Buddhist Gospel Concert
Songs of Refuge, Redemption and Revelation
Two of Brisbane's most amazing singers - Pearly Black and Leah Cotterell - will give the first ever Buddhist Gospel Concert. Their songs will cover the spectrum from traditional gospel hymns to raunchy religious tunes. Geshe Jamyang will be the guest of honour and will give a short talk before the concert. "Songs of Refuge, Redemption and Revelation" is a passionate rendition of religious feeling illuminating the age-old topics of death, faith, uncertainty, hope, awe and inspiration. The object of refuge may differ, but the human feelings are universally felt.

This one-night-only concert will be held on Sunday 30th November at 6 pm, here in our very own gompa. Tickets are $35 and $25 conc. (pensioners, students, unemployed). To book your place you can pay by credit over the phone, or drop into the centre during class or any time Saturdays. We hope you can join us for this exciting convert, and for light refreshments afterwards. Bring your friends and family and celebrate the Christmas season in an inspiring and unique way!

All welcome - bring you friends and family. Bookings are essential to secure a seat!

Download the poster
Download the flyer

Sunday 30th November, 2008
6.00 pm - 8.00 pm (doors open 5 pm)
$35/$25 conc. (students, pensioners, unemployed)
Join us for light refreshments afterwards

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Sutra Recitation
Special Animal Dedications (Buddha's Descent from Tushita)
Join us in our annual sutra recitation on one of the holiest days of the BUddhist calendar - Buddha's descent from Tushita heaven. The evening is dedicated especially to the welfare of all animals. We make special dedications for our own animals, those in captivity or suffering drought, fire or climate change.

The "Sutra of Golden Light" is said to be especially powerful in alleviating global problems like disharmony and war, as well as natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, droughts and global warming. It is quite a long sutra, so we will recite the first chapter together, then break into small groups to recite a chapter each. We will end by reciting the last chapter and dedicating together. We will make special dedications for world peace and harmony, the reverse of global warming and pacification of natural disasters. There will be lots of chai tea served as well!

All welcome - bring photos of your pets or animals you want to dedicate for!

Wednesday 19th November, 2008
7.00 pm - 8.30 pm (arrive from 6.00 pm)
$5 suggested donation

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Taking Refuge in the Three Gems
with Geshe Tashi Tsering
This is a short ceremony where one officially becomes a Buddhist, that is, one takes as one’s primary refuge the Triple Gem – the Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma), and the Sangha. Geshe Tashi Tsering will give the Refuge and lay vows in this unbroken lineage from the time of the Buddha.

This is also one of the only opportunities for lay people to take vows. These vows are to avoid harming or killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct and intoxicants. You must be able to take the first vow - to avoid harming or killing - but may leave out some of others if you know for certain you cannot keep them.

If this is your first time
If this is your first time in taking refuge, you receive a refuge booklet outlining the vows as well as the refuge commitments. You also receive a Tibetan Refuge name. Geshe-la will explain the refuge commitments and the vows during the ceremony.

What to bring
Wear nice, clean or special clothes (your Sunday best!). You may wish to bring a small offering. We have offering scarves in the gompa to borrow.

Pocket Dharma CD available of Geshe Tashi Tsering's commentary on refuge and lay vows (1 hour sound file and print transcript)

Friday 7th November, 2008
7.30 pm - 8.30 pm (arrive from 7pm)
$20 suggested donation
Bookings are essential 1 week in advance, if this is your first time taking the vows.
Sorry - no observers - if you are there you will be taking the vows! However, you are welcome to wait in the lounge during the ceremony.

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Rebirth
The Tibetan Game of Liberation
This is the Buddhist game of snakes and ladders, where we experience the vagaries of karma and rebirth in all its messy and terrifying glory! This game contains all the teachings of the Buddhist path. It is an incredibly powerful way to integrate the lam rim teachings and gain an appreciation of our current exceptional circumstances as human beings with leisure and fortune.

About the Game
The game was made by a monk for his sick mother when she was too sick to study the Dharma. The odds have been karmicly worked out as to which rebirth we move to. Our next rebirth rests on the throw of a dice. We travel through the various realms, often circling through hells, animals, humans, and the hells again, until a (very genuine!) sense of renunciation arises to be liberated from this round of existence. We may also travel on the different spiritual paths all the way to Buddhahood. The top row of the board illustrates the Buddha's life story. Apparently, the shortest path to Buddhahood is if you throw 11 ones in a row!

About the Event
This game takes a long time! We can only go home once somebody becomes enlightened. Each game has its own unique group 'karma' and flavour. Some people go straight onto the Buddhist path and reach enlightenment in a very short time, while others spend hours circling in the hells. In the process we not only learn about the nature of cyclic existence, but we learn about each other and develop a strong sense of community within the group. We have lunch in the middle to fortify us, and many yummy snacks to sustain us along the way!

Saturday 8th November
2.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Suggested donation $20 (free vegetarian dinner provided, but you can bring snacks to share)
Bookings essential 1 week in advance (for catering purposes)

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Annual Brisbane Buddhist Pilgrimage
This is not a sight-seeing tour but a religious journey. It also happens to be a wonderful occasion to meet fellow students and enjoy each other's company while doing a meaningful activity. We travel as a group by mini-bus. There is a whole world of Buddhism right on our doorstep in suburban Brisbane. In the spirit of multiculturalism, the Brisbane Buddhist Pilgrimage is a way of showing respect for our fellow practitioners and encouraging them in their practice.

About Pilgrimage
Whether the pilgrim's destination is the Potala, Bodhgaya or a Buddhist temple in Carindale, enlightenment is the goal. All the teachings of the Buddha aim to rescue beings from the ocean of suffering, and pilgrimage is a skillful means of bringing people to the feet of the Buddha. It is a way to accumulate merit and cultivate wisdom and awareness. Just seeing holy objects can awaken positive qualities of mind (a bit like divine advertising?)

What we do at each temple
When we arrive we make 3 prostrations, offer some prayers and generate merit by giving a small donation. We recite the Heart Sutra, a famous and profound prayer common to all Buddhist traditions. After this we may take a photo, have a tour, or listen to a short teaching from our host.

Where we go to
In the time available we can only visit some of the over 30 Buddhist temples in the Brisbane area. Of these, about 15 are in the Mahayana tradition. The temples we visit range from meditation groups run from a private house (much like Langri Tangpa Centre) to entire complexes larger than a city block. We visit Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Tibetan temples, as well as the oldest temple in Brisbane (dating from the 1800's gold-rush era).

Read about previous pilgrimages

View photos of where we go to on pilgrimage

Print the itinerary

Held in August 2009
8.30 am - 5.00 pm, BYO lunch
Bookings essential 1 week in advance (as places on the mini-bus are limited)
Suggested Donation $20 (to cover hire of mini-bus, but please also bring lose change to make offerings at the other temples)

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