MITRA Buddhist Network is proud to present a dharma talk by Venerable Yeshe Chodron.  Sister Yeshe, as she is known,  is an Australian nun in the Sakyan tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.  She will be speaking about love, romance, sex, money and power; she will also discuss the role of desire as a motivating force in our lives and her perspective as Buddhist practitioner. There will be ample time for you to discuss your views on the topic as well.

This event  is free but your donation will go towards Sister Yeshe’s Bodhicitta Foundation, a socially engaged organisation which is helping Indian Buddhists, many of whom are from the community of oppressed people previously  known as the ‘unotuchables’.
Everyone is welcome, members, non members and affiliates.

Details:

Sunday 25th July 2010

4pm – 5.30pm

Buddhist Council of NSW Office, Level 1 441 Pacific Highway  Crows Nest NSW Australia

RSVP to Ed-MITRA Secretary at email@mitra.org.au or RSVP via Facebook Event page

The wonderful light-filled Buddhist Council office and happy meditators

After a brief hiatus due to a range of public holidays  and the MITRA Conference, Sunday Meditation is back to a weekly basis. On the first and third Sundays of the month, we are lucky enough to have some of our favourite teachers JIm Teoh and Chien Hoong Gooi  guide the meditation and discussion. Join us this weekend:

Date: Sunday 16th MAy 2010

Time: 4pm to 5.30pm

Venue: Buddhist Council of NSW Office, Level 1 441 Pacific Highway Crows Nest

Meditation: Mindfulness of breath sitting meditation; walking meditation

Teacher: Chien Hoong Gooi

Chien Hoong Gooi is a Registered Psychologist and he’s currently involved in clinical research on Buddhist mindfulness practices in the treatment of anxiety disorders as part of his postgraduate training in the Doctor of Clinical Psychology program. He was past Buddhist Chaplain at UNSW and is currently a member of the Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists (AABCAP). He has given workshops and talks at the Buddhist Library, Buddhist Council of NSW and for the Buddhist youth community.

All welcome, no experience necessary!

We’re really excited to be going to the Reel to Real Film Festival this Saturday 15th May 2010. There are five sessions running from 12 midday to 11pm.

This year has an emphasis on creative shorts with a Buddhist focus, from Australia and all over the world, and on three superb documentaries each accompanied by guest speakers in conversation with Festival director, Zen Roshi, Dr Susan Murphy.

The festival features:

• Fine films and conversation about film and Buddhism with a focus this year on deep and dazzling Buddhist-inspired documentaries
• Conversation with filmmaker & Zen Roshi Dr Susan Murphy, Celebrity Chef Kylie Kwong, & Tibetan nun Thubten Chokyi from Liberation Prison Program and Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Bhante Sujato.

There are discounts for concessions and a special 2-for-1 offer for the International and Australian short film sessions. See the website for full program details.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Bhante Sujato, Thuong Toa Thich Bao Lac

There was so much to savour and enjoy at the MITRA Conference, held on the 1st and 2nd May 2010. There were brilliant speakers from all different Buddhist traditions and a variety of topics were explored. There was a feeling of camaraderie and community amongst the delegates and you could see the dedication of the volunteers who organised and prepared for many months. You too, can use you skills and talents for the benefit of many. Why not join the team that makes it happen in 2011 – just email us. What was your favourite session and why? We’d love your comments.

Frazer Kirkman, proudly wears his vintage 2005 Conference tshirt

Audience members connect

Photos courtesy of Michael Wu. Thanks Michael for being the Conference photographer!

