Bardo Café, Mullumbimby (2026)

03/06/2026

Entering Basic Goodness weekend🌟

Once again we had an awesome time at this weekend course..seeing the value of caring for our own mind..

We practiced and learned about Vipassana (insight meditation), opening the possibility to lasting happiness. .isbel Thank you for your clear, direct and relaxed teaching style!!

We are looking forward to next time!

PS: If you would like to support Bardo Cafe’s activities check out the ‘Wakeful Ware’ on our new website. You won’t be disappointed😉 Items are available to order online!

www.thebardocafe.com

31/05/2026

༓ THE DOORS HAVE SWUNG OPEN ༓
and somewhere in the digital fog, a little purple train has pulled into the station with coffee in its veins and stars in its pockets.

Bardonauts, the new Bardo Café website is live!

www.thebardocafe.com

We’re opening the doors today on Sangye & Nyangde Düchen — the Great Day of Awakening & Letting Go — a day that remembers the Buddha’s enlightenment and passing beyond clinging. So this little launch arrives not just as a website, but as an offering: may it be useful, may it gather goodness, may it help a few wandering hearts remember the gap beneath the noise.

Inside the café you’ll find:
༒ workshops for curious minds and wandering nervous systems
༒ a book club for slow readers, soft listeners, and philosophical loiterers
༒ interviews with teachers, wanderers, wisdom-weavers, and fellow gap-gazers
༒ wakeful wares: shirts, totes, notebooks, and other small relics for remembering the obvious miracle
༒ a place to connect, subscribe, and stay tuned as the kettle begins its next cosmic burble

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

And truly—if you choose to pick up something from the new site, please know how much we appreciate it. Your support helps keep the kettle singing, the pixels shimmering, and this strange little café available for the community we’re so grateful to gather with.

So come poke around. Open a few doors. Click the glowing buttons. Let the strange little café pour you something warm from the great ungraspable thermos of Now.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

From the café where the moment pours itself,
The Bardoristas

P.S.
Much thanks to for making building this website!

20/05/2026

Somewhere between the first sip of morning
and the third unnecessary argument with your own mind,
a small question starts tapping on the café window:

What if the trouble isn’t that life keeps changing?
What if the trouble is
that we keep asking it
to stand still for the photograph?

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

Most of us have been trying
to negotiate with weather.
Tidying the mind into a sensible little cupboard.
Ironing the ocean.
Convincing the flicker of experience
to become furniture.
And naturally, the whole thing keeps wobbling.
Not because we are broken.
Because this is how appearances appear:
vivid, shifting, ungraspable,
and somehow still intimate enough
to call my life.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

Entering Basic Goodness — Discovering Freedom from Suffering
A weekend workshop for looking directly at the subtle unease we carry beneath the surface — that low humming sense that something is not quite complete yet.
Over the weekend, we’ll learn and deepen a precise practice for cutting through the loops of thought, commentary, and reactivity — opening into ease, clarity, and the living heart of the Buddha’s wisdom.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

࿇ With Ben Isbel
Vipassana teacher with 30+ years’ experience in traditional Buddhist meditation and contemporary psychological approaches to mindfulness.
࿇ Sat 30 May, 9am – Sun 31 May, 4:30pm
࿇ Lapis, Mullumbimby Creek
࿇ Or join via Zoom

࿇ Admission: 150 AUD

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

The doorway may not announce itself with thunder.
Sometimes it just opens
like steam from a cup.
For more Info & To Register visit:
www.thebardocafe.com/workshops

07/05/2026

We all experience a subtle undercurrent of dissatisfaction — a restlessness that lingers even in moments that should feel complete. But where does it come from? And more importantly, can it be unraveled?

In this course, you’ll be gently introduced to simple, practical techniques that help reveal the roots of this discomfort — and, in doing so, uncover the quiet, innate goodness that has always been present beneath it.

