Visiting Western Teacher - Ven Namgyel
These events have now finished.
FPMT Visiting Teacher Ven Lobsang Namgyel will return to DCI and offer Dharma talks and workshops from 28 November – 7 December 2019. Ven Namgyel last came to DCI as a Visiting Teacher in 2009.
This page includes the schedule of talks and workshops, event descriptions, facility fee costs, special discounts, as well as a brief biography.
We encourage you to take advantage of these unique Dharma opportunities!
Registration is now open. If you would like to go straight to the registration page, please click the button below.
Schedule of Events
Thur 28 Nov 7.30 – 9pm – How to Meditate Even Though You Would Rather Swim in a Shark Infested Ocean
Fri 29 Nov 7.30pm – 9pm – The Healing Power of Medicine Buddha Meditation Workshop
Sat 30 Nov 10am – 4pm – The Healing Power of Medicine Buddha Meditation Workshop continued (includes Vegetarian potluck lunch, please bring a dish to share)
Please note that we encourage full attendance at the whole Medicine Buddha Meditation Workshop, including both the Friday evening Dharma talk as well as the full day on Saturday. However, if you are unable to attend the full workshop, and would really like to attend part, this is okay.
Mon 2 Dec 7.30 – 9pm – Deepening the Practice – talk + discussion
Thu 5 Dec 7.30 – 9pm – Happiness After the Chocolate Runs Out
Sat 7 Dec 10am – 4pm – Enjoying the Sun of Real Happiness Shining in Your Life by Cherishing Others – A One Day Workshop (includes Vegetarian potluck lunch, please bring a dish to share)
A Note on What to Bring: Ven Namgyel encourages attendees to write notes during the teachings and also to jot down questions when they arise. There will be opportunities to ask questions. So please consider bringing a notebook and pen.
NZ Tour: Ven Namgyel will also teach at our sister NZ FPMT Centres Chandrakirti Centre and Mahamudra Centre.
Event Descriptions
Thur 28 Nov 7.30 – 9pm – How to Meditate Even Though You Would Rather Swim in a Shark Infested Ocean
Meditation is a tool that you can use to cultivate mental happiness and positive qualities for your own benefit and for the benefit of others. It can be done any time, any place. It does not have to be complicated and we can try it out now.
“Through the power of meditation, we can find lasting peace and happiness and, more importantly, we can bring peace and happiness to others.” – Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Everyone is welcome to come for inspiration and explanation on the benefits and methods of meditation as well as tips for maintaining a meditation practice. Whether you have never tried meditation but are curious, or have meditated but struggle to maintain a regular practice, this talk is for everyone with an interest in meditation!
Fri 29 Nov 7.30pm – 9pm and Sat 30 Nov 10am – 4pm – The Healing Power of Medicine Buddha Meditation Workshop
This two-day workshop (Friday evening 7.30 – 9pm and Saturday 10am – 4pm) will focus on the profound and powerful practice of the Medicine Buddha, used to help heal disease and destructive states of mind in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Venerable Namgyel will teach on the connection between mind and body, and how destructive emotions create the cause for sickness and unhappiness. This is a practice suitable for anyone, regardless of faith; an inquiring mind is the only prerequisite. The two-day workshop will include guided meditations, group discussions and philosophical teachings.
Mon 2 Dec 7.30 – 9pm – Deepening the Practice – talk + discussion
In this talk and discussion “Deepening the Practice” Ven Namgyel will his insights after 30 years of practice on how we can take our practice to a deeper level. Like peeling the layers of an onion, wherever you are on the path, there is always the potential to take it to a deeper, even more meaningful level. Sometimes it might just feel like we are reciting the words of our daily practice, or reciting the mantras without understanding their meaning, or perhaps despite our daily practice when we face problems in our daily life our Dharma practice is nowhere to be found! Whatever you struggle with, come and enjoy some inspiration and discussion on how to progress our practice and make it even more meaningful!
