Golden Light Sutra Center

The momentous task of revitalizing Buddhism in the Mongolian countryside has begun with FPMT Mongolia's first countryside center in Darkhan.

Darkhan, a communist-built satellite city in northern Mongolia, is the second largest city with over two-thirds of the population under 25. Originally built as an industrial town, the fall of communism in 1990 brought wide-scale unemployment, poverty, desperation and social problems with widespread alcoholism.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche first visited Darkhan in 2003. So overwhelming was the response to his teaching given in a local monastery, that the police had to restrain the crowd from breaking down windows and doors to get in. Golden Light Sutra Center was then established in 2004. In 2009, the Center moved to the present building and since then it has maintained a regular teaching program.

Being the first center outside of Ulaanbaatar and not having a resident teacher, a different model has developed enabling the students to further their Dharma knowledge as a study group with the support of visiting teachers. The group is currently studying Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by way of readings, discussions and exams. The senior students are also leading introductory classes in other places for interested people who wish to gain an understanding of their traditional religion.

Since the beginning of the center, a very dedicated group of students has recited the prescribed prayers on the 4 main days of each month and taken the Mahayana precepts on special days.

A vital aspect of the center’s activities is it’s social outreach programs which range from repairing and offering gold to the large Buddha statue in the center of Darkhan, in conjunction with other local Buddhist groups, providing a fire truck and ambulance to the local Emergency Services Department and giving warm clothes to the kindergarten children in the Ger districts.

FPMT has established FPMT Mongolia as a designated purpose fund, which with the support of generous benefactors, supports the work of FPMT's affiliate in Mongolia. All donations made to the fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.