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Lama Zopa Rinpoche with the media team and the French translation team from the 2016 Light of the Path retreat, North Carolina, US, August 2016. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
The month-long Light of the Path retreat with Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins on Sunday, August 20, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, US. The retreat, hosted by Kadampa Center, was inspired by a “significant and auspicious” dream that Rinpoche had to teaching Lama Atisha’s Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment.
The first Light of the Path retreat took place in 2009. Because FPMT Education Services had plans to base a new education program, Living in the Path, on the retreat teachings, a media team and translators capture the teachings in high quality video and in multiple languages. In 2010, at the second Light of the Path retreat, the media team expanded its capacity and streamed Rinpoche’s teachings live in five languages. This practice continued and improved over the following years.
This year, students can find links to the live video streams in multiple languages of Rinpoche’s Light of the Path teachings at:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/
Bookmark the page as it is where you will find links to the live video streams of Rinpoche’s teachings from around the world.
This weekend the English language streams (on YouTube and on FPMT’s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Facebook pages) will livestream a teaching from Sante Fe, New Mexico, US, hosted by Thubten Norbu Ling. Saturday’s teaching is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (UTC-7).
Read about the Light of the Path retreat and the Living in the Path program in an article from the new issue of Mandala:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/mandala-for-2017/july/living-in-the-path-an-education-program-to-capture-the-essence-of-fpmt/
Find video from all of the Light of the Path retreats on the “Rinpoche Available Now” page:
https://fpmt.org/rinpochenow/
Learn about the Living in the Path education program at:
https://fpmt.org/education/programs/living-in-the-path/
Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi leading the Kopan monks and hundreds of participants in light offering and circumambulation, Singapore, May 2017. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.
Student Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim shares news from the the 20th Vesak Celebration hosted by Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore:
The 2017 Vesak Celebration at Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) carved out a special milestone for us this year. The four-day festival from May 7 to 10 marked our twentieth consecutive year of celebrating Vesak at the same location—an open space right by the Aljunied MRT Station in eastern Singapore, just across the main street from the center building.
Vesak Day is a public holiday in Singapore and every year since ABC was established in 1989, the center has held a celebration to commemorate the Buddha’s day of conception, enlightenment, and parinirvana. The first year the center ventured into the public with the Vesak celebrations was 1996, organizing it at a vacant lot behind the famous Kuan Yin (Chenrezig) temple on Waterloo Street. The following year, we took our event to the Aljunied site.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering bath to a statue of the infant Buddha at ABC’s 1998 Vesak Celebration, Singapore, 1998. Photo courtesy of ABC Archives.
ABC director Tan Hup Cheng clearly recalls the intensive preparations that went into organizing that first event at Aljunied:
“The land beside the Aljunied MRT Station was at that time vacant, so we decided to apply and have the Dharma celebration held there. The first year we applied was 1997, and we got approval so we decided to have the tentage set up on the Aljunied MRT open ground. In 1998, I think during one visit, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave Fred Cheong (now Ven. Tenzin Drachom) the task of constructing a huge Enlightenment Stupa to be draped by one million small fairy lights. That project was realized with the help of Fred’s commando friends at Changi Camp, who constructed the nearly three-story high Enlightenment Stupa by welding a steel frame inside and cladding it with plywood. It was done in three months, a record.”
The Enlightenment Stupa built from scratch at the 1998 Vesak Celebration Singapore, 1998. Photo courtesy of ABC Archives.
Hup Cheng added: “The stupa with the one million lights attracted a lot of attention. It was in the press throughout Singapore so it attracted huge crowds to the Vesak celebrations that year. Rinpoche came and he made offerings to all the buddhas with the one million lights.”
The Enlightenment Stupa set the tone for the years to come as it became a tradition for large eye-catching holy objects to form the centerpiece in our subsequent Vesak events. Giant replicas of Mount Kailash, the Mahabodhi Stupa, and a statue of Maitreya Buddha were filled with precious mantras and provided our visitors the chance to accumulate merit through the acts of circumambulating and making offerings. Since 2014, our 50-foot-tall thangka of Amitabha Buddha Pure Land has formed an inspiring focal point of our festival. All these displays of magnificent holy objects went according to advice obtained from Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
The final dedication prayers recited in front of the 50-foot-tall thangka of Amitabha Buddha Pure Land at Vesak Celebration 2017, Singapore, May 2017. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.
