Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
The FPMT is an organization devoted to preserving and spreading Mahayana Buddhism worldwide by creating opportunities to listen, reflect, meditate, practice and actualize the unmistaken teachings of the Buddha and based on that experience spreading the Dharma to sentient beings. We provide integrated education through which people’s minds and hearts can be transformed into their highest potential for the benefit of others, inspired by an attitude of universal responsibility and service. We are committed to creating harmonious environments and helping all beings develop their full potential of infinite wisdom and compassion. Our organization is based on the Buddhist tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa of Tibet as taught to us by our founders Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.
Die Stiftung zur Erhaltung der Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) ist eine Organisation, die sich weltweit für die Erhaltung und Verbreitung des Mahayana-Buddhismus einsetzt, indem sie Möglichkeiten schafft, den makellosen Lehren des Buddha zuzuhören, über sie zur reflektieren und zu meditieren und auf der Grundlage dieser Erfahrung das Dharma unter den Lebewesen zu verbreiten.
Wir bieten integrierte Schulungswege an, durch denen der Geist und das Herz der Menschen in ihr höchstes Potential verwandelt werden zum Wohl der anderen – inspiriert durch eine Haltung der universellen Verantwortung und dem Wunsch zu dienen. Wir haben uns verpflichtet, harmonische Umgebungen zu schaffen und allen Wesen zu helfen, ihr volles Potenzial unendlicher Weisheit und grenzenlosen Mitgefühls zu verwirklichen.
Unsere Organisation basiert auf der buddhistischen Tradition von Lama Tsongkhapa von Tibet, so wie sie uns von unseren Gründern Lama Thubten Yeshe und Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche gelehrt wird.
La Fundación para la preservación de la tradición Mahayana (FPMT) es una organización que se dedica a preservar y difundir el budismo Mahayana en todo el mundo, creando oportunidades para escuchar, reflexionar, meditar, practicar y actualizar las enseñanzas inconfundibles de Buda y en base a esa experiencia difundir el Dharma a los seres.
Proporcionamos una educación integrada a través de la cual las mentes y los corazones de las personas se pueden transformar en su mayor potencial para el beneficio de los demás, inspirados por una actitud de responsabilidad y servicio universales. Estamos comprometidos a crear ambientes armoniosos y ayudar a todos los seres a desarrollar todo su potencial de infinita sabiduría y compasión.
Nuestra organización se basa en la tradición budista de Lama Tsongkhapa del Tíbet como nos lo enseñaron nuestros fundadores Lama Thubten Yeshe y Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
A continuación puede ver una lista de los centros y sus páginas web en su lengua preferida.
L’organisation de la FPMT a pour vocation la préservation et la diffusion du bouddhisme du mahayana dans le monde entier. Elle offre l’opportunité d’écouter, de réfléchir, de méditer, de pratiquer et de réaliser les enseignements excellents du Bouddha, pour ensuite transmettre le Dharma à tous les êtres. Nous proposons une formation intégrée grâce à laquelle le cœur et l’esprit de chacun peuvent accomplir leur potentiel le plus élevé pour le bien d’autrui, inspirés par le sens du service et une responsabilité universelle. Nous nous engageons à créer un environnement harmonieux et à aider tous les êtres à épanouir leur potentiel illimité de compassion et de sagesse. Notre organisation s’appuie sur la tradition guéloukpa de Lama Tsongkhapa du Tibet, telle qu’elle a été enseignée par nos fondateurs Lama Thoubtèn Yéshé et Lama Zopa Rinpoché.
L’FPMT è un organizzazione il cui scopo è preservare e diffondere il Buddhismo Mahayana nel mondo, creando occasioni di ascolto, riflessione, meditazione e pratica dei perfetti insegnamenti del Buddha, al fine di attualizzare e diffondere il Dharma fra tutti gli esseri senzienti.
Offriamo un’educazione integrata, che può trasformare la mente e i cuori delle persone nel loro massimo potenziale, per il beneficio di tutti gli esseri, ispirati da un’attitudine di responsabilità universale e di servizio.
Il nostro obiettivo è quello di creare contesti armoniosi e aiutare tutti gli esseri a sviluppare in modo completo le proprie potenzialità di infinita saggezza e compassione.
La nostra organizzazione si basa sulla tradizione buddhista di Lama Tsongkhapa del Tibet, così come ci è stata insegnata dai nostri fondatori Lama Thubten Yeshe e Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Di seguito potete trovare un elenco dei centri e dei loro siti nella lingua da voi prescelta.
