Public Talks — 2013-11-20

Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. This Tibetan Buddhist Institute Annual General Meeting, held shortly after His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s June visit, opens with brief teachings from Geshe-la on bodhicitta and the three principal paths, then shifts into center reports. In this 77-minute session, director Tenzin celebrates the year’s major blessings—the Dalai Lama’s historic visit, teachings by respected geshe scholars (Yama Rinchen, Pema Sering), and ongoing weekly classes—and expresses deep gratitude for volunteer translator Ilya Zhenevsky. The latter half addresses center operations and finances through Q&A: membership retention, advertising effectiveness, sustainability, and whether the center can afford paid staff. Members reflect on how obstacles teach dharma and resolve to practice patience and commitment. Suited to members and established practitioners.

File metadata (for organising)

File: 2013-11-20 – KR.mp3

Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche

Collection: Awakening Heart

Date: 2020-11-13

Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide

Words: ~6,945

Alright. First of all, I would like to say welcome everyone. It is the most I can say the quorum that we have ever had in that many, which is wonderful. I think our trick trick worked. I’m just joking.

So this is just a time that we don’t have. Otherwise, you know, of of course, we will take another time. But I would like to say thank you very much for your staying and welcome to AGM for TBI. And I’ll pass to now Geshe-la. So the intent of Khensur Rinpoche, Tenzin La, has requested me to explain briefly the motivation with which we should attend this annual general meeting.

I have spoken many times about the motivation, so I shall do so in a cursory fashion. The motivation one should generate within one’s mind stream is a motivation of bodhicitta as much as one can. In addition, in a center such as this one, it does happen indeed that unwanted events occur or that there are things of which one might be critical. In this context, it is importance, to practice forbearance and patience and to live in harmony with each other. So far, things have gone very well and Geshe-la would like that things continue like this in the future.

Then in the future means for as long as there are sentient beings, for countless eons, in other words for your children, their grandchildren, their great grandchildren and so forth. Then clearly in a context like this, all of us should volunteer to try to help the center, and when this happens, people have different outlooks, different karmic backgrounds, it can happen that disagreements arise. In this context, one should practice patience and forbearance and not think, oh my, I just can’t handle it. Drop everything and walk off. Then from my side, I have little to add to this since I am basically standing in for Geshe-la Jampa Gyaltsen, who will be coming shortly.

This is what I have to say to you. And then one should look within one’s own mind stream and try to develop these three principal paths within one’s mind stream. Try to develop first and foremost bodhicitta, then try to train in renunciation or definite emergence and try to train in the view of emptiness. It is perfectly alright if one focuses on this and does not put a lot of effort in other topics. If one reflects continually on bodhicitta, one’s mind will be happy and at peace now and in the future.

There is no better practice than this. I do not have anything more to add. You have a lot to discuss about during the meeting. Okay. We’re not going to take too long, all right?

And I think the somebody must take minutes. Is that right? Yes, great. Yes. And counting the heads.

I have it’s actually it’s in here, written here, but I would like to say a few just highlight. And it’s very fortunate, Rinpoche is so well and he’s very much well looked after. And, yeah, it’s pretty much about that. And Rinpoche is still he’s given teaching last year. There’s a number of people attend from here and also from Singapore.

But now the he’s looking forward, his guru, which is soon he’s going to enthronement. So today I got the WeChat picture, the little one already arrived in Sehra. So that’s going to take a place on the December 18. And Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, as we all know that his visa issues and now the very close everything is going on a process. So we hope that in mid January to January, know, are hoping when I come back, I’m going to able to bring back with me, you know.

But that’s you know, if everything goes smooth and the visa if there’s no any I don’t think so there is any issues, but you never know. Then in the early, we have Geshe Yama Rinchen and, you know, it was very successful and we have lots of us. We have a connection with him. And also, you know, the TBI has a connection with him as well, which is a is a wonderful, you know, such a Lharampa Geshe. He’s extremely busy in Sera, seven class per day, but this is wonderful.