Besides receiving the far-sighted guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, for many years our Vesak celebrations enjoyed the warm and reassuring presence of Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup. From 1996 up to his final visit in 2010, the late former abbot of Kopan Monastery came to Singapore every year accompanied by a team of Kopan monks to preside over a range of events, from leading pujas to giving refuge and precepts.
Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup leading light offering and circumambulation, Singapore, 2010. Photo by Yew Kim Guan.
Our Vesak celebrations have always relied on the efforts of our students and volunteers. At this twentieth anniversary juncture, it was heartwarming to look around and recognize more than a few familiar faces from the early years as well as to spot a new generation of volunteers who have sprung into their pre-teens or transformed into young adults!
Over 400 volunteers helped to organize and host Vesak Celebration 2017, which drew interest and participation from thousands of visitors throughout a four-day program. The Vesak Celebration at ABC continues to be a precious opportunity that we offer to the public to create heaps of merit and to make a connection with the Dharma. Through the years, the event has served as an important resource for funding the operating costs of our center as well as a channel to welcome new faces into our circle.
Some of the 400 ABC volunteers at the 2017 Vesak Celebration, Singapore, May 2017. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.
In terms of the impact that our Vesak Celebration has had in supporting the center, Hup Cheng said: “The Vesak event brought many unexpected big sponsors, and brought forward many sponsors and helpers who allowed us to complete the payment of the land in the beginning, and the new center building, and even the Thousand-Arm Chenrezig statue. We should be very thankful that we paid for this land and have this building through the Vesak Day celebrations, where many donors and benefactors made contact with us and contributed.”
To commemorate our twentieth anniversary at Aljunied, we rolled out a two-part video, “20 Years @Aljunied” that recalls the origins and development of our annual celebration, and the people involved.
Watch “20 Years @Aljunied” on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ABCFPMT?ob=0&feature=results_main
In 2016 the United Nations recognized Vesek with an International Day of Vesak celebration on Friday, May 20 in New York City. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a message that said in part, “the sacred commemoration of the Day of Vesak offers an invaluable opportunity to reflect on how the teachings of Buddhism can help the international community tackle pressing challenges.” Read more on Lion’s Roar.
FPMT.org 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.
Smoke from the 2017 British Columbia wildfires. Photo by 150 Mile Fire Department, via Facebook.
In early July, massive wildfires in central British Columbia, Canada, broke out forcing tens of thousands of people to be evacuated from their homes, including some students from Gendun Drubpa Centre in Williams Lake. They were relieved to hear on July 27 that they could return home. Spiritual program coordinator Dianne Noort reported that for now “Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Centre is fine and we will be assessing the smoke damage.” The condition of the center’s Stupa for World Peace and Environmental Harmony, which is on private property at nearby Spokin Lake, is unknown. Dianne shared some of her experiences as the south Cariboo wildfires got worse:
We carried on with our usual daily tasks and practices, but with an awareness of the wildfires. At first, everything seemed to be under control until an overnight wind and lightning storm blew out our power and then our phone, pushing us to a more alert state. Our telephone was restored first, and we received calls from close friends and family, telling us of the alarming increase in fire activity. …
We live in the Cariboo, an area on a vast plateau in southcentral British Columbia with lots of wilderness. Our daily mindset is one of rural living among trees and thick-tangled underbrush, wild animals, ranging cattle, resource extraction, and dirt roads. The commercial centers, Quesnel, Willimas Lake, and 100 Mile House, were all under threat of wildfire. So, abruptly our daily activities were less pressing, and it was more important to prepare for possibly having to leave the area. As we packed our two vehicles, three categories of possessions became evident: 1) what was needed on the road if we had to spend a night or two somewhere without food or facilities; 2) ourselves and our two large dogs, some clothing, and leashes; 3) important papers, laptops, and a few of our most valued objects. I watched my mind categorize what was important. I’m generally a minimalist; yet even so, I’d never had to think this way.
