Turning Inward: The First Step to Universal Compassion

This is a fundraiser for The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) with all proceeds to be sent to the LTWA.

Geshe Lhakdor, the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA)in Dharamsala, is renowned not only for his knowledge and warmth, but also for his very practical and humorous teaching style.

Since 2005 he has been the director of the LTWA in Dharamsala, after serving as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s official translator for 16 years (still occasionally travels with H.H. as translator).

Geshe Lhakdor has also co-translated and co-produced several books by His Holiness, including The Way to Freedom, The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace, Awakening the Mind and Lightening the Heart, and Stages of Meditation among others.

Rev Dr Rod Benson is the General Secretary of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council, based in Sydney, and at North Rocks Community Church (a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia).

Rod was born in Wollongong, NSW, and lived for six years as a child in Lae, Papua New Guinea, before returning to Australia to complete his education. As an adult, he has travelled widely, visiting six continents, and in his wilder moments hopes one day to set foot in Antarctica.

As an ordained Baptist minister, Rod served as minister of churches at Flinders View (Queensland), Blakehurst (Sydney), and Lithgow (Country NSW), and engaged in interim ministry at several other churches. From 2002 to 2004, he was Baptist Chaplain to Macquarie University. From 2004 to 2014, he was employed as an ethicist and public theologian at Morling College, Sydney. From 2017 to January 2025, he served as Research Support Officer at Moore Theological College, Sydney. Since February 2025, he has served the NSW Ecumenical Council.

Nadya Hutagalung is the founder of Svara Mandala, bringing three decades of environmental advocacy into direct confrontation with a simple truth: we cannot heal our relationship with the planet while remaining fractured within ourselves.

As UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador, she launched the global #CleanSeas campaign and founded "Let Elephants Be Elephants" to combat the ivory trade. She spoke at the World Economic Forum, addressed the UN General Assembly, and sat on Prince William's Earthshot Prize. But standing on those stages, advocating for external change while feeling internally disconnected, revealed the limitation of the approach.

In 2020, a major health scare forced her to stop, she confronted what she'd been avoiding: she needed to look inside first. What emerged was Svara Mandala – wellness company dedicated to restoring connections within ourselves, each other, and with nature through transformative experiences combining ancient wisdom, creative expression, and wellbeing practices.

Through immersive retreats in Bhutan, Bali, and Australia, Nadya facilitates the difficult work of coming home to ourselves. Currently based in Australia, creating spaces where inner transformation and ecological consciousness aren't separate – they're the same work.