We have able to take his time to come here. And as Rinpoche have also extremely happy and you know the how it went for His Holiness visit here at the center is you know, there’s no words, you know, how Rinpoche was he was a bit sad that he not able to attend here. But he also enjoyed the Skype that we have shot. And anyway, and the sponsorship, I want to just highlight the Aaron and the Anthony Suining and taking and is doing very well. And also, I really like to have big thank from my heart to Carol, how much she put in the past, in the work to into this scheme and how hard she worked into that and all that, you know, but as we have to move on.

Anyway, it’s well looked after and it’s well, what do you call, very and Anthony Suining, sorry. Anthony Suining is helping for Aaron to build this very his wizard of the making a database and all the software, that sort of thing. So he’s helping on that side as well. So and that’s about it really, and we all know what has been and what is going to come in next year. And we there will be a new classes in next year.

So we hope many of you to attend as The His Holiness have you know, have emphasized, you know, it’s not only worship, you know, just a prayer and ritual. It is, you know, know, to learning place. So we all have to have a each of us have a responsibility to take that, you know, and to encourage our own friends, our members, you know, to come along with the study and come along with as much as you can, you know. It’s I know it’s it’s so busy, you know, one’s work and but I think if you set aside time, you can make it, you know. And it is a great benefit for oneself and also the for opportunity to maybe to lead, teach for other people in the future.

So the next year program is going to be quite intensive, but it will be a beautiful program and we all enjoy it, you know, I’m really 100%. And as the TBI was, as you know, when we were at the St. Mary’s. And today I’m looking back. We voluntarily landed in a very I did talk about the pilots and the attendants on a in a plane, you know, all that.

I think it’s gone beyond. So we are very well self landed, and it is wonderful. Sometime I’ve just look back and around that time. So we all squeeze in Saint Mary that little one and with the big stupa in front of her, no big Śākyamūni Buddha in front of her. It’s quite amazing.

And the last and the management, our in the present and the past management, people who involve in the management are really in I have said in here, how much I appreciate and thanking. Thank you for all of the who involved. And not only that, all the volunteers and the members and also the supporters. And especially, I would really like to say thank you for Ilya. Without Ilya, we will be a very problem as well.

Translator is today in our world is very rare you know, because translating is not easy task and is a very, you know, we cannot afford the pain for the translator. You know, the so we all I’m very appreciate. I’m surely, you know, you all have how much appreciate Ilya’s work for day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. So how much he puts his I will look at him a practitioner. He doesn’t have the TVs and he just have instead of TV in his house, it’s all the books.

It’s just I went there, was thinking, wow, you know, it’s like a big library, you know, bigger than our library. So I just my just a little insight for Ilya. And it’s extremely fortunate, blessed by Rinpoche and our Geshe-la and how Ilya continue. And we also hope he continue to with us and to you know, to with us, you know, however long many years, you know, as many as we can because the translator is very rare now, you know. In the early time, you know, twenty years ago I’m sorry, I’m taking a little bit long, you know, but it is nice to have some twenty years ago twenty years ago, actually is a you know, that there is a lot of translator courses around in India and Nepal.

Today, there is not many, you know, it’s and people not interest on translating because you you come here and translate, you have have paid a very low and, you know, and the young and they have some more another, you know, mission in the mind. So, you it’s it’s very difficult to get translator. So I’m saying here how lucky we are. We have such a wonderful teacher, have been in the past, Rinpoche himself, as well as the Geshe Yama Rinchen, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, Pari Rinpoche who came. And I think we are very fortunate, blessed.

And not only that, he’s only able to meet for us and how much he appreciate and he’s was saying, you know, the Rinpoche just spirits around here, even the and that actually, not the building, you know? It’s the the the the manner and respect of the students, you know, who, you know, follow what Rinpoche have advised. So that what is his only, you know, is you know, the building is nothing, you know? So the when his only says, spirit is even Rinpoche is not here, Geshe-la is not here. Actually, Geshe-la means that his only says Lobsang Tutten.

It’s Rinpoche is another name, Lobsang Tutten, and the short name is Lotude. It’s not here, but his spirit is here. But actually that spirit is for us. Wow. So, you know, it’s in a somewhere in deadline, really.

