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Over one weekend at Barnens O on Vaddo in September of 1983, Lama Yeshe gave a meditation course which later was published in English called “Light of Dharma,” translated into Swedish as “Lamas ljus.” Photo by Holger Hjorth, from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (lamayeshe.com).
In January 1983, Lama Yeshe traveled to Sicily. It would turn out to be one of his last trips before he showed the aspect of passing away in March 1984. During that visit, he gave his personal attendant and FPMT Central Office director, Jacie Keeley, three important messages to be distributed to all the centers.
In the first message, Lama Yeshe wanted all the centers to make video documentaries on how they started and developed. “Show all the obstacles you faced and surmounted with your determination. Show if you are happy or not and if you are healthy or not.”
With this sincere request, Lama wasn’t asking for promotional material. He was asking centers to document the real story — including the difficulties — so that the experience and know-how of the first generations of students could be passed on to those who would follow.
Honest storytelling like this helps preserve the precious knowledge of how our centers were built, helps future directors, spiritual program coordinators and volunteers reinforce their motivation to serve with greater dedication, and serves the vast vision of our Lamas. Leaving future generations a sense of connection — of being part of something vast and continuous, of belonging to what Lama always called the FPMT family — is precisely what these stories can restore.
More than 40 years later, with far more accessible technology available, this feels like exactly the right moment to take up Lama’s request — especially as FPMT moves through the year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Chenrezig Institute in Australia has recently shown what’s possible. They have just released their documentary The Origin of Tibetan Buddhism in Australia by independent filmmaker and resident volunteer Małgorzata Ola Dobrowolska, who received a grant toward the completion of this project by the Community Support Fund. The screening became an opportunity to bring together the communities of past and present students, creating exactly the kind of warm “family feeling” that these shared stories can generate.
FPMT International Office participated in a virtual screening of the film, with one person noting: “This work is extremely valuable. Every FPMT center should feel inspired to put together their own history, as every single center teaches so much about our lamas, our culture, and the extraordinary effort of so many to bring these centers to life. “
It would be lovely to show how far the FPMT family has grown, the remarkable achievements each center has accomplished from the humblest of beginnings, to leave a legacy for everyone involved in the centers, and finally to fulfil Lama Yeshe’s request.
These are accounts that matter not just as history, but as inspiration and instruction for everyone who serves now and everyone who will serve FPMT the future.
Thank you for your contribution to telling the extraordinary story of FPMT! We want to hear from you!
Please explore all of the resources we have compiled related to FPMT history. We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way.
Lama Yeshe’s message excerpted from from Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, by Adele Hulse. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. p.1118
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.