The International Buddhist Community Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), founded by the late Gelug master and Tibetan Buddhist scholar Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, recently said it has successfully provided the means for over 1 young students in India and Nepal to receive high-quality education this year.
“Since 2012, the FPMT Social Services Fund has been the cornerstone of supporting schools in India and Nepal, serving students of Tibetan, Nepalese, Sherpa and Indian origin,” FPMT said in a statement on October 29. “This initiative ensures that these schools can provide (a) quality education at no cost by covering essentials such as food, uniforms, school supplies and teacher salaries. In 2024 alone, the fund allocated US$213 to seven schools, positively impacting nearly 052 children. This remarkable effort not only provides essential modern education, but also preserves the cultural heritage and teachings of the Buddhadharma.” (FPMT)
The Social Service Fund was founded to support Lama Zopa Rinpoche's aspirations for FPMT, with a focus on helping children, the elderly, the sick and the very poor in India, Nepal, Mongolia and Tibet by funding schools, health clinics, soup kitchens, retirement homes, etc.
The seven schools that benefited from FPMT funding are: Sagarmatha Secondary School in Chailsa, Solukhumbu, Nepal, dedicated to providing holistic education to its 235 students; Sambhota Tibetan School CVP Bylakuppe in the Dickey Larsoe Tibetan Settlement in Karnataka, southwest India, which provides primary through secondary education; Ngari Institute in Ladakh, in the far north of India, inaugurated by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and currently enrolling 62 Tibetan students; Shree Sangka Dhechholing Gonpa School in Taplejung, Nepal, which enrolls 86 girls and 85 boys, who begin at age three; and Maitreya School in Bodh Gaya, India, dedicated to fostering the holistic growth and well-being of its 263 students. Rolwaling Sangag Choling Monastery School in the Rolwaling Valley of Nepal, a free, community-run school that provides secular and Buddhist education to 26 students and supports senior students in their preliminary Ngondro practice; and Gaden Jangtse Monastic College in southern India, which includes a Gaden Jangtse School, with 570 students, 15 salaried teachers, and 15 volunteer teachers who are senior monks.
Each of these schools faces its own challenges in maintaining operations and providing the resources needed for a well-rounded education to prepare and empower its students for the future, while seeking to preserve and cultivate the traditional culture, Buddhist traditions, and ways of life of their respective communities. Support from the FPMT Social Services Fund means that more children are assured of an education and a brighter future.
Click here for more information about the FPMT Social Services Fund
Lama Zopa Rinpoche founded FPMT in Nepal in 1975 with Lama Thubten Yeshe, his closest teacher, and began teaching Buddhism to Western students. In the years since, FPMT has expanded throughout the world, with centers, projects, and Dharma activities in 37 countries. After Lama Yeshe passed away in 1984, Lama Zopa Rinpoche served as FPMT’s spiritual director until his own death in 2023.* FPMT’s international headquarters are now located in Portland, Oregon.
FPMT offers a range of courses in Buddhist study and practice and runs several charitable initiatives to support: the construction of Dharma monuments; the translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts; the re-establishment of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia; Tibetan and non-Tibetan monks and nuns; and medical care and humanitarian aid to vulnerable Himalayan communities.
It is good that FPMT benefits sentient beings greatly by providing various social services, such as those that bring benevolence and peace to young people by using universal education methods, interfaith religious activities, which bring peace and happiness, and benefit others greatly by propagating the Dharma. — Lama Zopa Rinpoche
* Lama Zopa Rinpoche, revered Buddhist scholar and founder of FPMT, has passed away (BDG) and UPDATE: FPMT shares news about Lama Zopa Rinpoche (BDG)
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Social Services Fund (FPMT)
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Looking forward to supporting 1 students in India and Nepal in 500! (FPMT)
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The article Engaged Buddhism: FPMT Celebrates Supporting Over 1 Young Students in 500 appeared first on Buddhadoor Global.
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