And so I will stop here, you know, and thank you so much, you know, for coming here. Thank you, Tenzin. I pay homage and thanks to all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and holy beings of the past, present and future. You can follow along if you wish. Eminence of Chenrezig, His Holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, our founder and mentor, Kyabje Khensur Kangur, Lobsang Tukden Rinpoche, his Chanzö and representative, Ngawang Tukden, Tenzin, his faithful heart sons, our beloved resident teacher, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, and visiting spiritual friend, Geshe Pema Sering, our highly esteemed translator, Ilya Zhenevsky, Fellow management committee members, valued members, benefactors, supporters and friends.

Kyabje Khensur Kanguru Lobsang Tukden Rinpoche, out of his great love, compassion and wisdom has manifested this wonderful Dharma center as Tenzin is saying, Tibetan Buddhist Institute. Rinpoche continues to pray and guide us for the benefit of all who attend or have anything to do with TBI. For the offering of gratitude and dedication, I’ll now summarize the main activities of the center since last year’s AGM on the November 3. Our dear resident teacher, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, concluded two precious Lamrim teachings prior to his departure for the great Jangtse Lamrim teachings by his holiness on November, December to see the dates there. Followed by Khensur Kangur Rinpoche’s commentary on the three principal aspects of the path and Yamāntaka Sog at Sera Je Monastery.

Geshe-la has been required to remain in India, as Tens was saying so as to endure the long winded process of acquiring the appropriate certification for his return early next year. I’m sure his many students at Sera have appreciated this. We were particularly blessed however to have arrived in our midst on Friday January 11, a short visit from the highly esteemed Lharampa Geshe, Geshe Yama Rinchen. To quote earlier, Geshe-la is the most famous teacher of Buddhist philosophy of Sera Je. Geshe-la taught powerfully and eloquently.

His Holiness opened the Eye of New Awareness on Sunday mornings and Kamalaśīla’s Middling Stages of Meditation on Wednesday nights. He generously taught the four noble truths over two days in March, then calm abiding and insight for three days over the Easter weekend before returning the following day, Monday April 1 to his many students, patiently awaiting his return to India. How fortunate we were to have made a connection with such a being. The highlight of course for all of us this year has been the downpouring of blessings by the generous visit of Eminence Chenrezig, His Holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, to TBI on Thursday, June 20. During his very busy Australian tour, a big thank you to Kyabje Khensur Kangur Rinpoche for inviting His Holiness when they met in Australia in 2008 to visit Adelaide and TBI.

To Tenzin for your vast vision, dynamism, and oversight. To Aaron Trott for your incredible project management skills and endless patience, especially while studying and caring for your family. Carol Armstrong for your massive endurance, energy and organizational skills. Tanya Bell for not just being a loyal treasurer in the context of your own personal and family health challenges, but especially for your key role in cementing for TBI a very positive and solid liaison relationship with our local Charles Sturt Council. This is an absolute blessing.

Thank you so much Tanya. I repeat our heartfelt thanks and gratitude on behalf of Kyabje Khensur Kangur Rinpoche and the management committee to all members, benefactors, supporters and friends. Helping to make Rinpoche’s vision for his holiness’s visit an enduring success. The photos and DVD of this historic event is still under production. I assure you it hasn’t been forgotten.

Following Geshe Yama Rinchen’s departure, our beloved Rinpoche didn’t leave us bereft. Out of his great kindness and devotion to his guru, Geshe Pema Sering has demonstrated to us the true qualities of the bodhisattva by so incisively, patiently, humbly, and with incredible stamina for his age unfolded the precious Buddhadharma without fail every week from Wednesday, June 5 concluding next week on Wednesday, November 27. Geshe-la has expounded the powerful Eight Verses of Thought Transformation by Langri Thangpa, followed by the beautiful Song of the Stages of the Path by Lama Tsongkhapa. For two days over the October, Geshe-la guided us through the foundational topic, living and dying meaningfully. We’ll be very sad to feel Geshe-la.

So how appropriate to express our gratitude at the long life Puja this Sunday at 09:30AM, the auspicious day of Lhabab Düchen, the day Buddha Śākyamūni descended from the heavenly realm of Tuśita. As I’ve said before, we will never and will never stop repeating. The perfect Dharma and highly qualified skilled teachers are of no use without the means to understand in our own language, as Tenzin has said. Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen has told us that not only can Ilya be trusted to translate every word accurately, but that he is equivalent to that of a fully qualified Lharampa Geshe. Geshe Yama Rinchen praised Ilya as the best in his class in investigating the teachings and practicing extraordinary well, basing his practice on his own analysis of the teachings.

