to do the retreat ever since. The retreat brought back moving memories of Lama, and I felt his presence during the meditations.”
Offering this retreat continued a tradition at Atisha Centre, where Rinpoche advised to hold a Vajrayogini retreat (completed in 2018) and a Heruka retreat (completed in 2019). This year we are considering hosting a Cittamani Tara retreat (also indicated by Rinpoche).
For more information about Atisha Centre, visit their website:
https://atishacentre.org.au/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Gelek at Kadampa Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, August 2019. Photo by David Strevel.
In 2019 Kadampa Center, the FPMT center in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, had a celebration for one of their two resident geshes, Geshe Gelek Chodha. Center manager Jill Marie shares the story.
Geshe Gelek at Kadampa Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, August 2019. Photo by Kadampa Center.
On Saturday, August 3, 2019, we celebrated our precious resident teacher, Geshe Gelek’s twentieth anniversary. Geshe-la was greeted with katas, gratitude, and many smiles. The decorations, delicious Indian food, and Nepalese folk music transformed our center into a festive and happy afternoon for all who attended.
Later in the courtyard we gathered to hear heart-filled speeches, watch the children offer a mantra and cards, and the Tibetan community and Kadampa Center offered special gifts.
The shining moment came when center director Robbie Watkins announced our secret gift of a paid off Kadampa Center mortgage to Geshe-la! The children happily helped Geshe-la complete the American ritual of “burning the mortgage.”
We have been so blessed to receive the wisdom and joy from Geshe-la for these past twenty years. May we be blessed with twenty more!
For more information about Kadampa Center, visit their website:
https://kadampa-center.org/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre students and volunteers, Riga, Latvia, June 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited Riga for two weeks in the middle of the Latvian summer from June 24 to July 1, 2019. The visit was organized by Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre, an FPMT center in Riga. Rinpoche’s Latvian students share the story.
The email we received asking us to confirm Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to Riga before agreeing on details took our breath away. We had almost four months to prepare and were overwhelmed with joy.
Each year on June 24 Latvians stay up all night celebrating midsummer (summer solstice), a tradition maintained even during the Soviet times. People jump over the bonfires and wear crowns made of oak tree leaves (for men) and summer flowers (for women). Rinpoche arrived at the airport late that night. It was a magical experience: a combination of a hot summer night and the magic of seeing Rinpoche come through the arrival gates and enter our small country (population less then 2 million). Following tradition we offered Rinpoche an oak tree leaf crown that had been made for him, which he gladly accepted.
Oskars Mickevics, Inese Zelmane, Inga Logina, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and host family Anda Stūrīte with her husband and two children, Riga, Latvia, June 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Ven. Holly Ansett, Ven. Lobsang Sherab, and Ven. Lhundup Topgye were hosted by long-time students at their house outside of the city by the river and surrounded by nature. European roe deer and other deer often visit from the nearby forest, giving guests the chance to meet them. It was a tranquil place for resting before and between teachings.
The teachings started the following weekend and went on for three days. They took place in a central part of a city in a cozy yet spacious venue cut out from the outside noise. Approximately 150 students gathered from all over Europe to attend the teachings. A day before the teachings started we got a pleasant surprise: an extra day for everyone to meet Rinpoche as he decided to do a tsog offering at Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre. Even though it was last minute our small gompa was full of old and new students.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with students from Vienna, Austria in Riga, Latvia, June 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Rinpoche gave us magnificent teachings on “The Integration of the Five Powers in Life as well as at the Time Of Death.” Rinpoche’s teachings included advice on how to be happy in life, how to make others happy, and complex and specific advice on the five powers to be practiced at the time of death and how to use them.
On Rinpoche’s rest day he invited some of the volunteers, who happened to be at the house at the time, to join him on his afternoon walk. We spent time with him, just walking along enjoying the experience. We asked one or two questions, and Rinpoche gladly responded. Afterwards Rinpoche went back to the house to have tea.
Rinpoche also spent time exclusively with Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre’s director, spiritual program coordinator, and other members of the board, giving advice about the center, community, and the FPMT organization.
Ven. Lhundup Topgye, Uldis Balodis, Ven. Holly Ansett, Inese Zelmane, Ven. Roger Kunsang, and Alnis Grants with Lama Zopa Rinpoche engaged in Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga practice to bless all of the beings in Latvia from the rooftop of St. Gertrude Old Church, a Lutheran church in Riga, Latvia, June 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Although their departure flight was early in the morning many people came to the airport to say goodbye to Rinpoche, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Ven. Holly Ansett, Ven. Lobsang Sherab, and Ven. Lhundup Topgye. Rinpoche kindly spent those precious moments with his students, sharing his love. In return we shared our gratitude. We savored these moments in the presence of our beloved teacher as he reminded us of the value of a perfect human life.
Those few days felt like a dream in many ways, and we will keep reminding ourselves of how fortunate we are. We hope Rinpoche will return to Lativa and that we can host him again.
For more information about Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre, visit their website:
http://ganden.lv/
FPMT.org and Mandala Publications brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings, and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the globe. If you like what you read, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.