Find Hope and Support.
Right Here.
HEALING GROUP
Whether you’re dealing with acute or chronic illness or facing a crisis,
we offer support and guidance to help you navigate life’s challenges.
For Yourself, For Your Family, And For Those Who Love You
Where can you turn to when you are dealing with chronic pain and illness or are confronted with an
overwhelming threat to your health and way of life?
Here at Tara Institute we help you face life’s hurdles. Our Healing Group team offers space and assistance to explore your options. We make no claims of cure but will show you how you might make your own breakthroughs. We present traditional and time-honoured Buddhist healing and meditation techniques that can function as a valuable adjunct to Western-based medical approaches.
The Healing Group welcomes all those who are facing life threatening, chronic or other significant health issues, including anxiety, depression, grief and loss.
There are no odd requirements; there is no need to sit cross legged or on the floor, nor do you need any previous experience in meditation. The structure of each session is relaxed and informal. Every session is complete in itself but also sequentially builds on previous ones.
The Healing Group is held fortnightly on Thursdays, from 11am to 12.30
The format is uncomplicated:
-
Introductions and time to touch base with each other
-
Guided meditations; explanatory talks and discussions
…Followed by tea and cake and time to chat
Tara Institute is a Buddhist Centre but you don’t need to be Buddhist in order to benefit from the Healing Group program.
Our approach is simply to guide you through the practical methods revealed by the meditation
practitioners who have tested the Buddha’s techniques over the past 2500 years. We think they all work but you are encouraged to pick and choose the ones that suit you best.
The Buddha famously exhorted us to test whatever he said in the same careful way a buyer of gold
tests first to make sure it really is gold!
MEET OUR PRESENTERS
Venerable Rigsel
Buddhist Nun
Ven. Rigsal has extensive experience in hospice palliative care, counselling the dying and bereaved and leading groups in loss and grief.
Kathi Edward
Meditation Practitioner
Kathi has studied and worked in counselling, palliative care, and grief and loss as a volunteer. She draws on the deep insight and extensive methods Buddhism offers for dealing with life and death.
Ross Moore
Meditator and Survivor
Ross completed Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s first Healing Course at Tara Institute and has used these techniques in dealing with his own bone marrow cancer and subsequent stem cell graft.
William Liew
Meditation Practitioner
As a pharmacist for most of his working life, William has a wealth of experience in discussing with patients their diagnosis and treatment, and providing advice and emotional support.
OUTLINE OF THE 9 SESSIONS
Session 1: Introduction to Buddhist Healing Meditations
-
Overview of Buddhist healing psychology
-
The nature of mind – Buddha-nature
-
The cause of disease
-
The healing power of mind
-
Healing meditations
Session 4. The Nature of Existence
-
Healing disease through understanding ultimate reality
-
The ultimate nature of disease
-
Mental imputation
-
Liberating fixed concepts
-
Meditation on emptiness
Session 2. The Healing Power of Compassion
-
The nature of compassion
-
Healing disease through compassion
-
Successful healing
-
Releasing disturbing emotions
-
Meditation on generating compassion
Session 5. The Healing Power of Faith
-
Generating conviction in our potential to heal
-
The source of power
-
Our untapped inner strength
-
Healing the mind is paramount
-
Using our source of power in meditation
Session 3. Everything Comes From the Mind
-
Karma - creating the cause of health and happiness
-
Healing disease through purification
-
Transforming our actions of body, speech and mind
-
Clearing negative energy blocks
-
Purification meditation on the 4 Opponent Powers
Session 6. Living with Chronic Illness
-
Transforming illness into happiness
-
The benefits of illness
-
Dealing with depression
-
The heart of healing: taking and giving
-
‘Tonglen’ meditation
Session 7. The Medicine Buddha
-
Utilising traditional Buddhist healing practices
-
Benefits of the Medicine Buddha practice
-
The power of mantra
-
Transforming body and mind
-
A simple Medicine Buddha meditation
Session 8. Avoiding Untimely Death
-
Buddhist deity practices to prolong life
-
Protecting others from harm (including liberating animals)
-
Enhancing our well-being, gratitude and joy
-
Sponsoring healing pujas
-
Healing meditations for specific diseases
Session 9. The Buddhist Approach to Death
-
Acknowledging death enhances the joy of life
-
Impermanence is our reality
-
Releasing fears
-
Addressing regrets; being at peace
-
Buddhist meditation on the dying process
These 9 sessions repeat throughout the year, however it is not essential to start at session 1,
you are welcome to attend at any time
At the Healing Group, you’ll find care and assistance with navigating your various challenges.
There is No Charge – but Donations are Greatly Welcomed.
The Presenters are not paid or compensated for their time, however there are real costs involved in presenting the Program. So if you are able and willing to contribute (even $10) we are very grateful and it will help to ensure the continuation of the Program.
Come When it Suits You – but Please Register
You may register online or call the office on 9596 8900. You are making no commitment but providing your email address will enable us to notify you of updates or unavoidable changes prior to each session and send you information regarding special upcoming events.
To enquire about joining, please email healing.group@tarainstitute.org.au, or click here to register.
We look forward to seeing you there.