Month: October 2021

For the first time in over fifteen years, Geshe Samten will be teaching the classic text by Atisha, Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to receive these important and profound teachings.

About the Text

Atisha’s most celebrated text, Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, sets forth the entire Buddhist path within the framework of three levels of motivation on the part of the practitioner. Atisha’s text thus became the source of the lamrim tradition or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment, an approach to spiritual practice incorporated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Atisha, the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist scholar and saint, came to Tibet at the invitation of the king of Western Tibet, Lha Lama Yeshe Wo, and his nephew, Jangchub Wo. His coming initiated the period of the second transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, formative for the Sakya Kagyu and Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Buddhism in a Nutshell is an introductory course that provides an overview of Tibetan Buddhist concepts and practice for newcomers. It covers the fundamentals of the Buddha’s teachings, simple meditation practices and provides ample opportunities to ask your questions about different aspects of Buddhism.

Each weekly session will include explanation, guided meditation and Q&A. Ideal for beginners.

Khadro-la has advised students to offer practices dedicated for Rinpoche’s good health, specifically to recite refuge and bodhicitta prayers.

Every year FPMT CEO Ven. Roger Kunsang, on behalf of the FPMT organisation, checks with Khandro-la (Khandro Kunga Bhuma) to determine what practices should be done to help create the conditions Lama Zopa Rinpoche, to have a long life and good health for the coming year. In addition to the pujas and practices already advised, Khandro-la’s recent observation is that there are still obstacles to Rinpoche’s health.

Ven. Roger shares: “Khandro-la is therefore strongly advising students to continue to offer practices dedicated for Rinpoche’s good health, and now specifically to recite refuge and bodhichitta prayers. We sincerely request students to start this now or as soon as possible, and to continue over the coming two months. Individual students can offer this practice themselves, and we encourage centres to organise group practice sessions for this.”

While Vajrayana Institute encourages everyone to commence this practice at home we will also be hosting weekly group recitations of prayers and mantras with strong dedications for Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s health and very long life.

Join us to recite prayers and mantras for Rinpoche’s health and long life each Tuesday evening at 6pm.

Taking Refuge and Generating Bodhichitta
Sang gyä chhö dang tshog kyi chhog nam la
Jang chhub bar du dag ni kyab su chhi
Dag gi jin sog gyi päi tshog nam kyi
Dro la phän chhir sang gyä drub par shog (3x)

I take refuge until I am enlightened
In the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly.
By my merits of generosity and so forth,
May I become a buddha to benefit transmigratory beings.
(3x)

There is a wealth of knowledge of our mind or consciousness, and the ways we are aware of and know the objects and happenings around us in the Buddhist teachings. In this workshop we take an experiential approach to explore the concepts of mind, different ways of knowing and the mental factors that affect our conscious awareness. With a better understanding of the functioning of our mind, we can relate creatively with our mental habits and develop the skill to foster greater stillness, clarity and bliss in our mind and heart.

All are welcome; there is no prerequisite.

The workshop will feature brief explanations, guided meditations, and time for Q&A.

Arya Tara, the embodiment of awakened activity of the Buddha’s enlightened mind – compassion, wisdom, and love – in a female form, who acts swiftly to answer our requests both spiritual and worldly. Protector and Liberator, Arya Tara frees beings from fear, saves them from dangerous situations, and removes obstacles.

This is a non-residential retreat available to attend in-person or online via Zoom stream. In-person places are limited so please register below

You can view the retreat schedule here

Download the Retreat Book here

Please BYO lunch. Morning and afternoon tea provided

*Please note that you should avoid ‘black foods’ (meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic and radishes)

Rules of Discipline 

Since Vajrayana is a semi-monastic meditation centre and not a guesthouse, we ask all of our retreatants and visitors to observe the following rules of discipline in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to inner reflection and meditation:

• Respect all life: do not intentionally kill any living being, even small insects.
• Respect others’ property: do not steal or take anything not freely given.
• Be honest and straightforward: do not lie or intentionally deceive others. This is easy when observing silence!
• Be celibate: no sexual activity. This also includes no holding hands, hugging, massages, and other physical displays of affection.
• Be alert and mindful: avoid intoxicants such as alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes (we encourage you to stop smoking while here, but if this is impossible, one can smoke at a designated place outside the centre boundary).
• Be considerate of others’ silence: respect others that choose to keep silent during the retreat, especially in the Gompa. No singing or playing music and in general, maintain a quiet demeanor while on the property.
• Be considerate of the monks and nuns: dress respectfully (please no shorts above the knee, tank-top shirts or tight and revealing clothing).

Basic Retreat Discipline

In order to keep the atmosphere conducive to inner reflection and spiritual pursuit and to minimise distractions during the course, students on our residential courses and retreats are asked to abide by our basic code of discipline listed below.

• Please settle all outside communication before the course begins. Telling friends and family that you will be out of contact for the duration of the course and sticking by that decision significantly reduces distraction from the investigation into the workings of your own mind!
• Participants should attend all sessions of the course and come to sessions on time.
• Please leave all communication/entertainment devices (laptop / mobile phones /cameras / MP3/CD players) etc at home or switch off and leave in your bag.
• Please be gentle in your behaviour and sensitive to fellow group members.

Can’t make it yet would like to generate merit by supporting the retreatants?
Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that sponsoring retreats generates the same merit as if you had done the retreat yourself.  

• If you would like to sponsor the cost of the retreat, please make a donation using the donation box below
  • Sponsor one retreatant ($130 or whatever you can contribute) 

In the Buddhist analysis of suffering and its causes, it is our ignorance that projects onto reality false ideas and entities that do not exist in the way they appear. We have suffered under the enchantment of such ignorance, buying into these false ideas and experiencing distress and anxiety over them. Seeing into their true nature, we experience disenchantment towards these false images and ideas. We will explore insight meditations that facilitate this process of letting go.

The workshop will feature brief explanations, guided meditations, and time for Q&A.

All are welcome; no prerequisite needed.  

The “37 Practices of the Bodhisattva” describe practical ways to use adverse circumstances for Dharma practice and to transform the mind.

It is a powerful lojong (or ‘mind training’) text by the Tibetan monk and Bodhisattva Gyelsay Togmay Zangpo (1295-1369). In thirty seven verses, it gives instructions on how to follow the bodhisattva path to transform our minds from suffering to unshakable happiness through dedicating ourselves to working for the benefit of others.

You can purchase a copy of the text here