A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN FPMT LAMA

Geshe Losang Gengye, the resident lama at Institut Vajra Yogini in France, tells his translator Ven. Tenzin Trinley and Cecilia Berranger about his life at the center.

In 1978 I was invited by a friend of mine, a German monk, to live in the Vietnamese monastery in Paris. One day in July 1979, Lama Yeshe telephoned from another part of France, a place called Viviers, where Lama was giving his second teaching course to Westerners in France. Lama Yeshe told me that he had the intention to buy a property in the south of France to establish a Dharma center, Institut Vajra Yogini. Lama Yeshe asked me to be the resident lama at the new center.

I accepted but could not come to Institut Vajra Yogini until August 1980. From then until now, for 15 years, I have been the resident lama at the institute.

As for my day to day life, I wake up at six o’clock, or sometimes six-thirty. It takes me about an hour to wash and dress and do my offerings. After that I recite whatever commitment prayers I can do in one hour, then I take my breakfast. At nine-thirty the study group begins with the recitation of Ganden Lha Gyama, which takes about half an hour. The subject of the study group this year is the fourth chapter of Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara.

The study group used to be over five days for the last few years, but now it is held two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday. Besides this, I give teaching on the commentary on the Bodhicaryavatara one or two weekends a month. This course is attended by around 60 people from the local area and many from Toulouse, about 40 kilometers away.

After lunch, I see visitors. Most of the time people come with many questions about their life problems and sometimes about Dharma practice.

After seeing the visitors, I go for a walk and sometimes I meet people working in the garden and I chat with them for awhile. When there is a space during the day, I fill it with the practices that I am unable to finish in the morning. We do pujas on special days like Lama Chöpa and Cittamani Tara, and most of the time I try to attend. When there is no puja or whenever there is some leisure time, I relax or do my practice and catch up on some reading.

I am also invited to teach in other centers in France and Europe, so free weekends are rare! So, like this, life is finishing empty!

When students request ordination I always advise them to think very carefully and take some time over the decision. On this point I would like to offer some advice to all the students of the FPMT. You should think well before making a decision to take ordination, and once the decision is taken, please continue to keep your vows until the end of your life and try very hard to respect the vinaya rules. If you can spend your whole life in retreat, this is the best. If not, stay in a Dharma center, at least for a few years and just sit down and study. I don’t see much benefit in travelling all the time here and there and visiting many countries.

Now I am 70 years old and have not many years left to live. I think I am one of the longest staying lamas in the FPMT centers and I am the oldest one. Now only a few years left to live.

As the resident lama at the center, I think I have tried my best to serve for the benefit of the center and students. Now the center is functioning very well. And many people are coming to the center.

And also I should say that the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the institute in November 1993 was a very successful event. This is the result of the hard work and effort of the residents and volunteers, particularly our most beloved director Mr. Denis Huet, who is not only financially supporting Institut Vajra Yogini in the beginning, middle and end, but also tirelessly working with his body, speech and mind and completely devoting his life merely to benefit others.