International Office News
November 2022

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, McLeod Ganj, H.P., India, November 2, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche:

A Most Precious Meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, with FPMT CEO Ven. Roger Kusang also attending, McLeod Ganj, H.P. India, November 2, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama.

On November 2, 2022, Lama Zopa Rinpoche had a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in His Holiness’s residence in Dharamsala, India. His Holiness shared a heartfelt appreciation for Rinpoche’s activities for the benefit of sentient beings, and according to those in attendance (including Ven. Roger Kunsang who we were delighted to see standing in the photos following his accident resulting in a fractured hip in September), it was an extremely positive meeting. Please read more and rejoice in this most precious meeting with His Holiness.

Teachings and Advice

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, September 7, 2022. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

Please enjoy some recently published teachings from the past month, and links to new episodes of the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Essential Extracts Podcast:

• Thought Transformation Teachings 137: Tonglen is the Main Practice
• To Practice Tantra You Need Guru Devotion and Bodhicitta
• The Long Life Puja is Not a Real Long Life Puja
• Whenever You Generate Faith in Padmasambhava, He Is There
• Recent episodes of the “Lama Zopa Rinpoche Essential Extracts Podcast” include, “By Pleasing the Guru, We Collect Unimaginable Merit, Purify Negative Karma, and Achieve Realizations” and “All Our Happiness Comes from Those Who Harm Us.” New episodes are released every other Monday and previously published episodes are available on the Essential Extracts Podcast page as well.

All teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche are published regularly, unedited on our full-length teachings podcast shortly after the teaching finishes.

We’re Rejoicing About:

Building Universal Education Together

The development of compassion and wisdom are at the heart of the FPMT organization. Our mission is to provide integrated education through which people’s minds and hearts can be transformed into their highest potential for the benefit of others, inspired by an attitude of universal responsibility and service. The goal of the FPMT Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom (UECW) Pillar of Service is to provide secular tools inspired by Dharma for those people who are not drawn to religion. The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) is an FPMT affiliate which has focused on developing and sharing such secular UECW programs and resources. We are therefore delighted to announce that FDCW will now serve as the FPMT organization’s official hub for this Pillar of Service! FDCW will provide guidance and support to all in the FPMT organization to help further develop universal education for compassion and wisdom. You can read more about this beneficial development.

Congratulations to Jamyang Buddhist Centre of Leeds, UK!

Please join the entire FPMT community in congratulating Jamyang Buddhist Centre on their twenty-fifth anniversary serving sentient beings—an incredible achievement!

Become a Friend of FPMT

What’s New?

New Blogs and Stories from FPMT.org

You can keep up on all of our latest blogs, featured stories, community news, and teachings by checking in regularly to the What’s New page on FPMT.org.

Publications to Support Your Dharma Study and Practice

Materials for Your Study & Practice

New:

• Helping Yourself and Others Die Happily: Instructions and Practices for the Time of Death: These practices compiled by Lama Zopa Rinpoche make it easy for us students to prepare for our own death, and for us to help other people who are dying or dead.
• Seven-Line Invocation to Guru Rinpoche: One of the most popular and important prayers performed across all Tibetan lineages. It invokes Guru Rinpoche to please descend here in order to bless us to practice as he did.
• Holy Objects to Place on the Body at the Time of Death: This kit was assembled according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s specific advice on what a person should hear, see, and place on the body at the time of death.
• Prayer Eliminating Obstacles and Accomplishing Wishes: Includes Request in Six Vajra Lines, Padmasambhava mantra and Requests to Oḍḍiyāna and the Goddesses of the Four Elements. This prayer is commonly recited to avert and prevent disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
• Name Mantra that Multiplies Virtue by A Hundred Thousand: This name mantra multiplies whatever virtue we do every day by a hundred thousand. According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice, this mantra should be recited after the merit has been accumulated; or if the roots of virtue have not been destroyed by anger, recite it at the end of the day.
• Benefits of Two Name Mantras: Includes the Dharani of the Caitya, a mantra to collect a vast amount of merit when printing copies of deity images, stupas, or texts.
• Prayer and Mantra of Marici for Important Work: A prayer for important matters underway, such as a lawsuit. To be done each day to be successful.
• Recognizing the Clear Light of Sleep Mantra and Commentary: By reciting this mantra when falling asleep you will recognize the clear light of sleep and quickly realize the meaning of the perfection of wisdom.
• Liberation Cloth: This sacred item is part of the collection of tools to help the dying and deceased. Available to order through some FPMT centers. You can read more about this special resource.

Updates & Revisions:

• Liberation Tools to Help the Dying and Deceased: A collection of tools assembled according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice containing powerful methods for ensuring a fortunate rebirth for those who are in the process of dying or have just died (previously known as the Liberation Box).
• Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death: This practice contains advice and commentary from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on how to practice the five powers to ensure a peaceful death and positive rebirth. Newly added is the list of the projects within FPMT through which you can make your belongings most beneficial for sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha.
• Six Session Guru Yoga: Clarification on the interpretation of “smoke-colored,” revised by Joona Repo, FPMT Translation Services, August 2022.

For a complete list of FPMT Education Services prayers and practices, please visit our catalogue page. You can also find all new arrivals, updated materials, and translated materials in our Foundation Store.

Announcing the Lamrim Year Companion Website

We are happy to share that the popular free book, Lamrim Year, published by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, now has a companion website! The free Lamrim Year Companion website is designed to help you access Lamrim Year’s daily meditations wherever you are, from your computer or mobile device. You can sign up at the website today! Read more about this new opportunity.

Easier Access to Languages and Content on YouTube

Students can now easily access YouTube channels in various languages in addition to English and English with live rough transcripts scripted on the screen. Please visit YouTube for videos in French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, Portuguese, German, and Tibetan. We are also happy to now have the following hashtags #LamaZopaRinpoche and
#ThoughtTransformationTeaching which will enable visitors to YouTube to find content about Lama Zopa Rinpoche and videos from the thought transformation teaching series easily.

Opportunities and Changes within the Organization:

FPMT Give a Gift that Helps Others

With the holiday season approaching for many, we are highlighting our Give a Gift that Helps Others giving program. Make an offering to support Sangha, the creation of holy objects, FPMT social services, or animal liberations as a gift for a friend, and we provide you an e-card or print card to share how your gift made on their behalf is benefiting others! Learn more.

Opportunities Available

Would you like to spend your days making a meaningful contribution? Have a look at these meritorious opportunities to offer service as a volunteer or as paid staff in FPMT centers, projects, and services around the world.

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FPMT International Office is Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s office.