Hayagriva Buddhist Centre

For some time now we have been thinking how we can bring teachings and energy into the Centre; it was a great loss to find ourselves without a teacher, particularly once the consequences of COVID-19 lockdowns were felt. Now it’s time to move forward making use of the opportunities we have.

• Sat 5 Dec from 8am – Working Bee

Let us begin by coming together in a Working Bee on Sat 5 Dec at 8am. There is much cleaning and tidying up to do; cobwebs to remove, windows and prayer wheels to wash etc.

• Sat 5 Dec 11.30am – Watch Live Webcast by His Holiness

Afterwards at 11.30am we can reward ourselves by watching a live webcast teaching by His Holiness.

• Thu 10 Dec 7.30pm – Guru Puja with Light Offering

On Thu 10 Dec at 7.30pm, we celebrate Lama Tsong Khapa’s gift to us through the clarity of his dharma with our normal format puja. Really this isn’t enough to thank him for the gifts he has left us.

• Sat 12 Dec – Village Celebration of the Dharma

Therefore on Saturday, the 12th December we will hold a festival of thanks; a “Village Celebration” of the dharma, particularly Lama Tsong Khapa’s influence. Starting in the morning we will have a prostrations session. See below for program of the day.

Geshe Zopa will join us in person for a talk on the significance of Lama Tsong Khapa’s life and teachings at 10am. We will have a shared meal after the teachings but unfortunately Geshela won’t be able to stay for lunch due to other commitments. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. In the spirit of a Village celebration we welcome children to come along.

After lunch, 1pm, we will have a series of readings and discussions around some of Lama Tsong Khapa’s shorter teachings and others’ written praises of Lama Tsong Khapa. These discussions will be led by John Waite.

Program for 12 December 2020

• 8am: Prostrations led by Rob Milan.
• 9am: Short break.
• 9.20am: set up for teachings
• 10am: Geshe Zopa teaching on the significance of Lama Tsong Khapa’s life and teachings.
• 11.30: Teachings end lunch preparation/set up
• 12 noon: Lunch
• 1pm: Discussions led by John Waite

Advance registration is not required.

We still have some COVID-19 distancing considerations to manage, so help us by indicating your intentions and/or any ideas as we will have some flexibility to ensure a good response.

Teaching Videos planned for December and January

We are looking at introducing teaching videos followed by discussion groups aimed at different levels of experience. We aim to introduce the first program in December, with the program aimed at entry level coming in mid-January.

The intent of our programs is to have a serious outlook on study yet within a relaxed framework where people can enjoy interaction. We welcome people attending for whatever time they can commit to. These teaching videos will initially be from Lama Zopa making use of the extraordinary amount of quality material he has presented this year.

We will be encouraging people to come together for coffee, cake or a meal more regularly, this will be woven around the program, and building on our relationships.
The core to making this concept work is to have many people involved at a variety of levels; please don’t be bashful about stepping up to help.

Lhabab Düchen this year takes place on 7 November 2020. It marks the day when Shakyamuni Buddha descended from the Heaven of the Thirty-three after giving teachings to his mother who had been reborn there. On this auspicious day, all virtue created is multiplied 100 million times as stated in the Vinaya text “Treasure of Quotations and Logic“. Join us in celebrating this day with auspicious and merit making activities.

Program at Hayagriva Buddhist Centre for Lhabab Düchen on Sat 7 Nov 2020:

• 5.30am Precepts at Home
  Eight vows taken for 24 hours with an attitude to benefit others.
  Download the text for taking Precepts
  Note: Precepts are NOT taking place at HBC.
• 11.30am Join with others at HBC to watch the televised 3rd and final day of teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Commentary on Bodhicitta. Please register in advance by email to welcome@hayagriva.org.au making mention that this is for “HHDL’s Teaching”
• 2pm Shakyamuni Buddha Puja. Please register in advance by email to welcome@hayagriva.org.au making mention that this is for “Shakyamuni Buddha Puja”

Offerings of unopened packages of food only, flowers and donations are most welcome.

By Donation

The Dalai Lama – Global Vision Summit – Oct 22-27 2020

Free Online Event
October 22 – 27, 2020
This six-day summit features a range of Buddhist teachers and experts and scientists.
To find out more and how to register for this free online event, click here.

Geshe Zopa on The Six Perfections – No. 6 Wisdom posted 16 Sep 2020

* All FPMT Centres are welcome to use Geshe Zopa’s talks.

