International Office News
May 2025

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, November 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Teachings and News Regarding Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Continued Prayers for Rinpoche’s Swift Return

Students of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche are asked to continue reciting prayers for Rinpoche’s swift return. We all rejoiced in the news that Rinpoche’s reincarnation has been born according to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and prayers are still needed.

Please read the latest advice offered by His Holiness to continue reciting Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri as well as Migtsema practice. Additionally, Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi and Ven. Roger Kunsang have checked with Trisur Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin who confirms that continuing the swift return prayers as previously recommended is good to do at this time.

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 electronically 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 productions.

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.

The Purpose of an FPMT Center

A letter to a new center director from Lama Zopa Rinpoche:

The purpose of an FPMT center is to take care of the minds of others, to keep the mind in virtue as much as possible. This means keeping your own mind in virtue. You have to try. It is very good to try. If you can’t do that, you can’t help others. So your motivation should be to use your body, speech and mind to create even the smallest happiness in others. Many people in the world waste their lives. People try to climb mountains no matter what risk to their life, some people use themselves as bullets, getting fired from cannons, and so forth, unbelievable things, putting their lives in danger to achieve such insignificant happiness in this life. … When you train the mind in positive virtue, especially a good heart trying to benefit others, it creates very good communication. There is no Great Wall between yourself and others. It brings so much happiness to you and others, and brings world peace. Read the full letter.

Lama Yeshe’s Wisdom

Lama Yeshe’s 90th Birthday Celebration

In 2025, Lama Yeshe would have reached the age of 90 years. To honor his profound legacy, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) invited his students from across the globe to share their treasured memories and life-changing teachings with present and future generations. A special puja was on held on May 15 at ILTK celebrating what would have been Lama’s ninetieth birthday. Please read the details of this joyful event.

Defeating the Eight Worldly Dharmas

Lama Yeshe teaching at Kosmos Centre, Amsterdam, 1980. Jan-Paul Kool (photographer) Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Clean-Clear: Refuge, Bodhicitta and the Nature of the Mind is the second volume in a series of Lama Yeshe’s collected teachings from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. This book contains introductory teachings given in England in 1976 and Holland in 1980. Compiled and edited by Nick Ribush.

Here we share an excerpt of Lama Yeshe’s teaching from Chapter 13 of this book, Defeating the Eight Worldly Dharmas:

The attitude behind the eight worldly dharmas, or phenomena, is a symptom of ignorance and ego and we have to recognize it as a negative motivation. For example, if you have the attitude that receiving a present is a source of pleasure and not receiving one is a cause of unhappiness, that’s not good. That attitude is a symptom of ego.

First of all, this attitude does not understand what is a gift and what is not. It functions at a very gross level. You don’t understand the broad view that the gift of other sentient beings is profound. If you think that giving chocolate is the only way to interpret giving—if you’re not giving chocolate, you’re not giving—your view is extremely narrow, and that’s a problem.

Another of the eight worldly dharmas is being attached to pleasant feelings and averse to unpleasant ones. That’s not good either. For a start, the way in which you interpret pleasant and unpleasant is completely relative; it depends. For example, one person considers meditating to be like going to a nightclub or the beach and finds it really enjoyable, while another considers it to be like being in prison and completely miserable. So, finding certain situations pleasant or unpleasant depends on your attitude. Please read the full excerpt.

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From the FPMT Inc. Board of Directors

May 2025 Update

Please read a new update from the FPMT Inc. Board of Directors discussing the recent CPMT Summit at Kopan Monastery and some upcoming changes to the senior management of FPMT International Office. 

What We’re Rejoicing About

Saka Dawa: A Day of Merit and Prayers for All Beings

Saka Dawa, which falls on June 11 this year, is one of the most powerful days of the year to create merit and engage in prayers and practices.

Following the precious advice of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, we have arranged the following extensive pujas and practices to be offered throughout the day of Saka Dawa:

• Two recitations of the 100,000 Praises to the Twenty-One Taras
• The recitation of the Guhyasamaja Root Tantra
• 1000 Offerings to Buddha Namgyalma and Medicine Buddha Puja
• Recitations of Jampal Tshen Jo (Chanting the Names of Manjushri)
• Offerings will be made to all the sangha undertaking these practices and to all of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s gurus
• The stupas of Boudhanath and Swambyunath in Nepal will be freshly painted, the umbrellas at the pinnacle of each stupa will be replaced, and a new set of robes will be offered to the Buddha statue in the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya

We would like to invite anyone who wishes to, to join in this day of merit and extensive prayers, by offering any amount but also (and most importantly) by remembering that these practices are happening on the day, one can rejoice in them and dedicate all the merits. Lama Zopa Rinpoche often reminded us that this is the best way to create the most extensive merit.

