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In-depth Stories
Please enjoy this collection of longer stories that cover a wide range of topics—from pilgrimage to student milestones, from interviews with teachers to explanations of aspects of Buddhist practice. For our most recent published content, including video, audio, blog posts, and more, see What’s New!
Kopan the Beautiful Mandala– An Intimate Portrait of this Time from Ven. Sarah Thresher
“It’s simply impossible to express how beautiful it is in Rinpoche’s room right now,” Ven. Sarah Thresher shared on her Facebook page from Kopan Monastery on May 4, 2023, two weeks after Lama Zopa Rinpoche showed the aspect of passing ... Read more »
Rejoicing in the Achievements of Sangye Sherpa, Longtime Director of Lawudo Retreat Center
This letter below by Frances Howland was originally published in the Love Lawudo Newsletter #14, November 2022. It celebrates the service of Sangye Sherpa, the brother of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and the development of the Lawudo Gompa and Retreat Center ... Read more »
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Transformative Teachings, September 2022
Buddhist students around the world have learned to appreciate technology and the blessings of Zoom since the Covid-19 pandemic halted travel and large events or gatherings for most of us for nearly three years. In September, His Holiness the Dalai ... Read more »
A Remarkable Life of Practice and Service: 2,000 Nyung Na Retreats Completed by Venerable Ani Chodron
Venerable Ani Chodron was born in the year of the wood bird in 1945 in the village of Tsum near the border of Tibet in northeast Nepal. She is the oldest of four children, all daughters, born to Mingmar Tshok ... Read more »
Rejoicing in the Annual Gelug Monlam Festival Held at Kopan Monastery
Since 1998, the Gelug Monlam—known as the Great Prayer Festival—has been held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in the tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa, who founded the festival in 1409. The Monlam is regarded as one the “four great activities” of Lama ... Read more »
Helping Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche Prepare for His Rik Chung Debate: Ven Tenzin Gache Shares the Story
Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche is the recognized reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog, a highly respected lama who passed away in 2001. Phuntsok Rinpoche was born in the Tsum region of Nepal in 2002 and enthroned in 2006 at Kopan Monastery, where ... Read more »
Bringing the Teachings Alive: Geshe Tenzin Namdak Encourages Students with Innovation and Patience
FPMT Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche regularly encourages Western students to undertake serious, in-depth study of Buddha’s teachings. Rinpoche advises this to his students not only for their personal benefit, but because once they complete their studies, they are able ... Read more »
Reflections on a Three Year Retreat: Know Yourself, Love Yourself
The French nun Ven. Thubten Lhamo took refuge at Kopan Monastery in Nepal with Lama Thubten Yeshe in December 1979. She was ordained at Kopan in April 2017, on her sixty-sixth birthday. On November 13, 2017, under Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s ... Read more »
Maratika: Where All of Your Prayers Are Fulfilled
By Ven. Sarah Thresher Maratika, known locally as Halesi, is a sacred pilgrimage site with ancient meditation caves located in eastern Nepal where Guru Rinpoche achieved immortality. Ven. Sarah Thresher has undertaken the journey to Maratika annually since 2007 to ... Read more »
Preserving the Past for Future Generations: The Meridian Trust Documents the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition as It Grows in the West
For more than three decades, the Meridian Trust has been documenting Buddhist teachings and traditions around the world. The UK-based organization has collected an archive of more than 2,500 hours of film and video, including rare footage of the generation ... Read more »
Root Institute for Wisdom Culture Helping Local Communities in Need
Root Institute for Wisdom Culture, the FPMT center in Bodhgaya, Bihar State, India, has been distributing daily staples and food to local poor people and migrant laborers returning to their villages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community service is one ... Read more »