receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
FPMT Community: Stories & News
Tenzin Monlam performs the deer dance at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Building projects manager Denice Macy at Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB) in California recently shared a useful how-to list for hosting a large-scale Dharma event:
In November 2002, Sally Barraud, then director of Land of Medicine Buddha, received advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche to host a Medicine Buddha Festival at LMB at least once a year. Pearls of wisdom flowed from Rinpoche’s mouth—the advice of what to do, what to offer. With unwavering faith, Sally went to work with her team and the local community to host the first Medicine Buddha Festival. Sally reached out to Geshe Ngawang Drakpa from Tse Chen Ling in San Francisco, Ven. Donyo at Gyuto Vajrayana Center in the Bay Area, and Tam To, a local leader of the Vietnamese community in San Jose. Eight months later, the festival became a reality.
What follows is some practical advice that we have learned from hosting the Medicine Buddha Festival for the past fifteen years.
Before anything—go for refuge.
We are in service to our guru, who is at times, a hilarious comic. Have fun (Rinpoche does), laugh at mistakes (Rinpoche does), experience it all with compassion (Rinpoche does)! Buckle up and get ready for a fun and wild ride by hosting a large Dharma event to benefit others!
1. Identify the main purpose of your event.
Wish Fulfilling Temple, Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
This will be your guide as you organize your event. For LMB, the main purpose as advised by Rinpoche was and is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to take part in the Medicine Buddha puja, to learn about the Medicine Buddha, to provide people with the opportunity to make extensive offerings to please the Buddha, and the opportunity to create imprints and merit! Easy enough!
2. Plan well ahead!
Attendees at the Land of Medicine Buddha festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
A successful LARGE event, Dharma or secular, needs to be planned well in advance. We look at dates as much as a year in advance. Some of the factors we consider include: the weather, dates of public holidays, seasonal events, other regularly scheduled festivals, and community events. If you fail to consider these factors, you may find that people who might benefit from your event are otherwise previously committed or that the weather is a bummer. Big party, big fun, big love!
3. Speaking of big, think BIG!
Mani prayer wheel at the Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Rinpoche helps us to identify how to please and benefit sentient beings. Consider the many different dispositions of sentient beings. Some people might attend because they love the delicious free food, others might have interest in the Tibetan culture, others want to connect with community, others have strong karmic connection to the Dharma, and some are looking for a wholesome family event—so provide varied opportunities. We have yet to provide pony rides around our stupa as Rinpoche requested, but it is in the plans! Not only would this benefit the ponies, but also the kids who would ride or lead them around the stupa.
4. Consider varied potential interest groups in your community.
Sun Family Meixca Dance – Medicine Buddha Festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Shine the Dharma light, spread your net wide. Let people know about your event; it is a priceless opportunity for you to connect and benefit others. We pay for advertising on the local public radio stations, in the weekly community newspaper, and sponsor adverts on Facebook. Don’t forget to take advantage of free media opportunities by sending out press releases to the local daily newspapers and online news sites, and using email messages and Facebook. We also print large posters that are placed at the center and email digital copies of them to our community connections.
5. Plan a non-sectarian Dharma event.
Tibetan dancers at the Medicine Buddha Festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Don’t limit your audience. Rinpoche gave us the advice to invite all the area Dharma centers including Zen, mindfulness-based groups, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other Tibetan lineage centers. This is an opportunity to join with and welcome the diversity of our Dharma community. Of course, inviting other FPMT projects and centers is a must. Offer local FPMT family centers, projects, and services a table at your event to share information about their programs. Invite animal rescue groups or other non-profit organizations that align with benefiting sentient beings.
6. Re-read advice from Rinpoche on how to hold these large events.
Dagri Rinpoche at the Land of Medicine Buddha Festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Duh. Of course, none of us would intentionally ignore precious advice that we have received from Rimpoche. However, it is IMPORTANT to re-read advice (again, months in advance). You will likely find it is not possible to do everything Rinpoche advises right away, or even in the first few years of holding an annual event. You may find like us, however, that it is possible to add elements each year in a practical way. It took years for us to find Mongolian acrobats in our area, but eventually we did!