The MITRA Conference is  your premier Sydney Buddhist weekend. With so much to choose from, I thought I’d pick out my Top 5 activities

1. Saturday Gregory Kramer Insight Dialogue Intra Personal Meditation and Dharma 11.15am in Grand Lodge (upstairs)

2. Saturday Ven Heng Sure Secrets to Deeper Meditaton: Our Relationships 1.30pm in Composite Room (downstairs)

3. Saturday Ven Thubten Chodron We all want Happiness, but what is it? 3.15pm in Corinithian Room(downstairs)

4. Sunday Sarah Napthali The Dharma in my Family Life 11.15am in Grand Lodge (upstairs)

5. Sunday Ven Dhammananda Deconstructing the Myth Gathered around Buddhism 1.45pm Corinthian Room (downstairs)

But there is so much more! There will be sessions to practice as well. Take the opportunity in the breaks to meet spiritual friends, re-acquaint yourself with old ones and feel the sense of community. The three Buddhist traditions are represented- Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. There’s and expo downstairs with stalls and books to discover. Come along to the MITRA stall (outside the Community room downstairs) and see what the University buddhist groups are getting up to! Register online now.

(photo courtesy of Gourmettraveller.com.au)

On Saturday  Max, Sin Sin, Lawrie, Tonto and I were out on the streets of Balmain putting postcards about Buddhist Festival Month and the MITRA Conference into letterboxes. After lunch, Tonto was curious to check out Adriano Zumbo’s Cafe Chocolat. Being an avid Gourmet Traveller reader and food blog trawler, I was aware of the hyper creativity of Adriano Zumbo. While waiting for our takeaway mocha and dark hot chocolate ( it was too full to get a table) my eye rested on a poster of Cleo’s 50 most eligible bachelors with pic of Adriano in a wife beater.  Before I could think “Break me off a piece of that”, someone brushes past and obstructs my view.  I look up to see who broke me out of my reverie, only to discover it is none other than the man himself. Tonto whispers loudly, ‘That’s Adriano Zumbo!”. I feign indifference and start speaking to Cecilia who happens to be lunching there with friends. Cecilia, who is neither shy nor chicken asks Adriano if we could put up a poster about the MITRA Conference. He smilingly acquiesces, and Tonto gets a photo with him into the bargain! So by now, Tonto is completely awestruck and I steer him out of there before he tries anything else. We walk past the patisserie with its 15 metre line (it is 3.30pm on Saturday) and smile warmly with our  brush with the Maitre patissier. In Tonto’s words, “He is really buff in real life!”

We’re holding a farewell potluck party for Mei-Ann. She will be studying in China this year. Wishing you all the very best Mei-Ann! May you enjoy many adventures and gain lots of wisdom from your experiences. Hope your spiritual practice thrives in your new environment

Werri Beach

Exiting the Serpent thing

The South Coast Summer getaway was a lazy weekend that involved eating, swimming, eating and Jamberoo (who said that place is just for kids?) Thank you to Mel who organised the weekend getaway.  Keep your eyes peeled for more fun events in the near future! Follow us on Twitter and check our Facebook page.

Name: Francesco Gimelli – my refuge name is Lodrö Lungta
Current area study or/occupation: Environmental Studies (actually graduated with a degree in Studies in Religion), and work as a tutor at The University of Melbourne.
How did you discover Buddhism? Through intuition The Dharma was always there really
What tradition do you follow? Tibetan – more specifically the Kagyu, Niyngma and Shambhala lineages
Some facts about you (e.g languages you speak, interests) My first language is Italian, then English and Spanish, studied Sanskrit for 3 years.  I love Permaculture and sustainable living, cooking, trekking, and meeting cool new people that are engaged with the world!
What is your ambition in life? To leave a positive mark, and share my knowledge and experience with others, and in turn learn from them
What message would you like to tell the world? “Don’t just do something! Sit there!” – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche – I love this quote, and I think it is an important message. We often act without working on our own mind, but this should be the basis for our action in the world. So I guess ultimately what I’m saying is, “Meditate.”

Who would you most like to meet? Living or Dead [ or beyond them all]? The obvious one is Lord Buddha! I met many of my idols, such as Dr A T Ariyaratne, at the Parliament of the World’s Religions!

Thank you Francesco for answering our twenty questions. We look forward to crossing paths with you again in the near future.