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International Office News
August 2026
Lama Zopa Rinpoche at 100 Million Mani Retreat, Mongolia, August 2013. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
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As we were preparing to publish this issue of our newsletter, we received news about the recent flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal–Tibet border, which struck the Rasuwa district north of Kathmandu and is believed to have been triggered by an earthquake-induced avalanche and snowmelt entering the Bhote Koshi River. Severe flooding has been reported in Rasuwa, with warnings issued for communities living along the Bhote Koshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers. Over 300 people have lost their lives, with hundreds more currently reported missing at the time of this publication. Over the years, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered various pieces of advice for prayers and practices to turn to when facing natural disasters which we share in hopes that it can be of benefit.
In this issue you will find additional timely advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe, in the context of political division, dangers of the elements, and the ongoing Global Mani Retreat.
We also share important updates from around the world including from our own Board of Directors; as well as many causes for rejoicing including information on recent grants offered to schools in India and Nepal and news on the two Maitreya statues being built in Kushinagar and Bodhgaya.
Also read about opportunities for practice and study, and changes within the organization.
Please note that a partial lunar eclipse will occur in the Americas, Europe, and Africa on August 27 and 28. Please read Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for practice on these powerful days.
Advice from and News Regarding Lama Zopa Rinpoche
A Spiritual Response to Wars and Violence
Recently we shared an open letter, written by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to then U.S. President George W. Bush following the September 11 terrorist attacks. In it, Rinpoche offers a Buddhist perspective on war and its causes, while presenting practical methods to help reduce conflict and cultivate peace in the world—guidance that is relevant to people of every faith and background:
Dear Mr. President,
Since war was declared, some people have been protesting against it and clamoring for peace. But if what those people really want is peace, then they should first come up with a clear practical idea how to stop the terrorist attacks in the United States and other countries. Otherwise, you shout for peace and let the United States be completely destroyed by terrorists? This is like the saying in Tibetan Buddhist texts: “A blind yak eating grass.” Or the Western saying: “To throw out the baby with the bath water.” So many people are suffering now due to lack of awareness of what will come in the future. The problem is that common ordinary people are limited in what they can see, because of the lack of development of the mind. They do not have the power to see beyond, to read the minds of the terrorists and those in training. If Government intelligence had the power to see beyond, then they could foresee future dangers. They could see the harm in the minds of all those harmful people and terrorists. They could see what damage they could do to the United States and the whole world. War is what ordinary people in the world regard as the solution. The problem is that war, even if it is won, is like medicine that has side-effects. It may temporarily help the situation but afterwards there will be continual complications. Why? Because the people you defeat generate hatred towards you and in future generations they harm you back. In the natural law of actions, called karma in Sanskrit, the action of harming leaves an imprint on the mental continuum and that imprint is like a seed. When it ripens later, the person experiences the result of receiving harm from others.
I understand that the situation is very difficult and that the American public is very angry, but there are ways to solve the problem other than by going to war. It is possible that these terrorists can be overcome by spiritual power rather than by using military power. War costs so many lives and so much money. Even one missile can be so expensive, costing millions of dollars. When spiritual power is used to solve the problem, it saves all this expense and costs hardly anything. Please continue to read Rinpoche’s full letter.
Happiness Starts When We Renounce This Life
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s book How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas deals with the eight worldly dharmas, essentially how desire and attachment cause us to create problems and suffering and how to abandon these negative minds in order to find perfect peace and happiness. This excerpt below is from Chapter 8, “Turning Away from Worldly Concern.”
The terms “renouncing this life” or “renouncing suffering” both mean renouncing the mind that is the cause of the problems, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas. Therefore “Dharma” includes even pragmatic, transient techniques to stop attachment from arising. This is the actual Dharma, the method that immediately solves our confusion and mental illness. Bringing clarity and lack of confusion to our mind is the best way of bringing happiness to our life. Renouncing suffering doesn’t mean we’ll never have stomach or knee pain, a headache or a cold. It doesn’t mean wishing to be free of all pain but wishing to be free from the very cause of all suffering.
It has been the experience of these great yogis that we don’t have to wait until our future lives to experience this happiness. As soon as we stop the dissatisfied mind, immediately—immediately—there’s the result, happiness.
At first we might be nervous about letting go of desire because we normally equate desire with happiness. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. As soon as we let go of desire we achieve inner peace, satisfaction and happiness; we become independent. Before, we were dictated to and controlled by desire but now we have achieved real freedom.