7. Practice generosity and pleasing sentient beings.
Fundraising and offering donations at the Medicine Buddha Festival, Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Make meaningful and generous offerings to the people who contribute to the day: festival t-shirts for volunteers, offerings of money and special treats to the Sangha, and generous offerings to those who make music or dance offerings. Here, remember to make as extensive offerings as possible on your altars, and give people an opportunity to sponsor those offerings. People from around the world who are unable to attend your event may have the wish to participate by sponsoring various offerings.
8. Support your team, meet, and follow up.
Attendees at the Medicine Buddha Festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Even the most enthusiastic and reliable community members have obstacles that will arise. It is helpful to share information and to-do lists on Google Docs and other online methods of communication. Have a volunteer coordinator, logistics coordinator, liaison with performers, and parking coordinator. Make lists and meet in person with your team. Make plans to follow up so you can make adjustments as issues arise.
9. Remember that you may not have time in the last days before the event to do X, Y, or Z.
Parade at the Medicine Buddha Festival in Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
Do it now! Funny things happen when making plans for Dharma events. One year in the middle of June, a large tree fell blocking the road to our center for more than twelve hours—the day before our event! Another year someone drove a car over a cliff. It is interesting to recall how obstacles can arise and surprise. If you leave things to the final days before an event, the stress level of your team may go through the roof. Do as much as you can now. Make lists with your team that can be completed well in advance. Leave a lot of space in the last few days to be surprised by things not going exactly as planned.
10. Trust your team!
Three of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California, US, July 2017. Photo courtesy of Denice Macy.
The mind that sees problems is persistent (speaking for myself here). Remember you have an amazing team with Rinpoche at the head; Rinpoche inspires us to stretch ourselves, and if we trust Rinpoche’s advice, we can move ahead with faith that we have the skill, team, and karma for a successful event. Though we are limited and may learn some uncomfortable lessons along the way, we are on the right path!
Read more about the festivities, spiritual programs, and life in the community at Land of Medicine Buddha: http://landofmedicinebuddha.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 during the 100 Million Mani Retreat, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Piero Sirianni.
Welcome to the November FPMT International Office e-News!
This month we bring you news about:
- The New Inner Job Description App
- Updates from Two FPMT Charitable Projects
- Who Friends of FPMT Help
- How to Give a Gift That Helps Others
- The Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program
…and more!
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.
Trey Ligon and his wife, Anne, with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Reno, Nevada, United States, August 2017. Photo by Lobsang Sherab.
Events that lead to the founding of FPMT centers, projects, and services can be as varied and inspirational as the benefit that they provide.
The Dharmakaya Center in Reno, Nevada, United States, has an origin story that the founder, Trey Ligon, recently shared in a letter of thanks to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Just eight years ago, Trey went out into the woods to look for his cat, triggering a series of incredible events that would pass through personal crisis, but which would ultimately present the opportunity to spread the Dharma.
So inspiring was Trey’s letter that Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered a translation of a new Green Tara prayer. Rinpoche asked that Trey’s story be shared with the FPMT community.
Green Tara
Dear Precious Lama Zopa Rinpoche,
I want to thank you for everything you do for all sentient beings and for your kind and generous gifts to my wife Anne and me. It was such a blessing for both of us to be able to visit with you at the Light of the Path retreat. I wanted to offer you greater detail of the story that I had started to share with you about how Arya Tara pointed me towards you, my Guru.
In 2009, I was walking in the woods near my house and it was starting to get dark, so I began to hurry and suddenly caught my foot on a fallen log. I fell to the ground in significant pain and could not stand on one leg. I looked at my foot and discovered that I could not move it to any degree. I could not stand up or put any weight on it to walk. (Later, I found out that I had a compound fracture in my right ankle.) I yelled out for help, but no one answered. I tried yelling louder and louder, but no one answered back, so I started to crawl and drag my disconnected ankle with me. It was painful as I crawled along the ground slowly.
