In the early years of our group’s formation, the seeds of Manjushri Buddhist Centre were sown with the generous support of Lama Choedak Rinpoche and the Tibetan Buddhist Society of Canberra. Lama Choedak Rinpoche, a guiding light in Tibetan Buddhism, responded to our requests and began regular visits, offering teachings that became a source of profound inspiration for our community.

As the teachings flourished, Ani Kunsang, one of Rinpoche’s close students, extended her expertise by conducting Calm Abiding Meditation classes in Milton, fostering a deeper understanding of meditation practices among our members.

The pivotal moment in our journey came during a teaching visit from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Melbourne. It was here that Joe Morrissey and Ben Adcock, current vice-president of MBC, approached Lama Choedak Rinpoche with a heartfelt request — to become the spiritual director of our budding centre. With grace and warmth, Rinpoche accepted our invitation.

In alignment with His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving the Manjushri Empowerment at the time of our request, Rinpoche bestowed upon us the auspicious name ‘Manjushri Buddhist Centre’. On the 21st of October 2007, the naming and consecration ceremony of MBC took place.

Since that time Manjushri, the Bodhisattva embodying Wisdom, has become a key practice for hundreds of people in our community with the speech blessing practice that is introduced in our Calm Abiding classes.