What we’re about
With more than 130 centres in 41 countries, Rigpa presents the Buddhist tradition of Tibet in a way that is both completely authentic and relevant to the lives and needs of modern society.
Sogyal Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of Rigpa. A world-renowned Buddhist teacher from Tibet, raised by the most outstanding spiritual Tibetan masters of the twentieth century including Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who supervised Rinpoche’s training and raised him like his own son. Sogyal Rinpoche is also the author of the highly acclaimed The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
Rinpoche and Rigpa’s main focus is to make the Buddha’s teachings available as widely as possible, in a way that is authentic, accessible and beneficial for people of all ages, and from all walks of life.
Where do I Start?
The Buddhist tradition of Tibet is recognized as one of the world’s most unique and distinctive spiritual cultures.
"The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you will need to live and die, well". Sogyal Rinpoche
Drop-in Meditation is a wonderful chance to come and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of our your local centre and be introduced to meditation in a supportive environment. Drop in when you can make it. These classes are a great introduction for someone who has never meditated before and for people wanting to meditate regularly.
I’ve already done some study, what next?
Rigpa offers those following the Buddhist teachings a complete path of study and practice, along with the environment they need to experience the teachings fully.
Whether you are looking for instruction and support with your meditation practice, or a complete path to Enlightenment, Rigpa courses have something to offer you.
Learn what meditation is and how to meditate. Explore compassion and how and why it is worth cultivating in our lives. For those new to Buddhism, there are introductory courses that provide a general introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.
Rigpa Australia is a non-profit organization. Its work is supported entirely by contributions and donations from students and friends of Rigpa.
For more information:
Upcoming events
54
The Wealth of Our Innate Wakefulness - Weekend Teachings on Buddha Nature
803 Nicholson St, Carlton North, VI, AUSaturday 8 November & Sunday 9 November.
See website for registrations and more details.
Please note that the teachings are aimed at students with some Dharma experience. Day 2 follows on from day 1 with a beginning, middle and end, and therefore it is advisable to register for both days. All effort will be made to help those unable to attend both days to catch up.
Register here https://rigpa.org.au/event/the-wealth-of-our-innate-wakefulness-saturday-8-november-2025/
A weekend teaching on buddha nature
Out of all of Buddha’s teachings, those on buddha nature communicate most directly what lies at their heart: that we are fundamentally good, and our essential nature, our identity, is the same profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned essence that Buddha himself discovered as a result of following the spiritual path.
Confidence in buddha nature is deeply transformative in terms of our outlook on life; the way we view ourselves, the world around us, our values and priorities in life, our relationship to our spiritual path: all this is touched by the teachings on buddha nature.
This weekend teaching will bring together classic Indian and Tibetan Buddhist teachings on buddha nature, and contemporary teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche, which will give us the opportunity to discover our own buddha nature, and give expression to it in our thoughts and actions.
We will work together on building confidence in our buddha nature through the practice of contemplation — which will enable us to see its relevance to our own lives and experience — and more experientially, through the practice of meditation: learning to let go and relax in the clarity and awareness of our mind which is available to us all the time.
Together we will reflect on questions like:- What are we looking for in life? And why?
- Who are we really? If our thoughts, emotions, our body, and our world are always changing, is there something in us that is really ‘us ’, which is constant and unchanging?
- What is mind?
- How can I know I have buddha nature?
- If my mind’s nature is buddha nature, why am I suffering?
- How to overcome fear?
- How do we habitually relate to ourselves and others? And why?
- What is wisdom? And what is compassion?
- How can I come to fully actualise my buddha nature?
About Jan van der Breggen
Jan began his path of meditation at 17 years old, touched by the tenderness of the human experience and filled with questions about what reality was all about. Forty years later, Jan continues to be moved by the vast profundity of the Buddhist path and its vision of the inherent wisdom, loving kindness and strength that lies in the minds of each and every one of us.
Jan completed Rigpa’s three-year retreat under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche. He was entrusted as one of Rigpa’s Senior teachers by Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche and Mindroling Jetsun Khandro in 2022. Jan has been a participant in the Milinda program since 2017. Milinda is a 10-year, international Buddhist teacher training program under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, with a three month per year intensive and immersive in-person learning and reflection program.
Jan grew up in the Netherlands where he obtained a Masters Degree in Social and Historical Anthropology. He has lived in Brisbane, Australia, since 1998, and was instrumental in founding Rigpa Brisbane in 1999, where he has served as a Dharma instructor for over 20 years.