“护持大乘法脉基金会”( 英文简称：FPMT。全名：Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) 是一个致力于护持和弘扬大乘佛法的国际佛教组织。我们提供听闻，思维，禅修，修行和实证佛陀无误教法的机会，以便让一切众生都能够享受佛法的指引和滋润。
護持大乘法脈基金會”（ 英文簡稱：FPMT。全名：Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition ）是一個致力於護持和弘揚大乘佛法的國際佛教組織。我們提供聽聞，思維，禪修，修行和實證佛陀無誤教法的機會，以便讓一切眾生都能夠享受佛法的指引和滋潤。
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to not harm them.
The Foundation Store is FPMT’s online shop and features a vast selection of Buddhist study and practice materials written or recommended by our lineage gurus. These items include homestudy programs, prayers and practices in PDF or eBook format, materials for children, and other resources to support practitioners.
Items displayed in the shop are made available for Dharma practice and educational purposes, and never for the purpose of profiting from their sale. Please read FPMT Foundation Store Policy Regarding Dharma Items for more information.
I am just expressing here a general plan for FPMT. There is no limit of time when to complete. I also don’t mean for the centers to do this, I don’t mean to be giving a burden to the centers. We need to have an organizer for each project. We should set this up so it is professional.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Origin of the Vast Visions
In May 2007, Lama Zopa Rinpoche was in retreat at Kachoe Dechen Ling in Aptos, California. During one morning session, Rinpoche began jotting down some of his ideas and wishes for the future of the FPMT organization onto a stack of small, colored Post-it notes. During the afternoon, Rinpoche explained these ideas to Ven. Roger Kunsang, Rinpoche’s assistant and CEO of FPMT, and Ven. Holly Ansett, assistant to Ven. Roger. The Vast Visions encompasses all the existing activities of FPMT now and into the future. Rinpoche has so kindly left us a clear road map to follow, that will bring benefit and success to the organization, by following the Gurus advice, creating causes to generate merit and to support and cultivate practitioners on the path to enlightenment.
One of the hand-written notes which would become part of Rinpoche’s Vast Vision.
The Post-it notes and Rinpoche’s subsequent commentary came to be collectively regarded as the framework for Rinpoche’s long-term “Vast Vision” for FPMT.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche summarized his wishes for the organization:
– To offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as much as possible and to be able to fulfill His Holiness’s wishes. This is the highest priority for the organization, to serve His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Every time we serve His Holiness, make His Holiness happy, we are hugely successful.
– For many people to do extensive learning of Buddhism, as well as to have many people doing extensive retreat in Lam Rim and the tantric path in this lifetime and to preserve the dharma by doing this.
– To preserve the dharma by having people practicing vinaya, to have good quality sangha living in ordination and preserving the vinaya – the teachings of Buddha.
– To support the FPMT sangha and the monasteries and nunneries.
– To continue service to the great Tibetan monasteries, which are places of extensive learning of Buddhism in this world. To continue to offer service for their education and learning dharma and preserve and spread the dharma.
– To benefit extensively other sentient beings by offering various social services, such as to bring loving kindness and peace to youth using Universal Education methods, religious interfaith activities, to bring peace and happiness and of course to extensively benefit others by spreading dharma.
– To build many holy objects everywhere, as many as possible. Making it so easy for sentient beings to purify their heavy negative karma and making it so easy for sentient beings to create extensive merit. Which makes it so easy to achieve the realizations of the path and so easy to achieve liberation and enlightenment.
– To become a better person so that we can offer better service to others.
Please read details of the Vast Visions below and learn how you can become a part of making them a reality!
Offering Service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
[I would like] for FPMT to offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as much as possible and to be able to fulfill His Holiness’ wishes. This is the highest priority for the organization.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa Rinpoche stressed that the organization supporting and offering service to His Holiness is “the quickest and most vast way of benefiting sentient beings.”
Supporting His Holiness' Projects
“We are supporting His Holiness by helping the monasteries, by offering food and all the service to the monasteries, where they do most extensive learning of Buddhism. So this becomes service to His Holiness and to the Tibetan people. The monasteries help to preserve the extensive depth of the Buddhist philosophy on the path to enlightenment. This is a very important service, anything that helps to spread the Buddha’s teachings so it can exist for a long time.
This is also what all the centers do, by educating and practicing Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. This is promoting Tibetan Buddhism, this is service to His Holiness. So anyone who is working in the centers are actually offering service to His Holiness.”
Sponsoring Public Talks
Rinpoche went on to elaborate that he hoped “for the organization to invite His Holiness [to] different parts of the world and to arrange Dharma teachings, initiations, public talks as well as other things that help people in the world, like interfaith meetings, meetings with scientists, with youth, etc.” This could also be arranged online.
Please enjoy the below video of the “Spirituality and the Environment” interfaith event with His Holiness in Portland, Oregon, United States, May, 2014, organized in part by FPMT center Maitripa College.
