Karuna Director Yeshe Khadro accepts $15,000 Kindness Week donation. Kindness week was launched at Australia Zoo by His Holiness The Dalai Lama in June. Karuna appreciates this wonderful support from Australia Zoo.
Monthly Archive for August, 2007
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama accepted an invitation to visit Brisbane in June, Karuna was fortunate to have the opportunity to become involved in all three events scheduled during his one day visit.
The day began with His Holiness launching Kindness Week at Australia Zoo, where he addressed 5,000 people and spoke about kindness to animals and the environment. Our wonderful Ambassador Marie-Louise Theile spoke about Karuna before His Holiness officially launched Kindness Week. It was a wonderful start to his visit to Queensland.
Our sincerest thanks go to Terri Irwin and the staff of Australia Zoo for supporting Kindness Week.
After the launch, His Holiness came to Karuna and spoke to an audience of 700 people including clients, supporters, volunteers and staff. His Holiness spoke about the importance of living a meaningful life and the impact this has on our quality of life as we face its natural conclusion.
Later, His Holiness addressed a large public audience at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, where 15,000 people heard His Holiness speak about the importance of kindness and compassion in the community.
We have had some wonderful feedback from our supporters, volunteers and others who enjoyed seeing and hearing the wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Karuna is producing a DVD of His Holiness’ visit to Brisbane. While it is still a few months away from being ready, if you are interested in receiving a copy, please subscribe to receive email updates (on the right sidebar) and we will inform you when it becomes available.
By Oliver Ryan, Fortune writer-reporter
Reposted from: money.cnn.com
With hellish hours and info overload now the norm, the C-Suite set is turning to extreme meditation to cope, says Fortune’s Oliver Ryan.
(Fortune Magazine) — The crowd of Harvard Business School alums who gathered at their reunion to hear networking expert Keith Ferrazzi speak earlier this summer might have expected to pick up strategies on how to work a room, remember people’s names, or identify mentors. But tactical skills, it turns out, aren’t what turned Ferrazzi into a bestselling author or sought-after speaker.
Instead Ferrazzi let his fellow alums in on a little secret. The key to connecting, he told the group, is “not being an a**hole.” And the most effective path he’s found? Meditation. Exercise and prayer work too, he said, but meditation has been so effective that he now spends ten days every year at a silent meditation retreat. In other words, the man whose latest book is “Never Eat Alone” credits much of his success to alone time.
Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but not so long ago extended retreats or programs that banned speech were reserved for aging rock stars or college students on the ten-year plan. And while the practice isn’t exactly mainstream in corporate America, more and more executives are open to anything that might help them thrive in - or temporarily disconnect from - today’s BlackBerry-addled ADD business climate.
When Karuna approached me and asked if I would mind sharing our story as part of the June fund raiser I did so with no hesitation. Anything I could do that might help Karuna help other families was absolutely something I was pleased and honoured to do.
Writing ‘What If We Came Home’ was both difficult and easy for me. Difficult because it touched a place in my heart that still grieves intensely but easy because it meant that I could, in some small way acknowledge the amazing gift that Karuna had given us.
Your response and generosity to this story has been overwhelming and together we have provided resources and funds that will help to support Karuna’s work into the future.
For all your kindness and donations I wish to thank you all. Knowing that together we have provided caring and assistance for people during their darkest and most difficult hours keeps that light shinning in my heart.
Since I last wrote to you, I have become involved in organizing another fundraising event to support Karuna and I would like to invite you all to be a part of it. On September 22nd my friends and I have organised an afternoon of music and entertainment at Southbank.
Admission is free, so do look out for the flyer that will be coming your way soon. Everyone who attends will be given the opportunity to make a donation if they wish. Every cent raised as part of this concert will go to Karuna.
So please try to make time to join us and relax, enjoy wonderful music and share in a special celebration of caring and support.
Please mark 22nd September in your diary (from 1pm to 5pm at QPAC Southbank). I look forward to seeing you there, and once again, thank you for opening your hearts and responding so wonderfully to the June appeal.
Joan Wilson-Jones
What If Farm
Help make the 5th Annual Pre-Loved Art & Jewellery Market a success by donating your ART & JEWELLERY NOW!
