The Founder

The Tibetan Buddhist Society was formed by its spiritual leader, Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden.  Geshe-la ("la" is a respectful suffix) was born in the Denma region of Eastern Tibet. He was educated there and at Sera-je Monastery in Lhasa, taking his final Lharampa exams in India soon after the exodus from Tibet. After studying at the re-established Gyumed Tantric College and at Varanasi Sanskrit University he was encouraged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to accept the invitation of Ven Lama Yeshe and Ven Lama Zopa Rimpoche to teach at Chenrezig Institute for three years from December 1976.

After returning to Sera-je for a year he accepted invitations from students in Australia and returned to lead the newly formed Tibetan Buddhist Society in 1980. His greatest work in his own mind was the series of published Dharma texts on Sutra and Vajrayana. (See the principal branch web site for a full biography and details of Tushita Publications)

Geshe-la passed away on the 24th August, 2011.

The Brisbane Centre

For thirty years the Brisbane Branch has operated in East Brisbane.

The Society offers Meditation Classes on Wednesday evenings at the East Brisbane Community Centre.

The benefits of meditation are well known and have received wider recognition lately due to visits to Australia by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The focus of the Branch continues to be that of exploring meditative techniques which have benefited practitioners for thousands of years.

Interestingly, recent advances in neurological research have led to better understanding of brain plasticity. This is the ability of brain real estate to be adapted to perform non-standard functions, with mental exercises in, for example, stroke victims.  The meditative process is also a form of intentional mental activity, in this case directed towards improved life experiences.  Perhaps the convergence of interest in the nature of mind from these differing points of view will stimulate discussion  on aspects of body and mind, to the benefit of both.

If you would like to know more, feel free to use our email facility  and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

If you'd like to know more about the Society as a whole, please check the Tibetan Buddhist Society's principal branch web site.