Holy Objects for World Peace
My wish is for FPMT to build many holy objects everywhere, as many as possible. Making it so easy for sentient beings to purify their heavy negative karma and making it so easy for sentient beings to create extensive merit. Which makes it so easy to achieve the realizations of the path and so easy to achieve liberation and enlightenment.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia.
Below are Rinpoche’s visions for the creation of hundreds of thousands of holy objects across the globe.
100,000 Stupas Around the World
“Since there is unbelievable benefit, such as liberating sentient beings, then I thought we should aim to build 100,000 stupas (minimum size, one story (10 ft/3 m), up to the distance from the earth to the moon) in different parts of the world and for the organization to do this as a whole,” Rinpoche explained.
“Especially, to build in countries where there are no holy objects and in countries where people have no opportunity to see holy objects. Just by seeing holy objects it purifies the mind and one collects extensive merit.
Each stupa must have, as many as possible, the four dharmakaya relic mantras, also 100,000 stainless pinnacle mantras as well as the Namgyälma mantra.
“[I would also like] for the organization to build a 100-foot [30 m] Kalachakra Stupa, in Amravati, India. I have been thinking about this for some time and recently I checked and it came out very, very good to prevent wars and violence. It came out very good as a method to bring peace in the world.”
Many stupas have been completed, or are in progress, at FPMT centers toward this goal of 100,000 stupas around the world. One of these stupas is the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, which stands 164 feet (50 meters) high.
The Stupa Fund has been established to help fund the creation of stupas that are in accordance with the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
“[I would like] for the whole organization to build 100,000 prayer wheels in different parts of the world, [including prayer wheels under the ocean], a minimum height of six feet (1.82 m), and for the prayer wheels to be very beautiful.” Rinpoche suggested. “Prayer wheels are a great blessing for each country.”
“Simply touching a prayer wheel brings great purification of negative karma. Turning a prayer wheel containing 100 million OM MANI PADME HUM mantras accumulates the same merit as reciting that many mantras.”
To date, many prayer wheels have been completed in accordance with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice. The Prayer Wheel Fund has been established to help fund the creation of these prayer wheels
FPMT Education Services has compiled a resource page providing information about prayer wheel and prayer wheel construction.
“Within the 1,000 statues, this includes the Maitreya statues being built in Kushinagar and Bodhgaya, India. My aim is that the large statue in Kushinagar will last a minimum of 1,000 years. That means that for every day for at least 1,000 years, infinite sentient beings will receive unbelievable benefit and the causes for enlightenment.”
“Another special thing about contributing to Maitreya, whether it be money or time or energy, is that it makes a connection with Maitreya Buddha, and the result is that one becomes a direct disciple of Maitreya Buddha when Maitreya returns to manifest enlightenment as Shakyamuni Buddha did.”
The Maitreya Project was established to build a magnificent Maitreya statue in Kushinagar, India. Two 24-foot (7.32 m) Maitreya statues were created, one is now at Land of Medicine Buddha in California and the one is on Maitreya Project land in Kushinagar. Additionally approximately 100 life size Maitreya statues were created, of which Lama Zopa Rinpoche sponsored and offered 26 to FPMT centers.
The Holy Objects Fund provides the resources to create holy objects around the world for the benefit of all beings and for world peace.
Padmasambhava Statues for Peace
“To build large Padmasambhava statues around the world, minimum height six ft (1.82 m). Building Guru Rinpoche statues will bring immeasurable benefit, peace, happiness, and freedom to the world. They will have immeasurable impact,” Rinpoche added.
The Padmasambhava Project for Peace is dedicated to fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s goal of building many large statues of Padmasambhava around the world in order to create the cause for peace for all beings.
Offering Buddha Statues to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Rinpoche expressed his wish to continually offer Buddha statues to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. To date we have offered 2000 statues to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and we will now offer 100 statues each year to His Holiness.
Each statue is being created in Nepal, gold gilded, faces painted, filled with mantras and consecrated.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained “the heart thing, the most important thing, is to do what pleases His Holiness the Dalai Lama, no matter how many other billions of things we do. That’s the key, the heart.”
“My wish is for the big centers in FPMT to have these large thangkas.” Rinpoche explained. “This is a way to leave imprints for all these people [who see them], for enlightenment.”
Rinpoche further clarified “For centers to have large thangkas, associated with the center name (if appropriate).
To display the thangkas once a year and make that day into a festival day. The festival days can also be based around large statue, if the center has a large statue. To arrange extensive offerings in front of the thangka on the festival day (flowers, water etc.). To offer the extensive practice –for example based on the booklet: Amitabha Celebration text but change according to the specific Buddha, or a puja and to offer dances and music in front of the thangka, as an offering to the Buddha, and for everyone to enjoy and on the festival day to invite as many people as possible, especially those who do not normally visit the center.”
