Venerable Jampa Kunchog at Kopan, 1976. Credits Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

Venerable Jampa Kunchog (Delsturtz Theadore “Yogi” Pryor) died of prostate cancer on April 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

An early student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Jampa devoted more than five decades to Dharma study, monastic life, translation work, and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings. He studied for many years at Sera Je Monastery in South India and later founded the Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen University (SICGU) in the United States.

Obituary compiled and edited by Nick Ribush

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog from His Old Friend, Scott Brusso

In the early 1970s, Jampa was known as Yogi. He and I lived in lower Dharamsala and every morning without fail would walk up to the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to attend Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey’s one-hour classes. During the 1973–74 winter break we went to Bodhgaya for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra initiation. There we were very fortunate to meet Lama Yeshe and attend his talk at the Japanese temple. It was very mystical and with Geshe Dhargyey’s blessing we both decided to attend the sixth Kopan course that spring. After the course we took Lama Yeshe’s Heruka Vajrasattva initiation and teachings and did the Kopan group retreat. 

After the retreat we decided to be ordained as monks. Yogi (and five other Kopan students) took novice ordination from Lati Rinpoche in March 1975, and later full ordination from H.H. the Dalai Lama, becoming known as Jampa Kunchog. He remained a monk his entire life. I received novice ordination from H.H. Trijang Rinpoche a year later in 1976. After that we lived at Kopan, where Lama Lhundrup was kind enough to teach us debate. During that time, we also taught English to the young monks and they taught us Tibetan. 

International Mahayana Institute group at Kopan 1974. Jampa is still a layman. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Around 1978 Yogi went to Sera monastery to study philosophy and debate. I don’t know the details of his years there, but it’s a tribute to his dedication and perseverance that he bore the poor conditions there in order to study to become a geshe, not only studying Buddhist philosophy but also becoming fluent in the Tibetan language, partly by refusing to speak English. He lived exactly as the Tibetan monks did, working in the fields as necessary and eating the same food.

Tushita Dharamsala, March 1975. Ordination group with Lati Rinpoche. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

SICGU logo

He returned to the United States in the early 90s and from 1994 to 1995 served as the translator for Geshe Losang Tsultrim (Tsulga) at Boston’s FPMT center, Kurukulla. After that he moved to Atlanta with the wish to start a Buddhist University, which he called the Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen University (SICGU). He also taught several students and translated and self-published a number of books. 

IMI group, Kopan, 1976.

About three years ago he began getting sick, having a very hard time walking or even standing. He entered a hospital in the Atlanta area where they had difficulty finding out what was causing his symptoms. Physical therapy was not successful. In improving his condition. Jampa also suffered a heart issue, from which he recovered. 

By this point we were talking on the phone weekly, but Jampa would not let the doctors or his family probe further. He was taking Tibetan medicine and did not let the doctors investigate further in order to diagnose what was going on. However, about six months ago they discovered advanced aggressive metastatic prostate cancer and recently he was admitted to hospice. I was still able to talk to him up to a few days before he passed away at around 7:40 pm on April 20. Jampa was unable to sit up but appeared to be meditating on the absorption process. He appeared very peaceful and was saying something about the light. It was his wish to not make a big announcement and to be cremated. He asked that his ashes be buried with his father’s remains.  

March 1975. Post-ordination with H.H. the Dalai Lama at his residence. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog from His Former Colleague from Sera, Ian Coghlan

I met Jampa Kunchog when I first went to Sera in 1980. He was living in House One, the house of Khensur Dhondup Topgyal. I lived in House Fifteen as arranged by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. I got to know him better when Geshe Losang Thupten from house Sixteen invited us to attend teachings on Tibetan grammar—Sum Chupa and Takkyi Jugpa—while he was still finishing his three-year retreat. 

IMI audience with His Holiness, May 1975. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Sera Monastery was very poor in those days: no toilets, no bathrooms, electricity for an hour or two, water pumped for an hour to fill large earthen pots buried in the ground, and the food was basic. It was hard physically but easier mentally. Everything in Sera focused on study and absorbing the Dharma. Jampa Kunchog had a great zeal for study to which he applied great energy. He had a nickname, Mahe, meaning water buffalo, for his impressive physical strength, which he often displayed in the debate ground when warding off half his debate class while making a debate point! He also had a useful ability to find ways of remaining in India when all doors appeared closed. Later, he set up a computer club, with the thought to use its potential in study. His dedication to Jetsun Chökyi Gyaltsen, the author of the Sera Je debate manuals, was immense, and later when he returned to the US he founded SICGU (Scholastic Institute Chökyi Gyaltsen) in his honor. My enduring impression and my greatest point of respect for Jampa was his genuine resolute exertion in the study of Dharma. 

Memories of Venerable Jampa Kunchog From Tedra Pryor, His Sister

On April 20, 2026, at 7:40 p.m., Dr. Jampa Kunchog departed this life. Born Delsturtz Theadore Pryor on January 1, 1953, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the family eventually settled in Hartford, Connecticut after living in Oahu, Hawaii for several years. 

Venerable Jampa Kunchog, South India, 1980s. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Jampa was the most adventurous of the four children born to Dr. Theadore M. Pryor, and Sophornia Mary Pryor. At the age of 19, he withdrew from Tuskegee University to trek across Europe. After spending two years in Europe, he traveled through Western Asia to India, which would become his home for approximately 20 years. 

