REACHING OUT: a History of and Contemporary Look at the Centers, Projects and Services of FPMT

REACHINGOUT REACHING OUT: A history of and contemporary look at the Centers, Projects and Services of FPMT Lama Yeshe supervises building of Kopan FPMT pioneers: Peter Kedge, Lama Yeshe, Gompa extension, 1976 Sister Max1 and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, 1982 We make the ocean and the fish will come. – Lama Thubten Yeshe pi-o-neer: And funding? Lama Yeshe was brutal in his insistence 1. One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed that centers and students be self-sufficient and often territory to settle. encouraged them to start businesses. Lama’s early students 2. One who opens up new areas of thought, research or were made up of those from the anti-establishment genera- development. tion and many had been quite proud to cheat on their taxes, accept welfare payments, shoplift or sell marijuana as ama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984), founder of the methods to remain on the fringes of society. Lama insisted Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana that his students “do what society people do” and function LTradition (FPMT), was many things to many people. as professional members of the world. Breaking the law or What seems a constant impression from those who knew following the “hippie” notion that money and capitalism him was that Lama Yeshe was big. “Think big,” “big love,” were necessary evils would get them nowhere. It was one’s – these are catch-phrases commonly attributed to Lama. motivation that corrupted ventures in commerce, and since Some students even claim he often appeared to physically his students were engaging in business practice to be of grow far bigger than his 5 ft 6 in (167 cm) frame. benefit to others, no way could this be corrupt. He insisted that end results were to be carefully visual- “Thinking big” was not simply a cute expression that ized before plans and details. After all, how can you reach a Lama used to impress his students. Thinking big meant destination without first knowing exactly where you’d like to breaking free from all of the small, narrow, tight thinking go? When students expressed an interest in starting a center that had kept his students cycling in the irresistible misery he didn’t encourage them to start off following a tradition- of samsara for countless lifetimes. ally conservative model by raising a couple of years worth A pioneer in every sense of the word, Lama Yeshe was of funds, working out all budget and program details, fearlessly charging into the new territory of Western securing investors and starting slowly. He instructed them to Buddhism with a crystal clear understanding of the dominant find “a place,” a physical location first. “We make the ocean Western modes of thinking. Lama Yeshe believed that and the fish will come,” he’d advise. Buddhism, once stripped of the traditional Eastern cultural 1 Sister Max was one of Lama Yeshe’s earliest students and strongest benefactor trappings, would speak easily to the science-centered Western of early activity. mind with its focus on logic and proof. Lama encouraged his 18 MANDALA July - September 2009 students to “check up” on all of his “blah blah blah” Under Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s care and protec- before they trusted even a single word. tion, the organization has flourished in ways that could At the time of Lama’s passing, after fifteen years never have been anticipated or conceived of forty years of teaching this big approach to life to his hundreds of ago when the Lamas’ first Western student turned up (mostly Western) students, Lama Yeshe’s organization on their modest doorstep in India. had established thirty centers and twenty projects in After Lama Yeshe passed away,Lama Zopa Rinpoche fourteen countries. And nearly all of them (plus made enormous continuous effort over many years to hundreds of new initiatives) are still thriving twenty- stabilize and develop the organization. We’ll tell the story five years later. of Rinpoche’s incredible journey with the organization in Admittedly, Lama Yeshe didn’t begin teaching our January-March 2010 issue. Westerners with the intention of starting centers all Today, FPMT is made up of 154 (and growing) over the world: this was rather a natural phenomenon. centers, projects, services and study groups stretching His students found their way to India and Nepal over thirty-three countries and sustained through the in the late 1960s and early 1970s in a variety of ways. efforts of thousands of devoted individuals. A common thread linking these students was their FPMT had to grow and evolve into the organized, interest in finding meaning in their lives. And even international, multi-purposed outfit it is today. The those who weren’t necessarily searching for something, organization was born from the dedication and deter- found it when they met Lama Yeshe and his heart mination of just a few handfuls of pioneer students disciple, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, at the Kopan medita- and the incredible kindness of Lama Yeshe and Lama tion courses in Nepal. Zopa Rinpoche. Without those early students, and When Lama Yeshe passed away in March of 1984, thus, early centers, the Lamas’ teachings could not FPMT was in crisis. Lama was gone. Hundreds of have spread to be as widely accessed and cherished as devastated students were stunned like motherless they are today. And this pioneering tradition lives on children. Lama Zopa Rinpoche encouraged the as ambitious students continue to bring FPMT to students to stay focused on the long-term aims of the their home countries. organization and keep everything together. “Carry on The organization that started in India and Nepal, and don’t let things fall apart,” Rinpoche advised. then spread to the home countries of the first Western Initially, Rinpoche attempted to offer the organi- students, can now be found all across the Asia Pacific, zation to his gurus, but they didn’t accept. His Holiness North and South America, Europe and Russia. the Dalai Lama said it was better if Rinpoche himself Here, we take a look back at the development of ran the organization. This was Rinpoche’s time to these activities: the students, the stories, the ingenuity and emerge as the new spiritual guide of FPMT. the big love that has kept it all together through the years. WHY WE HAVE ESTABLISHED FPMT By Lama Yeshe hat we are modern way of life. Our purpose is to share our expe- trying to do riences of this. Wis to help Now, the way we have evolved is not through you people discover their or me having said we want to do these things but own totality and thus through a natural process of development. Our perfect satisfaction. organization has grown naturally, organically. It is not Why have we es- “Lama Yeshe wanted to do it.” I’ve never said that I tablished the FPMT? want centers all over the world. Rather, I came into Lama Yeshe with FPMT pioneer, Why are we establish- contact with students, who then wanted to do some- CENTERS, PROJECTS AND SERVICES OF FPMT Anila Ann McNeil ing these facilities all thing – expressed the wish to share their experience over the world? I think we are clean clear as to our aim with others – and put together groups in various – we want to lead sentient beings to higher education. countries to share and grow with others. We are an organization that gives people the chance to Personally I think that’s fine. We should work for receive higher education. We offer people the that. We are human beings; Buddhism helps us grow; combined knowledge of Buddha’s teachings and the therefore it is logical that we should work together to July - September 2009 MANDALA 19 REACHINGOUT facilitate this kind of education. And it is not only we lamas anything. I’m part of the Central Office; I can give my who are working for this. The centers’ resident geshes and opinion. But it was not necessary to rely on me for every- the students are working too. Actually, it is you students thing. That’s why I established the Central Office. who are instrumental in creating the facilities for Dharma However, to some extent I am still responsible for to exist in the Western world. True. Of course, teachers whatever happens in our centers. I have not let go of all help, but the most important thing is for the students to be responsibility and said let whatever happens happen. There- well educated. That is why we exist. fore, I have to know something of what’s going on in the When we started establishing centers there was no over- centers: what the problems are, how serious they are, what all plan – they just popped up randomly all over the world benefits the center is offering and so forth. The point is, I like mushrooms, because of the evolutionary process I’ve just am not going to let the centers go completely so that they mentioned and the cooperative conditions. Now that all these become totally nonsensical, non-beneficial to others and centers do exist, we have to facilitate their development in a just some kind of ego-trip. I don’t believe that should constructive, clean clear way, otherwise everything will just happen. So I don’t want to close myself off; I like to look at get confused. We have to develop properly both internally and and reflect upon what’s happening, but at the same time I in accordance with our twentieth century environment. don’t want to have to spend my whole life writing letters. Now, the way to bring Dharma to the Western world Thus taking the middle way meant setting up the Central is to bring the nuclear, essential aspect of Dharma.

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