Day 1 is about seeing clearly.
You’ll learn a simple, precise practice that cuts through habitual patterns of thought and reactivity. Together, we’ll explore the technique itself — not just how to do it, but how we often misunderstand it.

By recognizing these common pitfalls, you’ll begin to relate to your mind with more ease and confidence — discovering that many of the struggles in meditation can be gently sidestepped rather than forcefully overcome.

Day 2 is about deepening.
We’ll refine and stabilize the practice, allowing it to open into something far more expansive than ordinary experience. What begins as simple attention can reveal a direct glimpse into the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom.

As understanding deepens, so too does a quiet recognition: what you’re looking for isn’t something to acquire — it’s something to uncover. And in that recognition, new possibilities begin to unfold — perhaps far beyond what you imagined.

About the Facilitator

Ben has been teaching Vipassana (insight meditation) for many years, creating a space that is both warm and genuinely welcoming. He has a natural ability to present the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is clear, practical, and non-sectarian — making them accessible and relevant to people from all backgrounds.

Ben has over 30 years’ of experience practicing and teaching both traditional Buddhist meditation techniques and contemporary psychological approaches to mindfulness. Ben has studied in both the Theravadin and Mahayana Buddhist traditions and holds a B. of Psychology (Honours) and a PhD in neuroscience of mindfulness.

Participants consistently appreciate Ben’s grounded, straightforward approach, and the ease with which he brings depth and clarity to the practice.

Link for more info is in comments!

23/04/2026

Ever feel like reality is almost landing—
but not quite sticking the landing?
Like you’ve got the life, the moment, the scene—
and still… a quiet flicker says:
“something’s not resolved here…”

Good. That flicker is the doorway. Cuz what if nothing’s wrong…and everything’s just moving? What if the ache isn’t a flaw, but a signal that you’re trying to hold what was never built to stay still?

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

ENTERING BASIC GOODNESS
Discovering Freedom from Suffering
A weekend to stop pushing the river and start noticing… you are the river.

🕰 Sat 30 May, 9am → Sun 31 May, 4:30pm (AEST)
📍 Lapis, Mullumbimby Creek NSW (+ Zoom option for far-flung bardonauts)
💸 Early Bird: $108 AUD (until May 12)
💸 Full Price: $150 AUD

⋆˙༓ Guided by Ben Isbel
25+ years deep in the mindstream—from Burmese insight lineages to Tibetan wisdom streams,
with a PhD decoding the brain’s habits of becoming. Translation: he knows where we get tangled—and how to gently, precisely… unhook.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

This isn’t about becoming a better you. It’s about seeing through the one who thinks it needs improvement. No dogma. No spiritual cosplay. Just simple practice, direct seeing, and a quiet kind of recognition that hits deeper than motivation ever could.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

🔗 Link https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-entering-basic-goodness-discovering-freedom-from-suffering

if something in you paused while reading this…that pause is already the beginning. Mind the gap.

°✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧°

From the space between thoughts, where the plotline forgets itself mid-sentence—

—The Bardo Bard

22/04/2026

Thank you Ani Zangmo & Giselle Martins for facilitating such a safe, fun & reflective space!! We had a fantastic time at the ‚Coming Home‘ retreat at Lapis!!

We look forward to coming home together again soon💃🧘‍♀️🌸✨🌈
dharma .gmartins

30/03/2026

Join Tulku Ngawang Tenzin and Sunita Lama in conversation as we explore the realities of a young generation in a fast-moving, hyper-connected world.

From attention and mental wellbeing to purpose, procrastination and presence—this dialogue looks beyond labels to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface.

We invite you to a grounded, honest dialogue on mental well-being, awareness, and how to reconnect—with ourselves, our younger generation and with each other.

This is a series of interviews, inviting GenZ directly into future conversations.

Guest speakers

Tulku Ngawang Tenzin

Tulku Ngawang Tenzin Loden Rinpoche was born on 26 August 1987 in Sikkim and at the age of eight was recognized by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche as the reincarnation of Gaywe Shenyen Losal Rinpoche from the Northern Treasure lineage of Khahong Labrang Monastery in Tibet.