Sera Monastery, Bylakuppe, India, early 80s. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

He first lived in Dharamsala in 1973 and studied at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. His teacher was Geshe Ngwang Dhargyey. In the spring of 1974 he attended a one-month meditation course taught by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1975, Jampa received ordination from Lati Rinpoche, and later full ordination from the Dalai Lama. After that he lived and studied at Kopan Monastery until deciding to enter Sera-je Monastery in Mysore around 1978. While in India he received his undergraduate degree, Master’s Degree, and Doctorate Degree in Eastern Philosophy from Sera. He was one of the few Westerners to go through such a rigorous program. Jampa was also instrumental in translating certain Tibetan teachings into English and preserving Buddhist transcripts to his computer to ensure their preservation. This had never been done before. 

Venerable Jampa Kunchog with Geshe Tsulga, Massachusetts, 1994. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Venerable Jampa Kunchog, Kurukulla Center, Boston, 1995. Credits: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Upon his return to the United States he began making guest appearances to speak on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. He published books and conducted online classes on these topics. You will find his picture in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  Jampa was well known and respected in many parts of the world. Before he passed, his hope was to establish a university for Tibetan Buddhist studies in Massachusetts. However, his teachings will be carried on through his students and religious followers and friends who shared his vision and philosophy. 

With grateful thanks to Scott Brusso, Ian Coghlan, Tedra Pryor, and Nick Ribush for this moving tribute. 

In Venerable Jampa Kunchog’s own words: “Back in the years 1958–1962, my sister and I were the first Black children to integrate schools in both the North and the South. The picture displayed was taken after I received my first communion in North Carolina. We were accepted into the all-white school because our parents wanted us to have the best opportunity for education. We walked into the school; there were no police, no army to break up protesting crowds, and no overt discrimination. We were simply accepted. We believe we were the first example of Black integration into all-white schools. This was in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1961. I entered this school in 1960; my sister, the year before.” Photo courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive

Please pray that Venerable Jampa Kunchog may never ever be reborn in the lower realms, may he be immediately born in a pure land where he can be enlightened or to receive a perfect human body, meet the Mahayana teachings and meet a perfectly qualified guru and by only pleasing the guru’s mind, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. More advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on death and dying is available, see Death and Dying: Practices and Resources (fpmt.org/death/).

To read more obituaries from the international FPMT mandala, and to find information on submission guidelines, please visit our new Obituaries page (fpmt.org/media/obituaries/).

Rendering of the Stupa of Complete Victory at Kopan Monastery.

We are delighted to announce the grand inauguration ceremonies of the Memorial Stupas of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khensur Rinpoche Lhundrup Rigsel at Kopan Monastery and Nunnery. 

On December 11, 2026, the Stupa of Complete Victory, enshrining the sacred relics of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, will be consecrated at Kopan Monastery.

On December 14, 2026, the Mahabodhi Memorial Stupa at Kopan Nunnery will be inaugurated to honor both Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup.

Kopan Monastery shared the following invitation in their official announcement: We would be deeply honored by your presence at these sacred and joyful occasions. 

Rendering of the Mahabodhi Memorial Stupa at Kopan Nunnery.

Lama Lhundrup and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery, 2011. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

These ceremonies offer a powerful opportunity for students to gather, rejoice, pray, and dedicate for the flourishing of the Dharma and the swift return of our precious teacher.

Save the dates: We will also be sharing details of this year’s Light of the Path Retreat (LOP) at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, which will take place December 20–30, 2026, and will be led by Geshe Tenzin Namdak, offering students a precious opportunity to come together in meditation and practice, and to honor the extraordinary legacy of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Please learn more about these special events.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Over one weekend at Barnens O on Vaddo in September of 1983, Lama Yeshe gave a meditation course which later was published in English called “Light of Dharma,” translated into Swedish as “Lamas ljus.” Photo by Holger Hjorth, from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (lamayeshe.com).

In January 1983, Lama Yeshe traveled to Sicily. It would turn out to be one of his last trips before he showed the aspect of passing away in March 1984. During that visit, he gave his personal attendant and FPMT Central Office director, Jacie Keeley, three important messages to be distributed to all the centers.

In the first message, Lama Yeshe wanted all the centers to make video documentaries on how they started and developed. “Show all the obstacles you faced and surmounted with your determination. Show if you are happy or not and if you are healthy or not.”

With this sincere request, Lama wasn’t asking for promotional material. He was asking centers to document the real story — including the difficulties — so that the experience and know-how of the first generations of students could be passed on to those who would follow.

Honest storytelling like this helps preserve the precious knowledge of how our centers were built, helps future directors, spiritual program coordinators and volunteers reinforce their motivation to serve with greater dedication, and serves the vast vision of our Lamas. Leaving future generations a sense of connection — of being part of something vast and continuous, of belonging to what Lama always called the FPMT family — is precisely what these stories can restore.

More than 40 years later, with far more accessible technology available, this feels like exactly the right moment to take up Lama’s request — especially as FPMT moves through the year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Chenrezig Institute in Australia has recently shown what’s possible. They have just released their documentary The Origin of Tibetan Buddhism in Australia by independent filmmaker and resident volunteer Małgorzata Ola Dobrowolska, who received a grant toward the completion of this project by the Community Support Fund. The screening became an opportunity to bring together the communities of past and present students, creating exactly the kind of warm “family feeling” that these shared stories can generate.

FPMT International Office participated in a virtual screening of the film, with one person noting: “This work is extremely valuable. Every FPMT center should feel inspired to put together their own history, as every single center teaches so much about our lamas, our culture, and the extraordinary effort of so many to bring these centers to life. “

It would be lovely to show how far the FPMT family has grown, the remarkable achievements each center has accomplished from the humblest of beginnings, to leave a legacy for everyone involved in the centers, and finally to fulfil Lama Yeshe’s request.

