"Ten Years On ..." About the Gyuto Monks of Tibet 2004 Australian Tour

On April 1, 1994, Maureen Fallon organized her first Gyuto Monk Harmonic Chanting performance at the Arts Theatre, Adelaide on the monks very first visit to Australia. Later that year, in September, the monks returned to create the very first Sand Mandalas seen in Australia in major public programs at the West Australian Museum, the South Australian Museum and the National Gallery in Canberra. The rest as they say is history. The monks have returned every year since then to offer increasingly diverse and popular public programs around the country.

In 1996, Gyuto House was formed and in 1998 became a fully fledged public benevolent institution. It has continued to honour the initial commitment to bring the monks and Tibetan culture to the Australian community in the simplest, most accessible way possible with minimal infrastructure and an enormous amount of volunteer labour. In the process, many Australians have come to know the Gyuto Monks and to benefit from their gentle practice of kindness and compassion.

They have also, in turn, been able to assist the monks in their endeavours to provide for the needs of their own community of almost 480 monks in India where they live as refugees. In February this year, the monks move into their new accommodation at New Ramoche Monastery in Sidbhari near Dharamsala in Northern India close to their leader, the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet. For this they are forever grateful to the Australian people. Later this year, there will be an official opening to which everyone is invited - no date has been set as yet but notice of this will be given as soon as it is known.

Late last year, Gyuto House Directors Maureen Fallon and Robin Wood with devoted translator and hard working Sonam Rigzin, were invited to visit the Gyuto Monastery at Tenzin Gang in Arunachal Pradesh. It was an unforgettable experience and provided the inspiration for another year - perhaps another decade - of work here in Australia. The manner in which the Gyuto monks uphold the ancient Tibetan Buddhist traditions and teachings in their daily monastic life is legendary - and very visible to we privileged onlookers. The way in which they look after the young monks entrusted to their care is also incredibly inspiring.

The monastery is sending a group of 8 monks this month for a celebratory "Ten Years On.." Tour of Australia with Gyuto Tantric Ritual Master Jampa Tashi who first visited in 1999-2000 for the 'Sounds of Global Harmony' Tour - and who was much loved by all who met him. The visit begins with a short program in Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Over the years, Gyuto Tantric University has sent different monks each time following the monastery's own policy of equal opportunity and not encouraging attachment to individuals or vice versa. In this way we have been able to meet with dozens of Gyuto monks each of whom exudes the same strong sense of unconditional love and non judgment and therefore creates a similar impact.

That said, we have been fortunate through this policy to receive teachings at all sorts of levels from a number of rare and wonderful beings.

These include:

The majority were born and raised as monks in Tibet prior to 1959 and they carry with them the experience of an ancient cultural tradition which is fast disappearing. Gyuto House has been blessed to have been able to offer the experience of meeting such pure practitioners.

On Christmas Eve, 2003, we had a wonderful meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama who said he was very happy with the work of the Gyuto Monks in Australia and that we here had his full support for continuing our programs. He also said that service rather than prayer alone was the new and important way to practice Buddhism and he was pleased that we were following this approach.

We hope to share this experience with those of you who can come to our public programs this year through some film footage and photographs.

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