On the fourth day, our power was restored and we learned that our village gas station had reopened—a $30.00 limit per vehicle and a $20.00 limit to fill gas cans. Our usually stalwart neighbor appeared really worried about how much gas we all had and mentioned several times how long his generator had to run to get the freezer level up. He and another neighbor had also set up their fire pumps in the lake and were hosing down their roofs and the perimeters of their houses. That night we watched the TV news and the seriousness of the situation sunk in. The Williams Lake Airport was even closed. That we had phone and electricity seemed nothing short of a miracle!
Although our village of Horsefly was still safe, two days later we decided to try and get out. The smoke was very thick. Exact information on which roads were open was difficult to ascertain, partly because things were changing so quickly and partly due to no cell service in the area, making it challenging for even emergency service providers to communicate with each other. We set off in our two vehicles with our two dogs and worked our way through the back roads, taking a wrong turn, back-tracking to correct it, and eventually arriving at a Cariboo Highway checkpoint, where we were told that there was no going south as the highway had been closed only ten minutes before. 100 Mile House was evacuated. The earnest young Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer informed us that he had just lost his house near the Williams Lake Airport.
It was uncanny, with burning fires on the both sides of the road, burned telephone poles being replaced by a dozen crews from the power company, smokey haze, emergency crews everywhere. Only two gas stations in Williams Lake had power, and we lined up for gas. The young couple behind us were part of the hundreds that had just been evacuated from the community adjacent to the airport. After filling up, we went to check on Gendun Drubpa Buddhist Centre, let the dogs out of the vehicle to feed them, and sent some text and email messages out to friends and family. Perhaps bizarrely, I watered the plants. After, we high-tailed it home, arriving just before dark.
I called as many of our Gendun Drubpa members and associates as possible in Williams Lake and surrounding areas to see how they were doing and pass on important wildfire practice information from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s “New Advice on Wildfires.” Barrie and Marilyn, owners of the beautiful property where our Stupa for World Peace and Environmental Harmony is located, were still at their home and reported that helicopters were using the lake to fill their buckets with water. Bulldozers at the southeast corner of lake had pushed through and built a fire-guard.
A smokey haze covers Williams Lake, July 30, 2017. Photo courtesy of Dianne Noort.
At one point, I received an email from center director Colleen O’Neill:
“Once the evacuation alert was issued, I packed the thangkas and bigger statues and altar items [from the center] into my car along with a small amount of my personal belongings. The next day, I decided to evacuate due to very poor air quality. I left all our valuable and holy objects in the care of one of our members further away from the city. I was not able to remove our extensive library, our Maitreya statue, or our other ritual items or supplies because I drive a small sedan. I had to leave a bit of room for my personal precious items, and at that point in time, was not sure if I would have take my grandchildren as well because they were in my care.”
A state of emergency was called by our government. Life was surreal. It was like we were under house-arrest; our main preoccupation was to keep abreast of the ever-changing situation. The road going north to Quesnel and Prince George reopened, but on a permit-only basis. Before the week drew to a close, Williams Lake was also evacuated and everyone was directed south to Kamloops. The whole city shut down as the fires were only 7 kilometers [4 miles] away from the center of town. Now, supplies were really getting scarce. The smoke rolled in even thicker. I continued my Medicine Buddha practice and posted updated wildfire news on the Gendun Drubpa Centre Facebook page. I teach a yoga class in my community and to lighten the mood I offered a free “stress-busting” session. It was well attended!
As of July 27, residents of Williams Lake were welcomed back, but are still under an alert order. They are advised to have their cars packed, with a full tank of gas and be ready to leave again in thirty minutes. We have no updated news of the stupa and ask for everyone’s prayers and support.
Read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for dispelling natural disasters, including fires:
https://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice/#disasters
Updates on the 2017 British Columbia wildfires is available online:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/wildfire-situation
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche in California, USA, June 2017. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Welcome to the July edition of the monthly FPMT International Office e-News! This month we bring you:
- Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice about serving the guru
- News about the Sera Je Food Fund Endowment
- Announcing the new edition of Mandala magazine!
