International Office News
February 2024

Photo of Lama Zopa Rinpoche under the bodhi tree at the seat of enlightenment during prayers for Rinpoche’s swift return at the Bodhgaya stupa organized by Root Institute during the Days of Miracles, India, February 12, 2024. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.

Teachings and News About Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Help Actualize Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Stupa of Complete Victory

The Stupa of Complete Victory being built at Kopan Monastery.

The building of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Stupa of Complete Victory at Kopan Monastery is progressing very quickly. We expect that the building foundation under the stupa will be completed in a few months and then then actual stupa will begin to manifest, gracing the whole of Kopan and blessing the world.

During the fifteen Days of Miracles (Feb 10-24), an auspicious time when each merit is multiplied by 100 million, we want to take this opportunity to invite everyone who wishes to, to support the building of the Stupa of Complete Victory for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s swift return. 

Reminder to Students: Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri

In October 2023 we shared the very precious advice we received from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to recite Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri continuously for a few months, for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s reincarnation.

We wanted to take the opportunity to remind students of this advice. The prayer is available for all to download: Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri.

Additionally, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive also offers Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s own commentary and oral transmission of Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri which is available to all.

Stupas Containing Blessed Salt from Rinpoche’s Holy Body Available

Stupas made by STUPA Onlus containing blessed salt from Rinpoche’s holy body.

The STUPA Onlus Association has recently created numerous stupas containing the blessed salt from Rinpoche’s holy body. They have done this due to a three-fold mission: to contribute to world peace, to create the causes for the swift return of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and to distribute the power of these holy objects around the world. The stupas were created according to the original and ancient tradition, in the presence of Tibetan artists and with the rituals performed by a resident geshe of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy. Please read about how to order one of these most highly precious stupas.

Patience Is of Utmost Importance

Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the garden at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 2022. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In a 2022 letter to an FPMT center director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the perfect epitome of patience, offered an unmissable teaching on why patience is critically important, and how to protect and cultivate it through applying conscientious effort. Explaining the value of patience, Rinpoche said it protects our hard-won merits, which are necessary for our liberation from samsara but which are easily destroyed through our acts of anger and heresy.

Rinpoche then advised on how best to dedicate our merits so as to protect them. Rinpoche’s letter also offers guidance on six ways to train the mind in patience: by seeing the “enemy” as the guru and as positive support, by realizing that the “enemy” has no freedom to act differently, by developing compassion, and by remembering karma and the emptiness of phenomena. We are very happy to share this entire advice available as a PDF download.

Please also explore Rinpoche’s book from Wisdom Publications, Patience: A Guide to Shantideva’s Sixth Chapter.

Transforming Loss into Virtuous Action

In The Six Perfections: The Practice of the Bodhisattvas (2020), published by Wisdom Publications, Lama Zopa Rinpoche walks us through the six perfections, which are a key Mahayana Buddhist teaching.

We recently shared an excerpt from Rinpoche’s teaching on the perfection of charity from this book, which we invite you to read.

The Cause of Death

Lama Zopa Rinpoche received thousands of letters every year from people seeking guidance on a variety of issues. In 2013 Rinpoche dictated a letter about the three types of suffering to a student’s mother who was worried about death.

“In reality, even if we believe that we will live for a long time, that we have so many years to live – like 100 years or more, and maybe after 100 years, we expect another hundred years (I’m joking) – in reality, there is nobody who has lived who has not died,” Rinpoche wrote.

“Even this big earth has to perish after another great eon. Since every person who is born in this world is under the control of karma and delusion, there is nobody, nobody, since human beings started until now, who has lived without death. There is nobody. …”

You can read the entire letter “The Cause of Death” on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website.

Preparing Apple Strudel on the Path to Enlightenment

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ven. Roger Kunsang in Vienna, Austria, September 2017. Photo by Andrea Husnik.

Following the 2017 Light of the Path retreat, and a long flight from North Carolina, US, to Austria, Rinpoche rested for a number of days with the Igel family at their home in Vienna. During his stay, Rinpoche was offered an apple strudel, which the mother of the family had made. The dish was so good that Rinpoche asked if he could be shown how to make the dessert.

Rinpoche gave a motivation before cooking, speaking about making cooking part of the path to enlightenment. This was followed by a demonstration and the actual instructions on how to make Austrian apple strudel with Rinpoche also joining in to make it.

From the archives we are sharing an extremely joyful video showing such a precious aspect of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s ability to connect so genuinely with others, and where Rinpoche is also reminding us how to turn ordinary daily activities (like cooking or offering food) into Dharma activities.

Lama Yeshe’s Wisdom

On Educating Children

Lama Yeshe giving a public talk at the Theosophical Society, Adyar Theatre, Sydney, Australia, 1975.

“On Educating Children,” is a discourse given by Lama Yeshe at Kedron Park Teachers College, Brisbane, Australia, April 29, 1975. In an excerpt we recently shared, Lama offers advice on how to best educate children on the fundamentals of living in the modern world, and also to foster their abilities and interests and develop them. He stressed that good teachers feel responsibility toward their students and really try to communicate well and understand them. This talk has been published in the LYWA book Knowledge-Wisdom: The Peaceful Path the Liberation which is available in multiple formats.

Obituaries

The Passing of one of FPMT’s Pioneers: “Mummy” Max Mathews

Lama Yeshe and Mummy Max in Berkeley, California, 1974. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

The entire FPMT community shares the loss of one of FPMT’s precious pioneers, “Mummy” Max Mathews (also known as Sister Max), who passed away on February 16, 2024. We also share a sense of rejoicing in the kindness and generosity she offered in her life, to which the entire FPMT organization owes immeasurable thanks. 

