This interview is just one of the many that took place for “A New Generation of Buddhist Young Practitioners,” the cover feature of Mandala July-August 1998:

I first got involved with the Dharma when my mum went to the Beach Chalet to hear one of the Chenrezig nuns give a talk, so my mum went to visit them. Within a year she became a nun. We moved here at Chenrezig Institute, and for five years now I’ve been living in the nunnery.

How did you feel when your mom became a nun?

I was so happy for her, and I like it here so much. I used to live in Noosa, which was more for tourists, and now I live up in the mountains.

So you like living in a community?

I like the people heaps. It’s sort of interesting to see people coming and going all the time, except for the long-term residents like Colin.

At what point did you become interested in the study of Dharma?

When my mum first came I was very interested and would look through all her books. I tried to learn all the prayers because I expected all the kids up here would know them. I’ve been quite intrigued by Buddhism since I was young, and now that I am older and have learned more I see it helps in your day-to-day life, as well as in the long run, for your next rebirth so that you don’t go to the lower realms.

How does that fear of the lower realms motivate you to practice?

I try to do as many good actions as possible. It’s not that I think about going to the lower realms, but more like I do as much as possible to get a higher rebirth. There are times, though, like when I am arguing with mum and I will think, “Oh my gosh – my mum is a nun. This is really bad!”

Which part of Buddhism appealed to you most?

I think the compassion and the theory of karma. I like the advice to be compassionate to all beings and not to harm animals.

Do you think you had some of these qualities already?

Yes, I believed in that sort of thing anyhow, so it was reinforcing that it is the right way to be. It was supporting what was already there.

What kinds of problems do teenagers face?

It makes me sad to see people I know get so upset when they’ve been drinking too much. They can just spin out, and this is hard to experience. I try to help them.

How?

Dharma gives me tools to be able to help them, but not in Buddhist language, like, “This is Dharma, blah blah blah.” I think what really helps is when I am watching what I am doing.

Being a good example is different from, for example, going to church on Sundays and not thinking about anything spiritual the rest of the days. That’s what I like about Buddhism – it’s more like a philosophy than a religion. It’s more what you do all the time, including when you sleep. It’s always there. It is there in small actions, like when you walk you become mindful of not stepping on ants, and it works for big things like controlling your anger.

Which teachers have you met who have made a big impact in your life?

Geshe Tashi Tsering, the resident teacher here, is amazing. He is absolutely beautiful. And I took refuge with Lama Zopa in 1994, during the 20th anniversary of Chenrezig. I’ve met heaps of geshes.

When I attended the Kalachakra initiation in Sydney in 1996, I was staying with Geshe Tashi Tsering and drove with him. He was always being invited out for lunch or dinner by other geshes, so I was able to sit with all of them. It was amazing.

Would you be more interested to meet the most famous movie star or musician, or His Holiness the Dalai Lama?

Oh, His Holiness!

What does refuge mean to you?

It means I believe in the Buddha’s teachings and agree to live by the vows I have taken for my life. I see that they fit right in my life. It also means that I see the person with whom I took refuge as my guru, and they will be for the rest of my life and next lives.

Is there any advice or teachings you have received that left a big impression?

One I can always remember is a teaching Geshe Tashi Tsering gave on the death procedure. I can practically remember every word about the hallucinations, like the smoky vision, the fireflies – everything you experience when you die.

Why do you think it made such an impression?

I am intrigued by the whole process of how we pass on and enter into another body, and when we go through the bardo state – all those things we don’t remember unless we are extremely realized geshes!

How do you feel about dying?

I just hope I have created enough merit to go to a higher rebirth. I don’t think I’m that scared of it. I would most like to be a human being, though.

What are some of your goals for this life? And what about working?

To control my anger, definitely. Also, I’ve got to have enough money and that sort of thing, but everything should be in moderation, spiritual and conventional. I have to get a good education as well.

Do you hope to get married and have a family?

Well, if I meet the right person I would like to, but it’s more about what is happening right now – not yesterday or tomorrow.

If you could present one aspect of the Dharma to a group who didn’t have it, what would it be?

Compassion for all living beings. I think it is the basis, because if you are compassionate to all your friends, enemies, strangers and animals, you would be a much happier person.