Wednesdays and Thursdays: Sitting practice

BBB Venue: Byron Bay Practice Centre
1/22 Fawcett Street, Brunswick Heads NSW 2483
Time: Wednesdays from 6 to 7.30PM

Lismore Venue: Inner Sanctum, 68 Magellan St.
Time: Thursdays from 6 to 7.30PM

Suggested donation $5

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 July 12 - Tsasum Drildrup Tsok

Venue: BBB, 1/22 Fawcett Street, Brunswick Heads
Time: 5 - 7.30 PM

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 July 22 - Focus on the View
The great masters Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti made the Buddha's teachings on ultimate reality accessible in their Middle Way philosophy, or Madhyamika. This workshop is meant to facilitate application of this view.

Place: BBB
Time: 2-5 PM
Suggested donation $15/20

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 August 2 - Ngöndro day
A day of Ngöndro teaching and practice, lead by Jakob Leschly, with a morning and afternoon session. There will be time for Q&A. Bring your own lunch.

Place: BBB
Time: 10AM-4PM
Suggested donation $20/30

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 August 5 - Celebration of Buddha Shakyamuni
August 5th is one of the four great annual festivals commemorating major events in the life of Buddha Shakyamuni, where this particular day marks the turning of the Wheel, which is when the Buddha first taught his first disciples. BBB will celebrate this with sitting practice and the practice of Mipham Rinpoche’s Treasury of Blessing Shakyamuni sadhana. The program will begin at 6PM with offering of lights, flowers and fruit followed by half an hour of sitting. After a break there will be the sadhana practice. Everyone is welcome - bring flowers and fruits!

Place: BBB
Time: 6-8PM

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August 10 - Nyintun - A Day of Just Sitting
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has more and more advocated the practice of just sitting and sustaining presence.

Place: BBB
Time: 10AM -3PMSuggested donation $15/20

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 August 11th - Tsasum Drildrup Tsok

Place: BBB
Time: 5 - 7.30 PM

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 Aug 16 - Learn to Read Tibetan - A one-day workshop
In one morning you can learn the alphabet, and in the afternoon you can learn to understand how the syllables are read, enabling you to read aloud any text, for example your practice liturgy. There is absolutely nothing difficult about reading Tibetan.

Time: August 16, 9AM - 5PM
Place: BBB
Cost: $30/40

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August 18 - Buddhism 101

A comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of Buddhism.

Time: 6-8PM
Place: BBB
Suggested donation $10/15

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 August 24 - Nyintun - A Day of Just Sitting

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has more and more advocated the practice of just sitting and sustaining presence.

Place: BBB
Time: 10AM -3PM

Suggested donation $15/20

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 August 29 - Buddhism 101

An introduction to the theory and practice of Buddhism.

Time: August 29, 7PM
Place: Sydney (TBA)

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 August 30-31 Workshop - Facing the View

The great masters Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti, made the Buddha's teachings on ultimate reality accessible in their Middle Way philosophy, or Madhyamika. This workshop is meant to facilitate application of this view.

Time: August 30-31, 10AM-4PM

Place: Sydney (TBA)

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September 1 - The Ethics of Emptiness
An investigation of what constructs our world, our experience, and what are valid conditions for a good life, and ultimately liberation.

Time: September 1, 7PM
Place: Sydney (TBA)

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 September 2 - Joining Shamatha and Vipasyana

Meditation is being here now, without any drama, and allowing space or gap in the stream of our habitual patterns.

Time: September 2, 7PM
Place: Sydney (TBA)

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Administrative Director              
Paula Raymond-Yacoub
T  +61 2 66 851 646
Email byronbay@siddharthasintent.org

Secretary                                            
Christina Peebles
T +61 2 66 882 055
Email australia@siddharthasintent.org

Treasurer                                             
Hugo Croci
Email hugocroci@optusnet.com.au

Committee Members                           
 Phil Pidcock
 Karen Henry
 Meg Hart

This is an exciting time for Rinpoche’s activities in Australia as Byron Bay Buddhists - Siddhartha’s Intent Australia, Vajradhara Gonpa and The Siddhartha School are forming a working relationship with Southern Cross University Campus, Lismore, Northern New South Wales.

Byron Bay Buddhist – Siddhartha’s Intent Australia works closely with The Northern Rivers Buddhist Education Network , a local non-sectarian collaborative that incorporates various groups from the Buddhist traditions of Vipassana, Tibetan, and Zen, offering educational services and care.