Thu 5 Dec 7.30 – 9pm – Happiness After the Chocolate Runs Out
Lama Yeshe explained in his book When the Chocolate Runs Out, “We love chocolate. Perhaps so much so that on some level we may believe, ‘As long as I have chocolate, I’ll be happy.’ This is the power of attachment at work And based on this attachment, we create a chocolate-based philosophy and order our life prioritizing chocolate. But sometimes, we can’t get our hands on any chocolate. And when the chocolate disappears, we get nervous, upset: ‘Oh no! Now I’m unhappy!’ But of course it’s not the absence of chocolate that’s making us unhappy; it’s our fixed ideas, and our misunderstanding the nature of chocolate.
“But take heart! There is another kind of happiness available to you, a deep abiding joy of silent experience, a joy that comes from your own mind. This kind of happiness is always with you, always available. Whenever you need it, it’s always there. And you can discover this happiness by studying your own mind. Observing and investigating your mind is really very simple, so simple. With practice, wherever you go, at any time, you can experience this happiness.”
Sat 7 Dec 10am – 4pm – Enjoying the Sun of Real Happiness Shining in Your Life by Cherishing Others – A One Day Workshop
“The sun of real happiness shines in your life only when you start to cherish others.” – Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
We long for happiness, but usually meet with various types of suffering. How can we cultivate reliable causes of happiness and enjoy happiness more and more in our daily life? Come along to find out! Everyone is welcome!
Costs & Discounts
While we try to keep costs of attendance low, in addition to our normal facility costs, there are extra costs involved in inviting and hosting a visiting teacher: airfare, food, offerings, admin, etc. We aim to cover the costs through our facility fees for the events and also invite anyone who would like to make an extra donation towards the visit costs.
Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors receive discounts on visiting teachers. If you are not yet a Dharma Friend Monthly Contributor and would like to possibly become one please visit our Dharma Friend Supporters page. Please note we request a six month minimum commitment.
Facility Fees are as follows:
Evening Dharma Talks: $20 Facility Fee (Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors $15)
Saturday full-day Workshop: $50 Facility Fee (Dharma Friend Monthly contributors $35)
[Saturday half-day of a Workshop: $25 Facility Fee (Dharma Friend Monthly contributors $17.50) – however we encourage full attendance.]
The cost of attending every event scheduled during the visit is $180.
Full Visit Registration Special Discount: If you register for all of the events we are offering a discounted special of $150 (Please note that Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors already receive a discount on their facility fees, so no further discount is offered here.)
Financial Hardship: If you are currently experiencing financial difficulties and are unable to afford the facility fees for events that you wish to attend, we welcome you to contact our office to discuss work exchange possibilities. Please try to contact us well in advance if possible, but at least a minimum of 5 days prior to any event.
Brief Biography
Venerable Lobsang Namgyel is an Australian monk who has been living in India and Nepal, studying Tibetan Buddhism for over thirty years, with such Masters as H.H. the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Denma Locho Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche, Choeding Rinpoche and Geshe Sonam Rinchen.
He has completed four years of Lam Rim retreats, as well as many tantric retreats. During his thirty three years in Buddhism, Venerable has taught at various FPMT in India, Nepal, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the Baltic States and Russia; most of the European Countries and the USA.
Venerable had the honour of being the tutor to Lama Osel Rinpoche who is the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe. In 2010 he was the assistant teacher to Ven Steve Carlier for the famous one month November course in Kopan Monastery.
“Wherever he goes and teaches, he is always asked to come back. Because he is in contact with his own good heart, he is able to touch people on a level that goes much deeper than just intellectual understanding. Having done a lot of individual retreats he has familiarised and integrated the topics in his way of living, and so teaches out of experience. Through his humour he relaxes people totally, and even difficult topics seem a piece of cake. He is especially loved for the deep concern that he has, and shows, for the wellbeing of the participants of the course, and puts a lot of energy and time into helping them to find a way to practice which suits them.”
Registration
Registration for Ven Namgyel’s events is now open. We appreciate early registration! Click the button below to register now.
