International Office News
November 2024

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery, January 2020. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Teachings From and News About Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Emptiness Explained: A Teaching on The Heart Sutra

“No matter how many other realizations you have, if you don’t have realization of emptiness, there’s nothing that can directly eliminate the root of samsara, ignorance,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained. “No other realization can directly cease delusions and karma. There is no other way to be completely liberated forever from suffering.”

In the newly available, Emptiness Explained: A Teaching on The Heart Sutra, Rinpoche not only teaches on the root cause of our sufferings, but skillfully guides us, step by step, on a profound meditation on emptiness, from identifying the object to be refuted (how things appear to our hallucinating minds) to generating an awareness of how everything is totally empty; conventionally, dependent arising.

Cutting Delusions: The Power of the Vajra Cutter Sutra

Lama Zopa Rinpoche giving the oral transmission of the Vajra Cutter Sutra at the Mahabodhi Stupa, Bodhgaya, India, March 2015. Photo by Ven. Losang Sherab.

Along with the Heart Sutra, the Vajra Cutter Sutra (also known as the Diamond Cutter Sutra or Diamond Sutra) is one of the most well-known sutras of Mahayana Buddhism. The Vajra Cutter Sutra is a discourse on the Buddhist concept of emptiness, or “Wisdom Gone Beyond.”

About this sutra, Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, “It is one of the most profitable practices, because the root of all sufferings, yours and others, is the ignorance holding ‘I’ as truly existent—even though it is empty of that; and the ignorance holding the aggregates as truly existent, even though they are empty of that. The only antidote to cut that, to get rid of that and through which to achieve liberation, the total cessation of the suffering causes—delusions and karma—is the wisdom realizing emptiness. This is the subject of the Vajra Cutter Sutra, emptiness. So, each time you read it, it leaves such a positive imprint. Without taking much time, without much difficulty, it is easy to actualize wisdom.”

Please explore some of the many resources available to those wishing to explore this sutra further, and utilize its profound wisdom into daily life.

Second Anniversary Pilgrimage to Lawudo

The first Lawudo anniversary pilgrims assembled in front of the Thame Stupa, Nepal, May 2024. Photo courtesy of Ven. Sarah Thresher.

Following the success of the first anniversary pilgrimage last year, Lawudo Retreat Center is happy to announce that it will once again be offering the chance to visit, reflect, pray and meditate in the holy places of the Lawudo Lamas on the second anniversary of the passing of our most precious and cherished spiritual master, Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche.

This pilgrimage will take place April 26-May 10, 2025 and will culminate in a 5-day stay at Lawudo, where participants will gather for a 3-day retreat with teachings on the Wheel of Sharp Weapons thought transformation text by Charok Lama Rinpoche, and for guided prayers and practices in the Lawudo cave and gompa for Rinpoche’s swift return.

The 15-day trek will take place following the CPMT meetings, anniversary events and Wheel of Sharp Weapons teachings at Kopan Monastery in April this coming year. It will be limited to 25 participants only. Please read more details about this opportunity.

Lama Yeshe’s Wisdom

Lama Yeshe meditating during a month-long course at Chenrezig Institute, Australia, 1975. Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

An Introduction to Meditation

The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind is one of the most beloved free books from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. The six teachings contained in this volume come from Lama Yeshe’s 1975 visit to Australia. They are all filled with love, insight, wisdom and compassion, and accessible question-and-answer sessions.

Please enjoy Chapter 5 of Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind,­­­­ “An Introduction to Meditation” from a talk given by Lama Yeshe at Anzac House, Sydney, AUS, April 8, 1975. Edited by Nicholas Ribush.

What We’re Rejoicing About

Support Offered to 1,500 Students in India and Nepal in 2024!

Gaden Jangtse Monastic College’s students with their new textbooks.

Since 2012, the FPMT’s Social Services Fund has been a cornerstone of support for schools in India and Nepal, catering to students from Tibetan, Nepali, Sherpa, and Indian backgrounds. This initiative ensures that these schools can provide quality education at no cost by covering essentials such as food, uniforms, school supplies, and teacher salaries. In 2024 alone, the fund allocated US$213,052 to seven schools, positively impacting nearly 1,500 children. This remarkable effort not only delivers essential modern education but also preserves cultural heritage and Buddhadharma teachings. Please enjoy this annual report of the grants offered and activities supported.

Ven. Roger Kunsang Visits Malaysia

In October, Ven. Roger Kunsang met with all three FPMT Malaysia entities in order to engage with the communities, receive updates on their various projects and plans, and share stories about Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT. Please read more about these inspiring visits.