These are accounts that matter not just as history, but as inspiration and instruction for everyone who serves now and everyone who will serve FPMT the future.

Thank you for your contribution to telling the extraordinary story of FPMT! We want to hear from you!

Please explore all of the resources we have compiled related to FPMT history. We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way. 

Lama Yeshe’s message excerpted from from Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, by Adele Hulse. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. p.1118

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Arriving at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa – photo courtesy ILTK

Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) renews its tradition of offering a residential FPMT Basic Program (BP) in English and in Italian, also available online! This three-year BP is a once in a lifetime chance to enjoy residential study of this much acclaimed in-depth FPMT program, completed over a relatively short period of time, while living at beautiful ILTK, in the rolling hills of Tuscany, in welcoming and warm-hearted Italy!

Geshe Tenzin Tenphel, resident teacher at ILTK since 1998.

From 2027 to 2029 this BP provides daily teachings supported by review classes, meditation sessions, discussion groups, quizzes, and written tests. Graduation follows in 2030, upon program completion with the BP review and final exam, and the three-months lamrim retreat. The program includes short retreats for each subject, helping students to relate the BP subject matter to practice and to daily life. Online students share in everything the program offers by means of recordings and the full range of course materials provided.

The FPMT Basic Program was designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for students who wish to move beyond introductory courses, allowing for a commitment to deeper study and sustained practice. FPMT Education Services administers the review and final exam, and issues the BP Completion Certificate. Graduates serve in many roles and functions throughout FPMT, and are eligible for FPMT teacher registration.

At ILTK, students are instructed in the nine BP main subjects by the two resident Lharampa geshes. Geshe Tenzin Tenphel, resident teacher at ILTK since 1998, much appreciated for his love for debate, the clarity of his presentations, and his humorous style, has also taught the previous five BPs. FPMT Masters Program teacher, Geshe Jampa Gelek, resident teacher at ILTK since 2012, customarily teaches the tantra subject of the BP at ILTK.

Two excellent, gifted and highly qualified interpreters, both experienced graduates of the FPMT Translator Program, LRZTP, interpret directly from the Tibetan: Shahar Tene for English and Filippo Centrone for Italian. Shahar, who also completed the BP himself at ILTK, also serves as BP Teaching Assistant and Online Tutor for this BP.

As a BP student at ILTK one enjoys the rich academic environment provided by the residential FPMT Masters Program running alongside the BP. The two resident geshes also teach a variety of other courses, some of which may be of interest to BP students as well.

Please watch a short video of Geshe Tenphel introducing the FPMT Basic Program

You can find more information about this FPMT Basic Program on the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa’s website 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

H. E. Chöden Rinpoche’s Mastering the Six-Session Guru Yoga, Wisdom Publications

Available in August 11, H. E. Choden Rinpoche’s Mastering the Six-Session Guru Yoga offers an illuminating commentary on one of the foundational daily practices of the Gelug tradition, accompanied by essential supplementary materials to support practitioners on the path. With contributions by Gyalten Khen Rinpoche and Ven. Tenzin Gache, this new volume from Wisdom Publications guides readers in maintaining the commitments of anuttarayoga tantra while deepening their understanding of this profound practice.

Drawing on a rich lineage of teachings—including excerpts from commentaries by Akhu Sherap Gyatso (1803–75) and Khenchen Namkha Tenkyong (1799–?), an oral commentary by Khen Rinpoche Geshe Gyalten, detailed explanations of the vows, illuminating reflections on the eight-line praises, and metered translations designed to support recitation—this book brings together everything needed to engage the practice with clarity and confidence. The result is a truly invaluable resource for practitioners of anuttarayoga tantra.

Pre-order is available through Amazon. 

His Eminence Choden Rinpoche

His Eminence Choden Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet in 1930 and was recognized as a young boy as the reincarnation of the previous Choden Rinpoche. When he was fifteen, he enrolled at Sera Jé monastic college, where he excelled; he completed all the study necessary for the highest degree of geshe lharampa, was renowned as one of the great Tibetan teacher-yogis of our modern era, and was chosen as a debate partner for the Fourteenth Dalai Lama when His Holiness was taking his geshe exams. After the Chinese takeover of Tibet, Rinpoche entered solitary retreat, in which he stayed for nineteen years. In 1985 the Dalai Lama asked him to leave Tibet to teach in India and Nepal. He taught students in the geshe program at Sera Je for many years, as well as offering teachings all over the world. He passed away in 2015.

Discover more about Choden Rinpoche from Mandala 2000, “The Life of a Hidden Meditator.” 

Ven. Tenzin Gache

Ven. Tenzin Gache is originally from Boston and graduated from Tufts University in 2005. During his college years he became a student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Choden Rinpoche. In 2006 he ordained with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and has lived and studied at Sera Jey Monastery since that time. He is the director of Sera IMI House and an FPMT registered teacher.  He is currently in the intensive exams to qualify for the title of lharampa geshe. Ven. Gache translated His Eminence Choden Rinpoche’s book,  Mastering Meditation: Instructions on Calm Abiding and Mahamudra which was published by Wisdom Publications in 2020.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

H.E. Ling Rinpoche teaching in Munich, April 25, 2026, hosted by Aryatara Institute. Photo by Harald Weichhart.