We can see in the biographies of the great yogis Tilopa, Marpa, Milarepa, Lama Tsongkhapa and many of those other highly realized beings whose holy minds passed into enlightenment how, even without material possessions, they generated great tranquility and peace and through that were able to realize the great achievements of the path. They didn’t have even the scent of the eight worldly dharmas about them but by completely renouncing desire for this life, they received everything—the best reputation, perfect surroundings and sufficient material comfort.
From How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Chapter 8. Edited by Gordon McDougall and published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. You can order a print copy from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive online store. You can also read this book online, access translations, or order the audiobook from Audible.com. LYWA Members can download the ebook for free.
Benefits of the Mani Retreat
To celebrate the ongoing FPMT Global Mani Retreat, which has brought together students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from around the world to help fulfill one of Rinpoche’s most cherished wishes, we recently shared this excerpt on the Benefits of the Mani Retreat from Teachings from the Mani Retreat by Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
“This is such a wonderful time, especially doing practice to develop compassion and bodhicitta. Without compassion you can’t have the realization of bodhicitta, you can’t enter the Mahayana path, you can’t achieve enlightenment, you can’t achieve the infinite qualities of the holy body, holy speech and holy mind of Buddha. Without great compassion you can’t do perfect work for sentient beings, bringing them to enlightenment. I mentioned this the other night when I arrived, but maybe it was difficult to hear so late at night. … Those who can make the time should come to the retreat. Even if you cannot come for all three months, you should come for some weeks—or at least for one week. If you do not give yourself the time, the freedom, to do this, it is very poor, very sad. Of course, it would be best to come for the whole time, until the end of the retreat, but if you cannot do that, while you can give yourself the time and the freedom, you should come for one month or for a minimum of one week. You should attempt to do this. If you have a family, of course it’s not possible for all the family members, the whole assembly of parents and children, to come for the Mani Retreat, but maybe you could take turns. Do whatever you can, whatever days you can do. Give yourself the time to come again and again. Even if you cannot do one week straight, come again and again. Do at least one day, then come another day, then another day. At least come quite often in this way.”
Excerpt from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s book Teachings from the Mani Retreat bestowed at Chenrezig Institute, on December 2000. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Publications. You can also read this book online, or listen to an audio recording from the retreat.
Valuable Resources for Students
We would like to draw your attention to some valuable resources for students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Compendium of Precious Instructions: A Catalog of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Works is a collection of Rinpoche’s literary and graphic works which are available digitally and/or in print, with particular emphasis on key teachings that Rinpoche especially wanted his students to take note of and put into practice, as well as a guide on where to find the audio and video.
Life Practice Advice is a resource based on Rinpoche’s essential daily practice and lifetime practice advice. This is his essential advice and by following this advice, students can feel confident they are following and practicing according to Rinpoche’s heart advice.
FPMT.org offers a collection of practical advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Students can also find Rinpoche’s advice on a wide range of topics in the form of short talks and letters at the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Lama Yeshe’s Wisdom
On the Buddha of Compassion
Lama Yeshe at Chenrezig Institute, 1975. Photo Credit Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
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In 1976, Lama Thubten Yeshe gave a commentary on The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara: A Source of All Powerful Attainments, a practice composed by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama when he was just nineteen years old. Avalokiteshvara — Chenrezig in Tibetan — is the buddha of compassion. Lama Yeshe gave these teachings at Chenrezig Institute in tropical Queensland, Australia:
[Avalokiteshvara] is referred to as … [the] distinguished, divine owner of the world. This is true, because if you actually have the power of universal compassion, of Avalokiteshvara, you can own the whole world; you can control the minds of all sentient beings. Perhaps you think this is impossible. It is possible!Remember when Lord Buddha was meditating, many mischievous beings armed with weapons appeared, trying to destroy him. Well, his weapon was true love, samadhi love. The power of his concentrated, universal love conquered the beings who were trying to harm him. Remember this. Then you will understand how it is possible for the universal, loving compassion of Avalokiteshvara to conquer the entire world.
Anyway, the whole world already depends on love, doesn’t it? We all need love. You live for love. So you can see how you can interpret this as saying that Avalokiteshvara, who is universal compassion and love, has already conquered all mother sentient beings. In this way, we say that Avalokiteshvara is the owner of the world. It sounds simple but check beyond the words and you will know more deeply what I mean. It will make more sense.
Excerpted from a teaching given at Chenrezig Institute, Australia, July 5–16, 1976, published in Big Love, p. 518, and in Lama Yeshe’s book Becoming the Compassionate Buddha.