Many FPMT centers have commissioned large thangkas and are now hosting festival days where these holy objects can be enjoyed. One of these thangkas is a 55-by-40 feet appliquéd thangka of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) which is displayed during 100,000 Padmasambhava tsog offering in Nepal each year.
We have the following practice texts for use at the large thangka festival days:
“To have Tara thangkas continually being created/painted for the success and protection of FPMT.”
The first Tara thangka was completed in 2025 and offered to AryaTara Institute, at the end of the CPMT meeting in Kopan, April, 2025.
“All the actions of the Buddhas have manifested in this female aspect of Buddha, Tara the Liberator, in order to help living beings to accomplish successfully both temporal and ultimate happiness.”
The Holy Objects Fund provides the resources to create holy objects, such as these Tara Thagkas around the world for the benefit of all beings.
Supporting Practice and Realizations
Anybody who dedicates their life to achieving lam-rim realizations with the goal to liberate numberless beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and to bring to enlightenment, this is what I regard as the most important thing in the world.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Seventh 100 Million Mani Retreat at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2019. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.
Below are Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for supporting Dharma practice and developing realizations.
Supporting Monasteries and Nunneries
Lama Zopa Rinpoche commented, “[I would like the organization to continue] establishing good quality monasteries and nunneries, with good quality Sangha in order to preserve the Dharma by having people practicing vinaya. [I would like the organization] to provide support to the FPMT Sangha and the monasteries and nunneries.”
Fourteen of FPMT’s centers have established monastic communities including the organization’s first, Kopan Monastery.
Supporting Sangha is a high priority for FPMT and for over 40 years the organization has been offering support to monasteries in Nepal, India, Mongolia and the West.
FPMT has been able to establish long term support for Sera Je Monastery with US$5.2 million endowment and a US$2.1 million endowment for Gyudmed Monastery, the interest from these endowments covers all the food for the sangha.
The Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund offers support to nunneries and monasteries around the world for food, accommodation, health care, education and practice. The fund is not limited to any one institution and able to benefit many nunneries, monasteries and Sangha in need.
Retreat Centers to Develop Realizations
“We need to have more retreat places to study the path,” Rinpoche remarked. “[FPMT] should have many around the world, so it is easy for people and they don’t have to travel very far, and have full knowledge of how to build them, how to make them as perfect as possible for meditation.”
FPMT has many facilities conducive to long-term retreat such as Land of Calm Abiding in California, United States. Rinpoche further clarified his wish to:
Have more retreat places in different parts of the world.
Organize retreat places for people who want to completely sacrifice their lives to actualize the lam-rim realizations and also shiné.
Have a group of people there to meditate and gain realizations by actualizing the lam-rim in retreat. This is what is needed for the FPMT organization to develop for the benefit of sentient beings.
To have some discussion with people who have done retreat, to see what is needed for a retreat place. Then to make a general outline.
The kind of retreats to do are the nyundros, lam-rim and actualizing the Three Principals of the Path, these are the main ones, then secondary is the tantra two stages.”
Rinpoche also gave specific advice about his plans for this vision:
“For there to be a group of people to meditate and gain realizations and this is what is needed for the FPMT organization to develop for the benefit of sentient beings. It is a very, very, very important project because the extensive study of philosophy is something that is already being done in the FPMT, however, meditating and actualizing the lam-rim in retreat, that is something else. We really need the lam-rim realizations in the heart. It’s not easy to attain shiné, even for those who completely dedicate their lives to this.
“It would be good to have a retreat place for people who want to completely sacrifice their lives to actualize the lam-rim realizations and also shiné. Khadro-la [Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche] suggested that Buddha Amitabha Pure Land in Washington State, US, could be one such place.”
The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships toward students engaged in long-term retreat and to develop retreat centers.
Retirement Supporting for Ordained and Lay Students
"[I would like] for the organization to support the older students who have worked so hard for the organization, who sacrificed their lives for the organization for 25 years or more, or also for people who have offered 20 or 15 years. Those who need help for treatment or means for living," Rinpoche said.
"The plan would be to help them for the rest of their life. If there is a lot of funds, then we can give some money like a retirement pension. Maybe we could offer the coffin for free (joke)."
"To sponsor a retreat place where people can retire with many holy objects. If they want to do retreat (or not) at the end of their lives. They can retire to a place with many holy objects that will purify their minds and so they can collect extensive merit the easiest way. Some place very serene, very peaceful for the mind. So, it is easy to collect merit and practice dharma, develop devotion, compassion and have contentment and therefore quick enlightenment."
"Need to think about how to help them, so they get something back from the organization. First start with the Sangha then the lay people, it also depends on how much funds we have."
The Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund, was established to take care of the International Mahayana Institute, FPMT's monastic community, by ensuring that the Sangha have appropriate accommodation; have proper food and nourishment; have access to proper medical care; have a supportive environment and conditions for retreat; and are cared for when sick and elderly.
“This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.”
“It would be very good if the retreats are sponsored by the organization,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche stated. “The idea is for it to be sponsored so people do not have to pay. Also, if an individual person is doing 100 million manis, then for the organization to sponsor the person.”
For the organization to establish 100,000 recitations of 100 million Om Mani Padme Hum mantras. This can be retreats of 100 million recitations, in different parts of the world and for the retreats to happen regularly, each year.
For the retreats to be sponsored by the organization or if an individual person is doing 100 million manis, then for the
organization to sponsor the person.
Rinpoche also wanted to create a plan on how to lead the retreat of 100 million mani retreats: what practices to do, how to schedule the retreat, the whole structure. Once you have a structure then it is easy for people to lead the retreat. Also, you can make mani pills in the retreats.
As of 2025 there have been 42 x 100 million Mani retreats offered, 99,999,958 Mani retreats to go.
The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships to students engaged in retreats such as 108 Nyung Nä retreats, 100 million mani retreats, recitations of sutras, and long-term retreat and to develop retreat centers.
1,000 Nyung Nä Retreats
“[It would be good for FPMT] to sponsor people who make a serious commitment in this life to practice such as doing 1,000 nyung näs. People who have completed 1,000 Nyung Näs in their life should have a special title, something to do with Chenrezig.
“Main thing is for the Nyung Näs be sponsored by the organization. The idea is to start as a project and then for the whole organization to sponsor, or to sponsor the food or lodging.”
About Nyung Näs, Rinpoche taught: “This is your best offering, best service to sentient beings; this is how you collect most extensive merit. Doing all those practices, prostrations it is unbelievable purification, by reciting the 35 buddhas, Chenrezig meditation, recitation, by making offerings to Chenrezig you collect the same amount of merit as having made offerings to all the buddhas, and then by taking the eight Mahayana precepts on top, wow! Amazing, gorgeous! So you create limitless skies of merit then by taking them with bodhichitta motivation, it is unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable purification, and you can achieve all the qualities of Buddha. It is just amazing.”
“Nyung Nä does not just purify many eons of negative karma, especially developing compassion, which means bodhicitta, it makes us so much closer to enlightenment, so close to being able to enlighten all sentient beings, which is our ultimate goal in life. It also brings you closer to the Guru-Compassion Buddha.”
Institut Vajra Yogini offers 108 Nyung Nä group retreats each year, and in 2025 has completed an amazing fourteen 108 Nyung Nä retreats!
The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships to students engaged in retreats such as 108 Nyung Nä retreats, 100 million mani retreats, recitations of sutras, and long-term retreat and to develop retreat centers.
Offering Pujas Continually
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained his wish “for the pujas go on forever, or for as long as these monasteries last. Even if one is in the hell realm, but the pujas are still going on, even when one is born as ant, crawling on the ground or on the trees, but the pujas are still going on in the human world, in the monasteries.”
“I would like to continue, after I am dead, making the offerings to the stupas, Boudha stupa and Swayambunath, the statue in Tibet, Jowo and the Buddha statue in Bodhgaya, offering robes, offering gold, every month. So, for these to continue, even I’m dead, for these to be continued by the organization.”
The Puja Fund has been doing this since 1995, all the pujas arranged have been all chosen by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, to benefit the organization and help to overcome obstacles, and collect merit.
The pujas are offered on each Buddha Day when the merit is multiplied 100 million times and on other special days.
The pujas are offered in Monasteries and Nunneries where the sangha are disciplines of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (pores of the same guru) and offering to the sangha in the pujas, helps to support them.
“The merit that is created from all these pujas is also your merit. So, you can dedicate all these merits to having realizations and to achieve enlightenment.”
The Puja Fund sponsors extensive and powerful prayers and practices dedicated for the benefit of all beings – particularly all of those within the FPMT organization, and every donor who contributes to this fund.
Reciting the Sutra of Golden Light for World Peace
Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised that “the most beneficial thing to have peace and to stop the wars is reciting the Sutra of Golden Light. This is the most beneficial thing to bring peace, everyone should try to do this, no matter how busy they are, even to recite one or two pages, even a few lines. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all one’s wishes, as well as brings peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for one’s own protection and for the protection of the country and the world. [It would be good for FPMT] to sponsor people to go to countries experiencing war or disasters and read this sutra.”