- Free Merit Boxes!
And more lovely things to enjoy and rejoice about!
The FPMT International Office News comes from your FPMT International Office. Visit our subscribe page to receive the FPMT International Office News directly in your email box.
George Manos with Vens. Pemba Norbu Sherpa and Phende, Chailsa, Solu Khumbu, Nepal, September 2016. Photo courtesy of Project Yeti.
In September 2016, long-time student and former FPMT center director George Manos and a team of three volunteers journeyed from Australia to Chailsa, Nepal, to offer dental care to the villagers living there. With the help of four porters, the team organized a shipment of over 330 pounds (150 kilos) of dental equipment and supplies. George described to Mandala the evolution of this undertaking, called Project Yeti, and what he and his team was able to accomplish on their last visit:
In 2012, my wife Helen and I established a fully equipped dental clinic in the Lama Yeshe Medical Building at Kopan Monastery. We started with an empty room and the equipment that I brought from Australia. Five years later, there are three dental units in the room fully fitted for modern restorative dentistry. Over twenty dental personnel have given up their time to treat the monks and nuns of Kopan Monastery and Nunnery.
Over the years, Kopan Monastery has helped support Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and nearby Sagarmatha Secondary School, unique because it provides Buddhist teachings for the village children living in the impoverished villages of Solu Khumbu. The school is expanding and plans to educate up to 200 children from primary school through to high school. Kopan’s Ani Fran suggested that the villagers would benefit if I was willing to go there to provide dentistry. We currently visit Chailsa once a year.
Sherpa porters load supplies at Salleri before traveling to Chailsa, September 2016. Photo courtesy of Project Yeti.
During our last visit, we worked for five days from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., examining over 100 patients and completing 150 restorations, fifteen extractions and eleven scale and cleans. We were moved by the experience and the awareness that many villagers had never previously had dental treatment. I examined one elderly monk, for example, who was concerned that his teeth were too sharp—every tooth in his mouth was decayed and broken. Quickly realizing that it would serve little purpose to extract his teeth, I picked up the drill and rounded off every sharp edge. He was so grateful that his teeth were no longer cutting his mouth.
People walked for two days for treatment. When we learned that, we knew that we had to come back. My fellow dentist John Denton drew up a five-year plan to ensure that we established a clinic there.
Our next trip is in September 2017, when we will take up equipment that will remain at the settlement. By the time of our April 2018 visit, we hope to have sufficient equipment there for future dental teams to utilize.
None of this of course would have been possible without the assistance and support of both Kopan Monastery and Thubten Shedrup Ling. And we are so grateful for the hospitality provided by Geshe Yonten.
John Denton, Ven. Pemba Norbu Sherpa, Jude Allsopp, and George Manos, Chailsa, Solu Khumbu, Nepal, September 2016. Photo courtesy of Project Yeti.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Patrick McGinity touches up paint on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s throne, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Kadampa Center.
From August 20 to September 17, Lama Zopa Rinpoche will teach in Black Mountain, North Carolina, US, at the fifth annual Light of the Path retreat, hosted by Kadampa Center. This massive Dharma undertaking requires the support of dozens of volunteers over months. Communications coordinator Patti Pandya and spiritual program coordinator Donna Seese shared this report:
In a few short weeks, Rinpoche will begin teaching at the fifth Light of the Path Retreat, and the energy at Kadampa Center in Raleigh is rising!
Some three dozen people—not just in North Carolina, but also the media team who will come from France to oversee the livestreaming of the event—have worked for months to prepare. In the coming weeks, more folks will team up to fill goodie bags for participants; clean, organize, and touch up supplies; and pack a moving truck to haul the entire retreat from Raleigh to Blue Ridge Assembly, the event site.
After an afternoon spent organizing, boxing up and labeling altar and gompa supplies for the retreat, Susan Daniel stores the boxes ready to be packed and trucked to the event site, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Kadampa Center.
