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International Office News
July 2014
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Leeds, UK, July 2014.
Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang.
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New Advice: Benefits of Offering Service to the Guru
News from Mandala Publications
New Information Technology Manager
Lama Zopa Rinpoche: The Incredible Benefits of Serving the Guru
Support the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund on International Sangha Day
Foundation Store Offer: The Essential Nectar
CPMT 2014: Important New Proposal to Discuss
Millions of Green Tara Mantras Dedicated for Rinpoche’s Health!
MAITRI Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Pomaia, Italy, June 2014.
Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s News:
New Advice: Benefits of Offering Service to the Guru
During the European regional meeting hosted last month by Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a talk which included a brief teaching on the benefits of offering service to the guru. We invite you to watch this teaching on video. An excerpt follows below:
“So our reason to be here in Italy, at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, with the director, the SPC [spiritual program coordinator], all the staff here and FPMT Italy, [is because they] arranged His Holiness to give all the different teachings. Everything went so well. Unbelievable, unbelievable accomplishment, service. Wow. People have really enjoyed. (The happiness they normally achieve is just external, sensual, attachment, just like that, nothing new, just the same story, from beginningless rebirths.) His Holiness is sooo extremely pleased. It went extremely well, and so I want to say from my heart: billions, zillions, trillions, numberless thanks! Billions, zillions, trillions, numberless thanks! It’s really wonderful, the best accomplishment, as an individual and as an organization.
“So of course, body and mind is under the control of karma and delusion, in the nature of suffering, so of course [we have] tiredness, feel worn out – these things happen. During beginningless rebirths we did not achieve liberation from samsara; we created the cause of these contaminated aggregates. But what I want to tell you, what you have to understand, is that many eons of negative karma have been purified. Sooo many eons of negative karma, heavy negative karma has been purified through bearing much hardship, serving the teachings of the Buddha, sentient beings, the guru, or Compassion Buddha. Sooo many eons, from beginningless rebirths, so many years of negative karma are purified. You have to understand, you have to rejoice about that. So the more you feel difficulty, the more you feel tiredness, whatever happens – ‘Oh, it’s great purification.'”
Find a wide range of advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Rinpoche’s Advice page. Go to the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive for lots more advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche arrives in London, UK, July 2014.
Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
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Rinpoche’s Schedule
Please contact the hosts directly with any questions regarding the event. Subscribe to our RSS feed on Rinpoche’s Schedule to receive updates automatically as soon as they are available.
August 27 – September 1 Rinpoche will lead part of the 100 million mani retreat hosted by FPMT Mongolia
September 6 Purification, Healing and Joyful Living (part of 40th anniversary celebrations), Chenrezig Institute, Australia
September 7 – 9 Great Chenrezig initiation, Chenrezig Institute, Australia
September 13 – 19 CPMT meeting, Bendigo, Australia
September 20 Public talk on The Bodhisattva Attitude, The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia
September 25 – October 23 Bodhicaryavatara and Rinjung Gyatsa retreat, The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia
November/December Teachings during the one month lam-rim course, Kopan Monastery, Nepal
Videoed teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche are online 24/7
on FPMT’s livestream webpage.
International Office News:
Merit Box Grant Winners
The 2014 International Merit Box grants have been awarded! This year, 15 grants were created from the US$54,743 received in donations. These grants will help the homeless in Mongolia, develop Karuna Hospice Service’s spiritual carer training program in Australia, and work to protect a vulnerable roadway at Milarepa Center, USA. Read more about the other winning projects.
A special thank you to all the Merit Box practitioners whose practice of generosity made these grants possible and have enabled the International Merit Box Project to benefit activities that support the FPMT mission for over 13 years. Learn how to become a Merit Box practitioner and help be a part of the 2015 grants!
News from Education Services
New Materials:
Reciting the Names of Buddhas for Great Benefit – By reciting the names of these buddhas, one receives the same benefit of having read the Kangyur and of having read and listened to all the Buddha’s teachings of sutra and tantra. You can download this practice for free.
Lama Tcheupa Djortcheu disponible en français – Le Editions Mahayana vient de publier la pratique du Lama Tcheupa combinée au Djortcheu. Ce nouveau livret contient des explications de pratique ainsi que les ajouts recommandés par Lama Zopa Rinpoché.
Program News:
Two New Basic Programs! In the UK at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London and in Italy at Centro Tara Cittamani, Padova. Learn more about Basic Program opportunities in your area.
New Education Seminar Coordinator:
We are pleased to announce that Amy Barton-Cayton has joined the team in the role of education seminar coordinator. In this new role, Amy will be coordinating with Education Services, regional and national coordinators, and facilitators to create, manage, and implement Service Seminars for the entire FPMT community. She’ll also be providing support to facilitators-in-training. Please get in touch with Amy if you have any inquiries or comments about FPMT Foundation Service Seminars.
News from Mandala Publications
Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, June 2014.
Photo by Sirianni.
