In the majestic surroundings of the Blue Mountains, one and a half hours west of Sydney, the Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre aims to create opportunities for retreat, study and meditation.

We are dedicated to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism and meditation and have been established in the Blue Mountains since 1992. Our Spiritual Director is Lama Zopa Rinpoche who gave us the name Kunsang Yeshe in 2006.

Kunsang Yeshe was a famous yogi who spent the last 20 years of his life meditating in his cave in the Himalayan mountains, at the base of Mount Everest.

We provide a range of activities suitable for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, and aim to create opportunities to develop peace of mind and a loving heart. We are part of the Gelug-pa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, whose head is His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre

PO Box 655, Katoomba 2780 Australia
T: (02) 4787 6616
ABN: 49 061 608 823
E: kunsangyeshe@gmail.com

History of the Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre

The Kunsang Yeshe Centre has been operating in the Blue Mountains since 1992 as part of the worldwide FPMT network. The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) is an international, non-profit organization, founded in 1975 by Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984), a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Originally called the Vajrasattva Mountain Centre, we were re-named Kunsang Yeshe by our spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche (pictured), in 2006. Kunsang Yeshe is the name of Rinpoche’s previous incarnation, the Lawudo Lama, a famous yogi and teacher who meditated in the Lawudo cave in a hidden valley in Nepal, at the base of Mt Everest.

Our centre has had premises in Blackheath and Katoomba, and since that time students and ordained monks and nuns (the sangha) have worked to provide a range of activities within the Blue Mountains community.

In late December 2005 the centre’s premises in Lurline Street, Katoomba, were sold and a new phase of its existence began. We currently provide weekly Buddhist teachings and meditation classes during term time at our premises located at 9 Sherman Ave, Katoomba. We also hold retreats and other activities at a range of local venues.

As part of the worldwide network of the FPMT, whose spiritual director is Lama Zopa Rinpoche, we work alongside other FPMT organisations such as the Liberation Prison Project Australia.

What we do

We provide teachings by highly qualified Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers, as well as meditation classes and retreats. We are run by volunteers and are registered as a non-profit incorporated association (ABN 49 061 608 823), with a management committee elected by members annually. Our centre is accountable through our director, who is appointed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, directly to him through the FPMT’s international office.

In this section

Aim of the Centre

Contact Details

Brief history

What We Do