Indeed he said that Kyabje Khensur Kangur Rinpoche himself referred to Ilya as a yogi of yogis. Ilya has continued to work tirelessly to bring us more highly informative and thought provoking seminars to help draw out our unexamined assumptions regarding Buddhism and thus be clear about the choices that need to be made to progress along the path. Ilya presented textual criticism in classical Tibetan, fear of the lower realms, Buddhist refuge, karma and its results, a detailed analysis, the Buddhist understanding of suffering and the four noble truths and calm abiding, a Buddhist account of serenity and concentration. In addition, Ilya organized another very successful two day symposium, An Interdisciplinary Approach, featuring no less than three Buddhist professors, including the internationally acclaimed Buddhist author and scholar Professor John Powers. Thank you Ilya for your generosity as the primary benefactor of TBI and your example of guru devotion and service to the Buddhadharma.

Tenzin, you never cease to amaze me. With your multi skills and multi tasking from being Rinpoche’s Chanzö representative, especially with respect to His Holiness’s visit, to building supervisor at Rinpoche’s house at Sarah, your guidance with the spiritual program of TBI and the thousand and one activities requiring attention, not the least being chai maker extraordinaire. All the while affectionately attending to your beautiful new wife, Jungyang, and delightful little baby, Jampa Tenzin. Venerable Jampatenzin continued her devoted service to Rinpoche, Geshe-la, TBI, and the community in so many ways, including the coordination of the Wednesday night and Sunday morning meditation and Sunday groups when we didn’t have a Geshe for teachings and learn to meditate an introduction to Buddhism classes on Monday evenings from November 2012 through to March year. On Nāgārjuna Day on the December 8, Venerable Jampa Tenzin coordinated the Puja, light offerings, circumambulations, shared breakfast and lunch.

She ran the wonderful seven point cause and effect two and a half hour meditations for developing bodhicitta. Have I lost the page? Yep. bodhicitta in December 2012, February April 2013, and the essential meditation practice of calm abiding in March 2013. As well as a full time private practice as a psychologist together with a longstanding weekly outreach meditations at Largs Bay for over twenty years, Venerable Jampa Tenzin coordinated the fortnightly Meditation for Healing and Medicine Buddha practice, the weekly Living the Path presentations and deity practices of Vajrasattva Chenrezig, 35 Buddhas and Green Tārā.

Until her health challenges demanded her full attention and hence sudden retirement from all activities at TBI following His Holiness’s visit in June. In addition to all of these activities, Jampa Tenzin has been a generous benefactor. She has catalogued and cared for the library, counseled and guided new and older students alike. I would like to echo Carol Armstrong’s heartfelt tribute titled An Unsung Hero in the August newsletter where she says Jampa Tenzin has many fine attributes. She is faithful, tenacious, diligent, principled and a fine character marked by a firm determination to do good.

She has been an inspiration to many, an example of what to strive for. Jampa Tenzin’s presence has indeed been missed. We truly all wish you Jampa Tenzin a very long life and excellent health. In April, we enjoyed a celebratory lunch of the for the eighth anniversary of the founding of TBI with members of the Tibetan community. The event was punctuated by the sad news of further Tibetan self immolations as a desperate protest against the brutal suppression of freedom by the Chinese government to practice what we take for granted.

Following his Holiness’s visit, it was my sad duty to pay homage to the tirelessly hardworking Carol Armstrong, our former center manager, who after much consideration decided that it was the right time to step down from her years of devoted service at TBI. Kyabje Khensur Kangur Rinpoche advised Carol to relax and spend quality time with family and friends and take care of your health. Tenzin said, deep from Rinpoche’s heart, he wants to thank you for being in TBI and TSS, Tibetan sponsorship scheme, until now. And he appreciates your hard work, generosity, and understanding. He said you are always in his prayers.