Continue reading the excerpt or watching the video or listening to the audio recordings on Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
From the FPMT Inc. Board of Directors
August 2026 Update from the Board
A recent update from the FPMT Inc. Board of Directors shares details on some important matters including Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s yangsi, a new safeguarding project that was recently approved, and updates on legal and safeguarding matters previously discussed.
What We’re Rejoicing About
Rejoicing in Grants Offered to Schools in India and Nepal in 2026
Students at Ngari Institute are honoring the third anniversary of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s parinirvana with heartfelt prayers, April 2026.
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Education remains one of the most powerful ways to transform lives, preserve culture, and create lasting opportunities for future generations. In 2026, the FPMT Social Services Fund (SSF) continued its commitment to supporting vulnerable students in some of the most remote and underserved regions of India and Nepal. Through partnerships with community-run schools, monastic institutions, and early childhood initiatives, the SSF helped ensure access to quality education, daily care, nutrition, and stable learning environments rooted in compassion and ethical values. Across eight schools and educational initiatives supported in 2026, the impact of this work can be seen in diverse communities and learning environments. In 2026, US$212,976 will have been offered from the Social Services Fund, reaching over 1500 children, monastic students, and educators. Please continue to read about all of the beneficial grants offered to schools in 2026.
Global Mani Retreat: Two Months of Practice in Fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Wish
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Since launching on May 17, 2026—the first day of Saka Dawa month—the FPMT Global Mani Retreat has brought together students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from around the world to help fulfill one of Rinpoche’s most cherished wishes: “This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
We rejoice in the inspiring response from the international FPMT community and in the growing accumulation of OM MANI PADME HUM recitations dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings. Please keep up on our Global Mani Retreat Facebook page to catch up on details from the retreat so far, plus upcoming opportunities to join!
Of particular note: FPMT Mongolia’s 14th 100 Million Mani Retreat in Ulaanbaatar has begun! This retreat is part of the official Global Mani Retreat program and will take place from August 20 – September 17 2026. Participation onsite is entirely optional. Sessions will be livestreamed every Wednesday, for the duration of the retreat. All are welcome to watch the recordings on YouTube.
Two Maitreya Statues, One Vast Vision: Updates from Kushinagar and Bodhgaya
Prototype of the Bodhgaya Maitreya statue. Photo by Maitreya Project in Bodhgaya.
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We recently shared updates on the two Maitreya Statues in Kushinagar and Bodhgaya, India: Maitreya Buddha Project in Kushinagar, overseen by the Maitreya Project Trust, originated around 1999. The site adjoins the Parinirvana Temple, the place where Shakyamuni Buddha passed into Parinirvana, as well as the Ramabhar Stupa. After years of complexity involving fragmented land, the project is now centered on a clearly defined, contiguous 3-acre site (1.2 hectares) near the existing project office. At the heart of the current plan is a purposeful vision: a Maitreya Buddha stone statue whose scale reflects both available resources and regulatory realities, there is also a growing intention to create a space that supports learning and community engagement, ensuring that the project serves both spiritual purposes and the wider community.
In addition, we are building a Maitreya Statue in Bodhgaya, much smaller than the originally planned statue, built out of sandstone. The statue is being incorporated and developed in close conjunction with the Dalai Lama Trust and is situated on land in Bodhgaya that was originally offered by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama in 2020. This land, covering approximately 30 acres (12.14 hectares), is currently being developed for a major initiative led by the Dalai Lama Centre for Tibetan and Indian Ancient Wisdom.
Please read more to learn about these two statues.
Your News and Stories
Family Feeling News Roundup
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This month, we published a digest of short community highlights from FPMT centers and individuals around the world. This list of stories is not exhaustive, just a sample of all the great activities happening in the FPMT family worldwide. Please read the July Roundup!
The FPMT family is full of inspiring activities at centers, projects, services, and study groups, as well as among registered teachers and individuals who bring our communities to life. We would love to hear about it.
Whether it’s a recent accomplishment or an activity that gives your community reason to rejoice, your story can spark ideas and create connections across the FPMT family. We hope that reading these highlights will inspire you to rejoice in the family feeling and good work happening in our global FPMT community!
Please review our submission guidelines and reach out if you have something to share— we’d love to hear from you.
Science and Spirituality
His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed in The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, “I believe that spirituality and science are different but complementary investigative approaches with the same greater goal, of seeking the truth. In this, there is much each may learn from the other, and together they may contribute to expanding the horizon of human knowledge and wisdom. Moreover, through a dialogue between the two disciplines, I hope both science and spirituality may develop to be of better service to the needs and well-being of humanity.”
Several FPMT centers and students have been actively working to bridge the fields of Buddhism and science, and we look forward to regularly sharing these stories.
