December-Jan 2014

For those who don’t know me, my name is
Amelia McCulloch and I have been attending
Teachings here at Tara Institute regularly for the
past two years. I am looking forward to assuming
the role of Spiritual Program Co-ordinator as of
February next year. Under the guidance of Geshe
Doga I hope to serve Tara Institute long into the
future and support the growth of love and
compassion in our community. I want to thank
Geshe Doga, Venerable Lhamo, Judy and Gabe
for providing me with this opportunity. Please
feel free to drop into the program office and talk
to me about the program at anytime.
December 2014—January 2015
Due to the delay in the renovation work, Café Bliss won’t be
opening by the end of November as previously advised. We
apologise for the inconvenience caused to all our friends and
supporters who have been waiting with great anticipation to taste
our coffee. The renovation work is going slowly, but is progressing
well so we now hope to partially open sometime in December. We
will announce the opening date as soon as possible. A full
breakfast and lunch menu will be launched in late January 2015.
Tsering Dorje
Tuesday December 16th at 8pm
Goodbye—from Venerable Lhamo - Having spent the first 38 years of my life with exactly no inclination to
travel at all, it seems that the wanderlust fairy descended one night and awoke within me a deep need to go
walkabout.
And so it is that after three years at Tara Institute I must bid you a fond farewell. ‘Fond’ is an apt description
of my feelings towards the T.I. family, which is comprised of a huge array of colourful and unique
personalities, and each person I have
encountered strikes me as a genuine
Auspicious days are calculated according to the lunar eclipse. On these days the
practitioner, with everyone doing their
benefits of actions are greatly multiplied, so are especially good for spiritual
absolute best to live the teachings with a
practice.
kind heart.
AUSPICIOUS DAYS IN DECEMBER 2014
Monday 1
Tibetan 10
Tsog Day
Saturday 6
Tibetan 15
Full Moon
Tuesday 16
Tibetan 25
Tsog Day
Sunday 21
Tibetan 30
New Moon
Monday 29
Tibetan 8
Tara Day
Guru Puja at TI 6pm
Precepts
LTK Puja at TI 8pm
Precepts
Tara Puja at TI 6pm
AUSPICIOUS DAYS IN JANUARY 2015
Tuesday 27
Tibetan 8
Thursday 29
Tibetan 10
Sunday 4
Tibetan 15
Thursday 15
Tibetan 25
Tuesday 20
Tibetan 30
Tara Puja at TI 6pm
Guru Puja at TI 6pm
Precepts
Guru Puja at TI 6pm
Precepts
Tara Day
Tsog Day
Full Moon
Tsog Day
New Moon
It has been a pleasure to be with you,
and of course with dear Geshe Doga and
I will miss much about my time here. But
as in the immortal words of Rumi ~ ‘Let
yourself be silently drawn by the strange
pull of what you really love. It will not
lead you astray.’
Big love and thanks to you all ...
You are welcome to contact the Tara Institute newsletter editors Allys Andrews and Sandra Kinread at
[email protected] for issues relating to the newsletter.
Tara Institute News
If undelivered, please return to3 Mavis Avenue, East Brighton 3187
Tara Institute
news
Dear Friends,
Impermanence at work again – the New Year brings a new
Spiritual Program Coordinator to Tara Institute as we
farewell Venerable Lhamo
Dear Lhamo has brought TI well and truly into the age of technology with Facebook and astonishing
PowerPoint presentations that people could really relate to. She has been the driving force behind the new
library which is now so inviting. Lhamo’s
organizational skills are second to none.
She has created lucid and extensive
instructions for organizing pujas, including
photos of setting up the altars for the
various pujas, and systemizing every
aspect of the SPC role.
For the last three years she has brought
her energy, humour, funky Youtube clips
along with insightful analytical meditation
to the weekly Healing Group. She has been
an excellent and popular Monday night
teacher.
Lhamo relates so well with young
people and has proved to many school
students that Dharma is cool. And who can
forget her uplifting emails that made any task seem like a joy? As she would say - Have a fab day, have a
super fab day, have a smashing day and stay tuned ...
Lhamo will be sorely missed at TI. We wish her well and much love.
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Tara Institute News
1
TUESDAYS ~ 7.45pm
WEDNESDAYS ~ 8pm
1 and 8 December
2 & 9 December
3 & 10 December
STUDY
GROUP
An Evening with
Geshe Doga
Introduction to Buddhist
Meditation
Tuesday 16 at 8pm
with Margie Hanrahan
Bodhichitta is the wish to gain
enlightenment for the benefit of all
sentient beings, which is the essence of
all Mahayana practices. Over two weeks
Margie will explain how to develop
Bodhichitta using the 7 Point Cause and
Effect Method. This profound, logical and
challenging practice was taught by the
Buddha over 2500 years ago.
Why is Bodhichitta relevant to us in our
everyday lives? By shifting our focus
away from self-centered, obsessive and
false views of self to one of love and
compassion for self and all others, we
reduce our anxiety and suffering and
increase our happiness and contentment
in life.
Geshe Doga continues teachings on
the text called ‘The Entrance for the
Children of the Conquerors’, a
commentary on the ‘Introduction to the
15 December
Actions of Bodhisattvas’ by Gyaltsab
Rinpoche, translated by Venerable
Fedor Stracke. It contains the root text
of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara (A
Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life).
Study Group provides the opportunity
with Venerable Lhamo
On this final Monday night of the Tara
Institute year we will look into some of
the practical techniques we can use in
order to survive the silly season.
