Lama Zopa Rinpoche consecrating the center’s new building, Buddha House, South Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

FPMT center Buddha House, located in a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, recently received a visit from Lama Zopa Rinpoche who blessed the center’s new home. The Buddha House community shares the story with us:

During the Bodhicaryavatara (A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) and Rinjung Gyatsa Retreat at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, in 2014, Buddha House resident teacher Ven. Thubten Dondrub, the then-director Gabe Edwards, and members of Buddha House had a meeting with Rinpoche.

Leading up to that meeting Buddha House was going through a period of instability. Only a few months earlier, we had lost our director, spiritual program coordinator, and treasurer due to ill health and all within a few weeks of each other. We were up against many challenges, including low morale and financial hardship, placing a lot of added pressure to keep the center running harmoniously. There were many obstacles to overcome during this period, making it one of the most difficult in the thirty-seven year history of Buddha House.

Katrin Rheder, Gabe Edwards, Tony Migalka, Ven. Thubten Dondrub, Lyndy Abram, Judy Wagner, Bill Gaston, Cristina Gonzalez, Jan Vaughan, and Sheryl Malone with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, The Great Stupa, Bendigo, Australia, 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

We were leasing space in a premises owned by the Freemasons, which greatly impacted our ability to expand the program as we would have liked. Competing with dance classes, hall hire for parties, celebrations, and regular evening meetings of Freemasons, it was very difficult to keep students motivated and the future looked unclear.

So during the 2014 retreat, Gabe requested an audience with Rinpoche, enabling students to come together as a group to talk with him.

As a result of that meeting, Rinpoche’s advice for the center to flourish and to promote harmony was to practice the Sixteen Arhats Puja regularly, and in addition, Rinpoche advised us to commission a large Ganapati statue.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Thubten Tendar, Buddha House former director Tony Migalka, Buddha House resident teacher Ven. Thubten Dondrub, and Buddha House current director Lyndy Abram enjoying the autumn leaves in the beautiful Adelaide hills, South Australia, May 2018. Photo by Carole Migalka.

The Buddha House Board and students under the guidance of Ven. Thubten Dondrub promptly followed the Guru’s advice. Soon after and due to the kindness of a benefactor, the Sixteen Arhat statues were acquired. They arrived by ship from Nalanda Monastery in France in 2015. The Sixteen Arhat statues were exquisitely painted by Tibetan artist Ven. Lobsang Konchok and are now part of the main altar at Buddha House. Many thanks to Ven. Lobsang, who also painted the mural of the Dharmachakra surrounded by eight offering dakinis inside of The Great Stupa. 

After 3 years of construction by artist Jonathan Partridge in Tasmania, the large Ganapati statue was installed at the center in early May 2018, just days before Rinpoche’s arrival.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche arriving at Buddha House, South Australia, May 17, 2018. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

In late January 2016 a Buddha House student saw a property for auction, which was a beautiful and spacious blue-stone church in a perfect location.

Rinpoche’s observation showed that it was beneficial to purchase the property. He recommended various practices for our success, including the making of one thousand Ganapati tsa-tsas. Buddha House had just nine days before the auction to complete Rinpoche’s advice, and with the help of many, including Chenrezig Institute with the making of the tsa-tsas, Budda House fulfilled his instructions within the required time. We made a successful bid for the property in February 2016, and after many months of renovations, Buddha House moved in to their new home in January 2017.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Roger Kunsang, Ven. Thubten Tendar, and Ven. Lobsang Sherab offering a khata to the new Buddha statue at Buddha House, South Australia, May 2018. Photo by Carole Migalka.

Following the Guru’s advice when many obstacles and financial demands are being experienced can take courage. However, the Board of Buddha House found that when demonstrating faith in following our precious teacher’s advice unerringly, incredible things happen. After commissioning the Ganapati Statue, practicing the Sixteen Arhats Puja regularly, and then acquiring the Sixteen Arhats statues, a very generous benefactor made available the funds that enabled us to purchase our new property.

Rinpoche entered our new center building for the first time on Thursday, May 17, 2018. On that day he had a tour of the center while meeting members of the Buddha House Board, office volunteers, meditation leaders, and those who help out with the teaching program. In the gompa in front of about thirty people, including Ven. Roger Kunsang, Ven. Thubten Dondrub, Ven. Lobsang Konchok, Ven. Lobsang Sherab, Ven. Thubten Tendar, and Ven. Tenzin Lhamo, Rinpoche consecrated the Sixteen Arhat statues.

After months of preparation at Buddha House, Lama Zopa Rinpoche officially opened our new center on Sunday, May 20, and what a wonderfully joyous, moving and colorful multicultural day it was! About two hundred people attended, including members of parliament and local government, as well as representatives from multi-faith organizations. The official ceremony began in Tara Hall with the moving Welcome to Country ceremony conducted by “Uncle Moogy” Sumner, who called his ancestors as well as ours in his native language, and gave us his blessing as a tribal custodian to conduct our center’s work and program without negative obstructions.

The Himalayan and Tibetan Children’s Choir performing at Buddha House, South Australia, May 2018, Photo by Hugh Sparrow.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche then unveiled the Heart Sutra plaque while chanting, and with the ordained Sangha joining in, blessed the center. Rinpoche spoke of how much benefit the center would be to so many sentient beings for many years to come. The plaque has since been mounted by the entrance to Buddha House, giving all those who enter opportunity to read this extremely powerful sutra.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche sharing laughs with students at Buddha House, South Australia, May 2018. Photo by Carole Migalka.

After a sumptuous afternoon tea, Rinpoche gave a very special talk in the gompa on how to make the most of our life. He advised us to study the lamrim, meditate on the lamrim, and actualize the lamrim, develop guru devotion, and live our lives with bodhichitta as much as possible.

It was heart-warming to see the past directors, members and friends of Buddha House, as well as families from the Himalayan Buddhist Society of South Australia and the Tibetan Society of South Australia. There was dancing by women in national costume and a children’s choir by our Himalayan and Tibetan friends. Many thanks to the Himalayan Buddhist Community for making the chai tea, and the Buddha House community for an abundance of delicious sweet and savory food.

Members, students, and volunteers of Buddha House worked tirelessly and harmoniously together over several months to bring the event together—from cleaners, car parking attendants, to the gompa setup team, kitchen catering, flower arrangers, and hosts for the day. It was only due to the kindness all of these volunteers that the afternoon was such a great success.

In our new location the program has been expanded to allow for day and evening meditations, teachings, and children’s programs. Tara Hall is available for yoga, tai chi, and reiki. The center has become very valuable in the community with people coming and going all day attending programs, popping in to get information regarding programs, and also attracting people into the gompa for their own personal meditation.

Natalie Playford and Judy McDonald who cooked for Lama Zopa Rinpoche sharing a moment with Rinpoche as he had them print mantras in a book to see who had the most merit to print the perfect mantra, Buddha House, South Australia, May 2018. Photo by Carole Migalka.

What we now have is the culmination of many years of concerted effort by a succession of center directors and board members, securing a stable, beautiful, spacious, and functional center that will serve our community for many years to come.

The final success came from asking our Guru for specific advice, and collectively following this to the letter. As a result everything has flowed seamlessly and incredible abundance has followed. Please join us in rejoicing.

For more information about Buddha House visit their website:
http://buddhahouse.org

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