“Supporting conditions for the teachings—oh, my gosh—it’s like a jackpot service opportunity,” said student Rebecca Z. “When Rinpoche arrives at Kadampa Center and we see our membership turn out in force, you get an experience of how profound the retreat is for people. To help be a part of that is unreal.”
Connecting to the larger FPMT family gives student Susan Daniel a quiet sense of satisfaction. After last year’s retreat she went on pilgrimage with Ven. Robina Courtin, and was delighted to encounter new friends that she had made at the Light of the Path 2016 retreat.
Some Light of the Path supplies are stored in members’ homes. Sandy Carlson checks on mugs for Sangha, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Kadampa Center.
For Sandy Carlson, serving Rinpoche and the Sangha puts her in a whole new zone throughout the retreat. “When you give yourself over to service like this, it’s a different mindset,” she said. “I see Rinpoche working with people, see the love that he has for people. I’ve just seen his true wisdom.”
Learn more about how you can prepare for the Light of the Path 2017 retreat on FPMT.org:
https://fpmt.org/edu-news/preparing-for-the-2017-light-of-the-path-retreat/
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Debate in the courtyard at Sera Je Monastic University, 2009, India. Photo courtesy of Ryan Matsumoto.
In the twenty-minute video below, Sera Je International Mahayana Institute (IMI) monks Vens. Tenzin Gache and Tenzin Legtsok give a demonstration of monastic debate in English, introduced and explained by Ven. Gyalten Lekden.
As the monks and nuns in geshe studies programs in Tibetan monastic institutions normally debate in Tibetan only, no matter what their first language, debate in English is rarely seen, and this video has been made by Claudio Curciotti and the Western monks to show English-speakers how debate works.
Ven. Tenzin Gache (standing) debates with Geshe Thupten Zopa on the grounds of the ancient university of Nalanda, near Bodhgaya, India, January 2017. Photo by Zarina Osmonalieva.
Debate is a crucial part of monastic education. In a Mandala online article published in 2016, geshe studies student Ven. Tenzin Namjong explained, “By far the main avenue of learning at Sera is debate. Some people are surprised to hear that we have only two or three hours of classes per week. But we debate several hours a day. As we advance, there is even less class time. Once you know how to study, you read a text and then settle your doubts on the debate courtyard … Debate is analytic meditation in action. It isn’t primarily about defeating an external opponent. Rather, we need to recognize and refute our mistaken ways of thinking using reasoning. The answer in and of itself is not that helpful if you haven’t arrived at it through first identifying and then refuting the wrong view … the debate process definitely helps.”
Watch a brief explanation of debate and two short debates on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkRkF_9zcgs&feature=youtu.be
To learn more about debate and other aspects of geshe studies, and watch a short video of debate in Tibetan, see “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
Watch a video, including some samples of debate in Tibetan, showing FPMT registered teacher and native of the Netherlands Ven. Tenzin Namdak graduating from geshe studies here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge_g4YfXza0&feature=youtu.be
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche during a visit to FPMT International Office staff, Portland, Oregon, US, June 25, 2017
The 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche visited FPMT International Office in Portland, Oregon, US, on June 24. The visit came during a three-day teaching event at Maitripa College. Tri Rinpoche, who was formerly known by the title Jangtse Chöje, had just been appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 104th Ganden Tripa, the spiritual head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Tri Rinpoche will be officially enthroned later this season.
Mandala Publications and Maitripa College interviewed Tri Rinpoche with the help of Yangsi Rinpoche, one of Tri Rinpoche’s students and president of Maitripa College, as translator. Tri Rinpoche spoke about what it was like living at Sera Monastery in Tibet, the Communist Chinese oppression and violence that he witnessed in 1959, his decision to flee to India, re-establishing Sera in exile, and helping identify Yangsi Rinpoche as the reincarnation of his own beloved teacher, Geshe Ngawang Gendun. The interview will be published by Mandala in the future.
FPMT International Office was honored to receive the 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche. We wish Tri Rinpoche a long and healthy life, pray that all his holy wishes succeed immediately, and hope he will return to Portland, Oregon, soon.
