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!

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche Welcomed to New Zealand for the First Time

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche Welcomed to New Zealand for the First Time

His Eminence the 7th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche visited New Zealand during the Fifteen Days of Miracles from February 26 to March 21, 2020. Rinpoche visited FPMT centers Dorje Chang Institute for Wisdom Culture on February 29–March 2, Amitabha Hospice ... Read more »
Geshe Tenzin Zopa Welcomed to Broome, Western Australia

Geshe Tenzin Zopa Welcomed to Broome, Western Australia

Geshe Tenzin Zopa, an FPMT touring teacher, visited the Gyalwa Ensapa Broome Buddhist Study Group, an FPMT study group located in a coastal town in northern Western Australia. The week spent together left lasting impressions on everyone involved. Sandy Faber, ... Read more »
Tushita Meditation Centre Staff Went on a Pilgrimage to the Land of Dakinis

Tushita Meditation Centre Staff Went on a Pilgrimage to the Land of Dakinis

The FPMT resident teacher, staff members, and volunteers from Tushita Meditation Centre, the FPMT center in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, went on pilgrimage to Lahaul (Garsha) in August 2019. The group traveled together in the Tushita bus and two additional ... Read more »
Prostrating Up a Hill at Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre in Malaysia

Prostrating Up a Hill at Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre in Malaysia

On August 25, 2019, a large prostration event took place at Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre, the FPMT center in Triang, Malaysia. FPMT Southeast Asia regional coordinator, Selina Foong, shares the story. I’ve made countless trips to beautiful Rinchen Jangsem ... Read more »
Nalanda Monastery’s New Project: Maitreya Pure Land

Nalanda Monastery’s New Project: Maitreya Pure Land

Nalanda Monastery is a community for Western Gelug monks located in a peaceful rural setting in the South of France about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Toulouse. The monastery, which is affiliated with FPMT, offers monastic students, as well as ... Read more »
Training the Mind in Generosity

Training the Mind in Generosity

It is always a challenge for a Dharma center to balance the wish to benefit all sentient beings with the practical day-to-day needs associated with running a nonprofit organization. Funds are needed not only for the expenses of rent or ... Read more »
FPMT Students Experienced that FPMT Family Feeling in Nepal

FPMT Students Experienced that FPMT Family Feeling in Nepal

In February 2018 a group of FPMT students traveled together from Australia to Kathmandu, Nepal, for a pilgrimage led by Gen Thubten Dondrub*, FPMT resident teacher at Buddha House, an FPMT center in Australia. In addition to encountering Lama Zopa ... Read more »
Maitreya Instituut’s Interfaith Retreat Creates a Community Experience Focused on Compassion

Maitreya Instituut’s Interfaith Retreat Creates a Community Experience Focused on Compassion

Maitreya Instituut in the Netherlands hosted an interfaith dialogue that transcended the usual exchange of words. Buddhist and Sufi students came together to learn about each other’s traditions and to practice during a four-day retreat focused on compassion. Interfaith activities ... Read more »
An Adventurous Trip to Lawudo in Nepal

An Adventurous Trip to Lawudo in Nepal

Ven. Amy Miller, an FPMT registered teacher, has been informally leading people to Lawudo in Nepal’s Solu Khumbu District since 1990. She shares about the October 5-22, 2018, trip she led for twenty-three people from around the world. It was ... Read more »
His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaches in Bodhgaya

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaches in Bodhgaya

Few things are more precious than being able to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama teach in Bodhgaya, India, the location of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Australian student Cynthia Karena, a regular contributor to Mandala, traveled to India in December 2018 ... Read more »
The Karmic Bond That Connected Us All in Mongolia

The Karmic Bond That Connected Us All in Mongolia

Ianzhina Bartanova, director of FPMT center Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, shares about an August 2018 fourteen-day pilgrimage the center organized to holy sites in Mongolia. Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling placed an advertisement in the January-June ... Read more »
Pilgrimage to the Hidden Valley of Tsum, Nepal

Pilgrimage to the Hidden Valley of Tsum, Nepal

In the remote borderlands of the high Himalayas, several valleys are said to be beyul—hidden or secret valleys—only open to those with very pure minds and hearts. According to ancient scriptures, they were established by Guru Rinpoche, the 8th-century Indian ... Read more »