TARA INSTITUTE
Centre for Buddhist Study and Meditation
HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA
WELCOME TO TARA INSTITUTE
Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Centre in Brighton, Melbourne Australia
Welcome to everyone who aspires to gain happiness and inner peace, through the study,
meditation and practice of Mahayana Buddhism.
Our programmes suit beginners and more advanced students in the quest for a more meaningful life.
EASTER HOURS
The office will close at
3pm Thursday 17th April 2025
and re-open at
9am Wednesday 23rd April 2025
All courses and teaching sessions will run as usual
BUDDHIST TEACHINGS & PROGRAMMES
The Healing Group
With Kathi Melnic, William Liew and Meagan Wilson
Held fortnightly on Thursdays, from 11am to 12.30pm
3, 17 April 2025
Sourcing both ancient and contemporary approaches to health and well-
being, the Healing Group incorporates guided meditations, explanatory
talks and discussions in each session.
School Program
Introduction to Meditation for Students
This session is available for students to experience an Introduction to Buddhism meditation class at Tara Institute, or at your school if that is your preference. The session can follow a secular presentation of mindfulness and meditation if that is more suitable.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday April 18th to Sunday 20th 2025 ~ 9am - 5pm | Brighton East
Introduction to Buddhism based on Four Noble Truths
2025 EASTER COURSE
Four Noble Truths and Explanation
with Geshe Lobsang Dorje
Geshe Lobsang Dorje will present the TI’s 2025 Easter Course, on the topic of Four Noble Truths and its Explanation.
The Four Noble Truths was the very first teaching that Buddha Shakyamuni gave (after he gained enlightenment in Bodhgaya and had remained silent for 49 days) in 528 BC in Deer Park at Sarnath near Varanasi, India and kept alive in the Buddhist world ever since.
These four Noble truths have remained as Buddha’s primary teaching, and they express the essential features of the goal, practice and philosophy of Buddhism and provide a framework for understanding the nature of suffering for example stress, anxieties, depression, anger, jealousy, attachment etc. and the path to liberation/free from it.
As accommodation is limited at TI, please book earlier
Sunday 25th May 2025 ~ 9am - 5pm | Brighton East
COURSE
2025 MAY ONE DAY COURSE -
Eight Verses of Mind Training
with Geshe Lobsang Dorje
Geshe Lobsang Dorjee will share with us this very relevant teachings and how we can put into practice in our daily lives
The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation was written by the eleventh-century meditator Langri Thangpa Dorje Senge.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to this work as one of the main sources of his own inspiration and includes it in his daily meditations. These instructions offer essential practices for cultivating the awakening mind of compassion, wisdom, and love.
3rd May 2025| 10am -5pm | Melbourne Town Hall
2025 Tara Thangka Display
One of the Biggest Paintings in the World
As in accordance with our precious guru late Lama Zopa Rinpoche wishes, is for Tara Institute to display the gigantic Twenty-One Taras Thangka as often as possible and as frequent as possible, for as many people to view as possible to have imprint Mother Tara, to help to achieve their wishes
This year, the 21 Tara Thangka will again be display at Melbourne Town Hall in conjunction with the United Nation Vesak event, to celebrate the the day where Buddha Shakyamuni was born, gained enlightenment under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya and entered into parinirvana at age of 80. A very auspicious occasion and meritorious event indeed.
There is a new schedule of events from 10am to 1 pm for prayers, praises and mediations sessions with the 21 Taras Thangka, we rejoice at this wonderful opportunity!
Saturday 31st May 2025 ~ 9am - 12pm | Brighton East
Recitation
2025 Recitation Day- Shantideva Text
Creating the causes for developing immeasurable love, compassion and wisdom by reciting The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life with Geshe Doga, Geshe Lobsang Dorjee, Geshe Jangchod and the Tara Institute community.
Please come along to join in the recitation on this auspicious occasion.
If you wish to join us for lunch, catering is $15. Please register here. However you are welcome to bring your own lunch. Please join us in the recitation.
