March 2010

Dear [firstname,fallback=friend],

For our first newsletter for 2010 - a new year and a new decade - we are happy to be able to convey some wonderful news to you all.

We have received confirmation from His Holiness's office that he will be returning to Australia in June 2011. His Holiness has accepted several invitations which were issued to him during his 2009 December visit and is looking forward to returning to Australia once more.

We will bring you more information regarding dates, events and locations, as they come to hand and will start to make changes to our website to reflect the visit, but in the meantime we would like to share with you some wonderful moments from previous visits by His Holiness to our wonderful country. Firstly, remember the 2007 Open Arms Visit...

His Holiness visit to Australia in 2007 was by far the largest visit he had undertaken in Australia. The visit was organised by Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd., and in 11 days His Holiness visited Perth, Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Canberra, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Sydney. The logistics, transport and security issues were enormous with His Holiness leaping on and off helicopters, planes and motorcades to deliver his message to over 200,000 Australians. Meetings with the then Prime Minister, Mr Howard, and leader of the Opposition, Mr Kevin Rudd, occurred despite extensive opposition from the Chinese government. The visit was an amazing success. His Holiness was extremely pleased by the obvious interest of the Australian people, in his message.

Princess Park, Melbourne, June 2007

A Conversation with His Holiness

Question: What were your first feelings on being recognized as the Dalai Lama? What did you think had happened to you?

Answer: I was very happy. I liked it a lot. Even before I was recognized, I often told my mother that I was going to Lhasa. I used to straddle a window sill in our house pretending that I was riding a horse to Lhasa. I was a very small child at the time, but I remember this clearly. I had a strong desire to go there. Another thing I didn't mention in my autobiography is that after my birth, a pair of crows came to roost on the roof of our house. They would arrive each morning, stay for a while and then leave. This is of particular interest as similar incidents occurred at the birth of the First, Seventh, Eighth and Twelfth Dalai Lamas. After their births, a pair of crows came and remained. In my own case, in the beginning, nobody paid attention to this. However, I was talking with my mother, and she recalled it. She had noticed them come in the morning, depart after a time, and then the next morning, come again. Now, the evening after the birth of the First Dalai Lama, bandits broke into the family's house. The parents ran away and left the child. The next day when they returned and wondered what had happened to their son, they found the baby in a corner of the house. A crow stood before him, protecting him. Later on, when the First Dalai Lama grew up and developed in his spiritual practice, he made direct contact during meditation with the protective deity, Mahakala. At this time, Mahakala said to him, "somebody like you who is upholding the Buddhist teaching needs a protector like me". Right on the day of your birth, I helped you.  So we can see there is definitely a connection between Mahakala, the crows, and the Dalai Lamas.

Another thing that happened, which my mother remembered very clearly, is that soon after I arrived in Lhasa, I said that my teeth were in a box in a certain house in the Norbulinka. When they opened the box, they found a set of dentures which had belonged to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. I pointed to the box, and said that my teeth were in there, but right now I don't recall this at all. The new memories associated with this body are stronger. The past has become smaller, vaguer. Unless I made a specific attempt to develop such a memory, I don't recall it.

Dalai Lama in Australia has a change
in Leadership

Dear Friends,

I'd like to take this moment to introduce myself to you. My name is Robert Keldoulis and I have sat on the Board of Dalai Lama in Australia for the past 16 months. I was asked a few weeks ago by the Tibet Information Office if I would like to take the position of Chairman of Dalai Lama in Australia, which of course I have accepted. Ian Green, the previous Chair, stepped down recently, after holding the position for the past few years. Ian's projects, the Jade Buddha and the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, are keeping him very busy and he felt he was unable to commit to all three. I personally would like to wish him well with his ventures and to thank him for his effort and contribution to Dalai Lama in Australia, as Chairman.

I come from a slightly different background to most of the Board Members as I am not a Buddhist, but I do however, identify quite strongly with the principles of Buddhism. I am not aligned to any particular lineage and at times my lack of knowledge of the jargon involved in Buddhism will astound you. I am, like all of us, a very strong supporter of His Holiness and of Tibet. What I do bring with me is a purely independent view and approach to the organisation. I come from a corporate background, having worked in the financial markets for the past 23 years. It was for this reason that I initially joined the board as it was felt that given the sums of money that we deal with when His Holiness does visit, it would be prudent to have someone on the team that came from a financial background. I joined after the 2008 visit (having attended the 5 day teaching at Homebush) and I was part of the team for the most recent visit in 2009.