Buddhism offers us many mind tricks we
can use in sticky and stressful situations,
which will hopefully help us to have a
happy, humorous and hearty Christmas
and New Year with less tears, tantrums
and trauma.
The atmosphere on Monday nights is
relaxed and open and people are welcome to
join us for one or all of these sessions this
month. No need to register; just come along.
A facility fee is requested ($5—current
financial members free) to help cover
administration costs. Just turn up at 7.50pm
or phone the Tara Institute office on 9596
8900 for more details.
Tara Institute News
to study the Buddhist philosophy in
depth. Study of this text may continue
for some years.
The ongoing course runs in ten week
cycles throughout the year that
The darkness of an
ignorant mind is removed
when we shine a lamp
upon it: we must become
the shining lamp. When
we shine a lamp on our
own ignorant minds, it
means to engage in the
understanding of the
Dharma. First hear the
teaching, we need a
certain understanding
here. Then analyse the
Dharma and what one has
heard. So we should be
hearing, contemplating,
and analysing these
points.
Geshe Doga Easter Retreat 2011
comprise eight weeks of lectures, a
week of structured discussion and a
Geshe Doga will continue to teach on
written test.
the Lam Rim or Graduated Path to
Homework is given each teaching
week and is self-assessed.
Help is always available for new
people.
There is no fee for these evenings. If
enlightenment. Using the everyday
situations that we all experience, Geshe
Doga uses humour, stories and precise
instructions on how to meditate to help
us to work with our own minds.
There is no fee for these evenings. If
you have any questions please contact
you have any questions please contact
Venerable Lhamo on 9596 7410 or
Venerable Lhamo on 9596 7410 or
[email protected].
[email protected].
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For centuries, Tibetan and Mongolian
Buddhists have commemorated the
passing of the famous Tibetan yogi and
scholar, Tsong Khapa whose life and
work is comparable to the great Tibetan
saint, Milarepa.
Lama Tsong Khapa was considered an
emanation of Manjushri, the Buddha of
Wisdom, and single-handedly inspired an
entire religious renaissance. He founded
the Gelugpa lineage, which continues to
this day. Tara Institute and the
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
(FPMT) exist as part of that lineage.
Today, many thousands of Buddhists join in to commemorate
this anniversary by making candlelight offerings and singing
praises so that the Buddha’s teachings will continue to flourish.
You are all invited to share in this beautiful ceremony of chanting
and meditation. If you wish to make offerings of candles, food
and flowers, you are most welcome to do so.
If you have any questions please contact Venerable Lhamo on
9596 7410 or email [email protected]
MERIT BOX OFFERINGS
Week 1
MONDAY 1
6pm—Guru Puja
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
TUESDAY 2
7.45pm—Study Group
WEDNESDAY 3
12.30pm—Healing Group
8pm—An Evening with Geshe Doga
Week 2
MONDAY 8
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
TUESDAY 9
7.45pm—Study Group—last for the year—
resumes Tuesday 17th of February 2015
WEDNESDAY 10
12.30pm—Healing Group—last for the year—
recommences 11th February 2015
8pm—An Evening with Geshe Doga - last for
the year—resumes Wednesday 11th Feb,
2015
Week 3
MONDAY 15
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
TUESDAY 16
8pm—Lama Tsong Khapa Puja
Week 4
MONDAY 29
6pm—Tara Puja
WEDNESDAY 31
6pm—Guru Puja
PLEASE NOTE: Tara Institute’s office will close
on the 19th of December 2014 and will reopen 19th of January 2015. The kitchen will
close after Wednesday 17th December and
will reopen February 2nd 2015.
JANUARY 2015
Week 1
The money from the merit boxes is offered at this puja. It would be so appreciated if you could count MONDAY 5 January 2015
the money and write down the total on a slip of paper and include it with your offering and place it
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
on the table under the Chenrezig thanka in the gompa on the night of the Lama Tsong Khapa puja.
WEDNESDAY 7
8pm—Meditation
To see how your offering benefits others go to www.fpmt.org and follow the prompts.
Week 2
MONDAY 12
Enhance Your Practice of Generosity:
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
Join the Merit Box Practitioners!
WEDNESDAY 14
Get your FREE Merit Box, a beautifully decorated practice kit tin featuring inspiring quotes and
8pm— Meditation
images of Shakyamuni Buddha, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and
THURSDAY 15
Lama Tsongkhapa. You'll also receive the text for the Merit Box practice
6pm—Guru Puja
featuring a mini-commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the benefits of
Week 3
generosity, the actual visualization for the practice, and a short dedication
MONDAY 19
Generosity is at the heart of Mahayana Buddhist practice and with the
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
International Merit Box Project, you can practice generosity towards Lama
WEDNESDAY 21
Zopa Rinpoche and your other gurus daily. With just one simple action, you
8pm—Meditation
not only personally receive incredible merit, but we work together to
Week 4
significantly benefit so many beings.
MONDAY 26
Begun in 2001, the International Merit Box Project collects thousands of dollars from FPMT
8pm—Intro to Buddhist Meditation
students, centers and projects worldwide, and disburses it through grants to eligible FPMT projects
TUESDAY 27
and initiatives.
6pm—Tara Puja
By growing the number of participants all over the world, we hope to widen the array of
WEDNESDAY 28
initiatives eligible to benefit from kind donations to the International Merit Box Project. The Merit
8pm—Meditation
Box is a tangible example of generosity and community in action. Donations are collected beginning THURSDAY 29
on Lama Tsongkhapa Day each year and continuously until March 31 of the following year.
6pm—Guru Puja
Tara Institute News
December 2014—January 2015
MONDAYS ~ 8pm
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