Rinpoche explained “When you read the Sutra of Golden Light you also read the “mantra without attachment.” This practice is within the text. The benefits of reciting just this mantra: Even all the material possessions, all the human wealth, especially all the wealth of the deva realms (asuras and suras) cannot compare to the value of this mantra. It is nothing compared to this mantra. You collect limitless skies of benefit and merit by even just reciting one word of this mantra. So by reciting the whole text is unbelievably beneficial, one collects extensive merit, liberates numberless sentient beings from the oceans of suffering and brings them to enlightenment.
Anybody who wants peace in the world should read the Sutra of Golden Light. This is a very important practice to stop violence and wars in the world. The Sutra of Golden Light is one of the most beneficial ways to bring peace. This is something that everyone can do, no matter how busy you are, even if you can read one page a day, or a few lines and in this way you are continually reading the Sutra of Golden Light.
The holy Sutra of Golden Light is the king of the sutras. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all of one’s wishes, as well as brings peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for world peace, for your own protection and for the protection of the country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country.
This sutra also protects individuals and the country from what are labeled natural disasters of the wind element, fire element, earth element and water element such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, fires, tornadoes, etc. They are not natural because they come from causes and conditions that make dangers happen. They come from past inner negative thoughts and actions of people, and external conditions. The benefits of reading this sutra are immeasurable, it says that even if you offer numberless precious jewels, in the amount of atoms of the Pacific Ocean, to numberless Buddhas, to recite even just a few lines of the Sutra of Golden Light, one creates more merit than making these immeasurable offerings to the Buddha.
Reciting this sutra directs one’s life toward enlightenment. There is so much merit created by reciting this sutra. Everything is taken care of, one’s life becomes so easy, whatever one wishes for, one receives. This is because there is unbelievable purification and one collects extensive merit. This is how one liberates numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and brings them to enlightenment. So here, I would like to make this request with my two palms together, to please recite the Sutra of Golden Light for world peace as much as you can.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche had also made a personal vow to preserve and propagate this sutra and it is his vision to translate all three versions of the sutra from Tibetan, making them available in as many languages as possible, these translations are well underway.
“I want the writing of the Prajnaparamita Sutra to continue for as long as FPMT exists. Even when completing the twelve volumes of the sutra currently in process, then to start writing the sutra again, and for it to be continually written.”
Rinpoche further clarified: “For it to be written in the best handwriting, with gold ink, on rainbow archival paper and to have several monks [and nuns] at Kopan writing it out.”
“My idea is even when I’m dead, for the work to be continued, the writing of the Prajnaparamita Sutra.”
Rinpoche has explained: “This is being done to create cause to build the Maitreya Statue, but also for other projects in FPMT, to do that you need to create the cause, to create merit. When you build statues or stupas, even you are dead, you may be in hell, somewhere far away from this universe, but then the stupa or statue you build, it still benefits sentient beings, for as long as it exists, continuously life to life, anybody who sees, it brings them to enlightenment, from life to life wherever you are born it benefits sentient beings all the time, as long as it can last, however many years it lasts, hundred years. So, like that I thought to continue the gold writing.”
“Even writing one letter or syllable from the Prajnaparamita, the benefits you receive are unbelievable, unbelievable, more than making skies of extensive offerings to all the buddhas for so many eons. The merits are far more greater than that.”
The Prajnaparamita Project provides the material resources needed to support the efforts to write out this precious text.
Education Programs and Scholarships
“[I would like] the organization to provide scholarships for students to study,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche exhorted. “Buddhist philosophy based on the lam-rim and lojong: academic studies with practice experience. We need teachers who are not just teaching from texts, but teaching from some experience, then there is so much more benefit. By teaching from one’s experience it brings deeper benefit. Then there is change and transformation of the mind.”
Rinpoche explained his vision further: We should increase the number of centers offering Master Program and Basic Program.
We should have more Buddhist Universities, like Maitripa College, and have in different parts of the world. Graduates from Maitripa can then teach in those different Universities.
Scholarship – can also mean providing rooms for the students. But this depends on the center, as some centers have many rooms where they can stay and study. Also it can means sponsoring the students’ expenses.
This one is happening but we need to continue and develop more.
“The whole point of our FPMT education programs is not to produce ‘sharp minds’ but to ‘subdue the mind.’ Between an intelligent, sharp mind and a good heart, a good heart is the most important. Without a good heart it is only possible to become an arhat. Good heart means subduing the mind.”
[It is good for FPMT] to benefit extensively other sentient beings by offering various social services, such as those that bring loving kindness and peace to youth using Universal Education methods, religious interfaith activities which bring peace and happiness and extensively benefit others by spreading Dharma.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Residents of Dhondenling Old Age Home, Kollegal, India.
Rinpoche's Vast Visions for social service include supporting a variety of secular education and healthcare programs, and benefiting animals.
