Teachers

Geshe Ngawang Sonam

When he was resident teacher at Hayagriva Buddhist Centre in Perth, Geshe Sonam used to visit Tara Meditation Centre every month

Geshe Ngawang Sonam was born in 1963 in Tibet. At the the age of five, with his two older brothers and parents, the family fled Tibet, alone, over the mountains to India.

At the young age of 10 he was ordained as a monk.  In 1995, after 22 years of study Venerable Ngawang Sonam was awarded the prestigious academic title of Geshe (Equivalent to Ph.D in Buddhist philosophy). In 1997 Geshe Sonam was appointed for a one-year term as disciplinarian of Tehor Khamsten (the largest of the 14 Khamsten – House divisions). Between 1998 and 2000 he was elected for a three-year term on to the Committee for Philosophical Studies at Sera Jey.

 Geshe Sherab

Visiting teacher 2017

Geshe Thubten Sherab was born in 1967 in a small village in the province of Manang, the western part of Nepal, to a Kagyu-Nyingma family. He entered Kopan Monastery at the age of nine and completed his Geshe studies at Sera Je monastery in South India, followed by a year at Gyumed Tantric College. He then completed retreat and teaching assignments both in the U.S. and Asia. He served as Head Master of Kopan Monastery’s school for four years, overseeing debate training and tantric training activities. Geshe Sherab understands and connects very well with Western students, presenting the Dharma in English in an accessible, warm and open manner.

Venerable Tony Beaumont

Visiting teacher 2016

Venerable Tony’s first intensive contact with Buddhism was in Nepal and India in 1976-1977.
He returned to Australia, working as a psychiatric nurse for four years before moving to Queensland’s Chenrezig Institute where he lived and worked for most of the 80‘s.Venerable Tony gained full ordination in 1993. Since then he has been based at Nalanda Monastery in France and Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery in Bendigo, Australia, where he was director for four years. He has been teaching in Tushita and Chenrezig Insitute in Queensland in 2016.

Venerable Robina Courtin

Visiting teacher 2016

Venerable Robina Courtin has been a nun for over 20 years in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Ven. Robina spent 10 years editing for Wisdom Publications followed by over 5 years as the main editor of Mandala, the international Buddhist news magazine of the FPMT. Ven. Robina travels the world teaching Buddhism to students of all ages and levels. Ven. Robina’s prison work was  profiled in an award-winning documentary, Chasing Buddha.

Ven Jampa Dekyi 

Visiting teacher 2017

After living in the Solomon Islands for many years and raising a family, Ven Dekyi became a nun in 1993. Over the intervening years Venerable Jampa Dekyi has studied most of the Basic Studies Program topics including Lama Tsong Khapa’s long Lam Rim, the Lam Rim Chen-mo. She was resident teacher at Vajrayana Institute in Sydney for five years and for a year at Kadam Sharawa Centre in Gosford.
Venerable Dekyi was a visiting teacher at Hayagriva Buddhist Centre before travelling to Tushita Meditation Centre India where she was the resident teacher for a period. She resides at Chenrezig Institute In Queeensland.

Venerable Lhundrup

Visiting teacher 2016

Venerable Lhundrup first attended Buddhist teachings in 1995 with Geshe Doga at Tara Institute. He moved to Shedrup Ling monastery in 2002 , where he has been the director. He spent 2005 in Darjeeling, India studying Tibetan language and 2014 in Dharamsala pursuing further studies. Venerable Lhundrup is the author of  Practical meditation.

Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Visiting teacher 2016

Geshe Zopa grew up in the Tsum Valley where he attended the yogi Geshe Lama Konchog during his years in retreat. He was educated at Sera Je monastery and obtained his Geshe degree at an early age. When Geshe Konchog passed away the young Tenzin Zopa was sent to search for his reincarnation, a story documented in the movie “Unmistaken child”. He now oversees the education and care of the young Rinpoche. Geshe Zopa has been a resident teacher at FPMT Malaysia. He is currently spending time teaching at centres in Australia.

Corey Jackson

Visiting teacher 2016

Corey is a former Jazz musician, who has worked as a Tibetan translator for FPMT Geshes. He has recently completed a degree is psychology and is specialising in modern contemplative sciences. He is currently resident at Chenrezig Institute were he is developing and running programs in mindfulness and compassion meditation. Corey also works with groups such as NIDA, Greenpeace and Wesley Missions to skill the workplace in dealing with stress in modern living.