Phone 3632 8300 to arrange drop-off or to organise pick-up.
Market Day on
Saturday 15th September
from 8am - 1pm
at 27 Cartwright St Windsor
Organised by the Karuna Circle Committee to raise funds for the free home hospice care provided by Karuna Hospice Services
I grew up in Adelaide and completed my RN degree there. I’ve nursed in Perth, Melbourne & Adelaide, mainly in paediatric oncology and more recently in paediatric palliative care as a clinical nurse consultant for South Australia and the Northern Territory. This year I’m finishing a masters in Palliative care. I also spent 3 years volunteering, working & travelling in India, Nepal & Mongolia, mainly at FPMT centres. Since 2004 I have been setting up a new international peace organisation for young people (founded by Lama Zopa Rinpoche), LKPY: Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth, which was launched in 2007.
I have grown up as a Buddhist (my father is an old student of Lama Yeshe’s) and Lama Zopa Rinpoche is my main teacher. I’m new to Brisbane and am excited to be a part of the Karuna Team and look forward to meeting everyone. (I’m here until mid September, then I will be overseas for 3 months to finish launching LKPY internationally then from December I will be back at Karuna full-time.)
Shyla.
A non-profit centre for Tibetan Buddhist meditation and teaching in Brisbane, Australia.
Langri Tangpa Centre provides a friendly and supportive environment for learning and putting into practice the teachings of the Buddha. Our principle teacher is the Tibetan lama Geshe Tashi Tsering. Click on the button to the left for a quick overview of this month’s calendar.
We are primarily a beginner’s centre. We encourage constant and vigorous enquiry. There is no question too rudimentary! We hope that the teachings offered will be immediately useful in your everyday life, whether you are Buddhist or not.
The main focus of the centre is on investigating and taming the mind. We offer regular classes for students of all levels, with a weekly program 4-5 evenings, and 2 mornings, per week. The classes are small enough for in-depth discussions - a defining characteristic of the centre. The 3-year Discovering Buddhism course has proved very popular, becoming a warm and dedicated group.
Other classes include an introductory Buddhist topics and meditation techniques, pujas (offering ceremonies) and retreats help to integrate practice and theory. We also offer comprehensive home study courses on CD-ROM. We have an extensive lending library for members, and a small Dharma Shop with books, teaching CD’s and prayer flags. At present we open half an hour before class, but are most days.
We have uploaded a number of photos from His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s visit to Karuna in June, taken by Michelle Bowden. You can view them all on Karuna’s Photo Albums. More to come.
Photos © Michelle Bowden 2007
The 3rd International Conference on Mind & Its Potential continues the exploration of the human mind through a fascinating synthesis of Western and Eastern science and philosophy.
Can we train our mind to be more peaceful, focused and happy? An outstanding faculty of leaders in science, psychology, medicine, philosophy and religion explore ancient and modern approaches to mind/body well-being.
- Understand the fundamentals of meditation - does it hold the key to a happier, healthier life?
- Hear the results of Western scientific research on meditation
- Learn how to meditate from world-leading experts
- Participate in a dynamic world-class forum, featuring 4 international speakers and over 500 delegates - over one weekend!
Modern science discovers the benefits of meditation!
Meditation in various forms has been practised for thousands of years. This process of “mental training” has given practitioners access to a rich inner life that is the basis for personal development and well-being. However, until recently, little has been known about how meditation works and how it can be applied to benefit those in an active modern life.
Cutting edge research is now being carried out by the world’s leading neuroscientists into the effects of meditation on the body and mind. What was once seen as primarily a spiritual pursuit - an area of interest for mystics but definitely not scientists or doctors - has now become a subject of increasing study for researchers.
Leading international research scientists will explain the latest research on the beneficial effects of meditation on mental and physical health:
- increases the grey matter of the brain
- improves the immune system
- reduces stress and promotes a sense of well-being
- increases focus and attention
Clinical applications of mindfulness meditation will be explored in:
- psychotherapy; and
- physical conditions such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, asthma and cancer
This year’s conference continues the exciting exploration of the potential of the mind - don’t miss out on what many hale as a life-changing experience!
