FPMT Board of Directors

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the recognized reincarnation of the great Tibetan Buddhist yogi Kunsang Yeshe, the Lawudo Lama. Rinpoche was born in 1946 in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, where his predecessor meditated for the last twenty years of his life.

At the age of ten, Rinpoche went to Tibet to study and meditate. The Chinese occupation in 1959 forced him to seek safety in a Tibetan refugee camp in North India. It was at Buxa Duar that Rinpoche became the disciple of Geshe Rabten Rinpoche and then of Lama Thubten Yeshe.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s contact with Westerners began in 1967 in Darjeeling, and in 1969, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche founded the Nepal Mahayana Gompa Center at Kopan, above Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.

In 1971, Rinpoche took gelong ordination from His Holiness Ling Rinpoche in Bodh Gaya. By 1975, twelve centers had started. In 1976, the growing worldwide organization was named by Lama Yeshe ‘the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’ (FPMT).

Rinpoche is now the Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Rinpoche teaches Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice all over the world and is the author of several popular books. Under Rinpoche’s spiritual direction there are now more than 160 FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world. Rinpoche has initiated many other charitable projects around the world.

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi was born in Nepal in 1962, Khen Rinpoche joined Kopan Monastery after being ordained by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1974. After 18 years of intensive study and debate in Sera Je Monastery in South India, Khen Rinpoche was awarded the title of Geshe Lharampa, the highest Tibetan Buddhist doctorate conferred in the Gelug monastic tradition.

After completing his education at Sera Je, Khen Rinpoche joined Gyudmed Tantric College for one year where he furthered his studies on tantra. Gyudmed Monastery is one of the two key monastic colleges in the Gelug tradition that specializes in the teachings of Buddhist tantra. Khen Rinpoche again excelled in his studies there and was awarded first position in his class.

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi has been the resident teacher of Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, since 1999, and he was appointed as the Abbot of Kopan Monastery and Nunnery in Nepal in July 2011.  He was appointed as a board member of FPMT Inc. in 2011.

Geshe Thubten Sherab

Geshe Sherab was born in Manang, Nepal in 1967, the second of five sons. He attended Kopan Monastery at the age of nine, and was ordained by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.​ After ten years of study in Kopan, he went to Sera Je Monastery for further studies in 1987, and received his geshe degree at the end of 1999. After that he joined Gyume Tantric College for a year. Then he taught young monks at Kopan for a year.​​​

​​In 2001, Lama Zopa Rinpoche requested Geshe Sherab to go to New Mexico, USA, to help at FPMT International Office and also to teach at the FPMT center and study group in New Mexico. During that period he also served as an FPMT Inc. board member for two years.​ At the end of  2003 he returned to Nepal to do retreat. In 2006, he was appointed as Headmaster of Kopan Monastery, and served in that capacity for four years. He served as acting abbot for a year in 2011, when Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundup became ill.

​​Geshe Sherab joined the board in 2018. He is currently resident geshe at Thubten Norbu Ling, New Mexico, USA.  He also regularly teaches at other FPMT centers around the world.

Venerable Roger Kunsang

Venerable Roger Kunsang became a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan Gelug tradition in 1975 at the age of 26. He has continuously served the FPMT in various roles since 1974.

For the first seven years of his ordination he lived mainly in Asia where he studied and practiced Buddhism. Following this he was founder, director and resident teacher of the FPMT center, Vajrayana Institute, in Sydney, Australia for four years.

In 1986, Ven Roger became the full-time attendant and secretary to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT’s Spiritual Director, and he continues to serve as Rinpoche’s assistant to this day, helping maintain the connection between the Spiritual Director and the whole FPMT organization.

Ven Roger Kunsang has been a member of the FPMT Board of Directors since 1989.

In 2005, Ven Roger Kunsang became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FPMT Inc. As CEO, his main responsibilities are to ensure that the organization achieves its mission under the direction of its founders, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Venerable Lhundub Chodron

Ven. Chodron has served the FPMT organization in various capacities since 1998. Her jobs included custodian for the Heart Shrine Relic Tour; director of the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP) in Dharamsala, India; director of the International Mahayana Institute (IMI), the organization of FPMT monks and nuns; director of Land of Calm Abiding, the retreat center on the coast of California, USA. 

Her professional background is in real estate and accounting/finance in the USA. She was a tax assessor for the City of Boston, a certified commercial real estate appraiser for the Bank of Boston and for a national consulting firm. As a certified public accountant (CPA) she worked as an audit manager in public accounting and in health care. She holds university degrees in accounting and finance.

Ven. Chodron joined the board in May 2019. 

Andrew Haynes

Andrew met Lama Yeshe and several other FPMT teachers in the early 1980s. In 1983, Andrew moved to Italy where he studied some modules in the Masters Program at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK), under Geshe Jampa Gyatso. He served as director of ILTK from 1986 to 1989. In 1990 he returned to London where, for ten years, he was chair of the board of Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, UK.

In 2019, Andrew completed a Masters of Innovation, Creativity and Leadership from Cass Business School, City, University of London, UK. Prior to that he worked for many years in technology with a blue chip media company. His professional roles include: scrum master, information architect, technical author, and software engineer.

Andrew joined the board in 2002.  Andrew is currently chair of the board.

Rasmus Hougaard

Rasmus Hougaard is the director of the Potential Project, which is a Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom-recognized program.  Previously Rasmus was director of the FPMT center, Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Rasmus joined the board in March 2016.

Peggy Bennington

Peggy Bennington is a member of State of the Bar of California, USA, and has been certified as a Family Law Specialist since 1982. Peggy has previously served as a co-director and member of the Board of Trustees of Tse Chen Ling, the FPMT center in San Francisco, California, USA.

Peggy joined the Board in March 2019. 

Debra Ladner

Debra Lander was introduced to Buddhism in high school in the USA, and spent a month learning mindfulness meditation when she was at college. She met Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Milarepa Center in Vermont, USA. In 1991-92, she spent a year studying in Nepal which included participation in the November Course at Kopan Monastery.

In the early 2000s, she followed Discovering Buddhism classes at Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco. She has two young children and benefits from the many teachings available online when she can’t get to classes. 

After college Debra worked for the Office of Tibet in New York, and also taught English in Nepal. She graduated from Stanford Law School in 2002 and then worked in the field of international development. She is currently with the World Bank Group. Her recent work has focused on research, analysis, monitoring, evaluation, and learning to review development programs. She leads a partnership of more than fifty development organizations that is focused on collecting and sharing knowledge, lessons, and insights on development effectiveness. 

Debra joined the board in May 2019.

• Tagged: board, FPMT Inc., international office