The 104th Ganden Tripa with Yangsi Rinpoche and FPMT International Office and Maitripa College staff, Portland, Oregon, US, June 24, 2017
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, February 2017. Photo by Hermann Wittekopf.
During the first three months of 2017, Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe, toured European FPMT centers giving talks to hundreds of eager students.
The tour began on January 25 at Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam in the Netherlands with a talk entitled “Easy Ways to Lessen Egoism and Develop Compassion to Increase True Joy.” The next day, Ösel went to Maitreya Instituut Loenen to give an improvised talk to the community of students there.
After the Netherlands, Ösel continued on to the United Kingdom to visit Jamyang Buddhist Centre London and the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom in the nation’s capital, and Land of Joy, a Buddhist retreat center in the north. Next, Ösel visited Aryatara Institut in Munich, Germany; Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling in Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre Kalachakra in Paris, France; Institut Vajra Yogini and Nalanda Monastery near Toulouse, France; and O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros in the Alpujarras of southern Spain.
Watch Tenzin Ösel Hita speak at Aryatara Institut in Munich, Germany, on YouTube:
All of the centers have made recordings of the talks available to the wider FPMT community. Please find a complete list below:
Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam, January 25
Maitreya Instituut Loenen, January 26
Jamyang Buddhist Centre Lodon, January 28
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Maitreya Instituut Loenen, the Netherlands, January 2017. Photo courtesy of Maitreya Instituut Loenen.
Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling, February 11
Centre Kalachakra, February 15
Institut Vajra Yogini, February 17 and February 19
Nalanda Monastery, February 20
O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros, March 25
Find more information about Tenzin Ösel Hita on his resource page on FPMT.org, including news, photos, videos, and links to his official Facebook page.
Tenzin Ösel Hita speaking at Aryatara Institut, Munich, Germany, February 2017. Photo by Hermann Wittekopf.
The Big Love Fund provides financial resources that enable Tenzin Ösel Hita to continue his endeavors on behalf of FPMT.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak answering debate questions during the geshe graduation ceremony, Sera Je Monastic University, India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio Visual Center.
Watch the eighteen-minute video below to see the colorful, moving, and joy-filled graduation ceremonies of Geshe Tenzin Namdak, who has completed the full twenty-year course of studies at Sera Je Monastic University in South India and his final geshe examinations there: a tremendous achievement.
On May 8, 2017, Geshe Namdak, a registered FPMT teacher and native of the Netherlands, was officially awarded a geshe degree by Sera Je. He is one of only very few Westerners to have obtained a geshe degree and the first to do the entire course of studies and exams at Sera Je.
This video, filmed and edited by Claudio Curciotti, shows the formal ceremony as well as related activities. It also highlights the friendship and support offered to Geshe Namdak by other Sera IMI monks and Geshe Namdak’s friends and students at Choe Khor Sum Ling (CKSL), the FPMT center in Bangalore, India. Geshe Namdak is also accompanied in parts of the ceremony by his ordained students, including a young Tibetan boy, Jampel Tsering, who lives at Sera IMI house.
Sera IMI monks in the courtyard of IMI house at Sera Je Monastery, India, November 2013. (L to R) Vens. Gyalten Lekden, Tenzin Legtsok, Tenzin Gache, Tenzin Namdak, Jampel Tsering (child), Jampa Khedrup, Losang Khedrup, Tenzin Namjong, Gyalten Choklang. Photo by Sandesh Kadur, November 2013 (The boy monk is Jampel Tsering. He is Ven. Tenzin Namdak’s student and lives with the monks at Sera IMI house). Photo by Sandesh Kadur.
In addition to his geshe studies and helping to establish CKSL at the direction of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Geshe Namdak has benefited others in many ways. These include helping to establish Sera IMI House and serving as its director, organizing and teaching translation courses at Sera Je, translating for various lamas, and helping run pre-ordination courses for new monks and nuns in Dharamsala, India.
While Geshe Namdak speaks only shyly of his great accomplishment, attributing it to the support he has received from his gurus and others, in an interview soon to be published by Mandala, he allows that graduating is an occasion for rejoicing. He adds, “I have been very fortunate that the guru gave me this opportunity!”
