A Brief History of Chogye Jamchen Buddhist Centre
Moira Brown, the founding president of Chogye Jamchen Buddhist Centre's, hosted the visit of Venerable Khenpo Migmar Tsering (the abbot of Sakya College) in the year 2000, which was a great success. Following the visits to Melbourne by a number of Sakya Dharma teachers during that same time period, some of the students who had attended these teachings started meeting in their own homes to participate in White Tara, Green Tara, and Chenrezig practices. With the increasing interest and a gradual increase in the number of people attending, there emerged the need to create a more formal centre for the Melbourne Tsarpa and Sakya community.
To this purpose a core group of Melbourne students helped establish this new centre as an incorporated association, and subsequently approached His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche with the request for him to provide his blessing and a name for the newly established dharma centre.. With his support this newly created centre was called Chogye Jamchen Choe Dzong (‘Fortress of the Great Loving Kindness of Chogye’) or Jamchen Buddhist Centre, with His Eminence as chief patron, and Moira Brown as the founding president. Subsequently the home of Venerable Ani Tsedron and Venerable Thupten Lekshe in Austin Street, Balwyn became the initial base for practice
A year later in mid 2001, Jamchen Buddhist Centre hosted the Melbourne visit of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. His Eminence and entourage stayed at Austin Street giving many special teachings and initiations, and imparting many blessings for the success of Jamchen’s activities. During this visit His Eminence gave Lama Choedak the honorary title of Lochen (great translator) for his tireless efforts and significant contribution to the Dharma over many years.
from 2002 the weekly practice and meditation program started attracting more students, and with an icreasing number of visiting teachers being hosted by Jamchen Buddhist Centre a decision was made to us a rented room at the Kew Community Centre for some of these larger events. Soon after, in 2003, the Jamchen group had grown to a size where it was necessary to rent a self contained premises, and the organisation leased its first building. During this important founding year of Jamchen Buddhist Centre starting to function as an actual physical entity from its own premises, His Holiness Sakya Trizin visited Jamchen at the new location in Balwyn and blessed the centre’s shrine as well as giving his blessings for the success of Jamchen’s future activities.
In 2004 Jamchen hosted the visit of His Eminence Ludhig Khenchen Rinpoche to Melbourne. His Eminence and entourage stayed at Jamchen and gave many teachings and blessings. Later that year Jamchen also hosted the visit of Acharya Lama Lekshey, the Abbot of the Sakya Centre in India. In 2007 Jamchen provided much needed financial support for the tour of Australia by His Holiness the Dalia Lama by jointly underwriting the visit. That same year Jamchen hosted various teachings in Melbourne by Her Eminence Jestsun Kushola, who stayed at the Balwyn premises and imparted many blessings.
Finally in December 2008, at the invitation of Jamchen Buddhist Centre, His Eminence Zimwock Rinpoche arrived in Australia to take up the position of Jamchen’s new resident teacher. HE Zimwock Rinpoche, as the most senior Tsarpa lineage holder since H.E. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche had passed away in early 2007, now gave the centre its new relevance as a major seat of Tsarpa Sakya teachings in the west.
Under the guidance of His Eminence Zimwock Rinpoche as its spiritual director, Jamchen Buddhist Centre now offers a diverse weekly Dharma program that includes regular Dharma teachings from a senior lineage holder in the Sakya tradition, and provides a venue for the study of key buddhist texts. It also serves an educational function for learning to read and write the Tibetan language, and has an active regular schedule of meditation instruction and practices. The centre also celebrates Buddhist holy days throughout the year including: full moon rituals, the Tibetan New Year (Losar) and commemoration of key events of the Buddha’s life, such as his birth and enlightenment. Guidance is also available regarding individual spiritual practice and retreat. The centre is active in its support of pan–Buddhist programs in Melbourne, as well as in collaborating on important inter–faith activities with other spiritual traditions in Australia.
