International Office News
April 2019

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching and giving initiations, Kopan Nunnery, Nepal, April 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche News:

Khadro-la (Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Namsel Drönme), Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, and Ven. Roger Kunsang offering to Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the long life puja offered to Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on April 6 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Schedule

Recordings of Rinpoche’s recent teachings are always available to you at Rinpoche Available Now.

Advice

The Benefits of Serving the Guru

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Peace Park at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

The FPMT Annual Review 2018 featured a letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, advising on the benefits of serving the guru. Here’s a key excerpt:
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you all numberless times for all your service, dedication, practice of holy Dharma with your body, speech, and mind, and for your devotion and good heart. Here I wanted to give you this advice……the heavy karma that otherwise would have resulted in you being born in the lower realms, for so many eons, it all gets finished by serving the guru.” Read in full …

The Best Way to Develop Bodhichitta

Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing chickens at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Bendigo, Australia, April 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche was asked, “What is the best way to develop bodhichitta?” You can read Rinpoche’s response (excerpt below), and watch a video clip:
“Many people think there must be some other way to develop bodhichitta. There must be some other way, not lamrim. There must be something special. Not lamrim, not lamrim! Something fantastic! Some other way. I say “renunciation.” My answer is “renunciation.” The more strongly you see your own suffering in samsara, then when you think of others, you have stronger compassion. You feel others’ suffering in samsara. Then also you have loving kindness for others. You want others to have happiness. And then you have stronger compassion for others to be free from samsara.” Read in full …

How to Use a Stupa to Bring You to Enlightenment

Lama Zopa Rinpoche circumambulating stupas and tsa-tsas at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, US, November 2016. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised a student who said they had a new stupa in their house: “You don’t have to put this stupa on your altar. Many times people don’t even look at the altar. So here, it is so important to see the stupa. Each time you see it there is great, great purification and that brings you to enlightenment; this is just by looking at the stupa. Therefore, it is better to put it in the kitchen or living room or on a table. If you have many stupas then you can put them on a table, then you can go around all these holy objects that are on the table. It makes it so easy to circumambulate them.” Read in full …

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International Office News

New Materials from Education Services

Find The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment) with Additional Practices: A Commentary and other FPMT titles available by print-on-demand today!

Become a Friend of FPMT

Investing in Education in Nepal

Students of Sagarmatha Secondary School.

Since 2015, the Social Services Fund has been offering support to Sagarmatha Secondary School in Chailsa, Nepal. The school stands on what was once a Tibetan refugee camp. It currently serves 170 students, including 79 young lay students who live at the school hostel and 25 young monks who live at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, which shares the school grounds. Eleven teachers and one additional employee support these students. Investing in education through schools is one way we can help break the cycle of poverty in disadvantaged areas. Since 2012 grants have been offered to seven schools providing education to over 500 children. Please read more about the most recent grant offered.

Foundation Store Offer

Buddhism in a Nutshell: Essentials for Practice & Study: This book provides an overview of the lamrim. It blends ancient wisdom with a modern perspective, while preserving the unique blueprint for enlightenment that Tibetan Buddhist practitioners have relied upon, with success, for centuries. It does so by skillfully combining the teachings of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa with teachings on the same subjects from the Western perspective. Buddhism in a Nutshell is also a helpful resource for workshops. Get it now at 60% discount!

For Center, Project and Service Directors, SPCs, Board Members, Registered Teachers and Coordinators:

(This advice is specifically for those offering service in these roles.)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche checking the handwriting of someone writing the Prajnaparamita in gold, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, April 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

New Advice from Rinpoche via the CPMT e-group

We hope you received two emails sent out via the CPMT e-group with new advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. One was regarding artwork which Rinpoche wanted all FPMT centers, projects, and services to have access to; the second was regarding a card for centers, projects and services which have many flowers and/or water offerings to display.

Coming Soon: We will be sending you (via the CPMT e-group), Rinpoche’s request for practices to do to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Lama Tsongkhapa.

Also, we hope you received the update sent recently regarding changes to our menu of FPMT education programs.

FPMT World:

Opportunities to Offer Service in the FPMT Organization

Would you like to spend your days in a very meaningful way? Have a look at the regularly updated meritorious opportunities to offer service as a volunteer or as paid staff in FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world. Newly added: Vajrapani Institute, USA is looking for a spiritual program coordinator; Jamyang Buddhist Center Leeds, UK is looking for a spiritual program coordinator and has many volunteer opportunities; Jamyang Buddhist Center, London, UK has volunteer opportunities; and Root Institute, India has a receptionist work-study volunteer position.

New FPMT Study Group

We welcome Land Removing the Darkness of the Mind Study Group (probationary center), in California, USA.

Impermanence at Work

Contact information for FPMT centers, projects, and services can be found in the FPMT Directory.

Latin America Regional Office
We welcome new regional coordinator – Mauricio Roa Mackenzie
fpmt.latinoamerica@gmail.com
With grateful thanks to outgoing regional coordinator – Ven. Paloma Alba

Jamyang Buddhist Center, Leeds, UK
New address:
Clyde Works, Ingram Road, Leeds, LS11 9RQ, UK

Mahamudra Center, New Zealand
We welcome new director – Jan van der Vliet
With grateful thanks to outgoing acting director – Roy Fraser

Shiwa Lha Center, Brazil
We welcome new director – Ven. Namdrol
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Neyl Soares

Tse Chen Ling, USA
Ven. Carol Corradi is now sole director – with grateful thanks to previous co-director, Peggy Bennington

Tushita Meditation Center, India
We welcome new director – Pema Wangmo
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Archhana Kombrabail

Yamantaka Center, Colombia
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Doris Julio
With grateful thanks to outgoing SPC – Felipe Angel

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