My knees and arms started to become cut-up from the rough ground and I felt I could not go on any longer, so I started to pray for help. Again, no one came to assist me. Then I started to cry out for help and at that moment, my savior, Arya Green Tara, appeared to me in the darkness. As she looked at me, her beautiful green light shined around her, so I could now see where I was crawling and once again had hope. When I stopped crawling to clean the rocks out of my bloody arms, Arya Green Tara would encourage me to keep going towards the house lights. She told me that I was so lucky to be born at this time as a human being because my past root guru was alive and well spoken in the Buddhadharma at this time. She told me that I should go seek him out to continue my practice. She told me to go look for the “Medicine Buddha Guru” and that my guru was always the “Ultimate Healer.” As I got closer to the house, I was found and rushed to the hospital.
One week later, I had a surgery to reattach my ankle bone with implants (metal rods, screws, and plates) and while recovering at home, I remembered Mother Tara’s words and decided to pick up my laptop to search for “Medicine Buddha Guru as the Ultimate Healer.” Your book, Ultimate Healing: The Power of Compassion came up in my search results. I ordered the book online and as I read each page, your teachings felt so comfortable and resonated with me. It was as if you were there in the room talking directly to me. The obvious next step was for me to go find my guru.
An x-ray showing the extent of the damage sustained on Trey’s ankle. Photo courtesy of Trey Ligon.
I discovered online that you were giving a lamrim teaching and a Medicine Buddha practice near me in San Francisco in 2011. I made arrangements to come see you for the first time. I immediately had a strong connection and could not get enough of your teachings and I knew what I had to do next.
I wrote you a letter asking you what you thought about starting a new Dharma center where I live in Reno, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. You surprised me by writing back a lengthy, precious letter with more than enough confirmations for me to begin the process of organizing a new study group. With the help of some wonderful Buddhists, we opened a study group in an empty space in my medical business. It was always your letter to me that kept me going in the early days—so, thank you so much, Guru. You then gave us the name “Dharmakaya Study Group.” Wow!
After three years as a study group, I rejoice to share with you that in 2015 we became “Dharmakaya Center” and through your many examples and teachings, we will always strive to be most beneficial for all sentient beings.
With much love and devotion, Trey Ligon
Read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s translation of the new Green Tara Prayer
Read more about the programs and study opportunities at the Dharmakaya Center in Reno, Nevada, United States.
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.
Participants of the FPMT North America Regional Meeting during the Light of the Path retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina, US, August 2017. Photo courtesy of Drolkar McCallum.
In August 2017, Drolkar McCallum, regional coordinator for FPMT North America and member services coordinator for the International Mahayana Institute—FPMT’s international community of nuns and monks—visited Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States, for the Light of the Path (LOP) retreat. During the retreat, which was led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT North America held a successful and highly enjoyable regional meeting. Droklar offered her reflections:
FPMT North America held a successful and enjoyable regional meeting over August 22 and 23 during the Light of the Path (LOP) retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Twenty-two participants representing International Office and a group of twelve centers, projects, services, and study groups from all over the US and Canada came together with a few registered teachers to discuss revenue generation, live streaming, grievance procedures, and the importance of International Sangha Day.
There was an informative presentation given by Annelies van der Heijden from Maitreya Instituut in the Netherlands on the immense value of the Foundation Service Seminars. Jill Marie from Kadampa Center spoke about fundraising; Tom Truty spoke about the current projects of Education Services; and I outlined the importance of moving forward in FPMT’s regionalization strategy in order to fulfill Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wishes for the organization.
FPMT North America Regional Meeting during the Light of the Path retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina, US, August 2017. Photo courtesy of Drolkar McCallum.
Even though the meeting was shorter than normal, one benefit of having it at the beginning of LOP is that people were introduced to each other at the start and then had plenty of time and opportunity during the retreat to get together and discuss other issues and do some mutually beneficial brain showering!
The greatest advantage, of course, is that our most precious guru, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, was nearby and his blessings caused great inspiration, creativity, and a willingness to get more involved.
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.
“We only started carrying ebooks in 2015, starting with Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive’s titles. In 2016, Editions Mahayana and Ediciones Dharma agreed to let us host their French and Spanish titles, respectively. And now in 2017, Wisdom Publications worked with us to find a way to carry its titles, like Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s How to Enjoy Death and Lama Yeshe’s The Bliss of Inner Fire, too. There are even some ebooks that are only available by donation, such as Tenzin Ösel Hita’s Do Not Believe Everything You Think.