Highlights from Southern Cross University, Australia:

1. Southern Cross University conferred an Honorary Doctorate on His Holiness The Dalai Lama XIV in Melbourne on 8 June 2007 in recognition of His Holiness’ global peace efforts;

2. The University signed an MOU with Byron Bay Buddhists - Siddhartha’s Intent Australia to develop and enhance collaborative endeavours in the future, especially aligned with the activities of the University’s Centre for Peace and Social Justice (CPSJ);

3. The CPSJ invited Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche to launch The Buddhist Perspectives Series on 15 June 2007 at our Lismore campus and Rinpoche delighted a capacity crowd on his topic, ‘Buddhism, Technology and Media, with a Commentary on Education’ (the mp3 file is available on the Centre’s website www.scu.edu.au/research/cpsj/

4. CPSJ will be organising an international conference on ‘Activating Human Rights and Peace: Universal Responsibility’ on 1-4 July 2008 at Byron Bay. The Call for Papers and other details are on the above website. The theme of ‘Universal Responsibility’ is inspired by His Holiness The Dalai Lama XIV;

The University is currently considering offering new and innovative Buddhist Programs.

Byron Bay Buddhists – Siddhartha’s Intent Australia also hosts visiting teachers to Vajradhara Gonpa 3-year retreat.

Next year’s annual teaching in 2008 and completion of Madhyamikavatara will be held in Byron Bay.  Dates to be advised.

Teachings will at times be hosted in Sydney. Chantal and Tanya Gebbie will take care of the activities in Sydney.

Byron Bay is a relaxed coastal town with a diverse and colourful community situated on the Eastern-most tip of Australia. It is an area blessed with beautiful beaches, forested hinterland and is noted for its marine and wildlife reserves. Byron Bay is located 821 km north of Sydney, 200 km south of Brisbane and 100 km east of Vajradhara Gonpa.

Paula Raymond-Yacoub
T  +61 2 66 851 646
Email byronbay@siddharthasintent.org

Byron Bay
Practice Centre
1/22 Fawcett Street
Brunswick Heads NSW 2483

Postal Address
PO Box 155
Suffolk Park NSW 2481

Contact person and details
Christina Peebles
Telephone  +61 2 6688 2055
Email australia@siddharthasintent.org

Regular Practice Sessions

Guru Rinpoche Day – Tsasum Drildrup Tsog Offering Practice – 5 pm setup for 5.30pm start

Wednesday evenings 6 – 7pm – Shamatha meditation – by donation

Monthly Longchen Nyingthik Ngondro Practice – 3rd Sunday of each month 9.30am – 12.30

The Northern Rivers Buddhist Network will hold bi-monthly public events at various locations in Lismore, Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads.

Sydney Contact persons:

Chantal Gebbie
chantaljan@bigpond.com
61 2  9550 3085
61 2 0412 763 037

Tanya Gebbie
tanyageb@bigpond.net.au
61 2 0402 258 230

Regular Practice Sessions- SYDNEY

Wednesday evenings – Shamatha meditation and study group

Guru Rinpoche Day – Tsasum Drildrup Tsog Offering Practice

Dakini Day – Chime Phagma Nyingthik Tsog Offering Practice

Monthly Longchen Nyingthik Ngondro Practice

Also hosts visiting teachers

Blue Mountains
28 Fletcher Street
Wentworth Falls

Contact person and details
Hugo Croci
hugocroci@optusnet.com.au
61 2 4757 2339

Regular Practice Sessions
Monday evenings – Shamatha meditation

16 Sabine Close
Garran

Contact person and details
Suzie Erbacher
suziee108@yahoo.com.au
61 2 6281 1101

Regular Practice Sessions - CANBERRA
Monday evenings – Shamatha meditation

Friday evenings – Madhyamika Study group

If you are interested in receiving fast news regarding Siddhartha's Intent's activities, you can now send us your e-mail address. Just e-mail Hugo Croci at hugocroci@optusnet.com.au.

News from Vajradhara Gonpa Three-Year Retreat Centre

Vajradhara Gonpa is now accepting expressions of interest for the next three-year retreat, which will commence in early 2009. Please enquire by email to cabs@siddharthasintent.org or by post to Vajradhara Gonpa, PO Box 345, Kyogle NSW 2474 Australia. For more details see www.siddharthasintent.org/VajradharaGonpa.htm

The current three-year retreat will culminate with a practice intensive (drubchen) based on the “Heart Essence of Deathless Arya Tara” (Chime Phagma Nyingtig), a treasure of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Scheduled to take place 2-9 April 2008, the drubchen will be performed entirely in English for the first time. You are invited to express your interest in attending. As numbers are limited for the drubchen, Rinpoche will select participantsfrom amongst the applicants. Rinpoche invites everyone to attend the ceremony for the opening of the three-year retreat boundary on April 9th.  Please enquire by email to: sia_bookings@siddharthasintent.org.

Work as Practice Program. Come and experience the joy of being in the retreat atmosphere and pristine natural beauty of the Gonpa environment. Between June 2008 and January 2009 a Work as Practice Program will be offered. The program will focus on application of mindfulness and accumulation of merit through preparation of the retreat centre for the next three-year retreat. Included will be daily meditation sessions supported by three-year retreat staff. Practitioners with skills in construction, repairs and maintenance, such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, painting, landscaping and general labour, are invited to express their interest, as are those who can support these efforts by cooking and caring for the facilities. There is no charge for the program and basic accommodation and meals will be provided. Participation will be by invitation. Please submit an expression of interest to sia_bookings@siddharthasintent.org.