A young nun from the newly established Gephel Shadrubling Nunnery, 2012. Photo by Mary Wellhoner.

Dr. Mary Wellhoner, a student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, writes about the growing number of opportunities for Ladakhi nuns to access education and health care.

“Supported by the progressive policies of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, advanced Buddhist education for girls and women in Asia is taking a foothold in Ladakh. A somewhat revolutionary concept for traditional Tibetan culture and developing Asian countries, His Holiness and Lama Zopa Rinpoche have promised equal education for girls and women. As a result, a cohort of bright, energetic young female geshes is on the horizon at Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, FPMT’s largest nunnery in Kopan near Kathmandu, and at nunneries in Dharamsala under the guidance of the Tibetan Nuns Project.”

Read more …

From Mandala January-March 2013

Khadro-la at Land of Calm Abiding, California, United States, June 2012. Photo by Ven. Holly Ansett.

Editor Laura Miller talks to Khadro-la about earthquakes on the United States’ West Coast and what she and Lama Zopa Rinpoche are doing to help mitigate any potential damage.

From Mandala October-December 2012

Dog warming in sun, January 2012. Photo by Phil Hunt.

Leah Richards, a veterinary nurse, has a deep love, compassion, and respect for all animals and hopes to be a veterinarian one day. While at the 2003 Kopan course, she asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche for guidance on what to do when asked to perform euthanasia on sick and suffering animals.

From Mandala October-November 2004.

An orphaned possum joey being examined, 2011. Photo by Tania Duratovic.

“The start of 2011 saw the Australian state of Queensland experience some of the worst flooding in history, resulting in three-quarters of the state, an area the size of France and Germany combined, being declared a disaster zone. Stretching from remote farming communities to the state’s capital, Brisbane, the floods killed 35 people and affected the lives of more than 200,000. The hidden toll, as in many disasters, however, was the thousands of injured, orphaned and deceased animals.”

From Mandala July-September 2011.

"Fruit Stand" by Paul Sableman (pasa47) via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution

Two renowned teachers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Ven. Sangye Khadro, author of the best-selling book How to Meditate, and Ven. Robina Courtin, founder of Liberation Prison Project and former editor of Mandala, offer their thoughts on vegetarianism within Buddhist circles …

“There is a lot of debate within Buddhism about this issue. There are some Buddhists who are vegetarian (no meat or fish), and some who are vegans (no animal products at all, including dairy products and eggs). And there are some Buddhists who eat meat.

What did the Buddha himself say about eating meat? Well, it seems that he said different things at different times. This may sound like he contradicted himself, but the Tibetans say that the Buddha was a very skillful teacher who understood the minds and needs of his listeners and would teach them accordingly. So to some, the Buddha said it was okay to eat meat, provided that they did not kill the animal themselves, or order it to be killed. But to others, the Buddha said that if you are a follower of the bodhisattva path, and truly compassionate, you should not eat meat, and spoke of the harmful consequences of doing so…”

Read more

From Mandala June-July 2007

Tony Vickery-Howe and the nuns fire team, Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, Kathmandu, Nepal, May 2012

In May 2012, Tony Vickery-Howe spent one month offering training to the monks and nuns of Kopan Monastery and Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery in Kathmandu, Nepal, in fire prevention and suppression, and in offering first aid to the injured. This was his second trip to Kopan to train “fire teams.”

FPMT News Around the World

The Cheese Plate PDX, started by Carina Rumrill and Nick Dickison after reading Lama Zopa Rinpoche's message in the 2011 FPMT Annual Review

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s message to students in FPMT Annual Review 2011: Cherishing Life inspired Carina Rumrill – former editor of Mandala and present editorial support for FPMT International Office – and her partner, Nick Dickison, to take their extensive experience in fine dining, combine it with Portland, Oregon’s increasingly popular food cart scene, and create The Cheese Plate PDX. The high-end-style food cart has a carefully thought out vegetarian menu that reflects the importance Rinpoche places on a vegetarian diet. 

One of The Cheese Plate PDX's picnic plates: soft boiled eggs with seaweed caviar, mushroom & kale pâté, cheese-stuffed olives, watermelon with ginger sea salt

In the letter, Rinpoche, who manifested a stroke in April 2011, reflected:

When I was in the hospital, I saw a program about animals that were sold to be killed in Indonesia and other countries for live export … It didn’t show how they were killed, but it showed one cow that was on the platform, with the head tied, being pulled down to be killed. The cow didn’t want to go and the man was pulling it. I thought, “I don’t have power to stop all this killing, but what I can do is to try to inspire people to become vegetarian.”

