Rigpa Melbourne

by Kathleen Gregory

Rigpa is an international network of centres and groups whose students study and practise Buddhism under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Rigpa Melbourne is situated in rooms in a building in Johnston Street, Fitzroy. Walking up a flight of stairs, you pass the Melbourne International Film Festival office and leave the business of factories and traffic behind as you enter a bright, large room. This is the Gompa, with large thangkas and a shrine laden with photographs and pictures of both living and dead Buddhist masters. A photograph of Sogyal Rinpoche is placed on a chair to the right of the shrine - this is the chair he uses when he visits Melbourne - while to the left is a television and video-player, ready for the next study group. Behind the Gompa there is a surprising network of smaller rooms housing the library, kitchenette, toilets and offices. Focus on a Centre met with Linda Morgan, who is part of the co-ordinating team of Rigpa Melbourne, as well as being a course instructor and the Events Manager for Sogyal Rinpoche's upcoming visit to Melbourne.

Kathleen Gregory: What is the history of Rigpa Melbourne?

Linda Morgan: Sogyal Rinpoche has been visiting Melbourne from time-to-time since the mid-1980s. A small group of Rinpoche's students existed in Melbourne and some of them began to come together to practise in each other's houses. The turning point was 1992, with the publication of Rinpoche's book. That year also saw the opening of Lerab Ling, Rinpoche's main international Retreat Centre in France. A three-month retreat marked this opening and a number of students from Melbourne attended this. It became clear that there would be a lot of interest generated by the book, so when students returned from the retreat they began to develop classes in meditation and Buddhist teachings. For many years we hired rooms for the classes, for example in Community Centres. It was a slow process building a group that was big enough and stable enough to support a centre. It was also hard to find the right kind of place. Finally, we found this space and moved here in June 2001. It is really great to have a centre.

KG: Could you say something about your teaching program, which seems quite extensive?

LM: There is an International Curriculum of Courses within Rigpa, which are reviewed and revised from time-to-time. These courses form a graduated path of study. In the longer-term, Rinpoche has plans along the lines of a Buddhist University. Actually, at Lerab Ling there is already a shedra (a study college), which is offering a course in Essential Buddhist Studies. This runs for several weeks each year for seven, consecutive years. The courses we run in Melbourne are the same as those that are run internationally at the multitude of Rigpa centres that exist. For example, there is first the Foundation Year of three ten-week terms, which covers the core teachings and meditation practices. Following this, there are continuing courses in compassion, Vajrayana preliminaries and other things. The number of courses we run depends on interest, International Curriculum development and the availability of course facilitators. There are also weekly practice sessions on Thursday evenings for meditation and ngondro practice. There are also tsok-offering practices almost fortnightly, on the appropriate days according to the Tibetan Buddhist calendar. Most importantly of course, there are Rinpoche's visits to Australia. We are expecting him in Melbourne in mid-February 2003.

Rinpoche tends to do teachings in cycles; he will teach on a particular aspect of Buddhism and then deepen and enrich this through continual teachings within that theme, for some time, across many countries. Everything that he teaches is recorded, video-taped and transcribed. Within a few days of a teaching, all of the international instructors and other key people receive a summary of the teaching that has occurred. People are sometimes up all night transcribing, word-for-word, every teaching that Rinpoche gives. They are also all being archived. There is a massive effort that goes into preserving the teachings.

KG: Does this mean then, that internationally, all the centres are moving together through the teachings?

LM: Yes, very much so. Public talks tend to be a bit more generalised, but at the retreats or if Rinpoche came and spent a day with us here at the centre, he would have us watch selected recent teachings to get everybody up to speed, so that he could teach from the next level. As far as courses at the centres go - though the curriculum is an international one - different centres have different capacities for putting on courses. Internationally, the numbers of students and instructors varies enormously, as you can imagine. For example, at one point in Germany, they had about 140 instructors! But if you take a small centre like Perth, which only has five or six key volunteers, well then you just can't implement the full curriculum. They are trying to design a flexible curriculum, so that smaller centres can do things back-to-back or in module form or over a weekend, instead of by a weekly commitment. This is so that the workers available can find a way of doing it in a way that they are able.

