History of Sakya Losal Choe Dzong

About Sakya Losal Choe Dzong

Our history

At the repeated request of students, Lama Choedak Rinpoche moved to Canberra in 1986. With money left over from the 1987 Ngondro retreat, he purchased from India the three main shrine images: Shakyamuni Buddha, Chenrezig and Green Tara.

The centre was given the name Sakya Losal Choe Dzong, meaning "The Clear Mind Sakya Dharma Centre". It is named after Tsarchen Losal Gyatsho (1494-1566), the founder of Tsharpa sub-tradition.

In 1988, His Holiness Sakya Trizin visited Australia and gave a month-long precious Lamdre teaching at Vajradhara Gompa in Kyogle. His Holiness endorsed and blessed the name of the centre in a June ceremony in Canberra dedicated for its establishment.

The centre was opened in May 1989 with the help of Peter Reuter and Kunga Chozin, who both received the Lamdre teachings from His Holiness Sakya Trizin.

Since its early beginnings, the centre has maintained its weekly Chenrezig and Samatha meditation practices. Lama Choedak has conducted numerous courses on important works in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Occasional Samatha meditation courses have attracted hundreds of Canberrans into the Dharma and many have become active members of the centre.

In October 1989, the centre hosted the visit of Her Eminence Jetsun Kusho, who gave the initiation and teachings on White Tara practice. Since then, the centre has maintained the monthly White Tara Sadhana practice as well as annual retreats on White Tara each January.

Since the Venerable Gyalsay Tulku Rinpoche and Lama Choedak jointly conducted the first Rejuvenation of Life retreat on Ngondro, the centre organises annual retreats in June in association with Sakya Tharpa Ling in Sydney.

In June 1996, His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche visited Australia. In July, His Eminence gave the initiation and teachings on Vajrapani Bhutadamara at the joint annual Sakya retreat. Since then, the centre has maintained the monthly Shri Vajrapani Bhutadamara Sadhana practice.

The centre was established to help devoted and sincere students develop a better understanding of the Buddhist way of life and to provide a suitable place for the study, practice, and the preservation of Buddhist culture, its philosophy and practices.

The centre also helps the wider multicultural community of Australia by sharing the wonderful teachings of the Buddha and effective Buddhist meditation techniques to relieve the suffering of all living beings.

Our logo

We adopted a new logo (top left of page) in 2003 to mark the Tibetan New Year (CE 2000) and in honour of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche.

His Eminence originally designed the logo for his monastery, Jamchen Lhakhang in Bodh Nath, on its completion in 1989. At his 80th birthday celebrations, and at Lama Choedak's request, His Eminence authorised the use of this logo for a number of our sister centres across Australia. All centres around the world affiliated with His Eminence are adopting this logo with appropriate names.

The new logo has two dragons with their tongues touching. It is said that His Eminence's ancestors belonged to the Clear Light ('od gsal) gods of the celestial realm. It is believed that when the gods descended to the earth, a roaring thunder was heard coinciding with two dragons kissing in the sky - hence the staircase on the top of the logo. Tibetans believe that thunder is a sound made by dragons soaring in the sky after a long sleep in the sea, deserts or big lakes. This pure vision became the legendary beginning of the "Che" clan of Zhalu Kushang. This is why we have the Tibetan word "Che" (tongue) in the centre of the eight-spoked wheel of Dharma. The words "Sakya Losal Choe Dzong" and "Canberra" are written in Tibetan in the scroll at the bottom of the logo. It was especially auspicious that we adopted this logo in the New Iron Dragon year. Thanks to Owen Tinnion for his help in preparing this logo.

Learn about our lineage

 

20th anniversary of Sakya Losal Choe Dzong

Dinner speech given by Lama Choedak Rinpoche

(at Australian National University, Canberra, March 2009)

I arrived in Australia in 1986 to help with teaching at the Sakya centres that consisted of Sydney, Whyalla and Kyogle. After some time, at the request of some students here in Canberra I was asked to teach at the Buddhist Association. This represented different traditions of Mahayana and Theravada. Then the request came for me to starta Tibetan Buddhist centre in Canberra. Some of you may know Choezin and Peter Roger from Adelaide -they both moved here after receiving Lamdre from HH Sakya Trizin in Kyogle in '88. The two of them offered their lounge room down in Red Hill, and there we started our centre on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. But of course I didn't actually move here until '89. The group existed here but it was not until '89 that we physically started the centre in Red Hill. So I got a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, Chenrezig and Tara from India and then sent it to the group and gave them the name Sakya Losal Choe Dzong. So that is how it started.

In October of that same year, 89, we hosted Jetsun Kusho-la's visit; and since then we have been doing White Tara retreats annually - we just added the 20th annual retreat only a couple of months ago. From there it really took fruit. We didn't actually have a physical place until '91 or '92; but we shared the space in the Tibetan Information Office at the time when Mingyur-la was running it. Neither of us could pay the rent so we shared it half-half. It was later that Chime-la, the first representative, arrived.