As I said in my announcement at the time, I could only echo Rinpoche’s praise for Carol and struggle to find the words to say thank you for so generously giving of yourself in ways that we will never fully appreciate. May you live a long, happy, and prosperous life, our dear dharma sister and friend. I especially thank Aaron, Assistant Director, whose broad and capable shoulders have become even broader by assuming the responsibility for the streamlining of the Tibetan sponsorship scheme, as Tenzin mentioned, TBI management projects and processes including as we all appreciate the New Look TBI magazine. This also includes two recent meetings to begin to bring into existence Rinpoche’s wish for a more formalized process to provide pastoral care for our community and eventually beyond. There are so many people volunteering their time, money, and skills in the service of the Buddhist Dharma here at TBI.

It’s not possible to name everybody, but I’d like to acknowledge Jill Stoner and her hardworking team of transcribers for consistently bringing to us and the wider community a beautifully presented transcriptions of the teachings. The material success of his holiness’s visit, the complete renovation of the kitchen thank you Justin and Richard for such a great job. Thank you Richard for so ably overseeing the ongoing maintenance projects and repairs and those who helped along the way. Adrian Barker’s artwork in the Gompa was crucial for His Holiness’s visit and continues to be an ongoing project for which we are all grateful. Thank you each and everyone for joyously undertaking the numerous tasks from caring for our Geshees, the Gompa, including water bowls and flowers, leading meditations, poojas, and introduction to Buddhism classes, recording, transcribing, cleaning, maintenance, looking out for the gem shop, crucial work, sorry, crucial office work and answering the phone, gardening, cooking, cashing in bottles and cans, washing up, the list just goes on.

We can look forward as we prepare for the return of our beloved resident teacher Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, as Tenzin mentioned, in the new year following the pilgrimage of a number of us from TBI to His Holiness’s Jangtse Lamrim teachings from December 25 to January 3 followed by Kyabje Kangur Rinpoche’s commentary on the Six Session Guru Yoga. As we commit to continue to work together in harmony, as Geshe-la was saying again this evening, by putting the teachings into practice to the best of our ability, we we can recall Rinpoche’s past advice. There is a vast difference between working for a worldly organization and a Dharma center. The latter is purely dedicated to try to help others. There is benefit for self and others.

There is extremely great merit, not just in this life, but future lives. If one person comes to learn dharma and pursues liberation or full enlightenment, how good that would be if we can help just one person. And may this be our continual prayer. Thank you. Thanks, Chris.

Luckily, don’t have a lot to say because I don’t know how I’d follow all that. So thanks, Tenzin, Geshe-la, and Chris. All I’d like to say basically, I’ll talk about what I’ve put in in the report in a minute, but just thank you is all I wanna say to those who attend the teachings weekly, to the other volunteers that assist at the center, and to Chris Tenzin and Tanya, the other people on the management team. You know, we all do a great effort, think, at at at making the centre what it is. I just want to thank everyone involved.

On the rest of the annual report, you’ll see three presentations there. Essentially, I’m presenting them on behalf of Tanya for the Treasury report, Jad for the membership report, and then I’ve given a brief summary of what the statistics are for sponsorship. Even though sponsorship as a whole isn’t part of TBI, I’ve still given some brief statistics on how that performed last year. So I’m happy to field any questions now. Happy to field any questions once you’ve had a chance to have a look at it.

You can see for yourself, it’s pretty straightforward. I won’t talk too much to the document itself. The only thing I will point out is I guess something that stood out to me instantly was we got in donations for His Holiness’s visit, 8,000 something or other, with an expenditure of, from memory, How much? 15. 15.

So, you know, immediately to me, the question would be, well, what happens with all that rest of the money that we’ve got from the His Holiness’s donation? So it’s not put into TBI. We’re waiting for instructions from Rinpoche on how we will actually make a donation to his holiness with that money that’s been donated for that. So I guess that’s one thing that stood out there for me. Sponsorship, sorry.

No expenditure for advertising. Is that what you mean? And do. As I said, I guess it’s something that I need to have a look at and I can give you some more information of where that expenditure because we do spend money on advertising. Yes.

I guess it is something that we want to do. We have talked numerous times about how we advertise, what’s going to be the most effective way of doing it and essentially it’s something that we’ll be looking at in the new year as we launch a new program so we’ll be advertising as we go into there. This is previous year that’s just gone? The advertising costs are in there. I can’t tell you off the top of my head, but I can get back to you on where they actually fall.

