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International Office News
October 2015
Next Foundation Service Seminar
New Charitable Project Grants Supporting the Dalai Lama
Friends of FPMT Support the Mandala – and Receive Mandala!
Free Merit Boxes Ready to Be Shared
Work at the Center Is So Important and Beneficial
More about the Five Pillars of Service
Foundation Store News: Large 21 Taras Thangkas
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’s News:
Annual Long Life Puja
The official annual long life puja offered on behalf of FPMT centers, projects, services and students to our most kind and immeasurably precious spiritual director – Lama Zopa Rinpoche – source of our inspiration and guidance, will be offered at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on December 2, during the one-month November course.
FPMT centers, projects and services can make their annual donation via the secure site listed under Further Resources in the FPMT Affiliates Area.
Individuals can donate here.
If you would like your or your center’s name to be included in the list of donors, please make your offering by November 30.
News, Activities and Advice
Highlights from our blogs on FPMT.org:
World Peace and the Golden Light Sutra
“Anybody who wants peace in the world should read the Golden Light Sutra,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches. “This is a very important practice to stop violence and wars in the world. The Golden Light Sutra is one of the most beneficial ways to bring peace. This is something that everyone can do, no matter how busy you are, even if you can read one page a day, or a few lines and in this way continually read the Golden Light Sutra.” Read more …
“Actually, there’s no outside enemy. There’s a reason why people give harm to us, get angry with us or criticize us. There’s a reason, there’s a cause for that, and that cause is our mind ….” Read more …
Blessing Sentient Beings in the Ocean
As Lama Zopa Rinpoche travels around the globe, he regularly finds time in this busy schedule to go to beaches, piers and even ferry boats to bless the ocean and all the sentient beings living in it. One time in California, Rinpoche and a large group of students were asked to leave a wharf where they were blessing the beings using a special Namgyälma mantra boards because they didn’t have the required permission. The next day, Rinpoche wrote a letter. Read more …
Keep up to date with Lama Zopa Rinpoche News. 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 and Ven. Roger Kunsang being greeted by Neyl Soares, director of Centro Shiwa Lha, Brazil, September 2015. “Rinpoche is here. Unbelievable!” Neyl said.
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Rinpoche’s Schedule
November/December: Teachings during the one-month lam-rim course, Kopan Monastery, Nepal
December 2 – Long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery
2016
Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore
February 27 – Teaching on and bestowal of refuge
February 28 – 1,000 Offerings to Maitreya puja
March 2 – 6 – Yamantaka initiation
March 9 – 11 – Vajrayogini initiation
March 13 – Long life puja
Chokyi Gyaltsen Center, Malaysia
March 19 – 20 – Teachings on the Three Principles of the Path
March 25 – 27 – Most Secret Hayagriva initiation
Losang Dragpa Centre, Malaysia
April 1 – 3 – Cittamani Tara initiation
April 6 – White Tara long life initiation
Rinchen Jangsem Ling, Malaysia
April 9 – 11 – Great Medicine Buddha initiation
April 12 – 19 – Medicine Buddha retreat
Cham Tse Ling, Hong Kong
April 28 – 30 – Teaching on Daily Meditation
May 1 – Vajrapani/Hayagriva/Garuda jenang
August 14 – 28, 2016: Light of the Path retreat, Kadampa Center, USA
Please contact the hosts directly with any questions. Subscribe to our FPMT news blog to get updates as soon as they are announced.
Rinpoche Available Now – Enjoy livestreams of many of the teachings above and recordings of Rinpoche’s most recent teachings!
International Office News:
News from Education Services
Programs:
New and revised modules for Living in the Path Online! This program is unique among FPMT education programs in that it is taught exclusively by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Living in the Path Online is undergoing extensive revision to make it easier to access and digest. New modules are also being developed based on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s more recent teachings. Read about Living in the Path Online and determine if this program is right for your study and practice at this time.
Materials:
- New mantras available for download! Students can download these freely for their personal use. Recently added are His Holiness the Dalai Lama Name Mantras, Lama Tsongkhapa Name Mantra, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Name Mantra.
- Two new translations from Lama Zopa Rinpoche are now available! “Song of the Four Mindfulnesses: Instructions for Meditation on the View of Emptiness, Causing a Rain of Siddhis to Fall” by the Seventh Dalai Lama and “Requesting Prayer to Padmasambhava” by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa. You can read more about these two translations.
Next Foundation Service Seminar
For the first time, the Foundation Service Seminar (FSS) will be offered at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, USA in a two-part training beginning October 30- November 1, 2015. For more information and to register.