KG: Does Rinpoche oversee the choosing of the facilitators?

LM: No, not directly, but he certainly likes to know who they are. There are books being put together for Rinpoche with photographs and each instructor talking about what his or her commitment is and so on. Rinpoche works very hard to maintain his personal connection to his students as much as he can, particularly those working directly to help with his vision. He always loves to receive a photograph of each retreat group and he carries them around with him and will often ask other lamas to bless them.

KG: What about in the sorts of decisions that have to be made to run a centre; is all of that directed by Rinpoche?

LM: There is an international coordinating body, there is a national coordinating group and then there is a coordinating group for our centre. There is a structure that is pretty much mirrored across the Rigpa centres internationally. There are different functions; for example there are finance sections, teaching and resources sections, public programs and so on. But, at a smaller centre like ours, we are not always able to mirror that structure. However, we still make sure that the work that needs to be done, is done in the way that it is supposed to be. There are many areas in which there are very detailed instructions that we need to follow, particularly in the recording area. For example, there are instructions right down to how many different types of audio recordings there should be and how many copies. Rinpoche is in touch with his students through various mechanisms, particularly to generate a continuity of understanding around what his needs are, but also in terms of the important points that come out of the teachings that he wants his students to really understand and know. E-mail is obviously 'jumping' a lot of the time! We receive documents, which contain such things as points of continuity, in terms of what needs to be done and how things should be done and advice that Rinpoche specifically asks to be shared with the sangha. For example, things that we need to take to heart and try to emulate in how we are operating.

Certainly it is correct to call Rinpoche the Director of Rigpa, but of course there are other key people involved as well in supporting that. Rinpoche has many projects; for example, developing the retreat centre in Lerab Ling in France, which includes building a temple. There is also the Dzogchen Beara retreat centre in Ireland. This retreat centre is open all year for long-term retreats. Rinpoche also has many plans for developing support in the area of spiritual care for people who are dying.

The courses that are run, we only facilitate, even though we are called instructors. This is really what we need to emphasise in terms of how things operate. For example, I would never from my own side give a Buddhist teaching or even say things in my own words. I would put on a video or audiotape of Rinpoche, and then facilitate discussion around that, suggest further readings and so on. As a facilitator it is all laid out for you in a manual that you use, even down to outlining the main points of the teaching, the questions for group discussions and the practices to incorporate into the session. Students also receive a manual, which includes transcripts of the teachings that they watch on video, further study questions and other resources.

In the beginner courses, there is not a big emphasis placed on individual study, but more senior students are encouraged to do more and are referred to a lot of study resources. It is really quite structured to meet a particular standard. This means that there are not completely unqualified people out there espousing the teachings and practices. We learn to facilitate the practices, to introduce Rinpoche's teachings and to help people understand how it applies in their everyday life, through leading discussions. It is very much Rinpoche - even though he is not physically here - who is the teacher throughout Rigpa.

KG: Are there certain demands on instructors in terms of their own study and practice?

LM: There are requested 'demands,' but that cannot always be met. Here, we have a lot of people who aren't terribly experienced. However, we ourselves, along with other centres, developed a kind of criteria so that people can understand what sorts of qualities one needs, to be a facilitator. Obviously, this includes things like devotion, commitment and having Rinpoche as your root lama. We run instructor training days, or 'working for Rigpa' days, and we will invite people to come along to hear what it might be like, because people can and do get a bit confused about what job it is they would like to have around here. For example, sometimes people want to be an instructor because they think that that would be fantastic, but that might be coming from the wrong motivation. We do a lot of work around helping people to try and understand their motives and to understand that older students are not perfect. That being a part of Rigpa, as with life, means you will butt-up against all kind of stuff and just because you are new does not mean you cannot help someone wake-up a little. You can never know who the wisest person in the room is. I often say that to myself when I'm instructing so I don't get a big head.