“Forty percent of our customers live outside of the United States so it was important to spread Dharma while bringing shipping costs to zero. Fewer print copies means we potentially make less of an impact on global forests, which is something really important to me. Also, I really hope that more young people engage with Buddhism, and since they are into digital devices of all kinds, making popular titles available in ebook format is one way to encourage that. I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made in this area so far.”
Check out the Foundation Store’s 108 ebook titles today:
https://shop.fpmt.org/View-All-eBooks_c_551.html
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.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with devotees in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, September 2017. Photo by Ugo Gorvaia.
This September, His Holiness the Dalai Lama took a short tour of the Italian island of Sicily. During a visit to the town of Palermo, His Holiness was awarded the status of “Honorary Citizen” by the mayor, Professor Lealuca Orlando.
The brief presentation took place at the Teatro Massimo, the venue for a talk in which His Holiness addressed the subject of peace and the meeting of peoples. The talk, in front of 1,400 attendees, took place ahead of a smaller gathering of media and Italian students at His Holiness’s hotel.
Centro Muni Gyana students Fabio Gariffo and Grazia Asaro were in attendance at the theater and hotel. They recorded their experiences:
At the hotel, His Holiness addressed the practitioners from Centro Muni Gyana, saying, “And now I want to speak with the group of Lama Zopa.”
The center, established in 2009, occupies a villa that local authorities confiscated from the mafia. To this audience of students, whose center is housed in a building that has changed purpose with the times, His Holiness spoke on the importance of studying Buddhism with an evolving, modern perspective.
His Holiness remarked that when he teaches in Europe or in the United States, he has no interest in proselytizing. However, he emphasized that understanding the function of mind and emotions, a study that Tibetan Buddhism has inherited and preserved from the Nalanda tradition, is very valuable and useful for everyone. He added that many people wish to study the tradition of Nalanda, brought to Tibet from India in the 8th century by the great scholar, philosopher, psychologist, and logician Shantarakshita. It can be said that authentic Buddhism, the one based on logical reason, was imported by him, and that Tibetans are the only ones who have fully maintained this ancient tradition.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Sicily, Itlay, September 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Centro Muni Gyana.
“The Buddha himself,” continued His Holiness, “has recommended not to follow blindly his teachings, but to analyze them and to examine their effectiveness in our own experience. This analytic spirit is the most useful way to embrace the Buddhist teachings.
“The scientists I periodically meet are very amazed by the depth of the intuitions of Nalanda’s scholars. Let me say that modern psychology is far from the science of mind that comes from this ancient monastic university. For this reason, the bases of this tradition are necessary, and there is a great benefit in their integration with Western subjects of study such as psychology and quantum physics.
“For about forty years I have made great changes within the Tibetan community, emphasizing that the most important thing is not the rituals, but the study of the texts—a message that is also valid for the nunneries, where today it’s possible to obtain the complete curriculum of thirty years of study required to become a geshe. Therefore, Dharma centers must be, first of all, academies and centers of study.
“So in your center, even if it’s small, you must consider yourself students! I’m eighty-two and I still consider myself a student.”
“In this way,” he concluded, “we can contribute to society. Today there is a great emotional crisis all over the world and this secular knowledge can make a big contribution toward eliminating it.”
Read more about Centro Muni Gyana:
http://centromunigyana.it/
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.
Paul from New Zealand at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Paola Sala.
Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia, Italy, is currently hosting the month-long 100 Million Mani Retreat, guided by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. From October 4 to November 5, hundreds of participants will collectively recite OM MANI PADME HUM, the mantra of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Compassion, 100 million times.
Students from all over the world are in attendance, including one person who has perhaps traveled further than most. Paul, a New Zealander who arrived in Italy by way of Australia, told one of the retreat organizers about his motivation behind the journey all the way from the southern hemisphere and his experience of the retreat so far. Here’s the story:
You are from New Zealand and you live in Australia, what made you come all the way up here?