We are happy to share the upcoming European teaching tours of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, His Eminence Khensur Jhado Rinpoche and Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche. Students are warmly invited to join these precious opportunities for study and practice across FPMT centers and other organizations.

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche

His Eminence Ling Rinpoche’s European tour began in April. You can view the full schedule of His Eminence Ling Rinpoche on the poster or on his website.

HE Ling Rinpoche, European Tour 2026

His Eminence Khensur Jhado Rinpoche

His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will be offering teachings in Europe from September to November, including many FPMT centers. Below is the schedule of the European tour. You can see the schedule on the poster or visit each individual center’s website for full schedule details.

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche will offer a teaching tour in Europe from May to August, including FPMT centers. Please see the full schedule and save the dates for any opportunities you can attend.

You can see the schedule on the poster or visit Serkong Rinpoche’s website for full schedule details.

Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche – European Tour 2026

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Director of the Maitri Charitable Trust Adriana Ferranti receiving blessings and appreciation for her work from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, January 2023.

Maitri Charitable Trust has been serving, since 1989, some of India’s poorest people and continues to be guided by its founder and longtime director, Adriana Ferranti. Adriana has spent decades at the helm of Maitri. Now 81, she carries on with unwavering commitment. She has spoken with Donna Lynn Brown many times in recent years, including in February 2026. 

By Donna Lynn Brown

What is Maitri Charitable Trust? And what led Adriana Ferranti to establish it? Maitri is an FPMT charitable project located in India, managed by Adriana and overseen by an Indian board of trustees. It has a main site about five kilometers from Bodhgaya and provides services throughout the surrounding Gaya District in several areas, mainly basic health care, leprosy, tuberculosis, mother / child / young women care, education, and animal care.

At its main site, Maitri treats leprosy and tuberculosis, which persist in that part of India, by operating a free hospital and clinic. Leprosy in the area is often under-diagnosed and under-treated by the government, giving Maitri an important role. Homeless patients also sometimes live there. At both its main site and through mobile clinics, Maitri distributes free leprosy and TB relief medications and materials to people living in their homes, and provides vaccines, such as for tetanus and rabies. It also offers other basic medical care along with supplemental nourishment—vitamins, milk, staple foods, formula—for expectant mothers, newborns, and young children, provides information on HIV and other issues, educates girls about their bodies and supplies menstrual products, and provides supports for some kinds of disabilities. Examples include eyewear and special footwear for people with deformities from leprosy. Its mobile clinics reach poor areas lacking primary health cents; they sometimes offer ambulance services as well as direct care. Maitri also helps poverty-stricken families survive Bodhgaya’s cold winters, distributing food, supplements, and blankets to hundreds of people every year, and giving warm clothes and blankets to students at its school. It is also well-known in the area for taking in stray, abandoned, and injured animals, some of whom are dropped off anonymously while others are rescued when staff are informed an animal is in need. Maitri sterilizes animals, gives them veterinary care, and cares for them at its site. Dozens live there at any given time, mainly dogs but also other animals like goats.

Director Adriana Ferranti with women receiving support from MAITRI.

Maitri operates a school is in the village of Fulchatar, about 15 kilometers from Bodhgaya. It is a collaboration with villagers; they built and maintain the building, and Maitri provides teachers, books, and supplies. The school has about 125 students in grades one through four, most from so-called “untouchable” castes. Other schools are too far for these young children to walk to; after grade four, they are able to attend government schools. Maitri’s school teaches the government curriculum as well as moral values. The teachers report that when students later attend other schools, they are ahead of their peers, and young adults who have attended the school as children have found good jobs, such as in the police. Villagers support the school because of its success.

Adriana oversees all this from the porch of her aging mud-brick home at Maitri’s site. Armed with two phones and backed by Kanchan, her trusted second in command, she takes care of the hospital and clinics, 24 staff (many of whom travel around villages providing health care), 70 or 80 mostly disabled dogs, and various other animals. She also raises funds to pay Maitri’s expenses and battles India’s complex bureaucracy. The work never stops—but it seems to keep her healthy. Her reward is seeing young children receiving an education who otherwise would not, sick and disabled people benefiting from treatments and supports that governments do not provide, undernourished mothers and babies getting supplements and care, girls receiving hygiene information and supplies, remote villages getting basic and emergency medical care, poor families being helped with food and blankets, information being disseminated on HIV, TB, leprosy, women’s health, and immunization, and injured and abandoned animals getting food, veterinary care, blessings, and a home.

Blanket distribution at MAITRI Charitable Trust, Bihar, India, January 2018. Photo by Phil Hunt.

What brought Adriana to this life? She grew up amid the scarcities of post-war Italy, shaped by her family’s values of duty and hard work. By the 1960s and 1970s, though, Italy’s new-found wealth offered abundant consumption and enjoyments. She indulged, but soon realized that these pleasures gave little true happiness. She became, from age 30, a seeker. Mystical experiences followed, but these did not answer her questions, particularly a crucial one: why things happen. One day, she came across a booklet called “Reincarnation and Karma” by Yogananda. “Finding out about karma was an incredible liberation,” Adriana says. “Karma explains why. And makes clear that it all depends on me. My difficulties are caused by my own actions. To get out, I had to act.” Yet when she visited Italy’s emerging Hindu centers, none called out to her—and then she encountered Tibetan Buddhism. In 1979, she went to Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia where she met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. She knew she was home. “Rinpoche revealed himself to me—it was incredible,” she smiles. But she still hadn’t found a role in life that expressed who she felt she was.

