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Venerable Tony Beaumont - Resident Teacher 2012

ven_tony_beaumont Ven. Tony Beaumont was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1951. His first intensive contact with Buddhism was in Nepal and India in 1976-1977 during which time he attended 2 one month long Kopan Lam-rim courses and their retreats and a three month group Vajrasattva retreat.

On returning to Australia he trained as a psychiatric nurse and worked for four years in psychiatric hospitals. For most of the 1980's he lived at Chenrezig Institute where he worked at various times as cook, office worker and gardener.

In 1991 he took novice ordination with Kirti Tshenshab Rinpoche at Kopan and in 1993 took full ordination with Geshe Yeshe Topden at Lama Tsong Khapa Institute in Italy. For the first 4 or 5 years following ordination he was based at Nalanda Monastery, France and since then he has been based at Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, Australia where he was director for four years and later director of the International Mahayana Institute (the organization for ordained Sangha of the FPMT) for 3 years.

Ven. Tony has taught Lam-rim Courses and the Discovering Buddhism Program and led various retreats as well as teaching in prisons and schools.

Venerable Robina Courtin - Resident Teacher Apr 2010 to Apr 2011

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Born in Australia in 1944, Ven Robina spent the the early part of her life studying classical singing, being involved with the radical left/feminist activism and then, in her quest for a spiritual path, studying martial arts.

She became a student of Lama Yeshe and was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1978. Since then, she has worked full-time for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) in several roles; editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of the magazine, Mandala and director of the Liberation Prison Project. Since 1987 she has taught Buddhist courses and retreats at FPMT centers worldwide.

Well-known for her intense energy and no-nonsense manner of expressing her profound understanding of Buddhist philosophy, Ven Robina is the subject of an award-winning documentary, "Chasing Buddha" and a film by Christine Lundberg called "On the Road Home". You can see and hear some of her teachings online, including here here and here.

Tushita was incredibly fortunate to have had Ven. Robina as resident teacher at Tushita between April 2010 and April 2011 and we hope that she'll join us again to lead some courses again in the future. You can see Ven Robina's teaching schedule on her own website, www.robinacourtin.com

Venerable Jampa Dekyi - Resident Teacher 2008 and 2009

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Venerable Jampa Dekyi was born in Australia in 1945. Having moved to the Solomon Islands at the age of 14, for the following 25 years this was ‘home’ alongside her late husband. Dekyi has 3 sons, a daughter and 1 granddaughter (who was born on the anniversary of the first turning of the wheel).

Dekyi attended her first meditation session in Australia in 1992 and instantly had the wish to become a nun. She ordained the following year. Since then she has studied extensively on the Buddhist Studies Program at Chenrezig, was the resident teacher at Vajrayana in Sydney for 5 years and also for 1 year at Kadam Sharawa in Gosford. Dekyi then had a short stay at Hayagriva Centre in Perth before spending 2008/9 as Tushita's resident teacher. Dekyi’s wish is to share the beauty, depth and practical compassion of the Buddhadarma with all who have an interest.

Geshe Graham Woodhouse

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Born in England, Geshe-la has extensive knowledge of Madyamika (emptiness) philosophy gained through 16 years of recent study at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India.

He completed his Geshe degree (the equivalent of 4 Ph.D's!) in 2006, becoming one of only a dozen or so western-born Geshe's existing. Geshe-la ia currently resident back in the UK and doesn't plan to teach in India again for the forseeable future, but it is an incredible privilege to study with such a knowledgeable native English-speaking teacher, so if you get the opportunity, don't miss it!

Venerable Lobsang Namgyel

namgyel Venerable Lobsang Namgyel, of Australian nationality, has been living in India and Nepal studying Buddhism for more than 20 years with such masters as H.H. the Dalai Lama, Denma Locho Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche and Geshe Sonam Rinchen. He has completed four years of lam-rim retreats, as well as many tantric retreats. During his more than twenty years in Buddhism, Ven Namgyel has taught at various FPMT centers around the world. Ven Namgyel had the honour of being the attendant and tutor to Lama Osel Rinpoche for nearly one year in 1990, helping with Tibetan prayers, memorising and English language.
You can see more about Ven Namgyel, with online teachings and schedule information on his own website: www.venerable-namgyel.com

Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi

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Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi, from the USA, has been studying Buddhism for over 25 years with teachers such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

She has been ordained as a Buddhist nun since 2004 and has completed 6½ years of solitary meditation retreat.

