The course took place on 31 Oct – 2 Nov 2025, the weekend preceding Melbourne Cup day holiday. The venue was the Melbourne Unitarian church, which generously allowed us access to the hall on a donation basis. Five older students and eight new dancers showed up. As the course proceeded, a sweet, soft, warm environment of harmony developed, as one would expect when people are sharing the Mandala together to practice precious teachings sincerely. The icing on the cake was the full mandala, and the energy from this was palpable by the end of the course. There were several older students who also benefited greatly from the precise instruction as a deepening exercise.

To attend, Antonia all day travelled by bus/train from NSW and is to be highly commended for her dedication.

More than half the Mandala was composed of members of the Rainbodhi Buddhist group, Melbourne chapter. Rainbodhi is a spiritual friendship group for LGBTQIA+ Buddhists and is non-sectarian. All these younger participants were very dedicated to learning the steps of what is not a simple dance, and expressed their great gratitude for the teachings. Also, some expressed their lived experience accounts of how Vajra Dance helped them in daily life.

We also topped off with a day of consolidation practice, which both Thuy and Lynne kindly helped with. Much gratitude to Thuy for her patient and precise instruction and very user- friendly manifestation, also to the Rainbodhi Group who put in such dedicated effort and achieved results consonant with this application. Thanks to all who helped organise, participate and to benefit all beings. Emaho!

~ Gary Delora, Samyasling Blue Gakyil

Discovering the Magic of Vajra Dance: A Group of Newcomers’ Journey

We wanted to write a little something here to celebrate the beautiful experience we just had learning “The Vajra Dance That Benefits Beings” over the last 3 days.

Wow. First of all, our heart feels so full. Not just full, but connected, and calm. It seemed a little cheesy and cliché or something, to talk about how some dance practice can “balance and harmonise your energies”, but honestly, now we get it.

Thuy is such a lovely and persistent teacher; the ideal blend, we think, of supportive and patient while also being meticulous and thorough. It’s important to get the practice “right” in order for the magic to happen, we presume. And by the end of the weekend, in those so-so-precious two full run-throughs we did, omg, it was so special. The synchrony, the harmony, the pure collective pleasure of dedication in motion… YUM! Spiritual healing feels so good…

Thank you everyone. Thank you Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Thank you to the lineage keepers and transmitters and community of Dzogchen practitioners for keeping this practice alive. And thank you to the factory workers in China for making these epic Vajra Dance mandalas for us, lolz.

Such an awesome experience. We sincerely pray the community in Naarm*/Melbourne/Melbourne grows…

Sage, training Arts Psychotherapist, Performing Artist, & Keen Meditator.

*Naam is the indigenous name for Melbourne