Lama Zopa with Adriana Ferranti and MAITRI staff, Bodhgaya, Gaya District, Bihar, India, February 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In 1980, she happened to see a documentary on Africa that showed a priest dressing the sores of a leprosy patient. “I knew,” she reports. “I knew instantly, like a lightning bolt. A revelation. This was my role, my path, who I was.” She took a course in leprosy management, but to serve leprosy patients in any area of India, she needed a visa and government authorization. Rinpoche suggested working in the Gaya/ Bodh Gaya region. In 1989, newly equipped with authorization, she began offering leprosy services from Kathmandu while waiting for an Indian visa; she set up in Gaya in 1990 once her visa came through. By 1998, she had procured her current site. Land and buildings were soon blessed by Rinpoche, and a forest planted to improve the environment. “The work came naturally to me,” she recounts, “so I was happy, but it was incredibly difficult…I was on my own, doing everything, even driving the jeep for mobile clinics. It was a hard life, but I had a sense of purpose.” 

Since then, Adriana has overseen Maitri’s health and education programs and services while caring for dozens of abandoned and injured animals, and, at Rinpoche’s request, putting in place nine stupas along with other elements that provide blessings and imprints to patients, staff, animals, and the surrounding area. Money has come from various sources, including, at times, Rinpoche, although fundraising has always been challenging. She reports. “Just by sheer faith is how I carried on. There was never any security. But I thought that as long as I was doing what I had to do, the funds would be provided. That’s what seems to have happened, since I am still here!” 

Adriana is one of a handful of people in FPMT who devote their lives to social engagement. She has been working in this difficult part of India for almost four decades. It is her Dharma practice—often a practice of patience in the face of problems: legal issues concerning Maitri’s land; troubles with officials, permits, and visas; money shortages; challenges training and retaining staff; the headache of service provision during the pandemic; theft and corruption; and hazards specific to being a woman running an NGO in India. And each death of a rescued animal breaks her heart. Now, her priority is to ensure that Maitri is in good shape for the present and future. As well as overseeing its services and expanding them where feasible, she is renovating and upgrading some existing buildings (including a multi-faith temple) and constructing a new house to replace the one that is crumbling. As Bodhgaya’s urban expansion begins to surround Maitri’s oasis of shade and greenery, she is determined to keep it a refuge for humans and animals.

Adriana Ferranti, MAITRI Charitable Trust Director, 2026. Photo Credit Donna Brown

And she is committed. Like a mother with a child, she reports, “walking away is not an option.” She doesn’t feel her age, and with a visa good until 2030, she has no plans to retire. As for later, she says firmly, “If Maitri is meant to continue, someone will come.” Asked who might suit the role, she responds, “They should be able to live in India without visa problems. One of the biggest problems is visas. So an Indian citizen or OCI (Overseas citizen of India) would be ideal. But the main thing is that they can’t see it as just a job where you go home at five o’clock. It’s a vocation. Living on the site, overseeing everything, being patient with difficulties, showing love and concern for the staff, the patients, the animals… Maitri is a service to all beings, so the bodhisattva aspiration is at its heart.”

Written by Donna Lynn Brown. Donna is a former Associate Editor of Mandala magazine. She first encountered Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT at a November course at Kopan Monastery in 1996. Donna completed a Ph.D in which she researched and wrote about FPMT’s social engagement and its intersection with traditional Buddhist teachings.

We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

For more information about Maitri Charitable Trust and to donate directly to their work, please visit their website.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service. 

One of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for the FPMT organization was to hold 100 Million Mani retreats.

“This is one of my dreams, to have 100 Million Mani Retreats each year and for it to continue forever, even after I die, even after the people living now die. Those who are working, offering service now—to continue even after they die; to continue for as long as the country exists.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The 2026 GLOBAL MANI RETREAT is scheduled to commence on the first day of Saka Dawa month (Sunday, May 17, 2026), and conclude on the final Buddha Day for this year, Lhabab Duchen (Sunday, November 1, 2026). This retreat will be something unprecedented for our global FPMT family.  By coming together in fellowship and harmony, we pray to extract the very essence of this precious human rebirth, and dedicate all our efforts for the happiness of all dear sentient beings and for all our holy gurus to remain until the state of enlightenment is achieved.

Please join our Facebook Group to keep up on all updates and opportunities related to this retreat and check back often to the Global MANI Retreat webpage for the latest information. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Geshe Tenzin Zopa with students. Photo courtesy of FPMT Mexico.

 Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s first-ever visit to Mexico — and to Latin America— from March 6-14, 2026, was organized by the Mexican centers and study groups. Ramón Lara, FPMT Mexico National Coordinator and FPMT Latin America Regional Coordinator, shares about this inspiring visit. 

In the weeks leading up to Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s arrival in Mexico, the country was experiencing a series of violent events that had generated widespread concern and uncertainty across different regions. In response, the various FPMT Mexico centers and study groups came together to reflect on the situation and assess the circumstances. As a collective decision, they shared openly with Geshe Zopa what was happening and made clear that, should he choose to continue with his visit, all necessary measures would be implemented to ensure his safety. 

His response was immediate and deeply moving. With characteristic humility and determination, Geshe Zopa expressed: “I felt more than ever before the importance of my humble support through Dharma teachings, prayers, and merit dedication to the country and its people.” 

The visit was made possible through the joint effort of the entire FPMT Mexico family. Even centers and groups that were not direct hosts played an active role, contributing to the coordination between all FPMT Mexico centers and study groups — including the Rinchen Zangpo Center and the Bengungyal Study Group. 