Geshe Doga Offers Forty Years of Teachings and Kindness at Tara Institute

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Geshe Doga, December 2022, Bodhgaya, India. Photo by Cynthia Karena.

Tara Institute is extremely honored that Geshe Doga has been serving as resident teacher for forty years. Please read their recent report about his kindness, guidance and invaluable teachings spanning four decades.

Twelfth Annual Mani Retreat Completed in Mongolia

Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling, the FPMT center located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, has reported that during their twelfth annual 100 Million Mani Retreat, held from September 18-October 17, 2024, 100,818,700 mani recitations were accumulated! While most of the manis came from Mongolian people, they also welcomed contributions from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Canada, Poland, and Italy. We will share details of this meritorious event soon.

Regional Consultations Continue to Pave the Way for CPMT 2025

The last of the four regional consultations planned in 2024 to pave the way for the CPMT 2025 took place at Tara Institute in Melbourne, on October 26 and 27. There were representatives, onsite or online, from almost all FPMT centers, projects, and services in Australia and New Zealand. Discussions were facilitated by François Lecointre, Center and Teacher Services Director from FPMT International Office, and Dale Davis and Karuna Cayton from the FPMT Inc. Board. In October, the International Office Staff also held several brainstorming sessions on the same topics. We will share details about this event soon. 

Foundation Service Seminar at Chandrakirti Institute

Led by experienced facilitators Annelies van der Heidjen and François Lecointre, the Foundation Service Seminar held at Chandrakirti Institute, New Zealand, from November 6-9, 2024, was a great success. Participants from various FPMT affiliates in New Zealand worked joyfully on how to better integrate practice and service. We look forward to sharing full details on this soon.

Resources and Opportunities for Study and Practice

Creating Merit on Lhabab Duchen, November 22

Lhabab Duchen, one of the four great holy days of the Buddhist calendar, takes place this year on November 22, 2024.

Lhabab Duchen celebrates Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s return to Earth from the God Realm of the Thirty-Three after teaching Dharma for several months to the gods, including his mother, Mayadevi, who had died a week after Buddha’s birth and been reborn there. As a merit-multiplying day, the karmic results of actions done on this day are multiplied 100 million times, as taught in the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic. Please read about the recommended practices to do on this day, and learn about the offerings which will be sponsored on behalf of the entire FPMT organization.

Newly Available and Revised Materials

This month we have made available the eBook version of the Sutra of Great Liberation. The unimaginable benefits of engaging with The Sutra of Great Liberation (thar pa chhen pöi do) featured most prominently in the later years of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings, although Rinpoche is reported to have spoken of them as early as 2006. Rinpoche emphasized that engaging with the sutra in any way, even unintentionally, is profoundly beneficial. Let alone reciting the sutra or its mantra, even hearing any part of the sutra or keeping a copy of the sutra brings immeasurable benefit. Reciting the sutra, for instance, also easily purifies negative karma.

If you want to have a printed version of The Sutra of Great Liberation, you can order it through Amazon’s print-on-demand service, in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA.

Please find also the updated version of the Six-Session Guru Yoga and the Six-Session Guru Yoga Commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Secular Spirituality, the Science of Consciousness, and the Illusion of Self

Today we are sharing an upcoming opportunity to join Science & Wisdom LIVE and other FPMT collaborators as they explore secular spirituality, consciousness and the illusion of self in a groundbreaking collaborative event.

On Saturday, November 23, 2024, “Secular Spirituality, The Science of Consciousness, and The Illusion of Self” will unite audiences worldwide in an inspiring online event hosted by Science & Wisdom LIVE, a project of Jamyang London Buddhist Centre. What makes this dialogue truly special is the support from four FPMT entities and their projects, working together for combined results. Real more details and find out how to register in English, Spanish, and Italian. 

Opportunities to Offer Support and Changes within the Organization

Changes in the FPMT Organization

Langri Tangpa Centre, Australia
We welcome Stacey Gossip as new Director

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, the European Regional Office, the North American Regional Office, Nepal, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, UK and the US.

Newly added: Land of Joy, UK, is looking for a center director; Land of Medicine Buddha, CA, is looking for a spiritual program coordinator, a cook, and work-study live-in volunteers; Maitri Charitable Trust in Bodghaya, India, is looking for an administrative manager; Mahamudra Centre, NZ, is looking for a center director and live-in volunteers; the European Regional Office is looking for a regional coordinator; and the North American Regional Office is looking for a teaching tour 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.