New Charitable Project Grants Supporting the Dalai Lama
One of FPMT’s main priorities is to support and offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. One of the ways we are able to support His Holiness is by helping the monasteries where Tibetan Buddhism is studied extensively.
Three substantial grants were recently offered to the monks of Sera Mey, Sera Je and Ganden, many of who are Tibetans and refugees, in addition to being disciples of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We invite you to read more about and rejoice in these FPMT Charitable Projects grants:
- Grant Offered to Sera Mey Monastery for Debate Courtyard
- Sera Je Food Fund Distributes Food to Monks Over Summer Break
- Support Given to Ganden Samlo Khangtsen at Ganden Monastery
Friends of FPMT Support the Mandala – and Receive Mandala!
The collective generosity of our Friends supporters serves our worldwide mandala by supporting FPMT International Office activities. Friends of FPMT get the redesigned Mandala magazine and new Mandala ebooks as lovely benefits in addition to a host of other ebooks, PDFs, and free online classes! Learn more.
Free Merit Boxes Ready to Be Shared
We have lots of Merit Boxes at International Office that we want to share freely with everyone! Request one for your home and join the International Merit Box Project in its 15th year of benefiting FPMT communities.
Sign up to receive daily posts of all FPMT news blogs via email.
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.
Work at the Center Is So Important and Beneficial
Rinpoche’s words to a director retiring after some years of service is helpful for all of us offering service in the organization:
“Thank you for your letter. I understand you have tried very, very, very, very, very hard. I appreciate very much all your help with the center for such a long time. This work is very, very important: giving people the opportunity to meet Dharma and to practice Dharma – this is so important, so helpful, so beneficial you can’t imagine – or maybe you can! It’s important to understand how beneficial your work and the work of others there at the center is – and how important it is. Amazing, amazing, amazing! Please rejoice in all you have and others have done – it’s so worthwhile.”
Find this and more inspiration from Rinpoche and Lama for those offering service in the FPMT Affiliates Area.
More about the Five Pillars of Service
European regional coordinator Rafa Ferrer invited presentations on FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service during the European Regional Meeting in July 2015. Rafa commented:
“Each of the presentations were really good. Generating income was probably the star. People saw the work already being done, and it became clear that the real good motivation behind any business is that your Dharma program is not hindered by the need to adapt due to financial concerns.”
The audio of the presentations is up for you in the Five Pillars section of the FPMT Affiliates Area.
Foundation Store News: Large 21 Taras Thangkas
JUST ARRIVED! Beautiful large thangkas of the 21 Taras painted for the Foundation Store by some of the best artists in Kathmandu, Nepal. Receive a special discount when you invite this holy object into your FPMT center, project or service for your students and supporters to enjoy today!
FPMT World:
Rejoice:
We warmly welcome:
Lama Tsongkhapa Study Group (probationary center), Kachkanar, Russia
Jamyang Salisbury Study Group (probationary center), Salisbury, UK
Namdrol Ling Study Group (probationary center), Miami, FL, USA
LRZTP 7 started the year with 14 students (two more will come later)! Of these, nine are committed to work as trainee interpreters in FPMT centers once they complete the two years of study and practice in Dharamsala, India.
IMI would like to thank the sponsors who make it possible for us to support Sangha to participate in retreats with Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Special thanks to the FPMT centers, projects and services which have made their annual donation to the Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund.
Opportunities to Offer Service in FPMT
Please check out the regularly updated meritorious opportunities to offer service as a volunteer or as paid staff in FPMT centers, projects and services around the world.
Milarepa Center, USA needs a facilities and land manager, and an HTML-savvy volunteer; Mahamudra Centre, New Zealand needs a center manager.
Impermanence at Work
Our prayers go out to Jose Moya, who died on October 10, and his family. Jose was SPC of Nagarjuna Barcelona.
Dharmakaya Center, USA
6165 Ridgeview Court #G, Reno, NV 89519
Gyalwa Gyatso (Ocean of Compassion) Buddhist Center, USA
We welcome new director – Margaret Kim
With grateful thanks to previous director – John Boley
Kadampa Center, USA
We welcome new co-SPCs – Donna Seese and Tony Allen
With grateful thanks to previous SPC – Sarah Brooks
Nagarjuna Barcelona, Spain
We welcome new SPC – Nuria Sala
Our prayers go out to Jose Moya, who died on October 10, and his family. Jose was SPC of Nagarjuna Barcelona.
Nagarjuna C.E.T. Granada, Spain
We welcome new resident teacher – Ven. Fabio Poza
Nalanda Monastery, France
We welcome new SPC – Ven. Lekshe
With grateful thanks to previous SPC – Ven. Tendar
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