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International Office News
January 2018
Lama Zopa Rinpoche during the official long life puja offered at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, December 14, 2017. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
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Collecting Your Recitations for Rinpoche’s Health
Rejoicing in Another Year of Charitable Giving
Two New Online Stories from Mandala
Now Available! Liberation Tibetan Calendar 2018
Affiliate Area Highlight: Promoting the Center, Project, and Service
—Root Institute Celebrates 30 Years of Service!
Have this translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page. French and Spanish speakers will find the FPMT International Office News translated each month in the “Bienvenue” and “Bienvenidos” tabs on the FPMT homepage!
Lama Zopa Rinpoche News:
Collecting Your Recitations for Rinpoche’s Health
Last year, as every year, Ven. Roger Kunsang, on behalf of the FPMT organization, checked with one of Rinpoche’s gurus and also with Khadro-la (Khadro Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Nangsel Dronme) as to what practices should be done to help create the conditions for Lama Zopa Rinpoche to have good health for the coming year. Khadro-la advised prayers to be recited, together with a number of pujas. We would like to offer Rinpoche the total number of prayers that you recited for Tibetan New Year (Losar), this year on February 16. Therefore, please send Claire your totals no later than February 14. Thank you!
Schedule
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s schedule for 2018 – and dates for the Light of the Path retreat in 2019!
Enjoy livestreams of many of the teachings above and recordings of Rinpoche’s most recent teachings via Rinpoche Available Now!
Advice
Highlights from our blogs:
The Purpose of Human Life Is to Benefit All Sentient Beings
At the beginning of the 100 Million Mani Mantra Retreat in Italy in October last year, Lama Zopa Rinpoche talked about the need to be free from all suffering—the suffering of pain, the suffering of change, and pervasive compounding suffering—in order to achieve ultimate happiness and liberation. But, this is not enough for us, Rinpoche explained. The purpose of being born human is not to be free ourselves from suffering; the purpose of our human life is to benefit all sentient beings, to free them from all suffering and bring them to peerless happiness, total cessation of obscurations, and completion of realizations. Read in full …
Just One Decision in Life: Practice Dharma
While it may seem that there are many things we can do with our lives, Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches that there is only one thing to do that is meaningful, which is to practice Dharma. Rinpoche gives this powerful advice in a five-minute video clip taken from Rinpoche’s teachings at the Light of the Path retreat in 2016. Read in full …
Lama Tsongkhapa’s Teachings Have Everything to Achieve Full Enlightenment
Lama Zopa Rinpoche described the special qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings in a 2010 letter to a student. “Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings have everything to achieve full enlightenment. Especially clear are the most important points of sutra and tantra,” Rinpoche explained. “With Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings, there is clear understanding, easy, quick realizations, and one makes less mistakes.” Read in full …
Find a wide range of advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Rinpoche’s Advice page. Subscribe to our FPMT news blog to get updates as soon as they are announced.
International Office News:
Give Where Most Needed Update
Our year-end campaign for the Give Where Most Needed Fund received a lot of generosity! Together, we reached over US$37,000 in donations. Thanks to supporters around the world, these offerings can now be used for any Dharma project or activity that may need resources. Please rejoice with us!
Rejoicing in Another Year of Charitable Giving
2017 was a tremendous year for FPMT Charitable Projects. Amazingly, over US$4.2 million was offered in grants to many worthy initiatives around the world. We invite you to rejoice in some of the many accomplishments of this year and share our deepest appreciation for all the very kind donors who generously supported the funds that make our charitable giving possible.
Two New Online Stories from Mandala
A thorough understanding of the twelve links of dependent origination is a fundamental part of lamrim study, yet the topic, when first encountered, can be difficult to comprehend. Ven. Tenzin Gache, an American monk studying at Sera Je Monastic University, carefully lays out the twelve links in a new exclusive story for Mandala: “Personalizing the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.”
For Saka Dawa in June 2017, more than 160 Australian students undertook a national 100,000 tsog offering to Guru Rinpoche (a “Guru bumtsog”) in Hobart, Tasmania. Stephanie Brennan, FPMTA National Education/Tour Coordinator shared a personal and joyous account of the event in “The Power of Guru Rinpoche: The Heart-Opening Australian Guru Bumtsog Experience”.
New from Education Services
- Medicine Buddha mantra sheet: updated November 2017 to reflect our most recent guidelines for the accurate transliteration of mantras. Find this and other mantras on the “Mantra Resources” page.
- Balanced Mind, Balanced Body (ebook edition): learn about how FPMT students successfully dealt with the condition known as lung (Tib. rlung), a disorder of elements within the body that can negatively impact both body and mind.
Entrust to the Dharma
FPMT International Office’s planned giving program is one way to leave a legacy that can benefit others for generations to come. Including a bequest to FPMT Inc. in your will is actually quite easy! Learn more …
Now Available! Liberation Tibetan Calendar 2018
The Foundation Store is happy to announce that Liberation Prison Project’s 2018 calendar has arrived and is available to order today! This calendar includes lunar dates and information about practice days and auspicious and inauspicious days for each month. The calendar is based on the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute’s calendar, with additional advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Geshe Ngawang Dakpa. This year, in addition to the hardcopy version, the calendar is also available in downloadable PDF format, which has no shipping costs. Proceeds from the purchase of the calendar help to support the Liberation Prison Project, an international FPMT project that works with Dharma students in prison.
For Center, Project and Service Directors, SPCs, Board Members, Registered Teachers and Coordinators:
(This advice is specifically for those offering service in these roles.)
Affiliate Area Highlight: Promoting the Center, Project, and Service
Maybe your new year’s resolution is to promote the center, project, service, or study group so that more people can find out about your activities and benefit. Any time of year is good to remember the importance of publicity and promotion! The policy and guidelines in the Publicity and Promotion section are there to help. (Log into your Affiliates Area user account before clicking the link.)
FPMT World:
Rejoice!
Root Institute Celebrates 30 Years of Service!
This fantastic anniversary was celebrated at the center with Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ling Rinpoche in attendance.
Welcome to the two newest FPMT study groups (probationary centers): Center of White Mahakala Study Group, Romania; and Nagarjuna Campo de Gibraltar Study Group, Spain.
New Opportunities to Offer Service in FPMT
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: Root Institute, India, needs a spiritual program coordinator. De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Australia, needs a director and a center manager.
Impermanence at Work
Choe Khor Sum Ling, India
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Indrani Banerjee
With grateful thanks to outgoing SPC – Shanti Gopinath
Jamyang Buddhist Centre London, United Kingdom
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Bruno Lopes
With grateful thanks to outgoing SPC – Mike Murray
Karuna Hospice Service, Australia
We welcome new director – Lea-Anne Tuaoi
Maitreya Instituut Loenen, the Netherlands
We welcome new director – Brigitte Bol
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Maarten de Vries
Nagarjuna’s Wisdom (La Sabiduría de Nagarjuna) Center, Spain
C/ Fontecha y Salazar 4, bajo
48007 Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain
Yeshe Norbu Center, Sweden
We welcome first spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Kaisa Kaulanen
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