On June 20, 2026, Jamyang London Buddhist Centre (JBC) hosted a Science & Wisdom LIVE dialogue between Geshe Tenzin Namdak and Professor Murray Shanahan, moderated by Chris Scammell. We shared the story recently, from Paul Wells at JBC.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Marina Brucet, and Hans Burghardt. Photo courtesy of Vajrapani Institute.
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We also recently shared an update about the FPMT curriculum Buddhist Mind Science: Activating Your Potential. This month, Vajrapani Institute (US) will host the curriculum’s inaugural retreat. The retreat is intended for participants from the general public, including FPMT students and members, who wish to go through the entire course in an experiential way and gain the maximum benefit from the course material. This is part of an ongoing effort across the organization, in line with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vision, to emphasize gaining actual experience of the Dharma.
LYWA Invites Students to Share Their Treasured Memories
December 3, 2025, marked what would have been the 80th birthday of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. To honor his profound and enduring legacy, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) has launched a special project to honor the Lamas’ legacy for future generations: a series of video interviews with Rinpoche’s students from around the world, capturing the heart of his teachings through the personal experiences of those who knew him closely.
Inspired by the interest generated by a similar project released in 2025 by LYWA and Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa to mark the 90th birthday of Lama Yeshe — watch the interviews here — LYWA is once again collaborating with two students — Fabiana Lotito and Carlota Pinheiro — this time to interview Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s students.
Interview sessions are still open. If you wish to help preserve Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s legacy for future generations and were fortunate enough to have known him, please consider taking part. The interviews will be released in autumn 2026 and the short Zoom call interviews will continue throughout 2026. For contact and more details read Honoring the Lamas’ Legacy for Future Generations.
Celebrating 50 Years of FPMT!
Your memories, contributions, and experiences are part of this living history of FPMT. We have already begun gathering some of these precious stories, but there are so many more voices we would love to hear. We would love to collect as much of this history as possible: short videos, presentations, written stories, and group shots from your center, projects, and services. We warmly invite you to please be in touch!
Resources and Opportunities for Study and Practice
Newly Available from the FPMT Foundation Store
This month we are pleased to offer a newly revised Teachings from the Mani Retreat, which is an edited transcript of teachings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche from December 22 to 26, 2000, as part of the inaugural Mani Retreat at Chenrezig Institute in Queensland, Australia. This new second edition is now available in eBook and PDF formats. A print edition will be released by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive soon.
Teachings from the Mani Retreat is a valuable resource for participants of the 2026 FPMT Global Mani Retreat and for anyone wishing to deepen their practice of Chenrezig and the recitation of OM MANI PADME HUM.
Printed Materials and 1-Click Download
You can order printed copies of a selection of Foundation Store titles through Amazon’s print-on-demand service in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. In the item description, click on the Amazon market that is closest to you. Foundation Store also offers a selection of prayers and practices available for 1-click download.
Retreat Opportunities
Please check our retreat schedule page for group retreat opportunities upcoming in your area.
Announcements, Opportunities, and Changes
Changes in the FPMT Organization
Choe Khor Sum Ling Centre (Bangalore, India)
We welcome Pratibha Sharma as new spiritual program coordinator.
Yeshin Norbu Centre (Sweden)
We welcome Eleni Rothe as new spiritual program coordinator.
Yeshin Norbu Centre (Sweden)
Grateful thanks to outgoing director Carina Thoren.
Opportunities to Offer Service
Read about the amazing benefits and importance of offering service in the FPMT organization, and have a look at these meritorious opportunities to offer service as paid staff or as a volunteer in FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world, including opportunities in Australia, France, India, Italy, North American Region, Nepal, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, UK and the USA.
Recently added: Chenrezig Institute (Australia), Buddha House (Australia), Land of Medicine Buddha (California) and Ocean of Compassion (California) are looking for a new director; Ocean of Compassion (California) and Atisha Centre (Australia) are looking for an SPC; Root Institute (India) is looking for a receptionist/house manager.
European Teacher Development Service Seminar in France this September
The Teacher Development Service Seminar (TDSS) supports the lifelong growth of current and aspiring FPMT teachers, facilitators, and meditation leaders. Returning in a hybrid format, TDSS now features updated pedagogy and a flexible delivery to meet the needs of our global community. Rooted in the FPMT lineage, the TDSS introduces the principles of contemporary Dharma pedagogy -practical, effective methods for teaching and guiding others with wisdom and compassion.
Kalachakra Retreat Centre, France, is organizing a TDSS on September 24-26, 2026 with pre-seminar online modules and places are still available. Reservations are now open.
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