Geshe Zopa on The Six Perfections – No. 4 Joyous Perseverance posted 18 Aug 2020

* All FPMT Centres are welcome to use Geshe Zopa’s talks.

Geshe Zopa on The Six Perfections – No. 5 Concentration posted 30 Jun 2020

* All FPMT Centres are welcome to use Geshe Zopa’s talks.

85th Birthday Celebration for
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Sat 4 July, 12 noon

Although His Holiness’ birthday is on Monday 6th July, we have arranged this gathering for Saturday 4th so those who work during the week can attend it. Come and join us in a safe and informal way to celebrate the life of this most compassionate, wise and inspiring Buddhist leader.

Geshe Zopa will be attending these celebrations. A dedication prayer for His Holiness’ long life will be recited followed by tea and birthday cake. Please bring a plate of snacks to share. Paper cups are available for hot drinks or bring your own cup or thermos.

Alan Carter Online Teachings 10, 17 and 24 June 2020

Alan Carter is an FPMT registered teacher. He is located in Brisbane but runs an outreach group for the Chenrezig Institute. Read more about Alan below.

Alan will give a teaching on each of 3 Wednesdays. Teachings begin at 4pm Perth time. All teachings are online and accessed via Zoom (if you are not familiar with Zoom please see below for more details).

Join Zoom Meeting at https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7775558955

You will be prompted to enter a password. For security reasons we ask you to email us at welcome@hayagriva.org.au to get the password.

Please click here if you would like to make a donation for the session to Hayagriva Buddhist Centre

Teachings:

• Renunciation-Developing Strong Wish to Spiritually Evolve

  Wed 10 June 4pm-5.30pm Perth time

  Understanding the nature of our limited existence leads us to want to spiritual evolve. Just as a beautiful pristine lotus arises from the muddy bottom of the lake unsullied by the mud so too can we evolve unsullied by a dysfunctional mental states and inappropriate behavior. We will explore the basis for generating the thought of definite emergence.

• Correct View-Developing a correct view of Reality

  Wed 17 June 4pm-5.30pm Perth time

  Without understanding the nature of reality-emptiness there is no way to cut free from the bondage of karma and afflictions. In these sessions we will explore ways to get a better understanding of emptiness.

• Bodhicitta-The most precious mind

  Wed 24 June 4pm-5.30pm Perth time

  Without Bodhicitta there is no way that we can reach our full potential-Buddhahood. In the class we will explore the many benefits of developing this mind and how we go about developing such an amazing mind.

Alan Carter

Alan Carter has successfully completed the Advanced Study Programme at Chenrezig Institute, has attended many Lam Rim retreats and facilitated a Lam Rim Chen Mo group for about 5 years. He was the western resident teacher at Chandrakirti FPMT centre for two years. He currently runs a Chenrezig Institute outreach group in Brisbane. He has led a 1 month Group Lam Rim Chen Mo and a 1 month Gyalwa Gyatso Retreat at Chenrezig Institute. He has taught various Buddhist Philosophy courses at various centres in Australia and New Zealand. People attending often comment on his clear and methodical approach to explaining Dharma.

Read an interview with Alan Carter for Mandala magazine

Zoom Online Meeting Platform

Zoom is a popular platform that facilitates an online meeting of a large number of people. Zoom is easy to setup and can be used on all kinds of computers, tablets and smart phones. Preferably your device is equipped with video (camera) and audio (microphone and speakers or headphones/earbuds).

On a computer (notebook or desktop) you can join the session using any modern browser (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) connected to the Internet. Use the link provided above (either by clicking on the link itself or by copying the link and pasting it in the “address” bar of your browser). Upon joining a Zoom session for the first time you will prompted to install an application called “Zoom Client for Meetings”. Follow the instructions. This should only be necessary the first time you use Zoom. During the installation, you will be prompted to “Join with Video” and to “Join with Audio”. We recommend you agree to both but as a minimum, you should “Join with Audio” to be able to hear the session. If you also “Join with Video”, your camera will be activated and your face will appear to others on the session. You can optionally turn off your camera once you have joined the session.

To join using a a tablet or smart phone, you will need to install the free “Zoom Cloud Meeting” App. This App is available free from the “Play Store” on Android devices and free from the Apple App Store on Apple devices. Please install the App in advance as it can take a few minutes to download and configure. Start the App on your device. You will then be prompted to enter the name of the “Meeting” which is the long number at the end of the link given above.

Geshe Zopa on The Six Perfections – No. 3 Patience posted 19 May 2020

* All FPMT Centres are welcome to use Geshe Zopa’s talks.