Paul: I consider Lama Zopa Rinpoche as my main teacher, the one I have a connection with. Recently, I had the feeling that I should spend more time in front of him. Fortunately, I could be away from work for the entire month of October.
Have you already attended teachings, initiations, or retreats with Lama Zopa Rinpoche?
Yes. I was at the Great Chenrezig retreat at Chenrezig Institute and the Medicine Buddha retreat in Adelaide, both in Australia. Besides, I did the Kopan November course once.
Have you seen some of your fellow students from Kopan?
Oh, yes. I met quite a few of them again. It feels like after a wedding. One finds again friends sharing one’s same experience or sharing common friends.
Can you say that there is a kind of Kopan community? Do you find it supportive?
It is nice to know that you have friends around the world following a similar path. It gives me a feeling of interconnectedness.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche arriving at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
For more information on the 100 Million Mani Retreat and the programs offered at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa visit:
https://www.iltk.org/
You can watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche teach live from the 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat on YouTube and Facebook. For links and details:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/
More information, photos, and updates about FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s webpage on FPMT.org. If you’d like to receive news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT via email, sign up to FPMT News.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
We invite you to read the October edition of the FPMT International Office e-News now!
This month we bring you:
- News about the annual long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and how to contribute
- Highlights of Rinpoche’s Advice this last month
- Newly Available from Education Services
- New from Mandala Magazine
- Two New FPMT Study Groups!
…and more!
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.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche watches Dechen Bloom reciting the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, June 2017. Photo by Ven. Holly Ansett.
When Dechen Bloom had completely memorized the Three Principal Aspects of the Path in April 2017, he urged his mother to take a video of him reciting it and send it to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. At the time, Dechen was nine years old and it had been three years since Rinpoche had advised him to memorize the well-known lamrim prayer by Lama Tsongkhapa.
“The recording is not great, but Dechen was anxious for me to send it off because it has been so long since he was asked to do this. This week we were all sick and coughing, so he was anxious to get it recorded,” Dechen’s mother Carina Rumrill wrote when she sent the link to the video of Dechen.
This was Dechen’s second memorization project. In 2014, he recited the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra from memory for Rinpoche. He also offered Rinpoche a copy of the sutra that he had typed up, printed out, and traced in gold. Dechen dedicated both of these activities to Rinpoche’s long life. Afterwards, Dechen requested his next memorization assignment from Rinpoche. And that’s when Rinpoche recommended the Three Principal Aspects of the Path.
Dechen Bloom reading Mandala, July 2017. Photo by Carina Rumrill.
When asked why he wanted to memorize these important texts, Dechen, now 10 years old, told Mandala, “So I know them, and it’s better than not knowing them.” He added that knowing them by heart is also better than having to look them up.
“Lama Zopa Rinpoche wanted me to memorize these prayers,” Dechen further explained. “Why would I not want him to be happy? See, I want him to be happy. I don’t want him to be disappointed, do I?”
In addition to memorizing, Dechen has been slowly going through Discovering Buddhism and Living in the Path modules. He started in October 2016, and since he’s home schooled, he does thirty to forty minutes of study a day, taking breaks for Christmas and summer vacation. According to his mother Carina, who works for FPMT International Office, Dechen is close to finishing Living in the Path modules “Refuge and Bodhichitta” and “Transforming a Suffering Life into Happiness” and the Discovering Buddhism modules “Refuge in the Three Jewels” and “Transforming Problems.”
After seeing Dechen’s video and hearing about his studies, Rinpoche wrote back, thanking Dechen for everything he was doing and giving him a new assignment: to memorize Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga (also known as Ganden Lha Gyäma). Rinpoche also said it was good for Dechen to keep reciting the prayers that he had already memorized.
Dechen thinks it’s a good idea for kids to memorize prayers and study Dharma and that it can be fun. When asked why kids should memorize, he said, “A lot of people will want to memorize things when they are older, but when they are young and memorizing, that means they learned it at a young age and know it for longer.”
Dechen Bloom and a sidewalk drawing of planet Earth, April 2017. Photo by Carina Rumrill.
