Lama Yeshe with children and families at Istituto Lama Tsongkhapa, Italy, 1983. Photos by Ueli Minder, courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Over the course of 2025, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in collaboration with Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) celebrated what would have been the 90th birthday of the FPMT’s co-founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe. To honor his profound legacy, ILTK invited Lama Yeshe’s students from across the globe to share their treasured memories about the first time they met Lama, as well as the most important teaching or life lesson they received and would like to pass on to the next generation. Through social media and personal networks, 101 students were contacted and 44 kindly agreed to be recorded. The full interviews have been donated to the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive,. From each interview, a short clip was created and shared on ILTK’s Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube channels. These have been viewed by thousands, continuing the Dharma cultural revolution started by Lama Yeshe over fifty years ago. Fabiana Lotito and Carlota Pinheiro from ILTK share the story:

Stories from the Golden Flower Students

From 1969 when he and Lama Zopa Rinpoche founded Kopan Monastery until 1984 when he passed away, Lama Yeshe laid the foundation of the FPMT in a remarkably short space of time. He shared teachings, shaped ideas for centers, and articulated a vision of Universal Education that remains ahead of its time even today.

His inspiration continues to touch and transform the lives of thousands who are searching for meaning and purpose. After Lama Yeshe’s  passing in 1984, Lama Zopa Rinpoche devoted himself fully to carrying forward Lama Yeshe’s work, with unwavering dedication.

Lama Yeshe often spoke about the importance of creating a “family feeling” within the FPMT. This is why the stories of the first-generation students, his Dharma children, his “golden flower students” as he liked to call them, are so precious. They not only preserve Lama’s impact on people’s most life—changing moments but, when shared with the next generations, nurture the family feeling and keep the FPMT community alive.

Even today, the emotions in these treasured stories are palpable and Lama’s words continue to resonate in our time. Through the lived experience of his students, today we are still able to live and feel “his heart aspect of the Dharma”, as Geoff Jukes shared. Each story is a vital connection to Lama and to the larger international FPMT family, as people have commented:

Lama Yeshe and Geoff Jukes, Kew Gardens, London, 1982. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

”I believe this project has truly touched the hearts of many people. In my case, I never had the infinite privilege of meeting Lama Yeshe, yet for me he is my heart, my teacher forever, the one who finally opened my eyes and warmed my heart. The immense light of Lama Yeshe will illuminate my life forever, and I will be infinitely grateful to him. I am also infinitely grateful to ILTK, to the FPMT, to the LYWA, and to all of you who, through your testimonies, have allowed me to know him better. For me, every story of his words, his laughter, even his smallest gesture, is an inestimable treasure. Thank you from the depths of my heart. ” —Francesca 

“A wonderful gift to everyone who was not physically part of that history and arrived later in time, thank you so very much!” —Sharon

“It was a beautiful initiative, Lama Yeshe was truly instrumental for the spread of Dharma in the West.” — Alfredo

“I followed Lama Yeshe’s teachings at Christmas 1982 from this interview, and thus I came to know his voice, his words. Thanks to those who work on the archive.” —Federica.

What clearly emerges from these interviews is Lama Yeshe’s extraordinary care, empathy, sensitivity, and perceptiveness. As Fabrizio Pallotti recalls, “He gave us an avalanche of teachings but most of all a life’s example, how to conduct yourself in an extremely humble and normal way and yet being pivotal leading masses into the Dharma.”

“Just being in Lama’s presence you felt peaceful and blissful and just open”, shared Paula Chichester. “He was very entertaining with his unique sense of humor and openness, he was able to uplift the entire class.”

Jean Pascal Moret remembers that “when I was in the presence of Lama, he energized all the very hidden good qualities that I had in me. He gave us everything he could.”

Lama Yeshe was an incredible teacher, “impetuous and yet soft,” as Susanna Parodi-Corona shared.

