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Practice and Retreat Fund
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The Practice and Retreat Fund provides grants and sponsorships to students engaged in retreats such as 108 Nyung Nä retreats, 100 Million Mani Retreats, recitations of sutras, and long-term retreat; to develop retreat centers; pujas and practices offered by up to 15,650 Sangha; and writing out the Prajnaparamita Sutra in pure gold to create the cause for the actualization of the Maitreya Project.
Anybody who dedicates their life to achieving lam-rim realizations with the goal to liberate numberless beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and to bring to enlightenment, this is what I regard as the most important thing in the world.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Yamantaka self-initiation at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
FPMT Puja Fund
Through the Puja Fund, pujas and prayers are offered by as many as 15,650 ordained Sangha throughout the year and dedicated to the success of the entire FPMT organization. These huge and extensive pujas and practices are offered on merit-multiplying days such as Saka Dawa, Chokhor Duchen, Lhabab Duchen and Losar, as well as auspicious days of the monthly Tibetan calendar. Also, offerings of gold and robes are applied to the two very holy Buddha statues in India and Tibet, as well as brocade parasols for two precious stupas in Nepal. Learn more about the incredible amount of practices and prayers being offered.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche writing the Prajnaparamita Sutra at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, March 2021. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Prajnaparamita Project
The Prajnaparamita Project provides the material resources needed to write out the Prajnaparamita Sutra in pure gold. Under the guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the project is sponsoring two students who are writing out the complete 12,000-verse Prajnaparamita Sutra in gold on archival quality paper, a project now spanning many years. The fund also sponsors writing out the Arya Sanghata and Vajra Cutter Sutras in pure gold and silver, dedicated to the completion of the Maitreya Buddha statues for world peace. You can learn more about the Prajnaparamita Project.
Participants of the 108 Nyung Nä retreats being held at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, June 2022.
Sponsoring 108 Nyung Nä Retreats
One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization is to sponsor individuals to complete 1,000 Nyung Nä retreats in their lifetime. About this retreat practice Rinpoche commented, “Nyung Näs take such a short time, but bring strong purification. So many eons can be purified in this life; it makes it so easy to have attainments.”
Nyung Nä practice is an intensive 2-day purification retreat that includes fasting, precepts, prostrations, prayers, mantra recitation, and offerings. Nyung Nä is a practice based on the deity, 1,000-armed Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, and is extremely powerful for healing illness, purifying negative karma, and opening the heart to compassion.
The Practice and Retreat Fund sponsors anyone committed to doing 108 consecutive Nyung Nä retreats. Institut Vajra Yogini has been hosting 108 Nyung Nä retreats annually for many years. You can read about the number of retreats sponsored to date and the individuals in the FPMT mandala who have completed over 1,000 Nyung Nä retreats to rejoice.
Ani Thubten Gyalmo, Ani Nyima, and Ani Kunkyen taking part in the seventh 100 Million Mani Retreat at Idgaa Choizinling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 2019. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.
Sponsoring 100 Million Mani Retreats
Sponsoring 100 Million Mani retreats is another of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the organization:
[I would like] for the organization to establish 100,000 recitations of 100 million OM MANI PADME HUM mantras. This can be retreats of 100 million recitations, so 100,000 different retreats in different parts of the world and where it is happening, then for it to happen regularly, each year… establish this in different parts of the world such as Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Australia, China, etc.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Practice and Retreat Fund offers grants toward the successful completion of 100 Million Mani Retreats. Read more and see the list of completed retreats.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche giving the oral transmission of the Golden Light Sutra in Bendigo, Australia, October 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.
Golden Light Sutra Recitations
Another of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions is to have the Sutra of Golden Light recited as much as possible around the world. FPMT Education Services has published translations of the sutra in more than a dozen languages, and International Office has been tracking a worldwide count of recitations for many years. The Practice and Retreat Fund will sponsor group recitations of the sutra for peace in the world.
You can learn more about the sutra, download a copy of the text, receive the oral transmission from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and more at the Sutra of Golden Light homepage.
Anyone who desires peace for themselves and for others then this is the spiritual, or Dharma, way to bring peace that doesn’t require you to harm others, doesn’t require you to criticize others or even to demonstrate against others, yet can accomplish peace. Anyone can read this text, Buddhists and even non-Buddhists who desire world peace… So here, I would like to make this request with my two palms together, to please recite the Sutra of Golden Light for world peace as much as you can.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
A retreat place is not for gaining power like black magic, it’s not for a honeymoon or holiday. Also it is not a place to be spaced out. The whole purpose is to subdue the mind and to actualize lam-rim up to enlightenment. It is a place for a holiday from negative karma, a holiday from the three poisonous minds and the self-cherishing thought, a holiday from the self-grasping of the person and phenomena, a holiday from the wrong concepts: non-devotional thought toward guru up to the subtle dual view of white, increasing, attainment.
—Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Annual Grants for Rejoicing
Through the kindness of benefactors, the Practice and Retreat Fund supports retreat centers, retreatants and practice projects across the FPMT mandala. Open any year to read the full report, with details and photos.
Practice and Retreat Fund News & Updates
Lhabab Duchen: A Day of Vast Offerings and Limitless Merit
100 Million Mani Retreat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, June 2018. Photo by Ianzhina Bartanova.
Offer Your Compassionate Support
The Practice and Retreat Fund is a project of FPMT, Inc. and is administered by FPMT International Office located in Portland, Oregon, United States. All donations made to this fund are tax-deductible within the United States in accordance with IRS Code article 501(c)(3) to the extent allowed by law.