On Saturday, a group of Karuna staff and their families visited Chenrezig Institute in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Chenrezig is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Centres in the west and the first in Australia. Since its foundation in 1974, it has grown into a dedicated
space for Buddhist education and practice. Many people from all over Australia travel to Chenrezig to learn Dharma, meditate, purify and collect merits.
The team enjoyed exploring the beautiful grounds of Chenrezig, including the Garden of Enlightenment memorial gardens, containing Buddhist prayer wheels and memorial stupas. The
Garden is also where His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke in 2011.
Our team also had the chance to visit the Gompa, the spiritual heart of Chenrezig, where programs and events are held.
A highlight of the visit was sharing lunch in the Big Love Café, along with some of Chenrezig’s residents, teachers, and volunteers. The group included Venerable Pende Hawter, Karuna’s founder; Geshe Phuntsok Tsultrim, the resident Tibetan teacher; Venerable Wangmo Carlyle, the Gompa Manager; Colin Crosbie, Executive Committee Chairman and one of Chenrezig’s first students; and Calvin Yu, the institute’s current secretary.
We are very grateful for the time everyone offered us, and for the opportunity to explore Chenrezig’s beautiful grounds.