The Tibetan Buddhist Society Sydney is a Centre providing classes in meditation and Buddhist philosophy under the direction of the spiritual head Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden.
Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden
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The renowned Tibetan Buddhist master, meditator and scholar, Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden, now 86, founded the Tibetan Buddhist Society in Australia in 1979, with Centres established in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Geshe Loden first came to Australia in 1976 and has since presented courses on Tibetan Buddhism to thousands of students, including on subjects previously never taught in Australia. |
Born in 1924, Geshe-la become a monk at the age of seven. Completing his study of all divisions of Buddhist philosophy, he was awarded the highest possible degree, the Geshe Lharampa. Among the candidates examined he was graded first. Geshe-la was one of the few Geshes selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to study for the Acharya (Master’s) degree at Varanasi’s Sanskrit university in India. He then went on to gain a Master’s qualification in Vajrayana Buddhism after six years’ study at Gyudmed Tantric College.
Geshe-la currently resides at the Tibetan Buddhist Society’s main Centre in Melbourne.
About the Sydney Centre
The Sydney centre currently has 2 monks in residence: Venerable Geshe Thubten Chöden and Venerable Chris Watkins.
The vision of the Sydney Centre is to provide a spiritual home offering the Tibetan Buddhist teachings of the Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden for its members and the wider community.
Activities at the Sydney Centre include:
- providing a teaching program that meets the community and member needs
- creating an environment that is conducive to study and meditation
- growing the Centre and its community
- raising funds to purchase a Centre
The Centre is managed by the following directors:
Rod Lee
Nancy Carlisle
Michelle Cross
Hannah Hall
Rebecca Swan
Centre activities and the resident Sangha community are funded through donations from students.