rockyysdt

Well, at one end you have "what the Buddha actually taught", and at the other end "what humans believe it to be". These are not synonymous (antonymous). 1. Belief is not always fact. 2. Humans are affected by Greed, Aversion, & Delusion.

This reminds me of a Roman Pope who was keen to explore meditation. He complained about the chattering bird life in the Vatican Gardens which were disturbing his concentration practice, and had them killed off. Sadly he missed the point. The Buddha came up with Monkhood, at a time when rural life entailed grueling daily routines in order just to survive. We are now in the 21st century. The Monkhood freed adherents from the shackles of the need to provide for themselves, and offered access to teachers. You now have a Government pension, and a plethora of teachings via the www. . What we need to do is practice daily Mindfulness for our entire wakeful day as well as sessions of sitting Meditation. Creating an artificial environment misses the point. We need to work towards achieving silence of mind regardless of our environment. We need to be present in our thoughts, our feelings, our awareness, and our surroundings. You said you are in your fifties. Overcoming habits and/or achieving change is your biggest hurdle and will only worsen with age. It's now down to you to overcome your preconceived ideas, thoughts, and conditioning.

When you post the passport & documents is there a post office box number for the Sydney Embassy or do you post it to their physical address?

Thanks Your information has been invaluable.

Your situation fits into their mould. For many tourists, traveling to discover means that you won't know where you'll be or for how long. Tying yourself to 60 days of pre-booked accommodation would be extremely restrictive (almost like a Chinese package). Not to mention, shopping around for better accommodation once you're on the ground adds to your experience, not to mention hunting down a condo deal.

Do they need two documents showing the address? Isn't the address on the passport copy sufficient? When they pre-approve do they send an email with a reference number? Do you include the reference number when you post the documents?

When you posted your passport for stamps did you need to include the application form with the photo? I know you need to upload a copy of the application with photo affixed. Do you give them Visa Card account details with the upload to pay the $60? Did the Embassy use registered post to return the passport?

The issue is that visa exempt entry requires you to enter with a return air ticket for no more than 30 days. I was told some are asking to see your airticket???

Hi. Hoping for some assistance. On the Canberra website, for a single entry visa they are asking for proof of booking of place where the traveler will be staying. We have bookings for the first 3 nights, but the whole idea of tourism is to explore. Is this a deal breaker or will they issue the visa without proof of booking for the entire trip? PS: 30 non visa entry is insufficient as trip is for 6 weeks. thanks

Hi Vinnie. Apart from escaping, what do you want to achieve?