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International Office News
September 2016
“A Hymn of Experience” Available from FPMT Education Services
Supporting Care for Dogs in Malaysia and Bhutan
Mandala Publications – New Ebook and Associate Editor
Foundation Store News: Many Items Now Available Directly from Australia
Next Foundation Service Seminar
Congratulations to Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar!
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 News:
Activities and Advice
New Advice:
Lama Zopa Rinpoche dictated specific advice during the recent Light of the Path retreat, which was later handed out to retreat participants. Rinpoche would like to now offer this advice to all who offer service in the FPMT organization in any way – and to all other sentient beings, too. So please enjoy “How to Make Your Life Most Beneficial for Sentient Beings, Even with Your Speech.”
You’ll find this and other advice available on Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Advice page.
Also, recorded video, audio and transcripts of the Light of the Path 2016 teachings are available on FPMT.org.
Highlights from our blogs:
Lama Zopa Rinpoche: “Everything is in your hand, your happiness, your suffering, all up to you, up to your mind. Our potential is unbelievable!”
Shared by Ven. Roger Kunsang on his Twitter page.
What We Do to Protect This Nonexistent Real I
“If we do some profound scientific analysis, some inner scientific analysis, we can see how much we believe in this totally real I that actually does not exist. It appears to be real from its own side, we believe it to be real one hundred percent, but it is not there. By doing this inner scientific analysis, this meditation, we can come to see this very subtle point, the nonexistence of this ‘real’ I,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches in the new book Sun of Devotion, Stream of Blessings, recently published by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Read in full …
Find a wide range of advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on Rinpoche’s Advice page.
Schedule
November 5 – December 5 – Teaching during part of the one-month lam-rim course, Kopan Monastery, Nepal
December 5 – Official long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, Nepal
2017
October 4 – November 5 – Mani Retreat, Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy
Subscribe to our FPMT news blog to get updates as soon as they are announced. Enjoy livestreams of many of the teachings above and recordings of Rinpoche’s most recent teachings via Rinpoche Available Now!
International Office News:
“A Hymn of Experience”
Available from FPMT Education Services
“A Hymn of Experience” is a brief presentation of the stages of the path to enlightenment (lam-rim) composed by Lama Tsongkhapa. FPMT Education Services is pleased to offer a free PDF download of this essential lam-rim text translated by Ven. Joan Nicell.
Supporting Care for Dogs in Malaysia and Bhutan
FPMT Charitable Projects recently issued grants for two initiatives benefiting dogs and other animals.
US$5,000 was offered to Jangsa Animal Saving Trust (JAST) for their ongoing work caring for hundreds of animals in six provinces across Bhutan. Lama Zopa Rinpoche visited one of the rescue houses in Thimbu where 60 dogs and 11 large pigs are taken care of. Rinpoche blessed the dogs with mantras and prayers. During this visit Rinpoche commented, “Saving even one animal can create good karma for all sentient beings, but Jangsa has saved thousands and thousands. The work of Jangsa is even greater than that of the powerful leaders of America or Russia. So please keep it up!” You can read more about JAST’s incredible work.
While in Malaysia, Rinpoche heard about a dog shelter, Auntie Mee Fah’s Dogs’ Shelter, which is caring for over 1,000 at-risk dogs with food and shelter. Students from Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC) visited the shelter on Rinpoche’s behalf, blessing the dogs with mantras and also putting up Namgyälma mantras in every dog cage. Rinpoche also committed to offer six months’ worth of food for the dogs. You can read more about this amazing dog shelter and how we supported their work.
Mandala Publications – New Ebook and Associate Editor
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Mandala’s third ebook, The Stories and Words of Great Buddhist Masters, Volume 2, has just been published!
Mandala ebooks are available as a benefit of the Friends of FPMT program. Support Friends of FPMT at the e-Friends level or higher and receive all of Mandala’s ebooks. You can also now find Mandala’s ebooks in the Foundation Store! Mandala ebooks are available in EPUB, MOBI and PDF formats. Get a copy today by becoming a Friend of FPMT or through the Foundation Store.
Meeting Death with Wisdom, Mandala’s first ebook, takes a look at how both high lamas and ordinary students have experienced the death and dying process. Our other ebooks, The Stories and Words of Great Buddhist Masters, Volume 1 and Volume 2 are an anthology of talks, interviews and personal stories about the lives of our lineage masters.
In other news, Mandala welcomes Donna L. Brown as our new associate editor beginning in September! Donna recently completed her Masters of Divinity degree at Maitripa College and has been a regular volunteer writer and proofreader for Mandala for several years.
Free Merit Boxes
Become one of the many Merit Box practitioners from all around the world. Merit Box offerings are collected annually and turned into grants that help Dharma projects and communities that further the mission of FPMT. Start by ordering a free Merit Box for your altar or desk!
Foundation Store News:
Many Items Now Available Directly from Australia
Chenrezig Institute’s Dharma & Gift Shop in Australia now makes available many of the items that the Foundation Store has in our warehouse in Portland, Oregon, US. Students living in Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, and South East Asia can now order many of the same Dharma materials available in the United States, but save significantly on shipping costs by ordering directly from Chenrezig Institute. For further details please contact the Chenrezig Institute’s Dharma & Gift Shop directly.
Note: Chenrezig Institute’s Dharma & Gift Shop does not currently carry every item available in the Foundation Store, including many digital items like online programs and ebooks that require no shipping.
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.
Next Foundation Service Seminar
A Foundation Service Seminar with a facilitator training component will be offered February 3-10, 2017, at Land of Medicine Buddha, California, US. Save the date! Booking information coming soon.
FPMT World:
Rejoice!
We welcome Jetsun Drolma Study Group (probationary center) in Bali, Indonesia!
Congratulations to Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar!
On August 19, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh formally and most generously handed over about 200 acres of land in Kushinagar, India, to Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar! Now, after tirelessly working on legalities, the work on site can begin. Find out more here and on the official Maitreya Buddha Project Kushinagar website.
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.
De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre, Australia, is looking for a retreat manager; Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP), India, is looking for a project and courses manager.
Impermanence at Work
Buddha House, Australia
We welcome new resident geshe – Geshe Konchog Khab
Centro Bengungyal, Mexico
Vazquez del Mercado 320, Col. Centro
C.P. 20000, Aguascalientes, Ags.
Land of Calm Abiding, USA
We welcome new director – Ven. Lhundub Chodron
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Ven. Chonyi
Maitreya Instituut, Loenen and Amsterdam, The Netherlands
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Annelies van der Heijden
Nalanda Monastery, France
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Ven. Losang Tenzin
With grateful thanks to outgoing SPC – Ven. Lekshe
Shakyamuni Center, Taiwan
We welcome new director – Ven. Thubten Osel
With grateful thanks to outgoing director – Ven. Drolkar
Tushita Meditation Centre, India
We welcome new spiritual program coordinator (SPC) – Ven. Samten
With grateful thanks to outgoing SPC – Ven. Kabir Saxena
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