Having had the experience of the last visit under my belt, there are a few things that I would like to do differently as we move forward, firstly explaining to you all how the organisation does its job.

All the members of the Board of Directors work on an entirely voluntary basis. We currently have just one full-time staff member, being Lynn Bain, our General Manager. As our visit draws near, we take on extra staff but we do try to keep things as lean as possible and if it wasn't for the vast numbers of volunteers who get involved, it wouldn't be financially viable to host the visits. We have built up an enormous amount of intellectual capital over the years the organisation has been in place and we rely heavily on this to plan and execute upcoming tours, whilst also ensuring the visits are managed in accordance with the wishes of both the Dalai Lama's office in Dharamsala and the Tibet Information Office in Canberra.

Just to give you an idea of the complexities of the visits, our costs for the visit last year were just under $2.5mill (which includes airfares for His Holiness and his entourage from Dharamsala, venue hire, security, insurances, etc) and our profit was around $100k. That's a slim 4% and this money is offered back to His Holiness. If he thinks there is a likelihood of a return visit in the near future, he usually suggests we keep it as seed capital. We are also very fortunate to have Underwriters for each visit. Our Underwriters are people or organisations that provide an interest free loan to DLIA to help fund the initial costs we incur. They are paid back after all creditors have been paid, so they do risk their money, but we have been fortunate with the last 2 visits to cover our costs and offer their capital back. Please remember, our only revenue is from the events themselves (Teachings and Public Talks) and from related partner events such as the Parliament of the World's Religions, Mind & Its Potential, etc. This money generally comes in close to the time of the visit, or sometimes well after the visit, as in the case of tickets being sold through an outside organisation, so we would have a dramatic cash flow problems if it wasn't for our generous Underwriters.

For the 2011 visit, we will be asking if any of you would like to participate in the underwriting of the visit and we will try to organise something special as a thank you for those of you who do wish to be involved in this way.

The other thing I'd like to do is to seek more involvement and feedback from the Buddhist community and indeed from anyone on this mailing list. We'd like to know what you liked or didn't like about the last visit, if you have any suggestions, how we can make his visit more relevant to you or your organisation. Are the public talks still relevant? Are his teachings too heavy? Is there another forum that may better suit his visit? Will a concert work? How do we reach out to the broader non-Buddhist community? Can we get young people fired up about His Holiness? Should the business community be courted? How can we draw in the Australian political spectrum, or should we even try? His office puts out strict guidelines for the visits so we are very mindful that we need to operate well within those rules, but the visit is for the Australian public, which is you, so we'd like to make it as inclusive as possible. Lynn has created an opportunity within this newsletter for your feedback, so please make use of it if you feel you have something useful to offer.

At times it's a mad world around His Holiness as the swirl of politics, religion and the logistics of touring can collide most spectacularly and I saw myself on the last visit how impossible it is to satisfy all parties, how previously agreed appointments can be cancelled at the last minute and the immense disappointment and frustration that can create. I also saw how earnestly almost everyone around him operates and with such great integrity and intent, although that may not always be apparent from the outside.

And in closing this fine and long winded message, I would like to thank all of you for remaining on our data base and for supporting and participating in the previous visits. It is a vital tool for us to access you and hopefully for you to interact with us. We plan to continue to open the lines of communication as best we can and to follow through with our commitment to transparency. I hope to see many of you at His Holiness' next visit in June 2011.

Kind regards,

Rob Keldoulis

Were looking for your suggestions

As Rob has pointed out in his letter above, Dalai Lama in Australia would like to hear from you with suggestions which will assist us with the planning and organising of the 2011 visit.

We would like to know what type of events you would like to see His Holiness give?
Do you enjoy the Public Talks or would you like to have more interaction with His Holiness? Would you like more Teachings or what type of Teachings would you like to see given? Do you think the Public Talks should be free or would you prefer to pay a little to be part of a smaller audience?

Send us an email and let us know your thoughts and ideas:

and help shape His Holiness 2011 visit to Australia. We are really keen to create a visit that you wish to be a part of and both DLIA and His Holiness thank you in advance for your comments.

Deepak Chopra, a good friend of His Holiness,
to visit Australia

Don't miss this opportunity to be taken on a journey of self-transformation as the world renowned authority on health and wellbeing comes to Australia with his most groundbreaking teachings yet.

Following the teachings as explored in his latest book Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, Dr Chopra will show you first hand how to improve your life, stay healthy, stop disease and find greater spiritual fulfilment.