In addition to touring, she is also based part-time at Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California, is a visiting teacher for the Liberation Prison Project and a regular teacher at Mahamudra Centre in New Zealand.

Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi is dearly loved by those who have studied with her, many of whom describe her as straightforward, engaging, inspiring, sincere and fun. You can see her current schedule on her own website here.

Venerable Amy Miller

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Venerable Amy Miller, from the United States, has been studying Buddhism for 20 years with Tibetan Masters such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Ven. Choden Rinpoche and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. She has completed several individual meditation retreats in India, Nepal and the United States and served for many years as director of an FPMT retreat center in California. Ven. Amy also volunteered in a San Fransico AIDS hospice for 3 years lending emotional support counseling to people with AIDS and their loved ones. In 2000, she was ordained as a Buddhist nun by Ven. Choden Rinpoche.

Ven. Amy has been teaching Dharma around the world for the last 15 years. Her teaching style emphasizes helping people connect with meditation and mindfulness in an effort to gain a refreshing perspective on normally stressful living. She is currently Director of the Milarepa Centre in Vermont, USA.

Glen Svensson

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Glen Svensson, from Australia, has been studying Buddhism since 1995, with teachers such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Geshe Jampa Gyatso.

After completing his Bachelor’s Degree in IT at the University of Queensland, Glen spent eight years working and traveling around the world before “bumping into" Buddhism - by taking his first Introduction to Buddhism course here at Tushita!

He then attended two of the famous November Courses at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, followed by seven years of intensive Buddhist philosophical studies and nine months of meditation retreat in the FPMT Master’s Program (a teacher-training course) at the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy.

Since completion of the Master’s Program in 2005, Glen has taught extensively in India, Australia and Europe, with a teaching style emphasizing clarity and simplicity. You can see Glen's teaching schedule on his own website: www.glensvensson.org

Jimi Neal

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Born in 1948 in Italy, to American parents, he was raised in America and attended the University of Southern California. He became interested in Buddhism when three of his friends became monks in the Chinese Tradition. Jimi came to India in 1971-72, and in 1974 met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. He was ordained by Lama Yeshe at Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala in 1980.

A monk for 15 years, Jimi divided his time between Nalanda Monastery in France, and India. After disrobing, Jimi has lived permanently in Dharamsala, India. He began teaching in 1992 and has taught many times at Tushita Meditation Centre and elsewhere, over the years.

Ondy Willson

ondy willson Born in South Africa in 1951, Ondy grew up in England. In 1980 she took refuge with Geshe Jampa Tekchog and moved to be near him. Since then she has received teachings and initiations from high lamas including H.H. Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In Bodhgaya, 1983, she did her prostrations retreat whilst receiving teachings from H.H. Ling Rinpoche and Tara Tulku.

Ondy was Head of Belief, Philosophy and Ethics in a high school, and contributed to educational publications on moral issues and spirituality. She went on to develop 'Inner Management' courses, www.wellseeingconsultancy.co.uk ,as well as teaching the dharma for Yeshe Buddhist Centre that she founded in 2001, www.yeshebuddhistcentre.co.uk. In 2009 she published her story of the Buddha’s early life, 'Ten Thousand Days of Summer”, www.childrensbuddha.com.

Her teaching style combines head, heart and humour with the emphasis on making Buddhism relevant in today’s world. She lives with her partner and their two children, now flying the nest, giving her the opportunity to teach and learn at Tushita.

Andy Wistreich

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Andy was born in England in 1950 and spent most of his career in further education. During the eighties, he began to practice and later teach Buddhism; leading and undertaking retreats and became a regular teacher at Jamyang Leeds.

In 1998 he and David Reigle set up the International Kalachakra Network, which through the internet has become a major source of information and support for Kalachakra practitioners around the world.

Andy has been married since 1981 and has 4 grown-up sons. Since retiring from full-time teaching in 2007, he undertook a year of personal retreat and plans to dedicate the rest of his life to studying, practicing and teaching the Dharma.