Continue & Expand Universal Education Programs
“[I would like] for the organization to develop Universal Education more and similar programs in order to develop better human beings, to have more beneficial lives, to bring peace and happiness in the world, to not become harmful to oneself and others,” Rinpoche shared.
“With an attitude of universal responsibility, from morning to night our actions become Dharma. They are virtuous, or positive, the unmistaken causes of happiness. Since everything—happiness and suffering—comes from our own mind, we have great freedom to stop suffering and to find happiness.”
The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom offers a wide range of training, courses and resources to support you on every step of this journey towards a happier life.educational project of FPMT that offers a system of inner learning that enables children, young people and adults to lead a happy and meaningful life and to be of service to others.
Healing Programs
“[I would like the organization] to develop different techniques rooted in Dharma for healing, to
help others,” Rinpoche said. “So in this way, we are making other lives much easier and happier.”
“Helping one patient by giving medicine or whatever comfort, physical or mental, that you can give; this becomes the best offering to all the numberless bodhisattvas and buddhas.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche created many resources to help people, such as books on death and dying, on healing, Liberation cloth, Liberation box, mantras to listen to, practice advice for various illnesses, protections to sit under and Rinpoche had the plan to create a healing hut, that has protections all over the roof and then people can sit inside for healing.
A number of FPMT centers offer healing programs for terminally ill people and eight FPMT centers are now offering hospice programs to those in their final days of life including Karuna Hospice.
Projects to Help Young People
“[FPMT should] help young people through meditation and consultation, and also help them offer volunteer service as part of their practice.” Rinpoche said. “This brings immediate benefit, so we don’t have to wait for many years, something immediate that you can offer to others.”
“I started thinking of ways in which compassion could be regularly encouraged in young people, and it was then that I visualized Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth—which could be an organization that focuses on educating both the heart and the mind with peaceful ideals. I pictured this organization in many countries, especially those countries with a lot of violence, and understood that with a focus on compassion, we could help young people’s lives grow happier and more peaceful and assist them in finding true fulfillment through the education of a good heart.”
[I would like to have] a program to educate the parents so they can have a good plan on how to bring up children,” Rinpoche added. “We can make a guidebook for parents and also organize and give lectures for parents. Also, I think this is a means for world peace: as His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, the future world depends on young children now – so if you have children with good qualities, with basic education in being a good human being, if parents bring up children with these qualities, then the future world would have more peace.
“So the parents themselves have to be educated before they try with their children. So they need a clear plan. Not just to make children out of attachment, for their own comfort, for their own needs and desire. Like keeping a pet. If it is like this then later they will suffer so much, especially the children will disappoint them, like when they try alcohol or engage in killing, stealing, etc. Then the parents will suffer. It becomes like hell and then so many years that they sacrificed their life for their children, it will become a disappointment and meaningless, and also because all of it was done with attachment and non-virtuous thought – so it becomes negative karma. Because it was not done with a sincere heart, the pure mind, loving-kindness.”
If it’s a Buddhist family, then of course Buddhism is very clear, it has the most profound depth and methods and guidelines from Buddha’s teachings. But if the family is not Buddhist, then how to bring up in universal way.
Most important is how to educate children in compassion and kindness – and for the parents themselves to become models.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given extensive advice about children and parenting.
Substance Abuse Treatment Program
[FPMT should] start a drug rehabilitation project, particularly a Buddhist drug rehabilitation project similar to the Christian programs that already exist,” Rinpoche suggested. “Another one can be a universal (non-Buddhist) drug rehabilitation project.”
Social Service for the Elderly
“Then, [I would like FPMT to offer] social services to help the elderly.”
Many FPMT centers host programs for elderly members including Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore and Kurukulla Center in Boston, USA.
The Social Services Fund focuses in offering support primarily in India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. Funds help children, the elderly, sick, and very poor through grants for schools, hospices, health clinics, soup kitchens, elderly homes, orphanages and more.
Centers Hosting Interfaith Events
“[I would like] for the organization to arrange talks with many religious leaders in the world,” Rinpoche asked. “The plan is to have this as a reoccurring event. So this is the big way. Then to do this in a small way for the centers to do this with religious leaders in their local community.
To arrange interfaith events with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The more that other religious people come to know about His Holiness and understand more and more, it is so effective and can help for world peace. In this way the organization becomes a tool for world peace.”
Encourage Vegetarianism
“When I was in the hospital, I saw a program about animals that were sold to be killed in other countries. I thought I don’t have power to stop all this killing, but what I can do is to try to inspire people to become vegetarian and since then whatever teaching I am giving, even if it is Tantra, I am trying to talk to people about becoming vegetarian, to avoid eating meat or to eat less meat so that there is less animals getting killed.”