We began to attract a lot more people than we could house in Yarralumla - a nice house, but it couldn't fit enough people. So I asked everyone "Could you please go and look for a place. There must be some disused government places or something like that!" As it happens, there was one man in the group who said "OK, I know of some properties. I'll take you." He drove me around in his car, and showed me three properties for lease, one of which was Evatt. I chose Evatt because it was the only one with good parking, as well as being further from houses. We had problems with renting the house down at Red Hill because of the proximity of the neighbours - you can't really chant and make lots of noise - so finally we moved to Evatt. That was '93, and a very good move.

We were actually incorporated in '91. Alan Mogridge was one of the presidents; and because he used to run the Goanna Printing Press - and Peter worked there, too - all our sadhanas, brochures, and everything were printed almost for free. We all started with good will, and it has continued ever since; as with all the people who helped us.

After that, in '96, H E Chogye Trichen Rinpoche visited Australia, and that really kick-started everything. Until then we were OK, but we could never do anything in a big-way. His Eminence Chogye Trichen came with eleven monks and one nun! A whole dozen! There were drummers, trumpeters, cymbals, and conch shell. He had the whole orchestra including, of course, himself. Actually I don't think any other travelling group of Tibetan lamas has come with such a complete orchestra. His Eminence does everything traditionally. Even the way they play the trumpets - we really knew when Rinpoche was coming! At that time Rinpoche had no big problem with walking - he needed two people to lightly support him, but he could still walk well.

We had asked His Eminence to do four or five pujas in one day, in Green Hills, for the future success of the centre. Everyone came. Actually, the ritual he performed took everything, and started from basically nothing. After that we performed all the prayers and ceremonies. The Fire Puja was scheduled for two o'clock, but it didn't start until 6! And then it went on for two hours, of course - whole fire puja, everything. Rinpoche said "Everything will be ok now." As soon as he had finished he wanted to go back and do Mahakala Puja! Can you believe it! He just didn't want to stop! So, we went and did the puja.

Rinpoche also visited a number of cities: Sydney, Canberra, Whyalla and Kyogle. They were the only places we could take him because they were the only places with which we had a connection. Rinpoche toured with one Australian monk, and then straight after that he saw the Sakya Trizin and gave Lamdre Lobshe in Kyogle. By then, we had already recruited many people from everywhere. Everybody came for Lamdre, including half a dozen from Canberra.

Then, a few months after H H Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, H H the Dalai Lama came. That was '97. People met me mainly through this visit by His Holiness because after it I was asked to sit in a panel related to his visit and answer a few questions. After that, lots of people contacted me. There were groups popping up everywhere. Everyone wanted to invite me. That was the next major impetus to our growth.

So, '97, '98, '99, year 2000 were all very busy years because the seeds of the groups had been sown. By 2001, as a result of those visits, we had six centres, mostly in the capital cities. Nevertheless, when His Eminence came back in the year 2001, we didn't have Virupa or SIBA or anything else like that. Nobody had bought any physical space for a centre. We had all these 'centres' but no physical centre, and were still renting Evatt. We also rented another property down in Narrabundah where Rongton College was often held. I forgot to say that Rongton College started when His Eminence came into this very building and launched the Rongton College. He did the enrolment! Forty people were coming every week to classes, about the same as these days. All the classes were quite full.

Our annual Calm Abiding retreat and the annual White Tara retreat were often attracting 60 to 70 to 100 people. We used to hold the retreat down at Birragai and various other places. When we calculated the cost just for hiring the venues (up to $40,000 a year) we decided that we could do better than that - we should get a place ourselves. So, we looked around but it wasn't easy to get what we wanted. We nearly bought quite a few properties, just in ACT, but we never had enough money to make the down payment. Every time we found a place, we didn't have enough money. We had all the ability to repay, but we couldn't prove it; and we didn't have any assets, anyway.

When Rinpoche came in 2001, about 15 Australians ordained in Blackfriars. When Rinpoche gave Vajrayogini empowerment, people came from all over Australia and overseas. In that same year, 2002, we bought Virupa, as you know. To buy Virupa, we had to get all sorts of promises from people to make regular donations; and we had to take out a huge bank loan for what we thought was going to be forever, but it didn't take forever, it didn't even take four years to repay. It was not very long at all because people gave so much help.

 Then many of us went on pilgrimage to India. We met high lamas as well as all the holy places, and met H H D L, the Karmapa, and His Eminence. Everyone came back with lots of blessings. Everybody changes when they go to India.

Our activities were recruiting more people; and you could now see how effective that had been not just in terms of members, but in their individual growth as a better person. People have really seen that happen in them. Without our soliciting, people just gave whatever was asked - I had only to write an appeal to buy Virupa or to buy SIBA, and then all the responses would come - so spontaneously. We didn't need to take them around the corner and twist their arms.

