Universal Education
for FPMT Centres
- Big Love
Introduction
What is Universal Education?
This page was created for FPMT Centres to help them bring Universal Education (UE) to their community. Universal Education is one of the five pillars of service that FPMT centres provide. FDCW supports, inspires and encourages FPMT Centres to provide Universal Education by offering resources, training and success stories from around the world demonstrating the wide number of creative ways people are introducing UE.
Universal Education is a place where we can all meet to share our values, understand one another better and develop a sense of caring for each other and our world. Lama talked about Big Love – caring for everyone and our planet, wishing everyone to be happy, free and reach their full human potential.
At FDCW we believe building communities that practice together is key. Coming together for a weekend course or retreat is wonderful but it’s just the beginning. That’s why, alongside our courses, we have created resources for regular practice together on strengthening values, compassion and wisdom.
“We have to get rid of people’s old concepts and give them a new imagination; a new, broad way of looking at themselves and the world. That’s what I mean by universal.” – Lama Yeshe
The Benefits
Why Integrate UE at your Centre?
Introducing Universal Education at your Centre brings benefit not just to the students but also to the Centre itself by:-
- Following His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s vision for secular ethics and compassion to reach as many people as possible, at this particular time.
- Fulfilling Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s UE pillar of service
- Building communities of practice for long term change
- Increasing inclusivity by offering a path without assumptions about people’s background, beliefs or faith, attracting new audiences
- Promoting harmony among staff and volunteers and can even form the basis of the Centre’s statement of values.
- Weaving UE tools and methods into the fabric of the Centre’s social projects eg hospice, school visits, community work, prisons etc.
- Cultivating a culture of kindness and empathy, reinforcing a positive, supportive environment for both new and existing members and students.
Our Inspiration
FDCW's Inspiration for UE
Lama Yeshe first shared his vision for Universal Education back in the 1970s. FDCW was founded in 2005 to actualise that vision with His Holiness the Dalai Lama agreeing to be FDCW’s Honorary President. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was FDCW’s Honorary President offering advice for many decades on the development of UE.
Getting Started
How to Bring UE to Your Centre
Based on FDCW’s consultations with many FPMT Centre during the past 3 years, we have devised a three step process that Centres can follow to get started with UE.
Choose
1. Appoint a UE Ambassador
A UE Ambassador will act as a point of contact for information and guidance on Universal Education at the Centre. They will be a focal point for building communities practising UE.
The Centre’s UE Ambassador does not have to be a qualified FDCW facilitator. Any volunteer or staff member who is enthusiastic about UE and wishes to learn more about it in order to share with others would be ideal.
Many Centres have already hosted UE courses and we strongly encourage this. A list of our facilitators is available on our website here. By appointing a UE ambassador, the Centre has another method of sharing UE.
Learn
2. Familiarise with UE
The next step is for the UE Ambassador to familiarise themselves with the theory and practice of UE. The best way to do this is by exploring the 16 Guidelines for Life which is FDCW’s core program.
We offer three tools for familiarising with the 16 Guidelines. These are the 16G book, the Bulding Inner Strength course and 16G App. By reading, reflecting and practising, your UE ambassador will learn how to embody the Guidelines so they can be authentic when introducing 16G resources to others. We expect the familiarisation process to take about 4 to 6 weeks.
The 16 Guidelines for Life: The Basics Book
The 16 Guidelines for Life book serves as the foundation of FDCW’s work, offering practical wisdom and guiding principles to foster personal growth and understanding.
Building Inner Strength: Core Values for a Happy Life
A 30 day introduction to the 16 Guidelines and how to live a meaningful life.
Building Inner Strength offers a structured approach to delve deeper into these concepts, allowing participants to explore at their own pace and apply these teachings in daily life.
Enrol in Building Inner Strength: Core Values for a Happy Life
The 16 Guidelines for a Happy Life App
The 16 Guidelines for a Happy Life App is a free tool that helps you to bring the 16 Guidelines into your daily life with daily meditations and reflections.
Share
3. Share UE with your Community
Now your Ambassador has begun to embody Universal Education, you are ready to weave UE tools into your Centre’s activities. We recommend starting a UE group with regular meet ups.
You can run events either at your centre, like discussion groups and meditations, or outside of your centre, like support groups in local care homes or prisons. We have a range of free resources to help.
With Conversations that Matter, you can get started now and begin guiding meaningful discussions that inspire and empower. In this video, Nicole Zito shares her experience of leading Conversations That Matter at Thubten Kunga Ling in Florida.
Inspire
Stories that Inspire
There are many examples here of how Centres have weaved UE tools into the fabric of their communities. Some Centres run 16 Guideline discussion groups for their staff and volunteers so that they can share values. Karuna Hospice in Brisbane now has a Statement of Values inspired by 16 Guidelines. Nalanda Monastery has run 16 Guidelines groups for their volunteers. The Great Stupa introduces 16 Guidelines to groups of schoolchildren who visit the Stupa.
Here’s a few ideas from our growing collection of stories from our community that have inspired us. We hope they inspire you too!
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t. Offering a 16G course is just one of the many available ways to help you introduce Universal Education at your center.
We encourage the person that will take the lead (UE Ambassador) to become familiar with the Guidelines by reading the 16G book, completing the Bulding Inner Strength course and downloading 16G App. You can then start using our free resources like Conversations that Matter to offer regular sessions.
By offering regular sessions, you will help develop a UE community of practice at your centre and develop a space for real transformation and integration of these Universal Values, so essential for the times we live in.
No, you don’t. A facilitator is only needed if the Centre wishes to offer an official 16 Guidelines Level 1 course but you don’t need to be a facilitator to use our Free resources. If there is a volunteer at your centre with interest in UE, this person could become your UE ambassador, after gaining some familiarity with the 16G program.
The 16 Guidelines are a set of universal values like patience, generosity and kindness that everyone knows, what we offer is a method to explore them more deeply in community.
Yes, absolutely! We strongly feel that for UE to flourish we need to build communities of practice, people coming together to practice and support each other.
Offering regular UE sessions based on Conversations that Matter and getting people talking and reflecting about shared values will help plant the seeds for this community to grow. Once people become familiar with the 16G and the program, the interest to know more will arise quite naturally, and then the opportunity to offer a 16G level 1 course might manifest as a natural progression.
At this point, you can then explore the possibility of contacting one of the FDCW 16G facilitators, that are based all around the world, to deliver a course in person or online.
Yes, you can adapt the material to suit the needs of the group. In case of doubt, please don’t hesitate to contact us by sending an email to admin@compassionandwisdom.org
Yes, you can offer the sessions online if this format works best at your center.
Do you have any questions or feedback?
If you’re have any questions, or would like to leave us any feedback, please get in touch. We’re here to help you bring UE to your community.