Geshe Zopa’s arrival coincided with Chotrul Duchen, the “Day of Miracles,” one of the most auspicious days in the Tibetan calendar — making this not only his first visit to Mexico, but his first visit to all of Latin America. During his first weekend at Khamlungpa Center in Guadalajara, in one of his opening meetings with Mexican students, Geshe Zopa shared that it was Lama Zopa Rinpoche who had repeatedly expressed how fond he was of the Mexican people, assuring Geshe Zopa that he would find a warmth here that would remind him of the people of Tibet. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa welcomed on his arrival in Mexico. Photo from FPMT Mexico Facebook

Over those first days, Geshe Zopa offered the Refuge Ceremony and the Vajrasattva Initiation, bringing together students from various regions of Mexico and abroad. Around 60 participants attended. 

Throughout the week, a series of public teachings were co-organized with Nying Je Kunkya Study Group, on topics including How to Be Your Own Therapist, Mental Training in Difficult Times, and How to Develop Compassion and Infinite Love. These gatherings drew large numbers of participants, filling Khamlungpa Center’s space and reflecting the deep interest in Dharma within the local community. The teachings offered practical tools for integrating the Dharma into everyday life — particularly in times of uncertainty — with a consistent emphasis on working with the mind, cultivating compassion, and maintaining a steady daily practice. 

The tour continued in Mexico City, where the Thubten Kunkyab Study Group welcomed Geshe Zopa on March 14, 2026. On this occasion, he offered the teaching of CorrectDevotion to the Guru in Daily Life, exploring the teacher-student relationship from a practical and contemporary perspective. Approximately 100 people attended. Geshe Zopa highlighted the importance of integrating the Dharma into all aspects of life — beginning with the cultivation of self-love grounded in understanding, extending to compassion for others, and leading to a genuine responsibility to transform our everyday actions. His warm, accessible, and heartfelt style deeply inspired those present, motivating many to share and embody the Dharma more actively in their daily interactions, challenges, and service to others. 

Geshe Tenzin Zopa’s visit left a meaningful and lasting imprint on the FPMT Mexico community. Participants expressed deep gratitude for the rare opportunity to receive teachings directly from one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s close disciples. Beyond the events themselves, his presence strengthened the bonds within Mexico’s Dharma family and renewed many practitioners’ commitment to living with compassion, wisdom, and conscious intention. 

We are delighted to share that recordings of select teachings from this precious visit are now available on the FPMT Mexico YouTube channel. It is our heartfelt wish that these teachings continue to reach far and wide, so that more and more people may find inspiration, and benefit from Geshe Zopa’s wisdom and compassion.  

With grateful thanks to Ramón Lara for this story! We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

Offerings in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s room, Kopan Monastery, April 13, 2026. Photo by Ven. Sarah Thresher.

This month’s newsletter brings you news, opportunities, and reasons to rejoice.

Around the world, on April 13, activities were organized in centers, monastic institutions, and in the homes of individual students in observation of the third-year anniversary of Lama Zopa Rinpoche showing the aspect of passing away.

In addition to news and stories from around the world, as well as opportunities and resources for your practice, we also share timely and essential advice from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. We are also delighted to share news of the upcoming launch of a Global MANI Retreat bringing together our FPMT community on a scale we have not attempted before, promoting even greater harmony, cohesion, and understanding between us all. 

Please continue to read the full newsletter. 

Have the e-News translated into your native language by using our convenient translation facility located on the right-hand side of the page.

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Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service. 

Harvey Horrocks and Peter Kedge with Lama Yeshe at the Pisa airport, Italy, 1983.

We recently received the news that long-time student and FPMT pioneer, Harvey Horrocks, has suffered a stroke and is recovering. As inspiration and with prayers for Harvey’s full recovery, we thought to highlight his extraordinary contribution to FPMT including his Road to Kopan story and details of his fifty years of service. 

Harvey Horrocks, an English engineer whose life became an unlikely thread connecting Rolls-Royce aircraft workshops and the founding of one of Britain’s first Tibetan Buddhist centers, has dedicated his life to spreading the Dharma and serving the wishes of our Lamas. It was Lama Yeshe himself who called him “an English bodhisattva” — a description that captures, in three words, the spirit of an extraordinary life of service. 

Born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, into a prosperous Midlands family — his father, a senior engineer, and later, Director, at Rolls-Royce Aero Engine Division, his mother a steadfast and loving presence throughout his life — Harvey grew up in a spacious house and grounds including tennis court, in Radcliffe-on-Trent, near Nottingham, with his parents and sister. 

From an early age he was drawn to making things. Sent away at age seven to board at Oundle, one of the UK’s elite Public Schools. Alongside his success in squash, where he played for the First Team, Harvey found his greatest satisfaction in the workshop. That instinct followed him home and into a lifelong love of cars, which he would modify and tune for performance including his beloved Lotus 7. It was the disposition of an engineer: precise, practical, and quietly exhilarated by the physical world. 

He read engineering at the University of Sheffield and trained under the Rolls-Royce University Apprenticeship scheme — a year in industry, three years at university, a final year back on the shop floor. But seated at his desk in Rolls-Royce’s vast engineering offices, watching the tea trolley make its rounds and tracing the trajectory his career was expected to follow, Harvey understood, with unusual clarity for a young man, that this was not a ladder he had any interest in climbing. 