Vesak Celebration at Amitabha Buddhist Centre

A three-day Vesak Celebration was held at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, from May 10-12. Please take a look at the inspiring list of activities that occurred and join us in rejoicing that ABC offered such a powerful community event. 

Maitripa College Celebrates 16th Commencement

On May 17, the Maitripa College community gathered to celebrate the 16^th Commencement Ceremony honoring the 2025 graduates of the Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies and Master of Divinity programs.

Dean of Education, Namdrol Miranda Adams shares, “The ceremony was a joyful and moving gathering of faculty, students, friends, family, and supporters. It included traditional prayers and dedications, heartfelt reflections, and an offering of gratitude to the teachers and mentors who have guided the graduates on their paths. As Maitripa College enters its 20th year, we are inspired by the example of this graduating class and all of our alumni who are manifesting the Dharma through lives of engaged, compassionate service. May the merit of their practice and study continue to benefit countless beings.” Please look for a full report of this commencement ceremony and photos in the coming days.

Second Lawudo Anniversary Pilgrimage Finishes

Second anniversary pilgrim participants in front of the Lawudo Gompa. The final group photo—blessing the prayer flags to be hung at the White Cliff above Lawudo. Some pilgrims left a day earlier to give more time to walk back to Lukla. Photo courtesy of Ven. Sarah Thresher.

Twenty-five participants finished the Second Lawudo Anniversary Pilgrimage, which occurred from April 26-May 10. This pilgrimage is for students of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and explores the lives and places of the Lawudo lamas. Please read Ven. Sarah Thresher’s report of this incredibly special event, along with photos and information on another opportunity for a trek to Lawudo happening later this year with Ven. Katy Cole.

Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat at Kopan Monastery

A Wheel of Sharp Weapons retreat was led by Geshe Tenzin Legtsok from April 17-23 at Kopan Monastery with 53 participants. This retreat was an expressed wish of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and we are delighted to share a joyful report of what is intended to be the first of many retreats focused on this powerful text.

Animal Blessing at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa: A Day of Compassion

Geshe Tenzin Tenphel blessing  a dog at the ILTK animal blessing, April 17, 2025. Photo courtesy of ILTK.

On April 17 Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa hosted a special animal blessing event. Please read about this event as a source for great rejoicing and inspiration for your own practice in relation to blessing and liberating animals.

2025 CPMT Summit Report

We are happy to share a detailed report of the recent CPMT Summit at Kopan Monastery, A Momentous Family Reunion at Kopan Monastery. Please enjoy this overview which is packed with photos (including a beautiful photo gallery!), videos and summaries of the powerful presentations, and many quotes and precious feedback from participants.

Resources and Opportunities for Study and Practice

Advice for Prayers and Practices on Saka Dawa

Shakyamuni Buddha by artist Peter Peter Iseli.

Saka Dawa, which occurs this year on June 11, is one of the four great holy days of the Tibetan calendar, each of which celebrates an anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha’s display of extraordinary powerful deeds for sentient beings’ sake. On this particular holy day, karmic results are multiplied by 300 million times as it commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha’s three major life events.

Please refer to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for merit multiplying days, in particular:

• Taking the eight Mahayana precepts: students can receive the lineage of these precepts from a specially produced video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche granting them, recorded in 2020 at Kopan Monastery.
• Reciting the Sutra Remembering the Three Jewels

Recognizing the False I

Recognizing the False I, written by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is a commentary on and set of simple meditation techniques for identifying the object to be refuted— what Rinpoche calls “the false I”—during reflections on emptiness.

The text was specifically composed for students engaging in the self-generation portion—often called “the ultimate deity”—of kriya yoga tantric practices, such as nyung nas. The meditations can also be used by students during retreats on the Heart Sutra or any other retreat focused on emptiness.

