Living in Community

Communities Worldwide

Kopan Monastery was the first community of monks established by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In 1971, 25 monks moved down from the Solukhumbu region of Nepal to the small hill overlooking Boudhanath; and thus the beginning of the largest community of monks of FPMT today.

It was at Kopan Monastery that the first IMI western sangha community was established in 1974. There a group of about 20 monks and nuns from around the world pioneered a program of study, meditation, and communal living. In 1976 in Dharamsala an extension of the IMI sangha group was established and for the next years, IMI activity was based in India and Nepal.

In 1981 IMI established Nalanda Monastery in France. In 1982, as a means of drawing his sangha together, Lama Yeshe organized the first Enlightened Experience Celebration (EEC), which was attended by about 100 monks and nuns. After the EEC, several monks returned to Nalanda. A group of nuns established the Dorje Pamo Nunnery at the nearby Vajra Yogini Institute. As students among the FPMT mandala of centers took a deeper interest in practicing the Buddhist paths as guided by their teachers, many became ordained, and the nucleus of many of the communities today were grew.

Dharma centers like to have Sangha members living and teaching there. This is actually very beneficial for the environment since due to the presence of Sangha, the lineage of the Buddha's teachings is present in that country. The presence of Sangha preserves the lineage of the Buddha's teaching and establishes the cause for others to have a precious human rebirth in the future. This is a great responsibility for the Sangha, because it can actually establish the cause for a precious human rebirth not only for humans, but for nagas, pretas, and other beings.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

IMI Monastic Communities

Chenrezig Nuns' Community (Nuns)
PO Box 41
Eudlo
4554 Queensland
AUSTRALIA
Telephone (61) 07 5445 0077
Fax (61) 07 5445 0088
Email cnc@chenrezig.com.au
Manager Ven. Jampa Dekyi

Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery (Nuns)
GPO Box 817, Kathmandu
Tel: (1) 481 236
Fax: (1) 481 267
Web www.kopanmonastery.com/nunnery.html
Email khacho@mail.com.np
Manager Ven. Jangsem

Kopan Monastery (Monks)
GPO Box 817, Kathmandu
Tel: (1) 4821268
Fax: (1) 4821267
Web www.kopanmonastery.com
Email kopan@mail.com.np
Director Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup

Nalanda Monastery (Monks)
Labastide Ste Georges
81500 Lavaur
FRANCE
Telephone (33) 05 63 58 02 25
Fax (33) 05 63 58 19 87
Web www.nalanda-monastery.eu
Email nalanda@wanadoo.fr
Director Ven. Tendar

Shedrup Zung Drel Ling (Monks)
Sera Je Monastery IMI House
Sera Je Monastery, House #88
PO Bylakuppe, Mysore
Karnataka 571104
INDIA
Email seraimihouse@yahoo.com
Director Ven. Tenzin Namdak

Shenpen Samten Ling Nunnery (Nuns)
Via Poggiberna 9
56040 Pomaia (Pisa)
ITALY
Telephone (050) 685 654
Fax (050) 685 768
Residents Telephone (050) 684 133
Email zarmiki@yahoo.it
Manager Ven. Micaela Zardini

Takden Shedrup Targye Ling Monastery (Monks)
Via Poggiberna 9
Pomaia
56040 Pisa
ITALY
Telephone (050) 685 654
Fax (050) 685 768
Residents Telephone (050) 684 133
Web www.iltk.it
Email olivieross@tiscali.it
Manager Ven. Olivier Rossi

Taipei Sangha Community (Nuns)
F12-1, No 81 Sect.3, Pa Te Road
Taipei
TAIWAN
Email sanghaw@ms24.hinet.net

Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery (Monks)
RMB 1530, Eaglehawk
3556 Victoria
AUSTRALIA
Telephone/Fax (61) 03 5446 3691
Web www.tslmonastery.org
Email tslmonastery@fastmail.fm
Director Ven. Lhundrup

In addition to the above sangha communities, many of the monks and nuns of the IMI live in residential communities of the FPMT.