Harvey Horrocks, Nepal, nr. Everest Base Camp, 1972 Photo: Peter Kedge

In his mid-twenties, Harvey and three fellow apprentices — among them his dear friend Peter Kedge — drove a Land Rover from England to Nepal taking six months and covering many miles and adventures. Originally intending to make it to Australia, the four spent six months with the United Mission to Nepal helping build a boarding school north of Pokhara. The Land Rover itself never made it to Australia but by that time, the team had made a connection with Kopan – a connection which has endured to the present day. What began as an adventure, quietly became the opening of a spiritual journey. 

Harvey eventually reached Australia via Singapore, crossed the Nullarbor Desert to Sydney, and stayed two years working as an engineer. During this time, he also gained his pilot’s licence. 

It was through Peter that Harvey really encountered the Dharma. Peter was by then helping Lama Yeshe establish Tushita Retreat Center in McLeodganj, India, and urged Harvey to come to Nepal. 

In 1974, Harvey attended the sixth course at Kopan Monastery, outside Kathmandu, and was moved in ways he had not anticipated by the teachings of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. At the course’s end, hearing there was to be a high-altitude retreat, he volunteered to serve as attendant to those who would go — certain he could not endure four months alone in the mountains. Then Lama Yeshe asked him, simply and in passing, whether he was going to do the retreat. The question was sufficient. Harvey knew he had to go. 

He completed four and a half months of Vajrasattva practice — enduring a broken tooth managed only with oil of cloves — without a single moment of boredom, and with a deepened understanding of the mind’s stubborn, circling power, even when one can see exactly what it is doing.  

Harvey returned to England in December 1974. Before leaving, Harvey with Peter asked Lama Yeshe for his blessing to establish a Dharma center there, and Lama Yeshe arranged for the pair to meet and take advice from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  

In London working from a flat, then lodging with two British Tibetan Buddhist nuns in Bromley, Harvey organized Geshe Rabten’s first teaching visit to England — a ten-day residential course attended by over a hundred people, with Gonsar Rinpoche translating and Alan Wallace leading discussion groups.  

In 1975, Harvey searched with Peter for a suitable property all over the UK. On their list of possible properties was Conishead Priory in Cumbria, vacant for four and a half years. They sent photographs to Lama Yeshe. Lama sent back a postcard: “Proceed immediately to buy.” Three or four weeks before Lama Yeshe was due to arrive in England to give a course, negotiations were underway when the owner of Conishead Priory called Harvey on a Friday and said: “Take it now, or not at all.” By Monday it was purchased for £70,000 (seventy thousand pounds): seventy acres, a mile of beach, mature woodlands, and a large 200 room Victorian building that had stood silent since 1971. Harvey and his colleagues had ten days to make it habitable before the Lamas arrived. Twelve people stayed on through the winter. Manjushri Institute was open, and Harvey was to serve as its director.   

Harvey managed the practical and administrative life of the community, establishing a daily rhythm of teachings, pujas, and work practice, and ensuring that every resident — however long the working day — had access to the Dharma. A journalist from the Daily Express visited the Priory and was so struck by what he found that the story ran on the front page. 

In 1978, Lama Yeshe unveiled the revolutionary Geshe Studies Program at Manjushri Institute with the help of Geshe Jampa Gyatso. As FPMT activity began to spread around the world and the demand for quality teachers became apparent, Lama Yeshe hoped to ensure that his own students could obtain an excellent education, qualifying them as legitimate sources for Buddhist teachings.  

In 1979, Geshe Tegchock gave his first talk at Manjushri Institute, with Lama Zopa Rinpoche conferring a Chenrezig empowerment, followed by Lama Yeshe’s Tara Cittamani empowerment and six days of commentary reviewed by Jon Landaw. Of 120 people attending, 105 stayed on for the retreat. Students who had completed the first Geshe Studies Program examinations received congratulations and gifts from the Lamas in recognition of their hard work and dedication. 

Lama Yeshe with Ondy Willson, Brenda, Harvey Horrocks and kids, at the Chapel Cafè of Manjushri Institute, 1980. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Big Love p. 845

After another demanding year at Manjushri Institute, Harvey returned to Kopan for the Tara Cittamani initiation. He later recalled that the intensity of activity at Manjushri Institute had left him completely exhausted. Lama Yeshe called him in and asked for a full account of what had been happening, listening as Harvey described the situation in detail. As the conversation went on, Harvey found himself overwhelmed and began to cry. At that point, Lama responded with great kindness, reaching out, taking his hand, and gently explaining that it was not possible to support so many people without a proper financial structure in place. He later addressed this issue directly with the residents at the Institute. Over time, Lama continued to speak with Harvey on several occasions, including during his stay in the Lake District, helping him to understand the full responsibility of leading such a vast undertaking and how to grow into his role as director. Lama recognized how busy the Institute had become and how difficult it was for Harvey to come to terms with the scale of what he had taken on. 

Some of Manjushri’s students had become increasingly frustrated with the way the center was being run under Harvey’s direction, and a brainstorming weekend was organized, bringing together many of the stakeholders. During that time, Lama Yeshe was teaching in the chapel. At one point, his tone grew unexpectedly firm as he addressed the situation directly. He challenged the group’s reliance on collective decision-making, pointing out the difficulties it had led to, and urged them to reflect on its consequences. He then made it clear that, if they truly wished to support Manjushri Institute, they should go to Harvey and ask how they could be of help. Lama reminded everyone that he had appointed Harvey as director, and that this decision should be respected, with the community offering him their full support in that role. 