Lama Yeshe doing Fire Puja with Jhampa Shaneman holding umbrella at Chenrezig Institute, Australia, 1976. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Even with his basic English, people were touched by the authenticity of his Buddhist teachings. In the words of Jhampa Shaneman, “You just had this sense that his mind was vast and he understood the nuances of emotions and feelings and how to work with them.”

From the interviews, the students recall that he was a profound and direct teacher, able to look deeply into each person. He had deep faith in the human potential of every individual. As Karuna Cayton said: “Lama’s style really shows your possibilities. Not only that there is something more to this reality, but that I can achieve it. Lama made you feel that this is really possible.”

Vickie Mackenzie pointed out that Lama Yeshe “talked not through texts, but through his own experience of the Dharma.” He was truly keen on experiencing the teachings, his catchphrase was, “Do not believe in what I say, check up! Is this right? Is this true? Check up with your own experience!”

He made the teachings accessible and relatable. Pam Cayton said, “Lama taught pure Dharma in ordinary terms,” and Geoff Jukes recalls, ”Lama Yeshe pointed out the direct experience instead of being caught up in the intellectual pursuit of knowledge. He was a beacon for that.”

Lama’s kindness is what was remembered by every single one. “Kindness in the sense of feeling grateful of others” recalls Fabrizio Pallotti, “A gratefulness that he showed to everybody. People who he knew, who he didn’t know, no matter whether they were Buddhist or not, man, woman, children, old, young… Whatever Lama had in his qualities he was fully aware that they all came from the kindness of others and he did nothing but to show this openly to everyone.” As Robin Bath says, “Meeting someone like Lama Yeshe doesn’t go away, they do stay in your heart!”

His impact remains so strong today that through these videos, his direct students have reconnected to one another and healed relationships. They have confided that just remembering Lama Yeshe awoke a sense of love and peace. They remember that Lama’s big love and faith in their potential brought them to believe in themselves and unlock their positive impact to the world, serving the Dharma. We are also incredibly grateful to them because through their lives and dedication, they helped to spread the Dharma in the West and fulfil the wishes of our beloved Lamas.

Through these interviews, Lama’s encouragement and positivity also reached newcomers, highlighting the importance of preservation and of offering the rare opportunity to create a connection with Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and the FPMT in order to benefit from those extraordinary teachers.

We offer our sincere thanks to all the direct students of Lama Yeshe who so generously agreed to be interviewed, listed below in alphabetical order:

Ven. Siliana Bosa Tenzin Dasel, Ven. Thubten Chodron, Ven. Robina Courtin, Ven. Carla Tsultrim Freccero, Ven. Sangye Khadro, Ven.Raffaelo Longo, Ven. Thubten Wongmo, Robin Bath, Robyn Brentano, Mariella Castagnino , Laura Catalano , Karuna Cayton, Pam Cayton, Piero Cerri, Paula Chichester, Massimo Corona, Paula de Wys, Franco Fiorentino, Malcolm Frow, Claudio Gambirasio, Pierangela Gennari , Ian Green, Geoff Jukes, Peter Kedge, Jacie Keeley, Sherab Lotsawa, Vicki Mackenzie, Jean Pascal Moret, Franchino Morgese, Fabrizio Pallotti, Susana Parodi, Thubten Pende, Joyce Petschek, Franco Piatti, Rob Preece, Nick Ribush, Fiorella Rizzi, Rosario Rizzi, Francesco, Settanni, Jhampa  Shaneman, Vincenzo Tallarico, Shan Tate, Lorenzo Vassallo, and Andy Wistreich.

All the short interviews are now available on YouTube. May they be of benefit to all!

Big Love, the official, authorized biography of Lama Yeshe contains personal stories of the lamas and the students who learned, lived and traveled with them, as well as more than 1,500 photos dating back to the 1960s. This book tells the story of Lama Yeshe, how he met Lama Zopa Rinpoche and how they created FPMT.

With grateful thanks to Fabiana Lotito and Carlota Pinheiro for this report on such a moving project honoring Lama Yeshe, and to all of the participants who shared their special stories about Lama. We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

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.