Winter Debate and Robes Offered to Top Scholars

Monks debating during last year's Winter Debate. April 2013: The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund offered US$22,396.26 for the 2012 Winter Debate (Jang Gun-choe). 635 of the top debaters from Sera Je traveled to Drepung Monastery to participate with 8,000 monks from 11 different monasteries. The main participating Institutes were Sera, Drepung, Gaden, Tashi Lhunpo, Gyuto, Gyudme, Rato and Dhakpo Shedrup Dhargeyling monasteries and they met to debate two sessions a day for a minimum of seven hours. Many monks debated until the wee hours of the night.

The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund covered the cost of travel and food for the 635 monks from Sera Je Monastery to attend the month-long debate.

Monks debating during last year's Winter Debate. The Great Winter Debate has been an integral part Tibet Buddhism and dates back to the time of Lama TsongKhapa. The debate mainly consists of the most earnest and competent scholars from the great monasteries. The primary course of study during the Winter Debate is Pramanavartika (Tsema Namdrel) by Acharya Dharmakirti on subjects such as epistemology, valid cognition, dialectics, and the Art of Liberation.

Learn more about the Winter Debate.

The Lama Tsong Khapa Teachers Fund also offered a full set of monk's robes to 27 top scholars who memorized Shantidava’s The Bodhisattva's Way of Life and an additional full set of robes to another 196 monks: 94 who successfully memorized The Essence of Eloquence (Dang-Nge), 91 who memorized The Clear Meaning of Paramita (Drelpa-Don-Sel), 10 who memorized Skab Dangpoi Spyi Don by Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen, and one who successfully memorized The Collection of Six Treaties on the Middle Way.

Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund offers US$11,500 Toward 2013 Special Debate Held in Nepal

2010 Meeting of Geluk Committee in Nepal.April 2013: The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund is very happy to be able to offer US$11,500 towards 2013 Special debate held in Nepal in August 2013.

This year the special debate will be held at Kopan Monastery for fifteen days. There will be 450 monks attending from ten different Gelug 2010 Meeting of Geluk Committee in Nepal.monasteries in Nepal. These are the top debating students from each monastery. In addition this is the first time ever that nuns are participating in the special debate and there will be 90 nuns participating from two Gelug nunneries in Nepal, one of  them being Kopan’s own Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery.

This is the fifth year the special debate has been held in Nepal for the Gelug monasteries. Each year a different monastery hosts the actual debate.

For more information on the annual winter debate, its history, the texts debated and the overall incredible importance of the debate please read more here.

Please rejoice that we can make this offering and thank you to all the kind donors of the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund. The support given by FPMT’s Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund ensures that the Mahayana teachings are preserved for the benefit of all sentient beings and is critical to FPMT’s mission of transmitting and preserving the Mahayana Buddhist teachings worldwide. 

$4,518 Offered to the Geluk International Foundation

The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund was very happy to support the Geluk International Foundation which is establishing an office at Ganden Monastery, Tibet, as well as accommodation for Ganden Tripa by donating $4,518 for two computers and office equipment and furniture.

Please read a letter of thanks from the President of the Geluk International Foundation.

2012 Hightlights

October 2012: For the past fifteen years the Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund has been offering a small monthly stipend to 136 of the most senior teachers, and secretaries, of Sera, Ganden, Drepung, Gyume, Gyuto, Tashi Lhunpo and Rato monasteries.

In addition, the fund sponsors the travel of the top students from Sera, Gaden and Drepung monasteries to the annual Gelug exam and provides the food and tea to the 600+ monks in attendance.

In 2012 USD$25,400 was offered for the exam and stipends.

How Can I Make a Donation?

To make a tax-deductible donation simply send your check in US dollars payable to FPMT Inc. and write “Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers Fund” on the memo line.

FPMT Inc.
1632 SE 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97214-4702
USA

The Lama Tsongkhapa Teachers 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 more information please contact: Holly Ansett, Charitable Projects Coordinator.

2011 Highlights

• US$17,427 was offered for the monthly stipends of the current abbots, past abbots and main teachers of the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition, including the Ganden Tripa.
• US$8,036 was offered for the annual Gelug examination that was attended by over 602 of the foremost scholars from Sera, Ganden, Drepung, Gyume, Gyuto, Tashi Lhunpo and Rato monasteries. In 2011, the exam was held at Drepung Monastery. This money covered the cost of travel for the monks traveling from Sera Je and Sera Me, as well the cost of offering food and tea to all the 602 monks attending the exam.