Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Kyabje Rinpoche’s Foundation Day address marks five years of his Australian Dharma center and announces a significant funding shift. In 69 minutes, he celebrates the year’s major teachings—Khensur Rinpoche’s Guru Puja commentary, a transmission of the Six Yogas of Naropa drawing fifty students from around the world, teachings on Buddhist psychology and the Lamrim, and the recent ordination of three young monks. He then explains why the center must transition from free teachings supported by voluntary donation to a modest five-dollar attendance fee, as the gift-based model proved unsustainable in Australian culture. He closes with philosophical instruction: attending teachings plants karmic imprints in the mind that ripen as future spiritual understanding, using metaphors of seeds and fields.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Foundation Day 10 – KR.mp3
UUID: b729b9d5-d441-4a59-8341-500d5daf0b43
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~1,199
In that number. So we’re entering into the fifth year of this Dharma center and this has occurred thanks to the kindness and the efforts of the volunteers, the helpers, the sponsors, and Rinpoche would like to thank them all and to say just how happy he is about how things have occurred. And during this year, our foremost activities were related to the Dharma, to the Buddhist teachings. First and foremost, Khensur Rinpoche’s magnificent commentary on the Guru Puja, on Lama Chöpa, and the meditations which were connected with this. It was quite extraordinary that we had so many students who came both from abroad, from New Zealand and from India, as well as from all over Australia from Institute, from Atisha Institute, and so forth.
And then in addition, the great commentary on the six yogas of Naropa this in April, this spring attracted students from all over the world. Some of Rinpoche’s long time students came all the way from Spain, others came from India, and students came from all over Australia, including numerous nuns to attend this teaching. More than 50 people were present. And therefore, this has really led to a furtherance of the Buddhist teachings. And in addition to this, during this year, on the direct instructions of holiness of Dalai Lama, Khensur Rinpoche himself taught Nāgārjuna’s Bodhichittavivarana, his magnificent commentary on ultimate bodhicitta.
Geshe-la himself on the instructions of Rinpoche taught first Buddhist psychology, Lorig, and after that a presentation of the grounds and paths from the standpoint of the Mahāyāna, Sa Lam, in addition to teaching on a weekly basis the middling stages of the path of Je Tsongkhapa. Anila herself also taught teachings on the Medicine Buddha and various other teachings. And the students benefited greatly from this Rinpoche feels. And this conjunction of the teachers, translator, and the students Rinpoche feels is something which is of great benefit both for sentient beings and for the furtherance of the Buddhist teachings. He feels that this atmosphere of mutual help between the teachers and the students has been most beneficial and hopes that this will continue since he feels this will be very helpful for the future.
And Rinpoche is also very happy to announce to you that three of his young students, out of the wish to benefit both the teachings and beings, have chosen to become fully ordained Buddhist monks and will be sent by Khensur Rinpoche to Sera Je monastery in India to pursue their study for the benefit of all. So Rinpoche feels that in this very short period of time, we have accomplished a lot and he is very happy about these developments. And therefore, Rinpoche would like to express his gratitude to teachers such as Geshe-la, who have put tremendous effort and to the translator who has put great effort, as well as to all of the volunteers and the students from their side who have put the effort of attending the teachings. And he would like to ask all of us to help the center as much as we can. If we have the possibility to do so financially, to help the center financially.
And otherwise, to volunteer our work. Volunteering one’s work is a very real way of helping the center. And if we do this, then in the future, the activities and the impact of the center will spread evermore. So there is mutual benefit if from your own side you gather and volunteer for some activities or some work at the center. There’s benefit for yourself and there’s benefit from the standpoint of the center as well.
And, Rinpoche, would like to wish all of you a good health and pray for the very, very best for your lives in this forthcoming year. We had to make somewhat of a change in the way the center was run-in the last year for the four first years of its creation. This center was run on the traditional Buddhist approach, which is teachings are completely free. And we ask the students to make from the depth of their heart whatever donations they could make. Unfortunately, this system does not work in Australian culture, and we were not able to cover our costs for water and electricity.
And Rinpoche realized that we would eventually we might be in the situation where we might have to close the center because of the lack of support. And therefore, for this reason, Rinpoche introduced a new system, which is one where all the students who attend teachings are requested to contribute what we consider a nominal fee of $5, which covers water, electricity, and the wicked cup of tea Tenzin can whip up. And then in addition, all of those who come have the pleasure of good company. This is a meaningful outlay because when one attends teachings, one implant within one’s mind stream the imprints of hearing, and these karmic imprints of hearing will mature later on when the opportunities arise. So even if we cannot meditate from our own side, if we don’t have the time, we should try to attend teachings and to listen to the teachings because this imprints powerful karmic imprints within our mind stream.
And we all value and cherish the triple gem, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. But even though we value the triple gem, the capacity of the triple gem to benefit us is contingent on our own efforts. Buddha himself said, my happiness, I must establish myself. This is the case for all of us. And Rinpoche says, if we think of the metaphor of a field which is being sown, if grains have been sown in the field, then when it rains, the grains can sprout.
If the grains have not been sown, then however much it rains, the grains will never sprout. They have never been sown in the first place. Likewise, if we have implanted in our mind the karmic imprints of hearing through attending teachings, then in the future, when we are exposed to the blessings of the Buddha or the teachings of the Buddha in the form of rain, those karmic imprints implanted in the field of our mind will sprout and give rise to a beautiful crop. Otherwise, if grains have never been planted in the first place, there is no hope for anything to sprout. In the same same way as if the Buddha were a doctor and the Dharma medicine and ourselves.
A sick person, however good the doctor, however good the medicine. If the medicine is given to the patient and he does not take it, then it goes to waste. So the creation of this center is of benefit to all those on this world of ours who come to it and specifically to all the inhabitants of Adelaide. And when they come to teachings, then they eventually will be able to collect the crop of the Dharma. So Rinpoche encourages you to come to the teachings and to bring your friends with you.
Even if you cannot come regularly, if you come whenever you can, you will still reap benefit. Okay. Thank you.