Friday 6th June (8pm) to Monday 9th June (7am) 2025 | Brighton East
Introduction to Buddhism based on Four Noble Truths
2025 June
Nyung Nye Retreat
with Geshe Lobsang Dorje
Nyung nye means “abiding in the retreat.” In other words, you are retreating from negative karmas of body, speech and mind. Nyung nye is an unbelievably powerful practice of purification, purifying negative karmas and downfalls, and purification is the most important thing to do all the time, especially for us beginners.
The Nyung Nye meditation practice, based on Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, is a concentrated practice consisting of seven meditation sessions, with praises, prostrations and mantra recitations over two days. The emphasis of this practice is on developing compassion.
The eight Mahayana precepts are taken and, on the second day, additional vows of not drinking any fluids, eating or talking are observed. The benefits of engaging in this practice are inestimable.
We rejoice that Geshe Lobsang Dorjee will be joining us at this Nyung Nye.
CENTRE UPDATES
Tibetan Community Prayers
for the Tibet Earthquake
Organised by Geshe Lobsang on behalf of the Tibetan Community of Victoria and Tara Institute, a prayer session was held at Tara Institute on Sunday 12 January for over 200 Tibetans from our local community. This was for the recent earthquake that struck Eastern Tibet, particularly in the Tringri region, which has claimed the lives of at least 126 Tibetans, with 337 more injured so far. This devastating event brought immense sorrow to the Tibetan community.
The prayer session honored the memory of our Tibetan brothers and sisters who lost their lives and to send collective prayers for the speedy recovery of those who are injured.
Retreat Room Available
Tara Institute now have a dedicated room available for personal retreats.
If you would like to explore this fabulous opportunity, please contact the office on 03 9596 8900 or admin@tarainstitute.org.au
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Tara Institute Tours
Adair and Cynthia are looking for people who are interested in helping Adair run Tara Institute tours for Open Day and other events. Adair will train us (sometime in May) and there will be notes. If you are interested, please contact Cynthia directly or through the office (Email: admin@tarainstitute.org.au)..
Shopping at the
TI Bookshop
The TI Bookshop stocks a range books on Buddhism, from introductory to advanced, including children’s books and books by the Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa, Geshe Doga, and our Monday night teachers. It also stocks gift items like incense, malas, singing bowls, cushions, Tibetan rugs and more. TI members enjoy a 10% discount on all purchases. End-of-year specials include Meditation for Modern Minds, Vol 3, an introduction to meditation and Buddhism by our Monday night teachers.
NOTE: Thank-you to all our wonderful hardworking bookshop volunteers!
Café Bliss: Great Coffee, Delicious Food on TI’s Doorstep
Next door to TI, Café Bliss is a great spot for a coffee, chai latte, or vegetarian meal or snack with friends. It’s open for eat-in (or take-away) breakfast, brunch, lunch and snacks. The Bliss menu is available for delivery through Uber Eats or online take-away. Bliss also offers a dinner service prior to teachings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30pm to 8:00pm, served in the TI dining room – available to all, no booking required.
For more information, visit.
Tara Institute is now a donation partner in the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme!
You can now exchange eligible drink containers for 10 cents.
Together we can make a positive difference to our community and our environment.
All eligible drink containers are worth a 10 cent refund that you can either keep, or donate to a community donation partner. If you would like to donate the refund to Tara Institute, you can use this barcode or Donation Partner ID at the refund point when you deposit your containers.
To find your nearest donation point, go to https://www.returnit.com.au/vic/recycling-locations-return-it-vic/
MEMBERSHIP & SUPPORT
This enables the Tara Institute community to support the dharma and allow us all to receive precious teachings from Venerable Geshe Doga and Geshe Lobsang
Lama Zopa said: My point here is for you to understand what we are doing and what you are helping with. This is so that you can rejoice. It really is unbelievable, incredible, what you are helping with, and this creates so much benefit for the world and for sentient beings. This actually creates the cause to liberate so many beings. This is an incredible opportunity for you to rejoice, and if you rejoice and then dedicate the merits, it is amazing.
Tara Institute is a Buddhist centre located in Melbourne, Australia. Tara Institute is a non-profit incorporated association that is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a group of over 150 meditation centres worldwide.