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Rinpoche’s Schedule New Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche New FPMT Center, Project and Study Groups International Office News Education Department – Changing Our Name Education Programs Translation Foundation Membership For Center Directors, SPCs and Teachers CPMT 2009 Education Materials FPMT Brochure FPMT Training FPMT Snippets Happy Anniversary! Sanghata Sutra Marathon Rejoice! 2008 Sera Je Food Fund Campaign Connecting Our Dharma Practice with Our Life in the World

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ven. Thubten Sangpo releasing balloons with mantras and prayers written on them to bless the environment and all sentient beings. Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, August 2008. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang

Opportunities to Offer Service in FPMT Impermanence at Work – Center Details Changes

To find more information as it becomes available, and for details of how to contact the center and book for these events, please go to Rinpoche’s Schedule. We have recently updated this webpage to be even easier for you to use!              

2008
Nov 27 – Dec 10  Teaching during the one month course, Kopan Monastery, Nepal

2009
January – Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore
          17 – 18  Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga commentary
          20 – 21  1000-Arm Chenrezig Great initiation
          23  Most Secret Hayagriva puja
          27  Long life puja for Rinpoche
          30 – 1 Feb  Guhyasamaja initiation

February – Potowa Center, Jakarta, Indonesia
          7 – 9  Heruka initiation
          13 – 15; 20 – 22; 27 – Mar 1  Lama Chopa commentary

April  18 – 19  Medicine Buddha initiation, Kalachakra Centre, Paris, France

April 26 – May 2  CPMT Meeting, Institut Vajra Yogini, France

May  5 – June 6  1000-Arm Chenrezig Great initiation and 100 million Mani Retreat with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Institut Vajra Yogini, France

October  1 – 15  Teachings on Lamp of the Path, Kadampa Center, Raleigh, USA

Wearing the cowboy hat He had been offered the day before, Rinpoche led an impromptu meditation on emptiness at Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, August 2008. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang

NEW Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche Attitude to Have After Being Robbed Rinpoche sent this advice to a center which had just been burgled.  Excerpt: “So many times we make prayers to receive the suffering of others and to be free of all obstacles, now we can think how fortunate we are that our prayers have been answered. Obstacles have ripened in the form of them breaking in, stealing money, etc., so now we have had small success with our prayers.

So now please rejoice as we have succeeded in our prayers.”

Gong to Call All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
Rinpoche drew the gong, and described it:

“This is a universal gong.  By ringing this gong may all the buddhas and bodhisattvas pay attention and give us their blessings, favors and realizations.  May they liberate all suffering, peaceful mothers.”

Skillful Hair Cutting
Rinpoche recently translated a text giving the results of cutting one’s hair on various days, which applies to ordained and lay people alike.

More advice from Rinpoche

Enjoy brief glimpses of Rinpoche on our streaming videos page

Bringing the total number of FPMT centers, study groups, projects and services worldwide to 151!

Manjushri Wisdom Center, USA
5755 E. 3rd Street
Tucson, Arizona, 85711
Tel: +1 520 971 1681
www.manjushriwisdom-fpmt.org
manjushriwisdomcenter@gmail.com
Director Ven. Losang Kalden
New Spiritual Program Coordinator – David Greene

Kasih Hospice Care, Malaysia
7, Jalan 14/29
46100 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor D.E.
Tel: +60 3 7960 7424
Fax: +60 3 7956 6442
kasihhospicecare@yahoo.com
www.kasih-hospice.org
Director Dr. Pik Pin Goh

Khedrup Sangye Yeshe Study Group, Mexico
Calle Pedro Patiño y Gallardo #242
Fracc. La Quinta de Torremolinos
CP. 58190
Morelia, Michoacán
Tel: (443) 308 5707
khedrup_sangye_yeshe@yahoo.com.mx
Coordinator Gela de los Angeles

Thubten Kunkyab Study Group, Mexico
Calzada del Hueso 83, Edificio B, depto. 101
Col. Exejido de Santa Ursula Coapa
Coyoacan, DF CP 04850
Tel: (55) 5604 4495
meditadf@gmail.com
Coordinator Cristhian Cambresy