Harvey was then appointed to lead the Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia, Italy, at a moment of urgent need. Pulled out of retreat by a telegram from Lama Yeshe — “Urgent. Harvey Horrocks: Emergency stop please come immediately ILTK to be director stop…” — he arrived in 1981.  Lama assured the community: “I send you an English bodhisattva”, Massimo Andreazzo, who was at ILTK at the time, simply remembered Harvey as “the perfect person.” 

Lama Yeshe with Jon, Harvey, Pende, George at the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, 1982. Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Big Love p.1092

At ILTK, Harvey hosted the European Regional meeting, for which Lama Yeshe sent a detailed letter crystallizing the respective responsibilities of the CPMT and of individual centers. High on the agenda was organizing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s European tour. In 1982, while Harvey was director, His Holiness made his first visit to ILTK — a landmark occasion that also included the historic first meeting between the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II. In 1983, Lama Yeshe appointed Harvey to serve on the first FPMT Board of Directors. 

Later Harvey settled in San Jose, California. His father, facing financial difficulty, illness, and the loss of medications he had relied on for decades, took his own life on Harvey’s birthday in 1984— a few weeks before Lama Yeshe also passed. Harvey believed the choice of date was not made in anger, but to ensure that he would be with his mother when it happened. His father had, in his final months, told Harvey’s mother that he thought Harvey had become a nice young man. Harvey always considered this significant praise, given the rather austere man his father was. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Lhundrup, Paul Bourke, Yeshe Khadro, Nick Ribush, Harvey Horrocks, Marcel Bertels, Jeff Nye, Jacie Keeley, Doren Harper. First FPMT board created by Lama Yeshe (including not in the photo Massimo Corona, Trisha Donnelly, Shan Tate). Kopan 1984 . Photo courtesy Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Big Love p.1121

In 1987, Harvey was appointed director of the FPMT International Office, and in that same year, he launched the newsletter The Blissful Rays of the Mandala, precursor to Mandala magazine (established in 1995 by Ven. Robina Courtin). He served the International Office in an exemplary way. Through his extraordinary merit, Harvey was also able to raise substantial funds for the International Office: a single benefactor offered $100,000 a year for five years, enabling the office to expand, offer healthcare benefits to staff, and establish an education fund providing scholarships to students of the Master’s Program in Italy.

Ven. Robina shares: “I’ll never forget when we got a big donation at International Office when it was at Land of Medicine Buddha in the mid-1990s, when I worked for Mandala, and Harvey Horrocks was the CEO: Rinpoche told us that ‘this is the result of Harvey’s mandala offerings.’ Wow.” 

In his editorial in the first issue of Mandala, October 1987, Harvey set out a vision whose clarity and scope remain remarkable: 

The work of the Foundation is to preserve the Mahayana tradition. It is all the people, in the different centers, who do this work. The method is to take the living seed, the inspiration of the pure lineage received from our teachers, and to give these seeds the right conditions for germination and growth. So, this in turn creates the need for the city centers where people can come to have personal contact with the teachings. 

We need publishing activities to reach those other people who are unable to come to the centers as well as to produce support material for study. Then we need the residential centers where there is the chance for serious study to be undertaken over a long period of time in a suitable environment. 

We need monasteries for both monks and nuns to enable even deeper studies to be made, supported by the monastic discipline. (The measure of when the Dharma has been established in a country is dependent upon the presence of the Sangha community.) 

We need retreat centers to provide perfect conditions for making serious meditational retreats, which allows the real flowering. 

Finally, we need universal education as the product of all our study, contemplation and meditation. In this way, our teachers begin to present the Dharma to the people of all ages, from our own, contemporary cultures, in a manner which is “psychologically feasible.” Schools for Buddhist children, as well as for those looking for improved education, are obviously an essential element. School education ready for reincarnate lamas is something we can no longer see as just a theoretical aspect of the responsibility of the Foundation… . In the future, with the aim of representing all the different aspects of the work of the Foundation, we clearly and definitely need news and participation from you in order to have a balanced representation of the FPMT. If you think about it, it is easy to see how the goal of the Foundation cannot be met by just operating one center alone. The different parts of our mandala are all vital for us to have success. 

Trisha Donnelly (seated left) with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche , Pierro Cerri, Heil Huston, Marcel Bertels, Claudio Cipullo, Yeshe Khadro, Robina Courtin, Harvey Horrocks, Massimo Corona and Jeff Nye, at His Holiness’ residence India, 1984 or 85. Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

Harvey stands for his sincerity, professionalism, and a life completely devoted to the Dharma and offered in service to benefit all sentient beings. He has dedicated himself to helping realize the vast vision of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. His life continues to be a source of inspiration and gratitude for those whose lives he touched—the communities he helped bring into being, and the present and future generations of students who benefit from what he helped to create. 

Details compiled by Fabiana Lotito from an excellent two-part interview Judy Weitzner conducted in 2017, as well as from Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe, and from archived articles from Mandala magazine and Blissful Rays of the Mandala. Input and details on the history were also shared by Peter Kedge and Nicholas Ribush. 

Read more about Harvey’s mandala offerings and his philosophy of service, in his own words, in the article “Patience Rewarded” (p. 30), Mandala, August–September 2006.

Are you an early student of FPMT who was there at the beginning? Do you have a story to share about how you met Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche or the impact they have had on your life? Have you personally achieved or actualized a request, advice, practice accomplishment, or project given to you by Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche? We want to hear from you!

Please explore all of the resources we have compiled related to FPMT history. We look forward to all of your creative ideas on how to bring this year-long celebration to your own local activities and personal practices! Please use the hashtag #50YearsFPMT in your social media posts so we can all be connected in this way. 

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.