The Wisdom Age Newsletter of Drogmi Buddhist Institute A Tibetan Buddhist Centre in the Sakya Tradition Issue 63 August 2022 Dear Dharma friends, Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe and all of the sangha at Drogmi Buddhist Institute Australia, wish to express to Our Glorious Precious Root Guru His Holiness the 41st Kyabgon Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, the happiest of 77th birthday celebrations on 7 September 2022. Wishing Your Holiness from the depth of all our hearts: May you live a long and extremely healthy life and continue to turn the Wheel of Dharma for the benefit of all mother sentient beings. We, as your devoted students offer continual heartfelt gratitude for all you have given us through your limitless loving-kindness, compassion, and pure wisdom. Yours in the dharma “On whichever path you follow – the Mahayana path, and especially the Vajrayana path, which includes visualisations, recitations, and foundation practices – all practices are of course very, very important. But the most important practice of all is the cultivation of compassion. Without compassion, no matter what you do, it will not be the direct cause of enlightenment. For a practice to be a direct cause of enlightenment, you must have enlightenment mind. And to have proper enlightenment mind, you need compassion. Without compassion you can’t have the other qualities.” ~His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin @karma_lodro_gyatso_yip NEWS FROM DROGMI BUDDHIST INSTITUTE Wednesday Evening Healing and Purification Practices Continue in September Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe will continue to lead us in Healing and Purification Practice practice on Wednesdays via Zoom, for 7 and 14 September (7 to 8pm). The 7th is especially auspicious for it is His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trinchen Rinpoche’s 77th Birthday! We will celebrate His Holiness’ birthday after practicing Medicine Buddha, with your khata in hand in offering to His Holiness, whilst we recite His Holiness’ Long-Life Prayer. (This week’s practice will be from 7 to 8:30pm. All who are local to the Kamalashila Centre may join us physically in the gompa for this auspicious occasion as well as sangha joining us on Zoom virtually. If you are able to stay after this time please join us with cake, tea and coffee.) Medicine Buddha is often referred to as a doctor who cures our suffering – using the medicine of His teachings. Medicine Buddha has the capacity to heal all types of illness, in the body and mind as well as karmically. Vajrasattva’s name translates from Sanskrit as ‘Diamond Being’ or ‘Thunderbolt Being’. Vajrasattva is the great purifier of all types of defilements, and broken samaya vows. The powerful mantra can purify karma, bring peace, and be the cause of enlightened activity in general. Join Via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84186227538?pwd=NWd0RmdlanR5TVhONFFLTDJuTFJGQT09 Meeting ID: 841 8622 7538 Passcode: 417898 Practice texts will be posted on the Zoom chat box at the beginning of the practice. We hope you can join us for these practices. Please contact us at
[email protected] if you require further information. Retreat Huts are being Discounted From now until the beginning of October at Kamalashila, we are offering 20% off the price of hiring a retreat hut. This is an end of winter coming of spring offer to anyone who is interested in undertaking a retreat or some quiet time in self-reflection. All huts are fully self-contained with a kitchenette, ensuite with hot showers, and a fireplace. All you need to bring is yourself, some food and bed linen. The huts nestle beneath Gulaga, a sacred mountain according to the local Aboriginal Yuin peoples of the Far South Coast of NSW. This is a perfect place for meditation and contemplation. Read More for hut details and photos The discounted rates are: (these rates are for more than 2-night stays). Daily: $60 for non-members; $40 for members/friends of DBI Weekly: $270 for non-members; $200 for members/friends of DBI Monthly: $980 for non-members; $720 for members/friends of DBI Bookings and enquiries:
[email protected] or 0403 779 099 Mower Purchased from Fundraiser Thank you so much to all the very generous friends of DBI who contributed to the purchase of the new mower for our Kamalashila centre. As you can see, it is already being put to great use! And because we exceeded our original fundraising target this enabled us to purchase a special protective safety rollbar and seat belt. Thanks to your kindness we will keep the undergrowth in check ahead of the summer season as well as keeping the place looking wonderful. Thank you to all contributors especially Khenpo la who kicked off the fundraising effort! UPCOMING COURSES & EVENTS Karma Yoga Retreat Friday 23 – Sunday 25 September “For the sake of creating a beautiful home for the Dharma” ~Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe This is our second Karma Yoga Group Retreat for 2022. It will be a weekend where our body