Then there was the phenomenon of calm abiding meditation - I never thought that it would be that popular! No! Everyone wanted to do calm abiding; and now there are over two hundred people teaching it in Australia. Some people have even stopped being masseurs, traditional medicine practitioners, or whatever - just dropped it, in order to teach calm abiding! It is much better for them and kind to everybody. We run these classes, here in Canberra with Tai Chi Academy, four times a year.  As well, students are running classes all around the country; on top of which there are the annual retreats. There used to be only one, but now there are half a dozen annual calm abiding retreats, because everybody wants to start their own - from Queensland down.

When we went to Nepal to attend the opening ceremony of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche's new Tashi Rabten Ling monastery, we were a group of about 50 people. We were the largest contingent from any country other than Nepal or India. People couldn't believe that so many Aussies could have turned to Buddhism because they thought it was all kangaroos and sheep! Of course, HE already knew what was happening here. He always asked, "How is it going? I was praying for you. How is it going? I am praying for you." He always said this, "I am praying for you. How is it going?" He was almost asking "How is my prayer working!" He said it all the time, even during the opening ceremony of Tashi Rabten Ling. There were a lot of conversations between Rinpoche and I in which there were many indications that Rinpoche was very pleased. He would say to the monks "You go sit with Rinpoche"; and the monks were sometimes not very happy about this, and didn't know what to do; and would say "No, no. You stay there and leave me alone. I don't want to sit with Rinpoche!" We have lots of conversations about many things, and Rinpoche was sure that everything was going very well.

I never knew that I would invite him back again, in 2006, for the opening of SIBA. He didn't hesitate to come, although people told him not to go because he was very old, and could not travel easily or long; but he was just rock solid sitting up. He came to opening on the 440th anniversary of Tsarchen, after whom Rinpoche named the centre. I believe that the twenty years or so of activities that gave birth to more than twenty-two centres (even only last weekend, a new one in Perth opened with Jeremy Ball: the Amitayus Buddhist Centre) have come directly as a result of the good will of students, blessings from Rinpoche, and also my own diligence. I am very singly supported - basically, I do all my own things - I don't believe in secretaries or such like; but at the same time lots of people give support to me: every one of you, committees here and committees there.

The centre up in Cairns has now bought a beautiful church for which they are still paying the mortgage, of course. And, I would like to tell you that we have recently paid off the mortgage for SIBA. It was through the generosity of everyone, really; everybody, but particularly those who have worked and lived there ever since we started. We have two of those key members here tonight: Jampal-la, and Pam Grey. Pam actually sold her house to help make this possible. She is one of those few people who actually do what they said they would do. Without the generosity of people like her, we could not have done it. We still owe about two hundred thousand on interest-free loans, but that is very easy to repay now.

Right now, we are re-assessing SIBA in preparation for H H Sakya Trizin coming there this year. We will report all this, and His Holiness will probably advise of how we could prepare. When Chogye Rinpoche passed away a chapter was closed, and now we need to open a new one, but all the ground work had been done.

Only last week I was in Melbourne for the induction ceremony of H E Zimog Rinpoche as the resident teacher for the Jamchen centre in Melbourne. Zimog Rinpoche is the reincarnation of the teacher of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. He has had a very difficult life; but I have been able to encourage him to turn towards to his religious duties rather than living in Switzerland. So he has brought out his whole family, and is just settling into Melbourne, celebrating his first quiet Tibetan new year. He just texted me then, and sent his good wishes here to everybody.

Just looking back now, I can see quite a lot of people who were single, without children, have married and had children who are now grown up; but their change has been more than that, they have grown in themselves. You can see the growth in people; our activities have hugely changed many people.

It's very nice to be able to have a quite evening among you, and recall memories; but this gathering is particularly prompted by the Golden jubilee of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin's enthronement as head of Sakya lineage. We are thinking, what better day than today to start? Tibetans are not celebrating the Losar festively very much this year, because of all the riots and killings; but still, today is a religious day. Today is the day which commemorates Buddha's first showing the way of miracles in Shravasti, so it is a very special day appropriate for the remembrance of His Holiness. We are probably going to create our own ....... later on .............. golden jubilee celebrations, whether or not he comes!

So, that's all. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us. Please continue to do so because this is here to stay, and here to benefit many people. We now have many ordained sangha members around the country - quite a lot of who are showing a lot of initiative. All this I could not possibly do on my own. You are all able to offer much more support and guidance than was possible, say, 20 years ago.

There are lot of important developments that are happening. There are many teachings being transcribed; and quite a few books are in the pipe line. All of this is being done by people who are work behind the scenes. There are also those who are taking care of our daily finances and management -  none of which are easy jobs; and without proper management it is very difficult to operate. Every year we have our AGM and a proper election.

We encourage people to participate and contribute. We need to feel good about ourselves by contributing to the society to which we belong. I encourage everyone to take a more active role, and not be afraid that it will be too much, because it is never too much when you realise there are so many people doing likewise. When you realise that everybody else is also working hard you feel good to be part of a big team. It's better than going off and doing something on your own - that's not going in the right direction. All the support looks just like a wave of support. Sometimes wave of support makes you be kind. I'd like to thank everyone for being here.