Tulku Ngawang takes care of his monastery in Gangtok, Sikkim, and manages the Buddha Pāda Institute in Kalimpong, West Bengal, where he also leads courses in Buddhism and meditation working with and meeting young generations.

Tulku Ngawang was featured in Khyentse Norbu’s film, „Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache“.

Sunita Lama

Sunita Lama is an Experienced Happiness and Wellness Coordinator with an extensive background in mindfulness-based education and social-emotional learning (SEL). She teaches Wellness courses on the Science of Happiness and runs The Wellness Club at Inspiria Knowledge Campus, fostering awareness, emotional intelligence and the need for self care.

Sunita is skilled in trauma- informed facilitation, somatic and art-based therapy, and nervous system regulation.. Adept at designing retreats and facilitating reflective dialogue circles to enhance educator well-being.

Sunita is committed to youth empowerment through innovative curriculum design for well-being across various educational institutions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Zoom link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84346492476?pwd=lJljipzQI9ZI33DbhZkRSXCFbDWTBv.1

19/03/2026

༺ Coming Home — Embodying Wellbeing ༻

°•★•°∵Beloved Bardonauts∵°•☆•°

Maybe you’ve felt it
when you heard about it
The first time—

a small pause…

a quiet opening
in the flow of things…

And then the current took you again.

═══════ *.•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•.* ═══════

We’re living inside a pace the body quietly absorbs.

Over time, the nervous system learns urgency, bracing, always leaning forward.

But the same body that adapts…
can also return home.

This weekend immersion is a gentle space to:

• slow down and reset your nervous system
• reconnect with body, breath, and awareness
• explore grounded, trauma-sensitive practices
• rediscover steadiness, clarity, and ease

Stillness. Movement. Sound. Silence.
A small clearing—held in good company.

Because We All Deserve To Embody Wellbeing

═══════ °✧•°⋆⋅༗⋅⋆°•✧° ═══════

📅 April 11–12, 2026
📍 Lapis, Mullumbimby Creek NSW
💰 108 AUD

⋆˙✦ Early Bird Offering (until March 31) ✦˙⋆

Includes The Hold Space Tote—
Carry cosmos, coffee, the curious clutter of the day;
groceries, galaxies, grief, grace—
all welcome inside.

═══════ °✧•°⋆⋅𓁿⋅⋆°•✧° ═══════

If it speaks to you, you’re welcome to join us!

🔗 Link in bio to register and for more information

From the liminal café, where nothing lingers and everything is welcome,

The Bardoristas

08/03/2026

Dear Bardo friends!!

We invite you to step into a weekend designed to support you slow down, tune in, and reconnect! 🙌🌟

Grab an early bird ticket now to receive ‚The Hold Space Tote‘👌 Carry cosmos, coffee, the curious clutter of the day; groceries, galaxies, grief, grace - all welcome inside😇
Offer is available until 23rd of March!!

This immersive weekend invites you to a playful exploration of your inner landscape. We will blend somatic practices, movement, meditation, sound, and ancient Buddhist wisdom to nourish the nervous system, restore ease, and reconnect body,breath and awareness.

You’ll explore practical tools to come home to your body, build emotional resilience, and relate to whatever arises internally and externally with more ease, kindness and clarity.

When:
Saturday 11th April / 9am – 6:30pm
Sunday 12th April / 9am – 5pm

Where:
Lapis, 40 Yankee Creek Road, Mullumbimby Creek, NSW

If you live in a Bardo nearby check the link below for more info and registration!!💕🔮

https://events.humanitix.com/coming-home-embodied-exploration-of-wellbeing

Bardo Café

03/06/2026

31/05/2026

20/05/2026

07/05/2026

23/04/2026

22/04/2026

30/03/2026

19/03/2026

08/03/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category