and mind work together to help others. The days start with a meditation session led by Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe and concludes with a campfire yarn. Come and join us with work in the garden, building maintenance, cleaning and painting or assisting with the catering. There is a job for everyone! Meals and accommodation are offered free of charge. Bookings essential for organisational needs. More details and bookings ANNUAL SHAMATHA RETREAT Friday 30 September – Sunday 9 October Shamatha Meditation translates as ‘tranquillity of the mind’ or ‘calm-abiding’. It helps stabilise the mind by cultivating awareness of the object of meditation. The traditional practice of shamatha uses different kinds of supports or anchors for practice. During this nine-day retreat Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe will detail the nine stages of Shamatha Meditation and will also teach on ‘The Thirty-seven Practices of the Bodhisattva’, composed by the Great 13th Century Tibetan Bodhisattva Gyalse Thogme Zangpo. This ancient text is as profoundly relevant in the world today as it was when it was first written, instructing us how to incorporate these precious teachings into our daily lives on our path with joy and positiveness. These teachings turn sickness into medicine. More details and bookings Shamatha-Vipassana Weekend Retreat Friday 18 – Sunday 20 November With Venerables Ayyas Jitindriya and Jayasara In this weekend retreat we will explore the practice of calm and insight within the framework of mindfulness, taught by the Buddha as a path to liberation. The Buddha offered many teachings to help us calm the restless mind and gain clear understanding of the nature of this mind-body experience, and the nature of reality as such. Offering formal guided meditations as well as instructions for everyday life, we will show how Shamatha-Vipassana can be engaged in all situations, bringing ever-deepening peace and freedom from stress and suffering. Read more about the retreat and biographies of both the Venerables below. More details and bookings Annual Healing and Purification Retreat Tuesday 27 December 2022 – Sunday 1 January 2023 Khenpo la will give detailed teachings on the meditation techniques on both Vajrasattva and Medicine Buddha practices. The retreat is designed to help participants clear away and heal any negativity from the old year, and bring in the New Year rejuvenated and refreshed, with a positive mind and perspective for the year ahead. The setting of the retreat is peaceful and grounding, at the base of Gulaga, a mountain with great spiritual significance to the local Aboriginal community. Even to spend a few hours in this environment is very precious. More details and bookings RECENT EVENTS Saga Dawa and Saga Dawa Düchen 2022 Since the beginning of the very auspicious month of Saga Dawa (Wesak), the centre offered butter lamps (candles), daily on behalf of many sponsors. We rejoiced in these great meritorious acts, especially during the most holy month in the Buddhist Calendar. May all beings benefit. The centre continued these offerings throughout this precious and auspicious month. Read More Autumn Buddhist Philosophy Course Inaugural Retreat On 3 June the opening evening of the Autumn Buddhist Philosophy Course Retreat commenced, students having travelled from as far away as Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. There was a large group of online students attending too who could not be at the centre in person, as well as all of our mentors as part of this program. Khenpo la discussed the intention of the course to help foster and nurture the students’ potential, to sprout fully in the coming of spring. Read More Second Shri Vajrapani Bhutadamara Retreat The Shri Vajrapani Bhutadamara Retreat was held in the middle of the Saga Dawa Month. Khenpo la was joined by Lama Konchok Choephel, the Spiritual Director of the Melbourne Sakya Centre in leading a Fire Puja near the end of retreat, along with sangha members. Those in retreat and those joining outside of retreat attending, felt so fortunate to have had this opportunity. Read More Choekar Düchen 2022 Her Eminence Dagmo Kalden La took Her children on a twelve-hour day trip in Kathmandu, Nepal, along with Their teachers. We share a few images from this journey. Read More Gyri Dolma’s 49th Day of Passing At Sunday meditation mid-June during Saga Dawa Month, Khenpo la led us in prayers and chanting to commemorate the 49th day of the passing of our beloved gompa dog Gyri Dolma. Khenpo la led prayers in the gompa dedicated to Gyri and all beings recently deceased, then we recited more prayers at her gravesite. Read More FROM OUR MASTERS “Death holds up an all-seeing mirror, ‘the mirror of past actions’, to our eyes, in which the consequences of all our negative and positive actions are clearly seen and there is a weighing of our past actions in the light of their consequences, the balance of which will determine the kind of existence or mental state we are being driven to enter.” ~Padmasambhava,