Okay. Because there is actually our charges here. We do pay Ilya’s expenditure on those things that you’ve mentioned. But that is actually offset by a large donation that comes in. And that’s the other thing that I guess stood out no.

And I’ll explain I’ll explain why because it actually fall fell into the previous financial year. So the it’s a very large donation that comes in, and it came in late in the previous financial year instead of early in this year. So that amount of money more than covers what we’ve expended over this previous twelve months on on Ilya’s cost for electricity water. I’m probably not at liberty to say without without them saying to me that it’s okay, But there’s a large donation that will definitely cover. Yeah.

Probably. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and look, look, I I agree with you.

You know, maybe it is something that should have been put there, but I I guess we are we can answer the question. Thank you. That’s okay. Billy. Thanks.

I guess I’ll take your points on board. And as much as we think we may be doing the best that we can, it’s always looking for opportunities to be able to retain the people that have left. So I guess I will say that we’ll continue to yeah. And that’s not saying that we don’t do anything, but I think there of course there’s reason to look for opportunities when it’s raised within management that we are looking for those opportunities to do that. So definitely take your points on board and we’ll make sure that that’s front of mind as well.

The other point with the auditing, this year we didn’t get an audit. Some years we do, some years we don’t. It’s not that we didn’t want to. It wasn’t that. And in following years we do want to.

It’s not actually a requirement. We check that out to make sure that our sizing as an organisation and the turnover that we have, we’re not required to. We do agree though, and we have all agreed on the management that in future, it is definitely something that we want to have regardless of whether it’s required or not, circumstances this year were that we didn’t have one. However, within the member or the friends of TBI, if you are qualified and if you would like to give voluntary, we would really love to take that. Because I think we have to look at in the financial side as much as we can say.

It’s not that safe that we become a rich. It’s something sustained in the future and whatever happens. And if we can we’re trying our very best as we can to minimize to expenditure and maximize benefit. So if you have anybody who would love to qualified auditing level, whatever is the requirement in Australian auditing. So we would really like to welcome to help us.

A part of maybe you can do it. It’s voluntary. So I’d like to add it there. And I guess the other point on not profiting as well. We are a not for profit organisation, so we do have obligations there as well.

So I guess we’re not in it to make money. That being said, there’s money to run the centre and obviously contingency and money reserves that are there available in the case of a disaster to make sure that we are still able to run. So apart from that, we’re definitely not in it to gain profit as such. Yeah. And and and I think we’ve all all you know, this I guess the circumstances and the cost and the people available to do it this year prohibited it.

But I guess we’ve all agreed, and and that’s another point to agree with you that in the future we would want to have those audits done. If there’s another positive reason for having them done like that, more the reason to do them in the future. Yeah. I didn’t know that one. Sorry, just on the advertising.

We’ve, as many of you know, because you’ve helped us out to letterbox this entire area, and we didn’t get one person. External advertising tricky is thing. And also we’ve looked at the messenger, you know because it was messenger. I’ve seen that. Yeah.

Yeah. You know, to do all the messengers Yeah. So it’s several $100 just for one messenger. So Ilya’s view is that the Internet, you know, if people are interested in Buddhism, they’ll click on, so And we’re aware that we, you know, building up our website is obviously important. Putting posters up for Facebook, yes.

Karen, in the past was doing that. So yeah, so multimedia obviously. I think we’ve given letterboxing a miss. But the other thing is I think that probably the most important thing is for myself, you know, as should I say, anybody comes by and they feel, as Tien Tsin was saying, the spirit, our own, you know, the Dharma in practice. That’s the magnet.

People’s karma and so forth, which isn’t certainly not to say that, you know, you have the karma to we have the karma to put the ad in the messenger, and you have the karma to read it, and here you are. So yeah. It’s what we advertise as well. We find that, you know, we’ve tried different things for different events. Public talks, which we’re planning on doing more of, are a real great vehicle to get people into the center.