Rinpoche further explained “I’m not saying that every person can’t eat meat, but I want encourage this. The reason is that the less people eat meat, the fewer animals will be killed and will have to suffer.”
“If fewer people eat meat, it means that fewer animals will suffer and have to be killed. Fewer people eating meat means less animal meat being sold in the shops. For everyone in the world to completely stop eating meat, hasn’t happened yet, because of the karma of sentient beings, but we can try, to have less consumption, we can try and that can happen.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche spent many years creating a vegetarian cookbook to inspire more people to enjoy and eat vegetarian food – soon to be published!
Animal Blessings
“I would like for there to be animal blessing events at centers, ” Lama Zopa Rinpoche said. “Many people don’t come to centers to attend teachings but have pets and would go to an event for their animals. The animal blessing can be in a park where mantras are recited, and the animals are circumambulated around holy objects on a table. The animals and the people hear the mantras, circumambulate the holy objects, also water can be blessed and given to the animals. The pets and the people get so much benefit from these events. The animal blessings can be in public places and children can come and people who are interested, who don’t come to the center much, can come. There needs to be one table that is piled high with holy objects, specifically stupas with the 4 Dharmakaya relic mantras, mantras can be chanted then blown on water, in this way blessing it and then sprinkled over the animals.
There needs good advertising, so more people come.”
“The best way to benefit animals is to take them around holy objects: statues, stupas and scriptures. In your garden or your house, the sitting room, wherever there is space, you should set up a nice table with another smaller table on top. Put many holy objects (statues, stupas, scriptures) on the tables. It’s good to fill up the table with many tsa-tsas, nicely arranged, not like putting garbage in a garbage can. This helps to purify the negative karma collected from beginningless rebirths and collects extensive merit. It plants the seed of enlightenment.”
Taking care of all sentient beings, including insects and animals, is a high priority for Lama Zopa Rinpoche and as such FPMT has a number of animal projects including the Animal Liberation Fund,Animal Liberation Sanctuary and MAITRI Charitable Trust. Many centers host regular animal blessings in parks and public places.
In addition to the weekly animal liberations offered by the Sangha at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has requested the Sangha to also make regular trips to different lakes in order to bless all the beings living in the water, by using large Namgyälma mantra boards. Rinpoche also designed animal liberation tools that can be used to catch and benefit small creatures.
As an incredible example of the work being done for animals around the world, Amitabha Buddhist Centre and Ven. Tenzin Drachom have liberated over 200 million animals to date!
The Most Essential Practice
The conclusion is for all the people to practice the lam-rim, which is the heart of Dharma. Especially to try to put all the effort to live with bodhichitta motivation, in particular to have kindness to others, which is the most essential practice. Aiming to have the realization bodhichitta as our main goal, of course based on guru devotion.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Rinpoche with some friends at Kopan Monastery, Nepal.
The Vast Visions - Accomplishing the wishes of the Guru
In 2007 during the Board meeting Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extra details about his Vast Visions:
The reason why Dharma centers are not listed in the Vast Visions is “because centers happen when there is karma, we can have centers in many different parts of the world gradually as we continue, but we don't need a particular plan. The centers naturally happen.”
How to Prioritize the Vast Visions - “according to our capacity but try to do all at the same time.”
How to integrate into FPMT – “One thing that's very important is during FPMT meetings, go through and introduce the visions and then remind the organization of the visions.
Create materials that explains about the Visions and encourage people to be involved in them, it's part of their goal, how they can use their life to offer more extensive benefit to the world and sentient beings, There are many students - this helps their lives to become more meaningful. Some have the capacity to do this project, some have the capacity for others. Their whole goal is not only temporary but ultimate happiness - enlightenment.
The visions are across all the FPMT. Explain this to every center, then people can choose which they like.
Lay it out, the board and centers can just carry on, nobody's permanent - but once you lay it out, what's to be completed to benefit others, then as different people come, they can continue the activities already developed, and then these activities can develop from life to life. By educating, giving information, from their side people who think that they have the capacity can get involved. If it is laid out like a country's constitution, then the next generation carries it on, develops it, expands and carries it on.”
Are You Inspired to Be Part of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions?
As Rinpoche mentioned, the Vast Visions are ambitious and may take many lifetimes to actualize. They also are still evolving and being clarified. Tremendous thanks and gratitude to all who have helped to begin to actualize Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization.
Why have we established the FPMT? Why are we establishing these facilities all over the world? I think we are clean clear as to our aim – we want to lead sentient beings to higher education. We are an organization that gives people the chance to receive higher education. We offer people what we have: the combined knowledge of Buddha’s teachings and the modern way of life. Our purpose is to share our experiences of this.
—Lama Thubten Yeshe, 1983
Lama Yeshe, Yucca Valley, California, US, 1977. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
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