In addition to studying Dharma, Dechen enjoys learning about science and astronomy. He said that he’s been learning about the stars lately. In August, Dechen was excited to see the complete solar eclipse that passed over Oregon in the United States. “It was pretty cool. I didn’t scream and jump up and down, but it was amazing,” he said. “I felt lucky to see it.”
Dechen and his family have just relocated to Vermont from Oregon, but since Living in the Path and Discovering Buddhism are online programs, moving won’t impact his studies.
An illustration by Dechen Bloom comparing exoplanet types, June 2017.
Find out what Dechen Bloom asked Ven. Robina Courtin about the Heart Sutra when he was five years old:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/mandala-for-2014/july/dechen-writes-to-ven-robina-courtin-about-the-heart-sutra/
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.
The candlelight procession of the opening ceremony, Sakyadhita International Conference, Hong Kong, June 2017.
In June 2017, Drolkar McCallum, regional coordinator for FPMT North America and member services coordinator for the International Mahayana Institute—FPMT’s international community of nuns and monks—visited Hong Kong to attend the Sakyadhita International Conference. Drolkar, who additionally serves as acting president of Sakyadhita Canada, shared experiences from the six-day event:
The fifteenth conference of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, held at the University of Hong Kong from June 22 to 28, was attended by over 800 Buddhist nuns and laywomen from thirty-one countries!
The name Sakyadhita means “Daughter of Shakya,” harkening back to the clan name of the historical Buddha. Sakyadhita International is an alliance of women and men whose goal it is to empower the world’s 300 million Buddhist women to work for peace and social justice and to advance their spiritual and secular lives.
They hold an international conference every two years, the first of which was held in Bodhgaya, India, in 1987. This year celebrated Sakyadhita’s thirty-year anniversary with the theme, “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action.”
Batik Making Workshop at the Sakyadhita International Conference in Hong Kong. Photo by Drolkar McCallum.
For one week laywomen, nuns, laymen, and monks from many different nations and backgrounds gathered in harmony to share their ideas and experiences. The program included a rich mixture of panel presentations, workshops, Dharma talks, meditations, chanting, and cultural performances. At the end, there was a two-day tour of several Buddhist sites around Hong Kong.
The conferences, held in different, usually Buddhist, countries aim to bring together scholars, monastics, and members of the public to forge pathways forward for the interests and needs of Buddhist women around the world. Its primary purpose is to promote world peace through the practice of the Buddha’s teachings.
In the opening ceremony on the first day, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, who is president of Sakyadhita International, and Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, who is co-founder and the event organizer, gave short but inspiring welcoming speeches in the vast Grand Hall of the university.
Jetsunma emphasized that the conference aims to empower laywomen and monastics around the world and to bridge scholars and practitioners. It also shares practices such as loving kindness, thereby helping to bring peace and wisdom into the world.
She also expressed the hope that this year’s meeting could serve as a bridge, strengthening the connection between East and West. She emphasized that the conference celebrates the achievements of both monastic and lay Buddhist women, but also stressed that even though the conference was about women, it is certainly not anti-men, and that all the lay and monastic men present were most welcome!
Nuns from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition at the conference, including Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo. FPMT IMI nuns are Vens. Lozang Drolkar from Australia and Tenzin Lekdron from Sri Lanka. Missing from the photo is Ven. Lozang Tseten also from Australia. Photo by Drolkar McCallum.
The last day started with more than twenty focus groups on such topics as social engagement, justice, the future of Sakyadhita International, science and Buddhism, and monastic training in East and West. Most of the Western nuns joined the focus group on monastic training. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo shared about the difficulties of Western nuns, particularly the lack of financial support from their Tibetan teachers and from lay people. She brought up examples of monastics who have not been treated well or lived under difficult circumstances although contributing greatly to the developments of Buddhist centers.
Ven. Jampa from Sravasti Abbey in the United States mentioned: “This topic of support for nuns came up throughout the conference. I learned quite a bit, especially during the discussions and sharing, not just about the lack of support for Western Buddhist nuns in the Tibetan tradition, but also about the cultural gap between East and West in that regard. Westerners still tend to support their spiritual Tibetan teachers and Tibetan monastics in exile more than the Western monastics of the Tibetan traditions, even though the nuns help their Buddhist centers, teachers, and many students. Few Western monastics who either live in Asia, work in Western Dharma centers, or who have supported their Tibetan teachers receive financial support in return.”