About Alessandra Pizzardello
Alessandra is a dedicated practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism with over 20 years of study and retreat experience, including at Rigpa Shedra East in Nepal.
Originally from Italy, she also lived in Sweden and Australia, where she started a successful business that has been running for over two decades before deciding to fully committing to the Dharma. Rooted in the Nyingma and Longchen Nyingtik traditions, Alessandra has been sharing the Buddhist teachings as a Dharma instructor in Australia for several years, with the heartfelt wish to support and inspire others on their own path of study and practice.
Register here https://rigpa.org.au/event/the-wealth-of-our-innate-wakefulness-saturday-8-november-2025/
Cost for each day :
Sangha and Concession: $30 per day
Full Price: $50 per day
Benefactor $75 per day
BYO lunch
Morning and Afternoon tea provided3 attendeesThe Wealth of Our Innate Wakefulness - Weekend Teachings on Buddha Nature
803 Nicholson St, Carlton North, VI, AUSaturday 8 November & Sunday 9 November.
See website for registrations and more details.
Please note that the teachings are aimed at students with some Dharma experience. Day 2 follows on from day 1 with a beginning, middle and end, and therefore it is advisable to register for both days. All effort will be made to help those unable to attend both days to catch up.
Register here https://rigpa.org.au/event/the-wealth-of-our-innate-wakefulness-saturday-8-november-2025/
A weekend teaching on buddha nature
Out of all of Buddha’s teachings, those on buddha nature communicate most directly what lies at their heart: that we are fundamentally good, and our essential nature, our identity, is the same profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned essence that Buddha himself discovered as a result of following the spiritual path.
Confidence in buddha nature is deeply transformative in terms of our outlook on life; the way we view ourselves, the world around us, our values and priorities in life, our relationship to our spiritual path: all this is touched by the teachings on buddha nature.
This weekend teaching will bring together classic Indian and Tibetan Buddhist teachings on buddha nature, and contemporary teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche, which will give us the opportunity to discover our own buddha nature, and give expression to it in our thoughts and actions.
We will work together on building confidence in our buddha nature through the practice of contemplation — which will enable us to see its relevance to our own lives and experience — and more experientially, through the practice of meditation: learning to let go and relax in the clarity and awareness of our mind which is available to us all the time.
Together we will reflect on questions like:- What are we looking for in life? And why?
- Who are we really? If our thoughts, emotions, our body, and our world are always changing, is there something in us that is really ‘us ’, which is constant and unchanging?
- What is mind?
- How can I know I have buddha nature?
- If my mind’s nature is buddha nature, why am I suffering?
- How to overcome fear?
- How do we habitually relate to ourselves and others? And why?
- What is wisdom? And what is compassion?
- How can I come to fully actualise my buddha nature?
About Jan van der Breggen
Jan began his path of meditation at 17 years old, touched by the tenderness of the human experience and filled with questions about what reality was all about. Forty years later, Jan continues to be moved by the vast profundity of the Buddhist path and its vision of the inherent wisdom, loving kindness and strength that lies in the minds of each and every one of us.
Jan completed Rigpa’s three-year retreat under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche. He was entrusted as one of Rigpa’s Senior teachers by Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche and Mindroling Jetsun Khandro in 2022. Jan has been a participant in the Milinda program since 2017. Milinda is a 10-year, international Buddhist teacher training program under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, with a three month per year intensive and immersive in-person learning and reflection program.
Jan grew up in the Netherlands where he obtained a Masters Degree in Social and Historical Anthropology. He has lived in Brisbane, Australia, since 1998, and was instrumental in founding Rigpa Brisbane in 1999, where he has served as a Dharma instructor for over 20 years.
About Alessandra Pizzardello
Alessandra is a dedicated practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism with over 20 years of study and retreat experience, including at Rigpa Shedra East in Nepal.
Originally from Italy, she also lived in Sweden and Australia, where she started a successful business that has been running for over two decades before deciding to fully committing to the Dharma. Rooted in the Nyingma and Longchen Nyingtik traditions, Alessandra has been sharing the Buddhist teachings as a Dharma instructor in Australia for several years, with the heartfelt wish to support and inspire others on their own path of study and practice.
Register here https://rigpa.org.au/event/the-wealth-of-our-innate-wakefulness-saturday-8-november-2025/
Cost for each day :
Sangha and Concession: $30 per day
Full Price: $50 per day
Benefactor $75 per day
BYO lunch
Morning and Afternoon tea provided2 attendees
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