Watch Geshe Namdak’s graduation ceremony on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ge_g4YfXza0
For more about Geshe Tenzin Namdak, see “The Union of Study and Practice,” an article about the benefits of long-term intensive study and practice in Mandala January-June 2016.
To learn more about debate and other aspects of geshe studies, read “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
Mandala 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 in Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching in Moscow, Russia, May 2017. Photo by Renat Alyaudinov.
We invite you to read our June 2017 FPMT International Office e-News. This month you’ll find:
- highlights from our most recently posted blogs
- Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s current schedule for 2017 and 2018
- updates from Work a Day for Rinpoche, FPMT International Office’s most popular annual campaign
- new Dharma practice materials from FPMT Education Services, including “A Long Life Prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche” by Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drönme) and “A Requesting Prayer to Maratika: The Source of an Ocean of Siddhis” translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
- a new Mandala feature interview with Vicki Mackenzie about her new book, The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi: British Feminist, Indian Nationalist, Buddhist Nun
… and more!
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Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
On April 26, 2016, Ven. Tenzin Namdak, Sera IMI House monk and FPMT registered teacher, received the title of “Geshe” after completing coursework for the geshe studies program at Sera Je Monastic University in South India. On May 8, he was officially awarded the degree during a three-day ceremony that included public debate, recitation of memorized texts, and pujas. Fellow Sera IMI House monk Ven. Tenzin Legtsok reports:
On May 8, 2017, Ven. Tenzin Namdak, registered FPMT teacher and native of the Netherlands, was officially awarded a geshe degree by Sera Je Monastic University in South India. He is the first Westerner ever to complete the full, formal course of studies at one of the “three seats”—Ganden, Sera, and Drepung monasteries—and sit for the final geshe examination there, too.
There are many steps leading up to the geshe degree. First, one must complete nineteen years of coursework comprising three years studying introductory topics, seven years on the Ornament of Clear Realization, four years on Supplement to the Middle Way, three years on vinaya, two years on abhidharma, and two months each year spent debating Valid Cognition.
After Ven. Namdak completed his exams for the final year of study, Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested the monastery to formally grant him the geshe degree as quickly as possible so that he can begin sharing his knowledge and experience with FPMT centers outside India. In July 2016, this request was granted, and Ven. Namdak began preparing for his final geshe examination ceremony.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak with fellow graduates, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
For two weeks leading up to the final ceremony, Geshe Namdak and eight other monks becoming geshes sat for a small debate examination before each class in the geshe studies program. During the actual three-day ceremony, they sat in front of the entire assembly of over 1,000 monks and answered debate questions on the traditional five topics.
As the other eight geshes had primarily qualified to take the final degree through service to the monastery instead of study, Geshe Namdak was the only one among them to take the role of defender, the person who answers the questioner. The highlight, and perhaps most nerve wracking part of Geshe Namdak’s ceremony, was when he had to recite from memory a 25-page long passage from Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen’s commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa’s Thorough Elucidation of the Intent in front of the entire assembly!
Geshe Tenzin Namdak with fellow graduates, Sera Je Monstic University, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Sera Jey Audio-Visual Department.
On the day of his examination ceremony Geshe Namdak, offered lunch and a small money donation to each monk at Sera Je. During this puja, he was led in procession through the main temple accompanied by his two ordained students and twelve members of Choe Khor Sum Ling, the FPMT center in Bangalore where he teaches.
The final part of the celebration was the following day, when hundreds of well-wishers came to his residence, Sera IMI House, to make offerings and give their congratulations.
Hundreds of people came to offer khatas and their congratulations to Geshe Tenzin Namdak, Bylakuppe, Karnataka , India, May 2017. Photo courtesy of Ven. Gyalten Lekden.
For more about Geshe Tenzin Namdak, see “The Union of Study and Practice,” an article about the benefits of long-term intensive study and practice in Mandala January-June 2016.
To learn more about the structure and purpose of debate in Tibetan Buddhism, read “Dhi! Ven. Tenzin Namjong on Debate, Study, and Life at Sera Je,” a Mandala online feature.
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