I guess that, more than anything, that is the flavour of this particular centre. We do try hard to help people understand that we are all, to paraphrase Pema Chodron, just starting from where we are and we are holding each other's hands on this journey. We have gone from being a small group of very exhausted volunteers, to a group where each year there are people joining who have the qualities and devotion to be able to contribute a lot. We are very positive about our group; having this physical space has made a big difference to that also. It is much easier for people to find a place and feel at home now, because you can even just wash up a cup and put it away as a beginning.

KG: Does Sogyal Rinpoche come every year?

LM: Yes, he has been coming annually for the past six years or so; apart from one year, when his brother Dzogchen Rinpoche came. Sogyal Rinpoche always does a nine- or ten-day retreat in New South Wales and visits various capital cities; usually Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Adelaide and New Zealand may be getting visits next year also. There are always public talks and he gives teachings to students including a mandala of more 'senior students.'

Perhaps that is not the best description, but the mandala includes people who are committed and who are helping to progress Rinpoche's vision through the activity that they do; or those that have been conscientious practitioners or students of his for a long time. The Australian group will have a weekend with Rinpoche on this next visit. More and more, Rinpoche seems to be looking for ways to transmit the precious teachings. Everything that we do, he makes into a teaching for us; it is very clear that he wants us to be able to be very flexible and to have our minds very awake so that we can see the detail and the big picture at the same time. That is, to be always asking, 'What is the main thing I need to be doing right now and how does what I am doing affect everybody else?' This is not just when doing Rigpa work, but for everything that we do.

KG: What are the particular challenges in not having a resident teacher?

LM: In some ways, you have to work harder at it, which means that you learn ten times more. There has to be an ability to accommodate all of our strengths and weaknesses and to work with that. It also involves taking responsibility for how people understand you as well. The teacher is not there to guide you all the time, so you have to imagine what his advice would be if he were here. You become more self-reliant, I think.

KG: You have these premises now, are there any thoughts of having your own retreat centre?

LM: Nothing like that at all at this stage; we still have some anxiety about being able to continue to make ends meet, so it is early days, financially, for us. I think we just have to take it one step at a time.KG: Do you produce a regular newsletter?LM: No, we don't have any capacity for that sort of thing at this point. We are putting on the courses, which is the main thing, plus of course, organising Rinpoche's visits. We are also able to facilitate people getting in touch with the tape club.

KG: What is the tape club?

LM: You pay an annual subscription and every month or two, depending on what level you join, you get Rinpoche in the letterbox on a video or a cassette. There are selected teachings distributed in this way - basically it provides a way for people to maintain a link with Rinpoche if they can't come to a centre, although most of the students who come would subscribe to the tape club also. Rinpoche advises listening to tapes over and over again as a form of practice. Many people find this extremely beneficial.

KG: How many members do you have?

LM: It varies of course, but we have about 110 people whom we would call members of the Melbourne Sangha. There are probably about seventy people who are students participating in a course or study. We usually get a big swell of people at the beginning of the year, so this number could swell by fifty or more early next year.

KG: What are some of the visions that this group holds for the future?

LM: Our vision is to really try to bring the teachings into how we are together. For example, to be inclusive and open, to make people feel welcome and to be flexible about fees. We aim not to hold the tasks for ourselves, but to share and hand things over when newer people are enthusiastic. We aim to be careful that people really know what to do and not just dump a job on them in a way that leaves them feeling unconfident. We also try very hard to let as many people know when Rinpoche is coming to Melbourne, so we do massive amounts of publicity and we are getting better at that each year. When Rinpoche's book came out in 1992, it was extremely well-known and created a huge swell of interest; that is now starting to wane so we want to make sure that people really have the chance to connect with Rinpoche if they are meant to.