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Did you know that each issue Mandala publishes original stories online in addition to the stories in the print magazine? Highlights from Mandala July-September 2014 online include:
- The Eight Auspicious Signs: Translated and with Commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
- FPMT registered teacher Patrick Lambelet offers advice on Challenging Orthodoxy in Tibetan Buddhism
- Renewed Faith, Inspiration, Devotion and Understanding: Khadro-la Visits New Zealand by Ven. Nangsel
- Arya Cayton, Jhana Cayton and Felicity Noël Keeley reflect on their experiences Growing Up within the FPMT Mandala
- Confessions of a Mahamudra Junkie by Sarah Shifferd
If you would like to receive Mandala in print – full of inspiring teachings, beautiful photos and news in which to rejoice – consider becoming a Friend of FPMT.
New Information Technology Manager
Brad Ackroyd, the information technology (IT) manager for International Office for the last five years, is leaving us. Thanks for all your patient help, Brad! We welcome our new IT manager, Alfredo Piñeiro, who has already started the handover with Brad. Alfredo brings extensive IT experience to this essential role.
If you would like to see who’s who in FPMT International Office, have a look at our staff listing.
For Center, Project and Service Directors, SPCs, Board Members, Registered Teachers and Coordinators:
(This advice is specifically for those offering service in the roles listed above.)
Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering a khata to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on His Holiness’ birthday, Leeds, UK, July 2014.
Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
The Incredible Benefits
of Serving the Guru
When Lama Zopa Rinpoche came to address the European regional meeting in June 2014, he gave a fabulously helpful and inspiring talk about the benefits of offering service to the guru (a short excerpt from that talk is described above). In the talk, Rinpoche helps us set the motivation for offering service and discusses his wishes for FPMT students to gain lam-rim realizations.
Watch the full talk and read the transcript.
The above, together with Rinpoche’s thanks to the volunteers who made the recent Light of the Path retreat in the United States possible are amazing tools to help encourage anyone offering or thinking about offering service at your center, project, or service. Please feel free to share Rinpoche’s words with your students and supporters.
Support the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund on International Sangha Day
July 31 is Wheel Turning Day: Choe Khor Due Chen, which commemorates Buddha’s first teaching and is also FPMT’s International Sangha Day. This is the perfect day to make your center, project or service’s annual donation to the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund.
Foundation Store Offer: The Essential Nectar
After many years out of print, The Essential Nectar, is now available! Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends The Essential Nectar to be used in one’s daily lam-rim meditation practice. The Foundation Store is pleased to offer a 10% discount on this most precious text to FPMT centers, projects and services. Please use your center’s wholesale account to take advantage of this discount.
FPMT World:
CPMT 2014: Important New Proposal to Discuss
Looking at FPMT organizational structure to explore together how best we can preserve the Dharma now and into the future raises the issues of responsibility, authority, and of accessing talent and experience from within the organization. In response to that, the board of FPMT, Inc. is putting forward the idea of creating an “FPMT Advisory Council.”
If you are excited about engaging with and contributing to the discussions on the best way forward for FPMT and a possible FPMT Advisory Council, please ensure you are booked to attend CPMT 2014.
Read the updated agenda and find out how to book. And if you haven’t already, book now!
Note that the event hosts have updated the instructions for how to get to the Great Stupa, the meeting’s impressive venue, to make it easier for anyone flying into Australia.
Rejoice!
Millions of Green Tara Mantras Dedicated for Rinpoche’s Health!
Dr. Steve Lin, chairperson and national coordinator of FPMT Taiwan, shares:
“We at FPMT Taiwan initiated and organized a 100 million Tara mantra marathon during the entire Saka Dawa month of this year, with extension to July 4, and have have accumulated 9,192,301 Green Tara mantras, which are here dedicated to the health and long life of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.”
MAITRI Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Join us in congratulating MAITRI Charitable Trust, Bodhgaya, India, on their 25 years of service to all beings (particularly human and animal) in their area!
Opportunities to Offer Service in FPMT
Please check out the regularly updated exciting opportunities to offer service as a volunteer or as paid staff in FPMT centers, projects and services around the world!
Buddha House, Australia needs a new director; Mahamudra Centre, New Zealand urgently needs a center manager; and Milarepa Center, USA is looking for a spiritual program coordinator cum center manager.
Impermanence at Work
Closed study group: Yiga Chozin, a probationary retreat center in Latvia – with thanks and rejoicing for their great efforts!
Buddha House, Australia
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator – Judy Wagner
With grateful thanks to outgoing spiritual program coordinator – Bill Gundling
Do Ngak Sung Juk Centre, Japan
We welcome new director – Takiko Ohtome
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Doc O’Connor-Nemoto
Ganden Yiga Chozin, Nepal
pokhara.centre@yahoo.com
Hayagriva Buddhist Centre, Australia
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator – Susan di Bona
With grateful thanks to outgoing spiritual program coordinator – Jude Carter
Longku Center, Switzerland
We welcome new director – Francesca Paoletti
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Nadine Plachta
Tushita Retreat Center, Spain
We welcome new director – Beatriz Guergué
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Isabel Arocena
With love,
FPMT International Office
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