Since the beginning of Chenrezig Institute, children have always played an important part. During early years many children lived at the centre with their parents and, for many years, there was a fully approved kindergarten and even a primary school. 

There have also been many manifestations of Dharma clubs for our precious children, offering them the Buddha’s wisdom in ways they enjoy, through simple meditations, craft activities, wonderful plays and music. 

Dharma Kids is Chenrezig Institute’s new program for primary school children. It builds on many years of past children’s programs and includes a few new features.  

Starting in 2023 Dharma Kids will be offered twice a month on the first and third Saturdays of each month. The core program includes learning about the Buddha and how Buddhism can help in our daily lives. The emphasis though is still on secular ethics, something His Holiness Dalai Lama often speaks about. 

New activities will be included in the program and some will be held in different locations within the Chenrezig grounds such as the Art Studio and Garden of Enlightenment. There will also be a few sessions offered each year that are just for parents. These special activities will be advertised in advance so keep an eye on the website and newsletter. 

It will be supervised and taught by one of Chenrezig Nuns Community. Venerable Wangmo is a retired teacher who worked mostly with primary school children as a classroom teacher and teacher of students with learning difficulties. She also taught in high school, TAFE and university settings. Wangmo spent 30 years dabbling with different Buddhist schools before meeting the Mahayana, and settling into more formal studies. Wangmo was ordained in 2020 by our own Geshe Tsultrim.