Mummy Max contributed greatly and financially assisted Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in establishing Kopan Monastery and the FPMT organization. 

As we put together a tribute honoring her life, we invite you to watch an interview from 2020, in which she shares spontaneous and intimate stories of her timeless relationship with Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and how she provided unconditional and essential support for the lamas’ projects as envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

At the end of this inspiring video, Mummy Max shared: “The lamas gave me a reason to be. And it’s been my whole life. It’s the only thing that has made meaning in my life. It’s what the lamas have given me and tried to instill in me. It’s unreal. It’s unbelievable how much love and compassion they have. And I hope my life has been worth meaning for them. I tried, but I had such a long way to go. … I’m so grateful. I owe everything to the Tibetans. And anyone who gets a chance, if you pass it up, you’ll miss the greatest opportunity you’ll ever have. Thank you.”

What We’re Rejoicing About

A Report on the Geshe Conference at Kopan Monastery

Participants in the 2024 FPMT Geshe Conference at Kopan Monastery.

The new year began with an extremely important conference for FPMT geshes at Kopan Monastery from January 9-14, 2024. More than thirty geshes and geshemas plus five FPMT Inc. board members spent three days together engaged in a rich schedule of discussing, learning, and planning. They also used this opportunity to engage in prayers for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s swift return, offer an all-day Most Secret Hayagriva tsok kong, and a two-day pilgrimage.

Ven. Roger Kunsang commented that the event went very well with a great response from those in attendance. He reported that it was an open and easy going meeting, and participants expressed a sense of inclusiveness in the future of FPMT, of which they are all an essential part. Please read a full report of this important conference.

FPMT Education and Preservation Fund Grants in 2023

Santiniketan Bengali Translation Team with newly translated Bhavanakrama text, sponsored by the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund. Visva-Bharati University, Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies, West Bengal, India.

In 2023, an incredible US$173,156 was disbursed in grants from the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund to promote the development of Buddhist education programs and the preservation of the Dharma through the publication of Buddhist practice materials and translations. We invite you to read about some of the activities we supported this year.

Holy Objects Created for the Success of FPMT and for All Beings

New Tara statue made in the USA.

The Holy Objects Fund is dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish and provides the resources to create holy objects around the world for the success of the FPMT organization and for the benefit of all beings.

An incredible US$930,405 was granted for holy objects in 2023 and we are so happy to share news of some of the new holy objects we have sponsored. Please read more.

News from Our In-Depth Education Programs

Fire puja that concluded the FPMT Masters Program New Year’s retreat at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy.

With great rejoicing we share some news from our In-Depth Education Programs:

The FPMT Masters Program (MP) at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, started its second year after a well-attended and much enjoyed lamrim new year’s retreat.

Nalanda Monastery’s MP took off on a promising and exciting start in France, with some 20 residential and 40 online students participating.

The FPMT Basic Program (BP) at Amsterdam’s Maitreya Institute began their three-month BP review; seven courageous students will discuss the nine BP subjects that they have been studying for over 5 years!

For BP Online at the Online Learning Center (BPOL) we issued the fourth BPOL completion certificate. To do the FPMT Basic Program in its entirety online is an exceptional achievement. In addition, two of these BPOL graduates are continuing their studies with MP Online at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa!

Opportunities and Resources for Your Study and Practice

Newly Available and Revised Materials

We are happy to share the translation of the praise popularly known as “Gang lo ma” in Tibetan, Praise to Manjushri. It has an unusual story of origin. It is said that when one hundred mahasiddhas gathered to pay homage to Manjushri, blessed by the bodhisattva himself, ninety-nine of them separately recited the same praise.

Two new cards translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche are now available:

• Composed by the eminent teacher, Gungthang Konchog Tenpai Dronme (1762–1823), Enlightenment at your fingertips is advice on how a Dharma student can make progress on the path.

• If You Have Devotion Padmasambhava is Lying at Your Door is Guru Padmasambhava’s advice. Rinpoche’s wish was for FPMT centers to display this beautifully illustrated card version in front of any large Padmasambhava statue they may have.

The 2020 edition of The Glorious One of the Three Worlds has been recently updated. This homage to the incomparable Lama Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug tradition, was composed by one of his two main disciples, Khedrubje. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends that students recite this prayer as part of the celebration of the anniversary of Lama Tsongkhapa’s parinirvana.

We are pleased to share Vietnamese translations of The Norbu Zangpo Zung, Verses for the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones, and Amitayus Long Life Sutra.

Opportunities and Changes within the Organization

Reserve Your Spot for the FSS in Europe Next August

Maitreya Institute, Loenen, Holland, is hosting an FPMT Foundation Service Seminar (FSS), on August 21-26, 2024. The FSS is the “FPMT immersion retreat,” providing essential information and nourishment for all serving, or wishing to serve, in the FPMT organization. Read more about the FSS. Click HERE for more information and to reserve your place.

Changes in the FPMT Organization

Thubten Kunga Ling, Florida, US
We welcome Don Tichenor as spiritual program coordinator

North America Regional Office
We welcome new regional coordinator – Melissa Kaye
With grateful thanks to outgoing coordinator Drolkar McCallum

Ksitigarbha Center, New Mexico, US
We welcome new director – John Bailey

International Office
We welcome new Education Services director – Jeff Highfill

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. Newly added: Root Institute, Bodghaya, India, is looking for a director and a spiritual program coordinator; Atisha Centre, Victoria, Australia, is looking for a spiritual program coordinator.

Become a Friend of FPMT

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

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FPMT International Office is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s office.