International Office News   Education Department – Changing Our Name In line with our primary mission of service, the Education Department is officially changing its title to FPMT Education Services while our publications will now say FPMT Education Publications. Education Programs Basic Program (BP) is doing well in France and in French! In October, Nalanda Monastery’s 5-year residential BP will start its second subject, Tenets. Having

Children’s event at Kadampa Center, USA, July 2008. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang

done well in their exams on the first section of Bodhisattva Deeds, Tenets will provide students with some background for the challenging 9th chapter. Nalanda’s BP is offered in English, French and Spanish, and it is a wonderful opportunity to study this program full-time in a monastic environment! New students are welcome for each subject!

Our new Coordinator for French BP Materials will be Ven. Ngeunga, who is already part of the French Translation Office. In this new role Ven. Ngeunga will focus on gathering French BP materials and preparing them for distribution on the BP web update page.

To enable French BP students to collect their three month lam-rim retreat commitment, after Institut Vajra Yogini offered a month lam-rim retreat last winter, the tradition is continued by Kalachakra Centre who will offer a month lam-rim retreat in their new retreat center in January 2009!

Spain is also going strong, with the first round of BP near completion at Nagarjuna Barcelona (and a second round already in full swing!), Valencia in the second year of a productive BP, and Madrid having completed the first exam in June this year. Now we need a coordinator for Spanish BP materials. 

The BP at Chenrezig Institute in Australia has started preparations for the second impressive Lam-rim Chenmo teaching that will begin in 2009!

As we mentioned last month, Rinpoche has appointed members to the new FPMT Translation and Editorial Committee. Ven. Fedor Stracke, Ven. Joan Nicell, Ven. Namdak, Conni Kraus, and Jon Landaw will be heading up the efforts to establish an FPMT glossary of terms and style guide that will be used for all FPMT program translations. As a great boost to getting this work underway, Ven. Joan will be attending a distinguished translation conference sponsored by Khyentse Foundation in India next March.

Painting mantras on the bird feeder to bless the birds at Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, August 2008. Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang

For Center Directors, SPCs and Teachers CPMT 2009 April 26 – May 2 2009, Institute Vajra Yogini, France FPMT’s Vast Mandala: Who We Are and What We Do All those offering service in the FPMT mandala as center/project director, resident and touring teachers, spiritual program coordinator, board member, study group and regional and national coordinators are invited and strongly encouraged to attend – more information available in the FPMT Affiliates Area!

Rinpoche has given new advice for the prayers to be recited before teaching occasions and has advised us to make this into a small booklet for center gompas that can be taken away by students if they would like. Please download the updated Prayers for Teaching Occasions.

Reminding all centers, study groups, projects and services that the new FPMT brochure is available. This brochure will help place your activities in the amazingly positive and inspiring context of the worldwide FPMT mandala. It will be helpful as a way to connect people to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the FPMT. We encourage you to make it available to visitors, students, center/project board members – anyone who you want to help understand that your activity is a part of a fantastic organization.

Inner Job Description training: A very successful two day training was held at Vajrayana Center, Australia led by Ven. Chokyi and Allys Andrews. In November, Amy Cayton will lead an IJD training at the North American regional meeting in Portland and Allys Andrews will lead at the Australian national meeting. These are great opportunities for centers to send candidates to cultivate as future trainers. See a full list of trainings.

Harald Weichhart will be offering software training in France and Germany in October with an emphasis on helping our translation offices in these countries become fully versed in the design and layout programs used by Education Services. France and Germany will soon be printing Essential Buddhist Prayers, an FPMT Prayer Book Volumes 1 & 2 in the same format as the English. With luck, the Spanish and Italian will also be done in time for Rinpoche’s European retreat in May 2009. Harald is also helping us to get French, Spanish, German and Italian subtitles on the Discovering Buddhism DVDs.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche carving mantras on stone and the completed carving. Amitabha Pure Land, Washington, USA, August 2008.

Photos by Ven. Thubten Kunsang and Ven. Holly Ansett