New to FPMT Education: In-depth Meditation Training

Recently added to the FPMT in-depth education programs, FPMT In-depth Meditation Training (IDMT) focuses entirely on meditation and support of long-term practitioners. IDMT is a four-year online meditation training that offers personal instructions and guidance, helping meditators progress, develop, and experience a genuine taste of the nature of reality and bodhicitta. Please read more about this new training course and how you can participate.

Science & Wisdom LIVE Launches “Exploring Consciousness” Course

A new self-paced online course by Science and Wisdom Live and Jamyang Buddhist Center brings together the perspectives of Buddhism and modern science as it explores how consciousness, perception and self is understood in the cognitive sciences as well as in Buddhist philosophy and psychology, the scientific challenges of studying these phenomenon, and how meditation and mindfulness can influence our brain and well-being as well as practical ways to apply these insights to our own life.

The course will launch on May 25, 2025, coinciding with a special live event at Jamyang London Buddhist Centre. This event will feature a dialogue between Geshe Tenzin Namdak, resident teacher at Jamyang and a graduate of Sera Jey Monastic University, and Professor Anil Seth, a leading neuroscientist known for his work on consciousness. Together, they will investigate the fundamental questions of how consciousness arises, the relationship between brain and mind, and what ancient contemplative traditions and modern science can learn from each other.

(As an FPMT student you get 30% discount on online events and e-learning courses. Use the promo code FPMTCOMMUNITY25 at the checkout.)

Prayers for the Long Life of Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche

This prayer booklet comprises two long life prayers for Khandro Rinpoche.

The Sound of the Divine Drum was composed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as requested by Gen Zamling for a prayer listing her special qualities by means of a long life supplication. Translated by Rhonwen Sayer.

Great Clouds of the Divine Drum, a four-line prayer by Ven. Ngawang Drodul Tenzin Kundkyab, a close Dharma friend of Khandro Rinpoche. Translated by Ven. Sean Price.

Retreat Opportunities

Please check our retreat schedule page for upcoming group retreat opportunities. Please also note the specific opportunities for preliminary practice retreats.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained that the purpose of doing preliminary practices is to purify obstacles and collect extensive merit to achieve realizations of the path to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. In addition, to cause such realizations to ripen within one’s mind, one needs to receive the guru’s blessings through the practice of guru yoga. We are happy to share that FPMT centers are offering opportunities for engaging in preliminary practices so students can fulfil Rinpoche’s advice and progress in this most essential way on the path. Please read about some of the upcoming opportunities.

Call for Interviews and Submissions!

Road to Kopan Stories Requested

For many long-time students of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, is where they first met the teachings of Buddha and where they saw their lives changed profoundly. In the past, Mandala magazine collected these stories, starting with the early students of the 1970s. We would like to begin collecting these stories again and need your help! If you were an early student of FPMT and have not yet shared your Road to Kopan story with us, or you know of someone we should solicit for their story, please be in touch!

FPMT Community Stories

We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

Opportunities and Changes within the Organization

Changes in the FPMT Organization

Tara Lanka Study Group, Sri Lanka
We welcome Sanjaya Mahavithanage and Dilini Wijesakara as new co-coordinators
With grateful thanks to outgoing coordinator Malintha Pereira

Maitreya Instituut Loenen, The Netherlands
We welcome Janneke Langeveld as new director
With grateful thanks to outgoing director Brigitte Bol

Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling (Center for Wisdom and Compassion), Denmark
We welcome Maria Damsholt as new spiritual program coordinator

Europe Regional Office
We welcome new regional coordinator – Steff Hill
With grateful thanks to outgoing coordinator Nicolas Brun

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 a paid staff or volunteer in FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world, including opportunities in Australia, France, India, North American Region, Nepal, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, UK and the USA. Newly added: Institut Vajra Yogini (France) and De-Tong Ling Centre are looking for a new director.

Foundation Service Seminar in France, Australia, and Italy

The Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) is the “FPMT immersion retreat,” providing essential information and nourishment for all serving, or wishing to serve, in the FPMT organization. This is a wonderful opportunity for centers, projects, and services to invest in the future by training the next generation of directors, SPCs, volunteers, board members, etc.

Institut Vajra Yogini, France, is organizing an FSS on September 24-28, 2025. Reservations are not open yet but please save the dates already.

Atisha Centre, Australia, is organizing an FSS in November or December 2025, dates soon to be announced, please stay posted.

Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, will organizing an FSS in 2026 on June 10-14, please save the dates and stay posted for more information.

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.