Welcome to Rigpa Melbourne
We are a community of friends from across Melbourne supporting each other on the spiritual path.
We offer Tibetan Buddhist teachings and practices passed down over centuries through an authentic lineage.
Timeless and profound, these teachings and practices remain directly relevant to people in the modern world and daily life.
We invite you to join our meditation and study programs at our centre at 803 Nicholson St, Carlton North.
Featured Event
Featured
Daring Steps: the bold and gentle heart of compassion
Meditate with us
Meditation is a process of coming to know your own mind. A way of understanding and working with your mind, and being with your mind so you get the best out of it.
The essence of shamatha, the first of the basic meditation practices, is non-distraction. Shamatha involves allowing the mind to settle into a state of calm abiding. It is the antidote to distraction, the root of ignorance.
The ultimate purpose of meditation “is to awaken in us the sky-like nature of mind, and to introduce us to who we really are and the unchanging pure awareness which underlies the whole of life and death”. (The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, p.60)
Drop-in Meditation
at the Melbourne centre
Every Sunday evening, 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm
20 Minutes a Day: Online from home
- Calm Abiding Meditation:
– 8.00 am everyday - Compassion Practice:
– 6.00 pm Monday & Wednesday
These sessions are coordinated nationally. See https://rigpa.org.au/guided-meditation-sessions/
Courses, Retreats & Other Events
Rigpa Melbourne offers courses and practices for everyone interested in exploring meditation and studying Buddhism.
We provide a variety of study, meditation and other practice events to inspire participants – newcomers and established students alike. A graduated path of study and practice is available to those who want to follow the Buddha’s teachings more seriously, including advanced programs for members.
Courses and other events may be for just an hour or two, or for a series of days or weeks. They are held by a selection of different instructors throughout the year. All of our courses include plenty of time for reflection and discussion to allow attendees to connect with like-minded others and share understandings. Retreats are held a few times throughout the year.
Register online for courses, or just along for our weekly meditation.
Our purpose is to reach as many people as possible and share the precious Dharma. May you too be touched by the Buddha’s teachings.
Visiting teachers
We were deeply fortunate to have different lamas visiting our Centre and offering teachings in Melbourne.
Tulku Pema Rigstal Rinpoche, a Dzogchen Master in the Nyingma tradition, gave an inspiring weekend of teachings in January 2024. One of the main Dudjom Tersar holders, he was assisted by Lama Pema.
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche also visited and blessed our centre in 2023 as part of a teaching trip to Melbourne. He taught on ‘The environment and a Buddhist approach to today’s realities’. Rinpoche was deeply moved seeing the precious relics at The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion.
Looking for more background?
If you want to know more about Rigpa, our approach to meditation, compassion, healing, death and dying, Tibetan Buddhism, or Rigpa’s history and policies, please visit the Rigpa Australia homepage.
Our Melbourne centre
When people meditate together, it creates a powerful atmosphere. Our shrine room is a cosy space in which to sit, with a traditional yet simple Tibetan shrine that inspires stillness.
There’s a full library of beginner-to-advanced Buddhists texts for members to borrow. We have dharma items, such as incense, books and malas, to purchase for your practice needs. A courtyard invites a chance to chat and discuss what’s important for you.
As people connect with the practices and teachings, they may choose to become a sangha member. This allows the opportunity to foster closer connections to the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and sangha.
Volunteer run and not for profit, we are funded by membership and some funds arising from events and dharma items sales. The centre is managed by a coordinating team.
Calendar for Rigpa members
Contact Us
We are located centrally at 803 Nicholson Street, Carlton North 3054, on the ground floor.
Easily accessible by a tram – no. 96, car – with plentiful parking nearby, and bicycle – we’re next to the Capitol City Trail.
The Melbourne centre forms part of a worldwide network of over 140 centres and groups founded by Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the highly acclaimed The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land on which Rigpa Melbourne people meet. We pay our respects to the custodians and elders of the Wurundjeri People, and acknowledge their vast and wise cultural, spiritual and educational practices. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.