Advertising for public talks, it was extremely successful. The same advertising applied to something else. I remember what the oh, it was the Living and Dying Meaningfully weekend where we did the same sort of posters everywhere and and leaflet drops out was a fizzer, and we didn’t get a single person from it. So, you know, it it’s just finding our way on when we’re gonna spend money, particularly messenger and stuff like that. What are we gonna spend it on, and and is it gonna give us a return, or are we just wasting money and and not getting anyone?

And I I do take your point that you come from that that that means. Yeah. And we’re trying yeah. And we’re we’re we’re to broaden that. I’ve got a list that I keep broadening, and we keep trying to, you know, do new areas where we can.

We’re restricted in a lot of places and and face further restrictions every time we go out. Places we were putting posters before now have turned around and said, no. You can’t. Universities and places like that limited. A lot of them won’t.

Know, places that you’d expect, you know, aren’t you know, there’s a lot of places in the city, for instance, where they have walls of posters everywhere. They’re coming down in a few of the locations that we’ve been to. But, any ideas, I’m happy to take more and add to that list next time we go to advertise. We’ll broaden into those. Not correct.

And, yeah, we are. But, you know, it’s good to have the feedback as well because the more information that we can get from you guys, the more that’s on our table to be able to digest and to look at how we utilise some of those ideas. So thanks for that. And you’re right. I guess for us, the public talks are almost an open day in a way, and it was like that.

I forget the number now, but it was a great turnout for the public talk. In our programme for next year, we’re definitely looking at scheduling a number of those during the year. So that’s where we can get some numbers and some people in to have a look at the centre. Judy? Sorry.

Empty. No. And and you’re right. And and to look at that instantly, I I would think the same thing as well. That there is that donation that came in.

The donation that came in it’s 40 plus that you won’t see in those figures that came right at the end of the financial year, and it’s hard to say whether it’s and I take your point. We should probably put a footnote about that, but it it it it’s hard because that fell into the last financial year, so you can’t really report it in this previous financial year’s figures. But if you want to put the 40 plus onto that, I guess, is is more like where you’re looking at. But that being said, of that 40 plus is the 18 I think the difference is 18,000 in the in His Holiness’s expenses and and income. So you really have to take 18,000 off the $40.40 and a half thousand.

So, you know, the mess isn’t really good at the moment, but there was still a fair profit for that year that will go into making sure that we have enough money to sustain us in the case of disaster and that type of thing, and also to make sure that we’ve got enough money depending on their climate as well, the economic climate. There’s a whole range of things that could affect us that that we need to have a little bit of a buffer there to make sure that we can continue to run effectively. So look, you know, we’re not for profit organization, so you wouldn’t wanna see, you know, huge amounts of money in there as income either. You know, for me, and I’m I’m happy to have somebody disagree, I I think that was a fairly good result for the end of the year. Paid work at the moment is not part of our organization.

It’s not part of TBI. If it’s something that Of course. Sure. Sure. Yeah.

And just to Yeah. And just to answer your question, which was are we financially available able to pay Tenzin or to pay a person? Yeah. My advice I I I would suggest the numbers that I see over the last couple of years, I I wouldn’t advise, put aside who it is or whatever, to to be paying somebody as the numbers stood for the last couple of years. This last year that’s just gone with his holiness’s visit makes it very hard to see, you know, how are we actually tracking?

Are we making money to be able to to to to pay some? Yeah. Okay. That’s definitely film nights is something that’s come up recently for us as well and we’re working on some things to make sure to have that happen as well. So and I look.

I’m firm believer that, you know, we’ve got a very small community in Adelaide, and and to pick up new people, you know, We do need to get some numbers through to look at the centre because we know we’re only going to pick up a small amount of those people. Oh, that’d be great. Yeah. That’d be brilliant. Yeah.

Definitely think it’s Yeah, I think it’s definitely something to consider for sure. Yeah. It’s not yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Sorry, Deborah. I’m not sure if I we cut your end of your question off there. If you’d finished. Correct. There’s actually a way to work it out.

I’m not There’s a certain percentage of your turnover that should be kept aside, and I’m not sure what that is. Sorry sorry just McCann has been itching to ask a question. Yeah. I didn’t put that. That that is the I didn’t I didn’t actually put that word, but it’s a there is some you know, it’s a very I’ve been here for, you know, like, twenty five years.

