Our Story
In 1974, the first Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Australia and one of the oldest in the west was founded - Chenrezig Institute.
Located in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, the place has flourished into a dedicated facility for Buddhist education and practice. The property and land were consecrated in September 1974 as a place where sentient beings can come to learn Dharma, meditate, purify and collect merits.
Many great Buddhist masters including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, many rinpoches, yogis and Tibetan and western sangha, have been hosted here while teaching their profound wisdom, insights and practices on the Buddhist path.
Chenrezig Institute was the first centre (outside the Indian sub-continent) of the international Tibetan Buddhist organisation, The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) an organisation founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Are you interested in learning more about Chenrezig Institute?
We have recently prepared a beautiful new 60 page historical photobook to commemorate our 50th Anniversary. This is available from our centre’s shop - contact info@chenrezig.com.au and we have linked it here - the best way to view it is to open it in a new page.
You can watch this historical video of the very first one-month Lamrim course given by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Australia September 1974!
FPMT IN AUSTRALIA
Our umbrella organisation within Australia is fpmta.org.au.
Here is a comprehensive list of FPMT centres and study groups in Australia.
