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Mandala Magazine
Mandala magazine was the official print publication of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international charitable organization founded by two Tibetan Buddhist masters, Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (1945-2023). Published between 1987–2021, Mandala shared profound teachings, inspiring articles, and insightful interviews, while connecting the international FPMT mandala with our precious teachers and each other.
The work of Mandala continues online with multimedia stories and blogs published daily on FPMT.org. For our most recent published content, including video, audio, blog posts, and in-depth stories, see What’s New!
Students greeting Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Munich, Germany, November 2018. Photo by Harald Weichhart.
History
As the FPMT community grew in the 1980s, and especially following the passing of Lama Yeshe in 1984, it became necessary to have a way for FPMT centers, projects, services, teachers, students, and International Office to share important information and news—struggles and successes alike—with each other. For more than three decades, Mandala magazine met that need sharing stories, interviews, teachings, and more to inspire and connect the international FPMT mandala.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche looking at Mandala magazine, August 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
The first official print magazine of the FPMT organization was Wisdom magazine. Two issues were published in 1983 and 1984. Then in 1987, The Blissful Rays of the Mandala was published for the FPMT community as a twice-a-year newspaper, with several devoted editors working on it over the following eight years. In 1995, Mandala started publishing in a news magazine format six times per year with Ven. Robina Courtin serving as editor. Ven. Robina published her final issue of Mandala in 2000 and shifted the focus of her work to the Liberation Prison Project, which she founded in 1996.
In 2001, Nancy Patton stepped into the role of editor. She oversaw the magazine’s publication for eight years, with the exception of two issues in 2003 being edited by Helen Chang. During this period, Mandala had a dedicated subscriber base and you could find it in book stores and newsstands. In 2009, Carina Rumrill became managing editor of the magazine, which was being published quarterly. At this time, the magazine became an exclusive benefit of the Friends of FPMT program which launched that same year. Mandala also began its expansion into the digital world, offering teachings, articles, and stories on the Mandala website and in a quarterly eZine, published from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, Laura Miller joined the team and took over the managing editor role.
Mandala continued to broaden its online content and multimedia offerings in the 2010s, including the development of a vibrant daily blog. In 2015, the magazine had a major redesign and switched to publishing twice a year. Mandala‘s digital content, however, grew to include the publication of five ebooks featuring favorite interviews and articles from the magazine’s archive. In 2020, the magazine’s print incarnation ended, and in 2021 the final digital issue of the magazine was published. FPMT.org became the main way articles, news, updates, stories, videos, teaching events, audio, and now podcasts are shared with our worldwide audience of students and supporters.
Although Mandala Publications has appeared in many formats, its function has always been to bring together Lama Yeshe’s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students through offering lineage teachings, sharing inspiring stories, and fostering a unified sense of purpose.
Mandala Archives
Hundreds of select articles from Mandala‘s past issues are available for free in our Mandala Magazine Archive. In addition you can find information about receiving digital copies of individual back issues and articles. You can also access the Mandala eZine Archive, which represents three years of our early online publishing efforts.
Vajrayogini Retreat participants with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Institut Vajra Yogini, France, May 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Current Publishing
The online, multimedia content that is published daily on FPMT.org represents the continuation of Mandala publications. We keep you connected with the latest news and advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche as well as with updates and news from our charitable projects; from FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world; and from individuals within the FPMT organization. Our longer blog stories cover topics ranging from pilgrimage, to student milestones in their study and practice, from profiles of teachers to explanations of aspects of Buddhist practice. These longer stories can be read on our In-Depth Stories page. Find all of our latest blog posts on the FPMT News page.
You can also find a wealth of new videos, podcasts, photos, and more on FPMT.org. Visit What’s New to find all this content and more.
Submissions
We welcome your stories and ideas for stories from the international FPMT community including obituaries. Please see our Submission Guidelines for more information.
Trekking in Solo Khumbu, Nepal. Photo by Harald Weichhart.
Friends of FPMT
Mandala magazine was published as a benefit of the Friends of FPMT program. By supporting Friends of FPMT, you are able to offer your financial support for the work of FPMT International Office. Also known as Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s office, FPMT International Office develops education programs, publishes authentic Dharma materials, supports FPMT centers, project and services, and serves as the communications hub for the entire international organization.
If you value the online stories and multimedia offered on FPMT.org, please consider supporting Friends of FPMT. Learn more at the Friends of FPMT homepage.