A special one day journey with Deepak - Creating the New You will be held in Sydney on Saturday 24th April. And in Melbourne, Sunday 25th April and Brisbane on Tuesday 27th April, Deepak will present single lecture evenings.

Do not miss this incredible opportunity with Deepak Chopra, 'the poet-prophet of alternative medicine'. Your life will never be the same. For further information visit www.deepakchopratour.com

The Merry Old Month of May

Happiness & Its Causes Conference

Forget your troubles come on get happy.......at the wonderful, fabulous and enlightening Happiness & Its Causes Conference.

Join original thinkers Edward de Bono, Naomi Wolf & The Honourable Bob Carr, world renowned meditation teachers Robert Thurman & Father Laurence Freeman. Explore the notion of control and happiness with Hugh Mackay and hear how Natasha Stott Despoja balanced her political career with family life and how Jessica Rowe dealt with post natal depression. Her Excellency Kirsty Sword Gusmao, the former first lady of East Timor, will share her heart-rending but inspiring story and celebrity chef, Kylie Kwong will engage all your senses when she speaks on the happiness that comes from cooking from the heart, as she prepares a delicious meal on stage. All this and more at this years Happiness & Its Causes conference, the world's largest and most important conference on human happiness.

Being held at the Sydney Convention Centre 5th to 6th May, this unique event will offer you the opportunity to learn practical strategies to enhance happiness for yourself and others from some of the world's leading scientists, psychologists and philosophers.

Visit www.happinessanditscauses.com.au to secure your place today.

Maitreya Relics Tour

Long hidden Buddhist Relics coming to Australia for the first time in history. For Buddhists, being in the presence of the 2,500 year old cremated remains of ancient Buddhist Masters is to be in the presence of the Masters themselves. Devotees speak of receiving blessings and a sense of inner peace when viewing the collection of over 1,000 sacred Buddhist relics, currently touring the world and coming to Australia & New Zealand this May and June. Experience being in the presence of the relics of 30 Buddhist Masters, which for thousands of years were hidden in Buddhist temples, shrines and statues in Asia. The display includes relics of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Enlightened One and his disciples, Maudgalyayana, Ananda and Sariputra.

There are also relics of other saints and spiritual Masters from the Chinese, Indian and Tibetan traditions. The relics, which were found among the cremation ashes of the Buddhist Masters, resemble beautiful pearl like crystals and they embody the Master's spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom, deliberately produced by the Master at his death.

The Australian & New Zealand leg of the tour will kick off in Sydney at the Masonic Centre, 7th, 8th & 9th May. The tour will then move to Auckland New Zealand for the 14th, 15th & 16th May and Nelson on the 21st, 22nd & 23rd May.

It will then return to Melbourne to the Koorie Heritage Trust Centre on the 4th, 5th & 6th June, Hobart on the 18th, 19th & 20th at the Waterside Pavilion and then onto Perth, Perth Town Hall for the 11th, 12th & 13th June.

Do not miss this opportunity of a lifetime. Visit www.fpmta.org.au for further information.

Buddhist Festival Month

Investigate, Invigorate, Celebrate! as May is Buddhist Festival Month and this year the Buddhist Council of New South Wales are organising a month long celebration of the Buddha's life and teachings.

Participate in workshops, meditation and chanting sessions - see and experience different communities, the life of the Buddha and much more.

At the FREE expo, explore the many traditions and different ways the Buddha is celebrated and followed and engage your heart and mind in quality and interesting activities and displays as well as having the opportunity to speak with a vast array of practitioners.

Meet, speak, learn and be inspired at the Mitra Conference. Find the meaning of life with Ven Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (Cave in the Snow) and listen to Sarah Napthali, author of Buddhism for Mothers, as she explains how Buddhism applies to families.

There will also be a Film Festival showcasing aspects of Buddhist teaching's and lifestyle, to interest everyone.

Register on line at www.buddhistfestivalmonth.org.au and participate in this wonderful month of Buddhism.

Our Future, Who is Responsible? DVD's

Please accept our apologies for the delay in forwarding the DVD's from the 2009 visit. There were a number of delays due primarily to the time of year, which of course is very much a holiday period here in Australia.

If you missed out on your copy, the DVD's are still available by visiting our website and clicking on the links - www.dalailamainaustralia.org/home.aspx

We look forward to speaking with you again next month, when Tulku's Tails will return (he is currently on holiday) and we hope to have more information about the June 2011 visit by His Holiness.

Until then best wishes,

Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd Board of Directors
& Lynn Bain, General Manager