Now I’m more than used to have I grew up more time in India. Now today, I have to say I grew up more time in Australia. So it is funny. Every center that I went and I asked my friends who involved in the center, said, Tibet is coming? Only come for New Year or just celebrate it today.

You know? It’s sad, you know, which is we we can’t do anything. You know? We’re giving a chance. We’re giving it’s it’s those open for discrimination nondiscrimination.

So if they are missing, it’s very sad. So what can we do? Just on the film night as well because you made the comment of where we could film do film nights. We want to do it here. So we’re actually looking at a projector now, a projector and a fairly decent sized screen, not over the top, but a fairly decent sized screen that’ll actually come out from the wall and be here and we’ll be able to run film nights here.

I guess there’s a few things like that that are in the works that I forget to bring up until somebody mentions it. Is it under process on getting these books and all that? I’ll just take Jules, and then we’re going to have to wrap it up because it’s getting late. I’ve been given the timekeepers. Essentially.

Yeah. Yeah. We do. I’ve actually contacted Melissa because she’s got the file with it. And also just to extend on that strategic plan you’re talking about as well, and it’s definitely something that is apart from the Dharma program itself, the rest of the organisation, something that we need to develop more, be a little bit more guided.

We’ve had Carol leave, Jampa Tenzin leave. We’ve had a whole range of things that have changed our circumstances. So it’s definitely something that’s on my mind that we need to be looking to where we want to go in the future. Yeah, I understand. Correct.

And that. And, Todd? Are you just stretching? Okay. The way things appear will appear in a pure way, which is the challenge.

Mean certainly it’s important to do everything correctly according to the law and so on and so forth and to reach out for people. And Ilya has often made the point in Dharma centers that he’s been to, there’s traditionally, and I don’t know if percentage was over a few years, there’s always a turnover, which is a puzzle when people make a commitment to the guru. But that’s their karma. And so what we have to do is see that and then reflect back on our own commitments and keeping our commitments and vows and so forth. And keeping the vows, keeping our commitments is the foundation.

It’s what will make the difference in our own lives. If we do that corporately, putting into practice as best we can what the teachers say and what always try to develop over the detail. Then the obstacles obstacles that have no substance in themselves. It’s only from their own side they have no substance. And so very easy to see an obstacle and naturally to blame, to change the externals.

And that’s why it’s weird. Buddhism is weird and it’s very difficult. When people find out what Buddhism is, I think they run a mile. It’s anti intuitive. So, yeah, it’s hard work.

And I put people off. As the Dalai Lama says, don’t become a Buddhist for goodness sake. Unless you really investigate. Having said that, what Dalai Lama says, if you feel you’ve got a connection, then investigate. And at the same time, of course, we invite people to come because who knows what the karmic connection is.

And love and compassion demands everything to happen. That’s So our thank you, everybody. And as Aaron said, any questions, e mails, ideas, that’s great. And yeah, it’s taking refuge when things are tough is the challenge. To bring it from words, as Geshe-la said, into practice, that’s really hard.

Key terms in this teaching

Buddhadharma

The teachings of the Buddha. LYWA

four noble truths denpa zhi (Tib)

The subject of the Buddha's first turning of the wheel of Dharma. The truths of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering as seen by an arya. LYWA

guru devotion

After finding a fully qualified spiritual teacher and establishing a connection, the disciple trains in devotion using logical reasoning. LYWA

guru yoga lama nel jor (Tib)

A practice in which one views the guru as inseparable from a deity or the Buddha, in order to amass the two collections of merit and wisdom and to purify negativities and obscurations. LYWA

lamrim

The graduated path. A presentation of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings in a form suitable for the step-by-step training of a disciple. LYWA

puja chö pa (Tib)

Literally, offering; a religious ceremony, usually used to describe an offering ceremony such as the Offering to the Spiritual Master (Guru Puja). LYWA

shamatha zhi nä (Tib)

Calm abiding; a state of concentration in which the mind is able to abide steadily, without effort and for as long as desired, on an object of meditation. There are nine stages in its development. LYWA

Yama shinchi dagje (Tib)

The Lord of Death, seen on the Wheel of Life. LYWA

Definitions adapted from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive glossary, as taught in the Gelug tradition.