During the breaks and meal times, I participated in valuable discussions with nuns and laywomen from all over the world and all traditions. We discussed a wide range of topics from reviving full ordination for nuns, building monasteries, support and training for Westerners, and even FPMT International Sangha Day!
It was indeed a unique and rich celebration of all Buddhist traditions coming together to better understand, help support, and appreciate each other.
Read more about the work of Sakyadhita International and find a review of the Hong Kong conference: http://www.sakyadhita.org/
Support ordained Sangha—women and men—through the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund:
https://fpmt.org/projects/fpmt/supporting-ordained-sangha-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.
The Australian bush of Atisha Centre, June 2017. Photo courtesy of Atisha Centre.
A group of students from Tara Institute in Victoria, Australia, took the initiative to commence study of the Yamantaka sadhana. A small but devoted number of people soon developed a regular practice, culminating in the decision to undertake retreat this past June.
The result of the group’s practice combined the energy of three centers, each bringing a component part of support to the retreat. A member of the study group, Cynthia Karena, shared some of her reflections on the process in Mandala‘s latest online feature story “Community and Commitment: A Yamantaka Study Group at Tara Institute in Australia”:
… “The study group is good to become familiar with the meditations. Having them read out so you can actually meditate on them allows you to start memorizing them. Then when you do them yourself, you meditate more than just read the words.”
The meditations are outlined in the short sadhana practice, so people know where and how they fit in, said Tara Institute student Jill Lancashire.
“It’s good to introduce the short sadhana to people who were newly initiated and either had no previous experience with the format of a sadhana or for whom Yamantaka was a new practice.
“The definite thing is that having a schedule and a dedicated group of co-practitioners makes it much easier to do the practices properly and keep them going.” …
Read Cynthia Karena’s new article “Community and Commitment: A Yamantaka Study Group at Tara Institute in Australia” in its entirety:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/in-depth-stories/community-and-commitment-a-yamantaka-study-group-at-tara-institute-in-australia/
Lama Zopa Rinpoche being welcomed on the first day of the 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, October 2017. Photo by Piero Sirianni.
Earlier this week Lama Zopa Rinpoche traveled to Italy to lead the month-long 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia, Italy. Mani mantra is the mantra of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Compassion. During the retreat, participants will collectively recite the mantra more than 100 million times. The retreat’s host, ILTK, plays an important role in FPMT history and serves as a center for in-depth Dharma study, offering many courses, including FPMT Education Services’ Masters Program and Basic Program. ILTK shared the following report about the beginning of the retreat:
The 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat started Thursday morning, October 5, with a welcome speech from Filippo Scianna, the director of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa. Filippo expressed his happiness that ILTK is able to host the event and his gratitude to all those, staff and volunteers, that worked hard to make it possible.
Filippo reminded those in attendance that ILKT celebrated its forty year anniversary this year, something which was due to the kindness and inspired vision of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and by the “worldly condition of generosity” from the Corona family.
Filippo Scianna, Ven. Siliana Bosa, and Massimo Corona at the beginning of the retreat, ILTK, October 2017. Photo by Piero Sirianni.
Massimo Corona spoke on behalf of the Corona family and gave a colorful description of the very beginning of ILTK, with the old main building’s timely rescue from ruin and geshes teaching twice in a flooded room.
In preparation for the Chenrezig empowerment being given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Olivier Rossi gave an explanation of the tantra vehicle, so that participants, including those never having received a tantric empowerment, could attend the event with full awareness and understanding.
Ven. Olivier Rossi explains the tantra vehicle at the beginning of the retreat, ILTK, October 2017. Photo by Piero Sirianni.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s daily teachings at the 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat in Italy are being broadcast live over Facebook and YouTube:
https://fpmt.org/media/streaming/lama-zopa-rinpoche-live/
You can watch recordings of previous teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche online:
https://fpmt.org/RinpocheNow/
Read advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche about the benefits of Chenrezig Practice:
https://fpmt.org/education/prayers-and-practice-materials/chenrezig-mantra-and-practice/
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.