Rigpé Yeshé

Dharma Sessions
Rigpé Yeshé instructors offer Buddhist teaching sessions (Dharma sessions) for all age groups, from pre-schoolers up to teenagers. We also hold a study group for our older teenagers. The dharma sessions include daily meditation practice and the opportunity to engage with Buddhist teachings in an open, fun and inquisitive way - we encourage the children to reflect, question and discover answers for themselves. The sessions are friendly and relaxed, providing an atmosphere where the children feel safe, happy and respected. We explore a different theme each year, based on teachings given by Sogyal Rinpoche. Some of the themes we have examined are: The Way to Inner Peace and Contentment, Loving Kindness, Meditation, The Secret of Happiness.

vThe sessions typically consist of meditation, short video teachings from Sogyal Rinpoche and other Tibetan lamas, stories, discussion, and creative and expressive arts. The dharma sessions for the children are in the mornings, and the teen sessions and older teen study group are in the afternoons.

Sogyal Rinpoche
Our Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche has given many direct teachings to the children and teens in the past few years and this has been a highlight of their retreat. In addition, senior students and ordained sangha visit the children at their Dharma sessions and study groups, and answer a very wide range of questions!

Mentors
Older children and teens act as mentors to the younger children; helping to hold Dharma sessions and evening activities. In addition, the older children and teens help in many roles on retreat, such as shrine, audio-visual & IT, site maintenance, reception, registration, bookshop, fund-raising and catering.

Family Drop-in Meditations
A family meditation is held every morning in the Lakeside tent.
Families also meditate together at the end of the day in the Lakeside tent, and listen to a bedtime story for younger children.

Teen Program
There will be some workshops and organised social activities for teenagers at the 2012 retreat: past workshops have included photography, zen archery, woodwork, calligraphy; social activities have included bowling, movies and pizzas in Forster. We will let you know the costs for these workshops and activities closer to the retreat.

Evening Family Activities
These are facilitated by a parent group and held in the early evening. The activities range from musical sessions, story-telling, roasting marshmallows at the fireside, to beach-cricket and soccer. We encourage parents to come along and participate with their children, to spend time together as a family. Note that younger children must be accompanied by their parents.

Adventure Program
Our Adventure Program provides a safe, stimulating, and creative care program for children, while their parents attend Rinpoche's teachings. Children who are aged 4 or over and have experience of at least one term of pre- school are eligible for the Adventure Program. We have an area for lively outdoor play and creative construction for the 8-11 year olds; the 4-7 year olds have their own space for creative and fun activities.

For safety reasons, children under 12 whose parent/s are in the teachings must be enrolled in this adventure program. With the exception of :

• children attending Rinpoche's teachings – parents must closely supervise their children during the teachings (whether in the main tent or the family listening tent), or
• children in the care of another adult or responsible person – whom the parent has arranged to care for their children during Rinpoche's teachings.

Pre School Children
Unfortunately, we cannot provide child-care for very young children (those younger than four, or those who have not attended pre-school or school) as the camp-site premises aren't suitable. However many parents hire one of the responsible teens to babysit, as the teens are keen to earn holiday money. Another option is to hire a nanny or bring along a friend to assist.

Where there are two parents, they often share the care of their children so that each parent has an opportunity to attend the teachings. Some single parents also support each other in attending the teachings.

Family Listening Tent
If you have children who are too young to attend the Adventure Program, you can watch Rinpoche's teachings together in the family listening tent, which has a live feed from the main teachings. The evening video teachings can also be viewed from here. Some parents bring their childrens' sleeping bags in the evening, and the children fall asleep while the parents listen to Rinpoche's teachings. We encourage the parents present to create the right environment to listen to Rinpoche's teachings together.

Parents' Study Groups
We hold a parents' study group on alternate afternoons (poolside), so that parents can discuss the morning's teachings, while their children are happily playing in the pool.

Parents' Support Group
This group meets every other afternoon and provides an opportunity for parents to share the accomplishments and challenges of being a parent; to reflect and discuss how to bring up children in the dharma, and how to find time for their own practice.

Care for Parents
Those experiencing difficulties of any nature on retreat (emotional, physical, spiritual, ...) are invited to share their concerns either at the above groups, or one-on-one with our Rigpé Yeshé Care Representatives, or with any of the Rigpé Yeshé team members.

Evening Catch-up Sessions
Parents often find it difficult to attend key video teachings during the day, and so we schedule an evening catch-up session for the main video teaching of the day. Please check the notice-board regularly for notification of these catch-up sessions.

Children's Book Shop
Every year we sell a wide range of children's and parents' Dharma books on retreat; the books provide support and inspiration to families who wish to continue in the Dharma when they return home after retreat.

A typical day for a baby or pre-schooler starts with breakfast, some play time with mum or dad, then spend the morning at the family listening tent, so that their parent may listen to Rinpoche's live teaching. Alternatively, a teen babysitter may look after the young child in the listening tent, or around the retreat site, so that their parent may attend the live teaching in the main tent. Lunch might be followed by a snooze, and some down-time for the parent, afterwards they may return to the family listening tent for the afternoon video teachings. Dinner is usually followed by playing together outside, and a family bed-time story in our RY tent.

A typical day for a school-age child starts with a yummy breakfast, Dharma for children, adventure program, lunch, hang out at the pool with parents and other families, dinner, early evening activities and play with other children and perhaps fall asleep in the family listening tent!

A typical day for a teenager starts considerably later! perhaps meeting friends for breakfast. Some teenagers attend part or all of the live teachings, eat lunch with the adults, hang out and later attend their teen study group. Other teens chose to hang out with friends in the morning, perhaps at the pool; they may attend a morning workshop, then they join the younger children for lunch at 12:00, and attend their own Dharma session later in the afternoon. Evenings generally see the teenagers gathering together, either on the beach or lake volleyball or heading out for pizza together.

The retreat is an opportunity for children and parents to slow down, reflect and appreciate, to connect with nature and with each other, and connect with our own good hearts. We also hope to have fun together, find support and friendship, and inspiration, strength and joy in the teachings. We look forward to seeing you there.

We are working to improve and strengthen our program each year, and welcome all offers of help – time, effort, ideas, money, resources. Please contact rigpeyesheaustralia@gmail.com for further enquiries or with offers of help