receive our newsletters
join Friends of FPMT
FPMT Community: Stories & News
Each issue, Mandala receives amazing photos for our FPMT News Around the World section – far more photos than we can squeeze into our print magazine. We’ve collected some of these photos into an online photo gallery for your viewing pleasure. Please enjoy this little photo journey to FPMT centers around the world.
Occasionally Osel Hita shares his thoughts and experiences on his Facebook page. In this update, he discusses the meaning of happiness.
The following, from Osel, was included in FPMT’s Annual Review, February 2011:
2011 was a great year for me. I was able to travel so much and had the opportunity to become involved in many FPMT activities.
I was thrilled to be able to meet many old friends and to make so many new friendships too.
From my home in Ibiza, Spain, I traveled to California for an FPMT Board meeting in March.
In April together with Gomo Tulku I traveled to Australia to visit Lama Zopa Rinpoche who was in the initial stages of recovering from his stroke.
In July I traveled to Kopan with Karuna Cayton. I very much wanted to visit Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup whose health was declining.
It turned out to be a great visit. Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested me to speak to the assembly of nuns at the nunnery and then to all the monks at the monastery. I was very happy with the visit and connected very well with the monks and nuns.
In August I was able to direct the filming of a documentary on Universal Wisdom Education (UWE) along with Matteo Passigato and other crew members. The filming took place at Vajrayogini Institute in France during the first international gathering of UWE which was attended by individuals and families from all over the world. The documentary is currently in the stage of “director’s final cut.”
In November I traveled with my partner Mai, and brother Kunkyen to India. We stayed in my former home Osel Labrang at Sera Monastery.
I was invited to address the Kopan monks at Sera and was able to spend time with my teacher, Geshe Genden Chomphel, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. From Sera we traveled onto Bodhgaya to attend the Kalachakra initiation given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in January 2012.
In between my travels, I have been developing a number of business concepts I hope will contribute to FPMT’s long-term sustainability.
So many people welcomed and helped me everywhere I went and I really thank everyone especially those I didn’t get to thank personally. I am looking forward to being much more in touch with everyone who has been helping me over the years, and I am so happy to be available to help wherever I can in the future.
Big love,
Osel
Osel gave this message at the January 2012 South Asian Regiona Meeting. Pictured below is Osel with other participants of this meeting.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is such an inspiration and someday he will have private time for himself. Up until now he has dedicated all of his time to others, we have to give him space so he can rest. Given his situation now, I think it is important to be aware of that.
Things evolve slowly, slowly. We’re all trying to reach as many people as possible through different ways, not just through this organization, but other ways also. One of my jobs is to reach people who are not Buddhist, people who will never pick up a book, people who never even think of meditating, for example. As things evolve we have to also adapt to those changes which don’t have to necessarily be bad. In the long run it can be positive too, we all learn from our mistakes in the long run.
There are many different levels of helping others that FPMT is working on. Like in the collective memory each individual works for themselves, each of us has to do our own thing, whether or not we are doing it for someone else we have to do it for ourselves. We are all connected, the real guru is inside ourselves, no one can give you the truth. You have to find your own truth and that’s your guru. The same way just like when Lama Yeshe passed away and people are still attached to that image of Lama Yeshe that will never exist again, things change and we have to adapt. We have to help ourselves in the end, only we can do that, in the end it depends only on ourselves. The regional thing [the establishment of FPMT regional offices] is to come together so we can all help each other grow and make the organization last as long as possible so we can expand and do what we have to do in order to reach people so they can help themselves.
On December 8, 2011 Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi was officially appointed abbot of Kopan Monastery and Kopan Nunnery by the private office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Please stay tuned for the next print issue of Mandala, April-June 2012, for full coverage of this significant appointment.
Follow Rinpoche’s activities and those of the world-wide FPMT family on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
FPMT’s charitable projects are essential to our objective of building a more compassionate world. Read about some amazing projects
FPMT serving the community – read about some amazing community services
Would you like to be part of FPMT? Check out current Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities
Occasionally Osel Hita shares his thoughts and experiences on his Facebook page. In this update, he discusses the concept of time and how to make life meaningful.
The fact is, change is what keeps everything moving and existing in the cycle of life. We manage to cope with it through the concept time. It is just one more human invention, but it rules the world. We are slaves to our watch. If we can divide the time into fruitful experiences where we can feel we are progressing and doing something meaningful with our lives, or dedicate it to something which is not so clear, but at least it brings food to the table, which is part of survival, then we can say that we are satisfied with our day, because we spent our time doing something fruitful. Either way, it is part of life, and we are working on our individual self which evolves as we go through our life. Each time you need to rest just go back to that infinite time within us where nothing hinders us, nothing can penetrate that secret alcove of peace we each have within us. That helps us relax and be able to reconnect with whatever we have to be dedicated to at that moment. Each of us knows what we are doing, and whether we like it or not, it is something we’ve chosen. So whenever we reach a crossroad, sit down, relax, go back deep inside, feel that inner pure energy which keeps you moving every day and you will know which path to take every time.
Dear Friends,
It is important to have a good experience of what life is. I have been really lucky to be able to experience both western and eastern cultures and I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me in both cultures. In combination, being in India and the West has been a rich experience that I’ve been privileged to absorb from both sides.
There were times in India when it was hard to accept the destiny. Being treated differently, and feeling apart. But that experience was really good and I so appreciate it.
Experience shows that however hard one tries in interviews to sincerely and honestly convey key information, the printed result can tend towards sensationalism to get the most attention.
FPMT is doing a great job and Lama Zopa is an immensely special person – very inspiring and a great yogi.
Personally, my job is to find new ways in which to discover the true nature of our being. There is no separation between myself and FPMT – we are all working together in so many aspects and terrains. Humanity is our office. Besides, I don’t really qualify very much in Buddhist studies, because I didn’t finish them, so working together is the clue.
Photo by Matteo Passigato
So I’m trying to find a different way for this future generation. One of the ways is through music, movies and audio-visual techniques. In a movie you can condense so many different stories. You can put in music, you can put in different situations and messages. Even just the sunset can be enough to give you peace to find a moment of meditation in yourself. There are so many different millions of possibilities in movies.
And not just movies, but documentaries actually going somewhere and interviewing people who may have reached a level on their path where they are at peace with themselves, and so much more….!!!
That’s kind of what I’m planning to do. But it is one thing is to plan and another for things to actually happen. So we’re back to mental projections. But for now, that’s what I am hoping to do.
Big Love
Osel