In each session we will practice the different aspects of meditation that support of our body and mind to release tension and agitation, promote pleasant sensations, and enable them to settle ever more deeply in a state of peaceful meditative absorption.

Date: Wednesdays July 3, 10, 17, 24

Time: 7pm – 8pm

Cost: $10

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au

In the Mind-Only school of Buddhist philosophy there is a presentation of 8 types of consciousness, i.e., 8 ways of knowing and being aware that are the basis of our experiences of happiness and unhappiness. In this workshop we will explore how to use such a model to guide our meditation practice and to free us from habits that distort the proper functioning of our mind.

Date: Sunday 7th July

Time: 10am – 3.30pm

Cost: $50 / $45

Morning tea will be provided but please BYO lunch

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au

A puja is a special ceremony in which prayers are offered to the Buddhas or different manifestations of enlightened beings to request their blessings or invoke their help.

Pujas are performed to avert and clear the three types of obstacles which arise due to the lack of merit, which prevent us from achieving our worldly and spiritual goals. These include issues affecting our day to day life, our mental and physical health and difficulties we might be experiencing in Dharma practice. Removing these obstacles will help us to achieve happiness and good fortune in all our activities.

The following pujas are held at VI each month:

• Guru Puja with Tsog
• Tara Puja
• Medicine Buddha Puja
• Yamantaka Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)
• Vajrayogini Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)

There is also an opportunity to observe a Precepts Day at home by taking the 8 Mahayana precepts and devoting the day to practice.

Tara Puja – once each month

The Tara Puja is a practice focusing on Tara, making offerings and giving praise, as a way of creating merits and strengthening our connection with our own enlightened potential. Tara is also known as the “Mother of all Buddhas” because she embodies wisdom – all buddhas are born from this wisdom, she is the manifestation of the Buddha’s omniscient mind.

“Reciting the 21 Taras’ prayer with devotion – remembering Tara singing praises and reciting mantras at any time of the day or night – protects you from fear and dangers, and fulfils all your wishes.” Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Green Tara is especially swift in granting the wishes of sentient beings.

Note: times for Tara Pujas vary – please check the calendar for exact times.

In each session we will practice the different aspects of meditation that support of our body and mind to release tension and agitation, promote pleasant sensations, and enable them to settle ever more deeply in a state of peaceful meditative absorption.

Date: Wednesdays July 3, 10, 17, 24

Time: 7pm – 8pm

Cost: $10

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au

A puja is a special ceremony in which prayers are offered to the Buddhas or different manifestations of enlightened beings to request their blessings or invoke their help.

Pujas are performed to avert and clear the three types of obstacles which arise due to the lack of merit, which prevent us from achieving our worldly and spiritual goals. These include issues affecting our day to day life, our mental and physical health and difficulties we might be experiencing in Dharma practice. Removing these obstacles will help us to achieve happiness and good fortune in all our activities.

The following pujas are held at VI each month:

• Guru Puja with Tsog
• Tara Puja
• Medicine Buddha Puja
• Yamantaka Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)
• Vajrayogini Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)

There is also an opportunity to observe a Precepts Day at home by taking the 8 Mahayana precepts and devoting the day to practice.

Guru Puja with Tsog (also known as Lama Chopa) – twice each month

During the practice of Lama Chopa, we invoke all the lamas of the graduated path lineage beginning with Shakyamuni Buddha himself, extending to our present direct teachers who have shown us the path. We pay homage to them, make offerings, and request each of them to please bless our minds with the same realizations that they themselves have generated. By offering sincere, heartfelt requests, we make our minds ripe to receive the full blessings of this precious lineage and quickly actualize the realizations we need to attain enlightenment.

Note: starting times for Pujas vary – please check the calendar for exact times.

A puja is a special ceremony in which prayers are offered to the Buddhas or different manifestations of enlightened beings to request their blessings or invoke their help.

Pujas are performed to avert and clear the three types of obstacles which arise due to the lack of merit, which prevent us from achieving our worldly and spiritual goals. These include issues affecting our day to day life, our mental and physical health and difficulties we might be experiencing in Dharma practice. Removing these obstacles will help us to achieve happiness and good fortune in all our activities.

The following pujas are held at VI each month:

• Guru Puja with Tsog
• Tara Puja
• Medicine Buddha Puja
• Yamantaka Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)
• Vajrayogini Self Initiation (Restricted attendance)

There is also an opportunity to observe a Precepts Day at home by taking the 8 Mahayana precepts and devoting the day to practice.

Medicine Buddha Puja – once each month

Most commonly this puja is performed on behalf of sick people to assist with recovery from illness or an operation and those who are dying. It is also done to achieve higher rebirth for the deceased and is very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate. The prayers invoke help from the Seven Medicine Buddhas and Buddha Shakyamuni.

Note: times for Medicine Buddha Pujas vary – please check the calendar for exact times

Holiday Art Class of Buddhist Thangka Art

Students will learn the meaning and practice of drawing and painting traditional Buddhist art in the Tibetan style, beginning with the face of the Buddha. One can progress through to completion of a thangka for those who wish to participate on an ongoing basis.

Suitable for beginners through to experienced thangka painters.

Please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au for a list of art materials required to participate.

During the term Paul provides participants teaching and instruction most Saturdays of the month. If you wish to continue what you learn look at the website calendar for more details.

Dates with Paul Smith: Wednesday 17th  July

Time: 10.30am -12.30pm

Cost: $20 / $18 VI member (You can pay on the day)

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au

In each session we will practice the different aspects of meditation that support of our body and mind to release tension and agitation, promote pleasant sensations, and enable them to settle ever more deeply in a state of peaceful meditative absorption.

Date: Wednesdays July 3, 10, 17, 24

Time: 7pm – 8pm

Cost: $10

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au

Is it possible to use meditation to work with the distressing experience of anxiety? In this public talk we will look at how the practice of tong-len (taking and giving) meditation can help us. By reversing our usual tendency to push away what’s unwanted and hold onto what we want, tong-len practice enable us to step out of spiraling reactivity of anxiety and shift our attention to actions that can help us deal with the situation.

Date: Friday 19th July

Time: 7pm – 830pm

Cost: $15 / $13

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assitantspc@vajrayana.com.au

This Yamantaka self-initiation is a brief text composed by the early twentieth-century master, Khangsar Thubten Chökyi Wangchuk, based on the secret oral instructions of the Ganden Hearing Lineage. In order to engage in its practice, one must have received the empowerment of Vajrabhairava (i.e., Yamantaka), completed an authorizing retreat of 100,000 mantras together with the traditional concluding fire puja.

This practice is restricted to only those with the appropriate tantric empowerment.

Date: Sunday 21st July

Time: 10am – 3.30pm

Cost: $50 / $45

Morning tea will be provided but please BYO lunch

At VI we aim to make Dharma teachings as accessible as possible, so if you wish to attend but are unable to afford the full cost of classes at this time please email assistantspc@vajrayana.com.au