“As is often the case with Rinpoche’s students reading Rinpoche’s advice,” Carina shares, “I immediately felt the letter in the annual review was written for me. Suddenly, I realized that what we could do was not merely just make a living for ourselves and our family, but that by offering a wonderful vegetarian menu, we could actually be helping to fulfill one of Rinpoche’s wishes and requests.”

Nick Dickison (chef) and Carina's son (and employee) Alex Knowlton at The Cheese Plate PDX. Photo by Behind the Food Carts (http://behindthefoodcarts.com).

Carina and Nick’s cart focuses on local cheese from creameries that can prove commitment to the humane care of their animals; any eggs used are organic and cage-free; and a large portion of the menu is vegan. The business is a family affair as well, employing the talents of Carina’s two oldest children.

The cart and its tagline (itself inspired by Rinpoche’s letter’s closing) – “enjoy yourself. cherish others.” – is already getting attention from popular food blogs like world-famous Zagat and local up-start Behind the Food Carts (check out their stunning photos!)

“It is wonderful to enjoy yourself,” Carina remarks. “Just make sure that your enjoyment benefits others. That’s what I learned from Rinpoche, and so far, it’s working out really well!”

You can find The Cheese Plate PDX on Facebook. See photos of their yummy food and chat with the owners directly. 

Two other International Office staff members also initiated a vegetarian business recently: former office manager Ugyen Shola and former director of finance Sarah Pool. Their business, Pacific Northwest Kale Chips offers delicious vegan chips made from kale.

With 158 centers, projects and services around the globe, there is always news on FPMT activities, teachers and events. Mandala hopes to share as many of these timely stories as possible. If you have news you would like to share, please let us know.

TV producer Barbara Jandro and Judy Weitzner, right

Advice from Lama Yeshe eventually lead Judy Weitzner to work with older adults. Read how she was able to integrate Dharma into her work.

From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002. 

For the April-June 2009 issue, Mandala got into contact with Judy to have her retell her story and to update readers on what had happened since the 2001 article.

Ven Anet Engel

Read what Ven. Anet Engel learned about by working with survivors of sexual abuse and why she eventually stopped counseling to become a Buddhist nun.

From Mandala December 2001 – February 2002. 

Image by Louise Light shared on the occasion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday

July 6 was His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 77th birthday, and in recognition of the day, FPMT North America (FPMT NA), the regional group representing centers, projects, services and students from Canada and the United States, launched Compassion Day, making special effort to remember not only His Holiness’ presence and contribution to the world, but also “to come together and celebrate compassion.”

FPMT centers, projects and services in North America celebrated Compassion Day with gusto. Compassion Day’s Facebook page has dozens of photos and we’re happy to share some of our favorites here for those of you that still haven’t had the chance to get online and start exploring.

Guhyasamaja Center celebrated Compassion Day early by making donations to a food bank and reciting the “Golden Light Sutra” for world peace, Centreville, Virginia, USA, June 30, 2012.

Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont, USA hosted an animal liberation, buying all of one store’s bait worms to release in the center’s garden. Later, Ven. Amy Miller led a meditation on compassion. The group also celebrated with birthday cake and prayers, July 6, 2012.

In Austin, Texas, USA, Land of Compassion and Wisdom organized a "hike-and-bike" trail cleanup in addition to hosting a compassion meditation, community potluck, face painting and gift making, July 6, 2012.

Tubten Kunga Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA celebrated Compassion Day with long-life prayers and a Lama Chöpa tsog. Geshe Konchog Kyab distributed $10 pre-paid cards that each participant could use to make a donation to a charity of their choice. The cards were donated by a generous benefactor, July 6, 2012.

Children at Kadampa Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA prepared and offered handmade gifts to His Holiness’ throne. Other events from the day included Ven. Choekyi Lhamo reading a biography of His Holiness and students picking vegetables in the center garden to offer to a food bank, July 6, 2012.

Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, California, USA hosted a contemplation on compassion followed by Chenrezig Guru Yoga, July 6, 2012.

Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon, USA had tsog with Yangsi Rinpoche and gathered 130 pounds (59 kilograms) of food for Oregon Food Bank, July 6, 2012.

It seems to us at Mandala that the inaugural Compassion Day was a huge success! Check out Compassion Day’s Facebook page to see the other photos that we were unable to post here.

With 158 centers, projects and services around the globe, there is always news on FPMT activities, teachers and events. Mandala hopes to share as many of these timely stories as possible. If you have news you would like to share, please let us know.