About Siddhartha’s Intent

Founded in 1986 by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Siddhartha’s Intent (SI) supports Rinpoche’s buddhadharma activities worldwide.

Our Spiritual Director

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Filmmaker? Photographer? Football fan? In a world where labels matter, finding just one that captures the essence of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche might, on the face of it, seem an impossible task. But actually, it couldn’t be simpler. First and foremost, Khyentse Rinpoche is and always will be a buddhist teacher, and all his other activities are merely creative responses to this central aspiration.

What We Do

Meet The Team

Tashi Colman

Secretary

Tsz Wai Chiu

Global Distribution

Tadi Yan

Video Editor

Toni Whittaker

Global Communications

Ma Lan

Chinese Communications

Alicja Żmigrodzka

Design

Michael Macioce

Global Archivist

Helen Williams

Transcription

Tom Gwinn

Web Master

How We Operate

Siddhartha’s Intent is an international collective of buddhist groups that began in Australia in 1986 with the formation of Siddhartha’s Intent Southern Door (now known as Siddhartha’s Intent Australia). SI has since expanded with groups in all continents. Local SIs are officially registered in their respective countries as societies or charities founded with the sole intention of preserving and fostering the Buddhadharma.

All the centres organize teachings and study programmes with the wish to create a suitable environment in which the Buddhadharma may flourish. The achievement of this aim will increase the awareness of buddhist principles, surpassing the limits of cultures and traditions. Each independent SI region strives to fulfil Rinpoche’s wishes in its own unique way.

Our Logo

The logo of Siddhartha’s Intent is one of the four monumental gateways surrounding the Great Stupa at Sanchi. The stupa is the oldest stone structure in India and was commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great, an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent during the 3rd century BCE. One of India’s greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests. In about 260 BCE Ashoka fought a bitterly destructive war against the state of Kalinga (modern Odisha). He embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. He then dedicated himself to propagating Buddhism across Asia. The illustrations on this website were inspired by reliefs from the Great Stupa at Sanchi.

Learn more here

Siddhartha’s Intent Helpline

If you, as a sangha member, have a complaint about a wrongdoing by a representative of Siddhartha’s Intent that you are unable to resolve directly, you are invited to contact a mediator who is appointed directly by Rinpoche and who is ready to hear you with no judgment and in complete confidentiality. Help requests may be initiated by contacting a private email address accessible only by Rinpoche’s lead mediator: [email protected] *

The purpose of the helpline is to maintain a kind and compassionate community, and to avoid disharmony in the sangha through practising what we learn and teach. As sangha members, our main aim is to take care of each other and to help each other along the path. “… if someone feels unfairly taken advantage of, we… need a group of people whom that person can reach out to and call.” ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

* Note: Currently mediation support is available only in English, but may be available in other major languages in the future.