The devastating floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet have caused enormous suffering, with many lives lost and thousands still missing. 

On Sunday morning of 30 August at Kamalashila, Khenpo la led us in a special practice particularly dedicated to all those people and animals who have died, are injured or are missing in the devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet, and their families who survived. 

​We included all beings suffering in other places, everywhere. We made light offerings and chanted compassion and healing mantras. We prayed for the healing of the environment, so these events don’t happen again. It was a very moving morning of prayer and reflection. 

We then shared a warming morning tea. Thank you Khenpo la for giving us this opportunity to come together at this challenging time, and to everyone who came in person and via Zoom. May our prayers and collective compassion offer support and help to all mother sentient beings.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard, with such joy in achieving so much at our 11th Karma Yoga Group Retreat. 

As a team we:

• installed another four street lights and the small solar lights around the gompa;
  
• cleaned and sorted various items in the gompa;
  
• planted the remaining Jacaranda trees at the Centre’s entrance;
  
• weeded, pruned and raked the garden collecting so many leaves and sticks;
  
• redesigned the dharma shop and completed a lot of the pricing and sorting of donated items;
  
• worked on the library catalogue system;
  
• cleaned and prepared the meditation huts including the dark hut;
  
• cleaned out and sorted the top shed;
  
• swept the paths;
  
• installed locked key boxes and so many other things...

A huge thank you to Khenpo la for his guidance always and for his meditations in the mornings, to Scott for being our fearless leader in getting the jobs done, to Donna for feeding us such delicious and healthy food and managing the kitchen and dining room, and to Alison for your lunch and delicious freshly baked slices. Thank you!! 

Kamalashila held the first semester retreat of the 2nd Autumn Buddhist Philosophy Course led by Khenpo la. It was an opportunity for students in the course and their mentors to get together in person and by Zoom; to hear re-teachings from Khenpo la of this semester’s course material; to do group and one-on-one tutorial sessions; and to simply get to know each other. 

By an auspicious coincidence, Khenpo la began the teachings on Saturday on the very anniversary that Lord Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma for the first time at Deer Park, Varanasi in India 2600 years earlier. To mark this occasion students made lamp offerings for the benefit of lighting up sentient beings’ wisdom mind, and Khenpo la led us in a beautiful, guided meditation. 
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A huge thank you to Khenpo la for his vision in developing this life changing course, with Professor Carole Kayrooz supported by Robert Garran, and to Doug and Tara Skipper who so kindly and skilfully coordinated the retreat. To all our catering staff and helpers and to all the students for their enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge, which is a huge inspiration to us all.

The 6th Annual Shri Vajrapani Bhutadamara Retreat commenced at Kamalashila Tibetan Buddhist Centre on 9 July, led by Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe. 

This year included the Fire Puja. Khenpo la gave very detailed teachings on the sadhana and led students in guided meditations on the sadhana which helped to deepen their knowledge, particularly in the meaning of the practice. The Vajrapani Bhutadamara fire puja was a wonderful completion to the retreat. 
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Thank you to Khenpo la for holding this retreat every year, which is of benefit to so many, and to the beautiful sangha members who attended and contributed so much in so many ways.