Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund

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Taking responsibility for supporting these practitioners is extremely worthwhile because they are preserving and spreading the entire teaching of the Buddha.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund was established in the tradition of the extremely successful Sera Je Food Fund, which offered three nutritious meals daily to all the monks of Sera Je Monastery for over twenty-six years. Over this time, the food fund established an interest-bearing endowment and offered this to Sera Je Monastery. The interest from this endowment is now able to cover the cost for all the food at the Monastery indefinitely.

The Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund is broader in scope and offers support to nunneries and monasteries, and individual monks and nuns around the world for food, accommodation, health care, education and practice. The fund is not limited to any one institution and able to benefit many nunneries, monasteries and Sangha in need.

Supporting monks and nuns is one of the highest priorities for the FPMT organization, because the preservation of the Buddhadharma is dependent on the existence of Sangha.

Learn more about what the fund supports below.

Monks of Sera Je Monastery serving food offered by the Sera Je Food Fund.Offering Food

By offering food to the Sangha we are providing one of the most fundamental needs for life – food – and this also allows the Sangha to be able to focus on their dharma studies. Through this fund we are offering daily meals to the monks of Idgaa Choizinling Dratsang in Mongolia, Shalu Monastery in India, Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery, Nepal, Zigar Thupten Shedrupling Institute, a Kagyu monastery in Darjeeling, India and Thame Monastery, Nepal.


One of the biggest achievements of this fund was for
twenty six years offering all the meals daily to all the monks of Sera Je Monastery. Then to create an endowment fund that is now able to cover the annual costs of offering three nutritious meals each day for all the monks of Sera Je Monastery, for as long as the endowment remains. This offering was made possible due to so many kind donors and recently Lama Zopa Rinpoche thanked all who have made this offering possible.

This is an extensive article, “Sustaining the Pure Unbroken Lineage of Buddha’s Teachings in This World: The Legacy of the Sera Je Food Fund,” which is an in-depth look at the accomplishments and historical context of the Sera Je Fund over the last twenty-seven years.

The practitioner and benefactor offering food create the cause to achieve enlightenment together.

—Milarepa

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Young nuns of Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery, Nepal.

Support for Nunneries and Monasteries

By supporting nunneries and monasteries around the world we are offering a place where Sangha can be taken care of entirely with accommodation, food, and dharma teachers and study. Through this fund we have offered support to Sera Je Monastery in many ways over the years, Sera Lachi for improvements to the monastery; Sera Mey Monastery for funding the debate courtyard; retreat rooms for Sangha of Gyurme Tantric College; rebuilding the Rolwaling Gompa, Nepal; Tashi Chime Gatsal Nunnery, Nepal for food, accommodation, and rebuilding of the nunnery after the earthquake, ongoing support to Kopan Monastery and Nunnery, including help rebuilding after the earthquake, support offered to Gaden Tharpa Choling Monastery, Kalimpong, India, food offered to the Sangha at Zigar Thupten Shedrupling Institute, which is a Kagyu monastery in Darjeeling, India, building and support annually for food for the Sangha at Idgaa Choizinling Dratsang, Mongolia and many, many other Monasteries and Nunneries.


Also substantial support has been offered to the International Mahayana Institute Sangha communities; such as Nalanda Monastery, Dorje Pamo Nunnery, Chenrezig Nuns Community. The support for Monasteries and Nunneries has been continual and ongoing.

Numerous grants have been given to monastic houses in Sera Je Monastery such as Bhati Khangtsen, Ngari Khangtsen, Samlo Khangtsen, Dhakpo Khangtsen, Ngari Khangtsen, Tsangpa Khangtsen, Osel Labrang, Kopan House, and many others.

Support has also been given to individual Sanghas, such as for offerings for Geshe degrees, support offered for the education of many young reincarnated lamas who are sincerely engaged in study or when entering the monasteries.

Offering even one cent to the Sangha community brings uncountable benefit and merit. As long as the Sangha community exists your merit exist. It will not be exhausted.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Monks participating in the annual Winter Jang Debate at Drepung Monastery, India.

Support for Education and Teachers

Funding for annual exams and debates at the great monasteries of South India. Monthly stipends are offered to all the senior teachers of the Gelug lineage through the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund, which is a project of the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund. In addition the fund sponsors travel and food for hundreds of monks attending the traditional winter debate and taking the annual Gelugpa exam.

Educating monks and nuns is one of the most important things in the world because they are trying to actualize Buddha’s teachings, learning the words and meaning.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Sera Je Monastery monk receives new robes sponsored by the Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund in recognition of his memorization.

Offering Robes to Sangha

Offering robes annually to all the FPMT geshes as well as ordained resident and touring teachers and also to Sangha who complete memorization of extremely difficult texts.

If you offer with the recognition that the Sangha are the guru’s pores then that is an unbelievable way to collect merit. When you offer to many Sangha, who have the same guru as you, then you are making offerings to that many pores of the guru. This is the easiest way to collect skies of merit.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche offering an oral transmission to Sangha and others at Kopan Monastery shortly after the Nepal Earthquake of 2015.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions

This fund supports Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche commented, “[I would like the organization to continue] establishing good quality monasteries and nunneries, with good quality Sangha in order to preserve the Dharma by having people practicing vinaya. [I would like the organization] to provide support to the FPMT Sangha and the monasteries and nunneries.”

 

——— Supporting Ordained Sangha Fund News & Updates

Rejoicing in the Activities of Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers in 2023

Ordained Sangha | December 20, 2023 -
The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund (LTKTF) is dedicated to upholding the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism and has been instrumental since its establishment in 1997 at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Named after the Gelug lineage … Read more »

 

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The Supporting Ordained Sangha 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.

For larger donations, wire transfers, or check donations, contact FPMT Donor Services.
For questions about the Social Services Fund activities, please contact the Charitable Projects Coordinator.

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