Adverts
Communicating meditation to newcomers
Join a Triratna Men's community in East London
Spaces in Sukhavati community at London Buddhist Centre
Rooms in Men's Community in Cambridge
2011 International Urban Retreat
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Communicating meditation to newcomers
A meditation teachers and supporters workshop. Led By Vajradaka
25th September 2011, 10.30am - 4.30pm. £45
An opportunity to explore how to exemplify clear knowledgeable communication of the essence of awareness and meditation, with a confidence sense of presence.
Venue; Inspirit, Temple Yard, off Temple Street, Bethnal Green, London
MORE INFORMATION Email Vajradaka; dh.vajradaka@googlemail.com
Tel: 07890 452 401
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2011 saw the launch of an exciting new initiative: a six-month, full time, residential Dharma training course for men. It has proved to be highly successful, and therefore we plan to run another one next year!
Here is what some of this year’s students said:
“One of the happiest and most rewarding experiences of my life” - (Richard Millington)
“Studying the Dhamma in depth within such a supportive context has positively changed how I view myself and the world” - (David Basak)
So, if you are: - male (sorry ladies, your time will come)
- (preferably) young(ish)
- able to scrape together around £2000 but most of all
- seriously interested in a Dharma training within the Triratna Community
- free from January to June 2012
then contact Vidyaruchi on matt.notmatt@yahoo.co.uk, or 07982 219505
Please note: The venue of the course is Madhyamaloka in Birmingham. There is a plan afoot to sell Madhyamaloka, and relocate to a large piece of land in the countryside. If this happens before June next year, which is not very likely, the course may be effected.
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Thinking of moving to Birmingham?
Our stable, experienced, relaxed, harmonious men’s community is expanding. Gareth Retallick, Heiko Ludolph, Jnanarakshita, Matt Patterson, Prabhakara, Saraha and Shuddhakirti live above what was the Madhyamaloka annexe on Park Hill in leafy Moseley.
From July, we’ll occupy the whole house (with garden and meditation shed). There'll be room for Damian Gill (a local mitra) plus one other man to join us. Could it be you?
It's an excellent situation in which to train for ordination. The atmosphere in our house is remarkably peaceful. Birmingham Buddhist Centre is in an exciting phase: there’s major refurbishment going on, plenty of activities for young people, and waves of mitras preparing to join the Order.
Our community is less than ten minutes walk from the Buddhist Centre, the Midlands Arts Centre, Edgbaston Cricket Ground and a number of very pleasant parks.
It’s also only a few miles from the vibrant and culturally alive city centre. There’s world-class concerts most weeks, lots of South Asian arts performances, and an acclaimed annual International Dance Festival. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the nearby university also hosts musical events, and works in the permanent collection by the likes of Botticelli, Turner, Rodin, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, van Gogh, Picasso, etc.
There may also be vacancies coming up in the Salisbury Road community. For more details, contact 0121 449 0413.
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ROOMS AVAILABLE IN MEN'S COMMUNITY IN CAMBRIDGE
Two rooms are available in our friendly, and 'open' community owned by Cambridge Buddhist Centre. The house is pleasantly located a short distance from the river, Midsummer Common and the town centre.
Rent plus bills (excluding food): £360 pcm.
Contact: Neil Hewett (neil.hewett@yahoo.co.uk) or Ramesh on 01223 704212.
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Join a Triratna men’s community in East London
Join a blooming Triratna men’s community in East London. Good vibe with experienced and friendly community members: Vajradaka, Amalavajra, Anandavajra and Dzidek.
Attractive and well cared-for house in tranquil Leytonstone, near lovely Epping Forest. Good tube links to central London and the LBC (Central Line zone 3). Double Room available 7th April. Only £340 per month, incl. bills (excl. food).
Contact Dzidek on 07921 314 465 dzidek.sabat@gmail.com
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Living the Dharma together
Sukhavati men’s Buddhist community – at the heart of the thriving Mandala of the London Buddhist Centre – is looking for two men. We’re all committed to practising the spiritual life, and bring our unique life experience and personality to a shared vision of communal practice, whole-hearted engagement and spiritual friendship.
We find that our community really works. Here are some reasons why:
• Friendship and heartfelt connection – this is what it’s all about.
• Eating together – this is one of the delights of living here. Beats a TV dinner any day!
• Meditation and ritual – here is a conducive place for meditation, and we have our own shrine room
• Study – we often study the dharma together which we find satisfying
• Living simply – there are fewer bills to sort out, less food to buy, less possessions to maintain
• Joy – we like laughing, playing and rejoicing in each other
This is a marvellous opportunity to live out the Dharma in a vibrant community – as part of the wider Sangha of the Triratna Buddhist Community.
Interested? Then contact vidyadaka@lbc.org.uk to see if it could be your next step.
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2011 International Urban Retreat
An invitation to join the International Urban Retreat 8th to 15th October 2011
Dear Friends,
This letter is advance notice of an event happening in October and an invitation for you and/or your Going for Refuge group to take part...
In 2009 we had the first ever “International Urban Retreat”. Around 40 Triratna Buddhist Centres across the world joined in, by running urban retreats for their local sanghas. Urban retreats are a simple, effective format for intensifying practice in the midst of everyday life. In addition, because we were all running our urban retreats in the same week, we were able to do rituals, have on-line talks etc. that linked us all up and created a tangible sense of practising in a worldwide community.
We're running the event again this year and we‟re expanding it in a number of ways. One idea we had was to ask Going for Refuge groups to join in.
There are two ways to join in:
1) Simply take part in the urban retreat at your Centre in October. You'll gain from taking part; it will have a positive effect on your practice. In addition, people in your local sangha will benefit from you (as a more experienced member of the sangha) on the event.
2) We'll also be producing a pack with a special “version” of the urban retreat for Going for Refuge groups. This will give your group everything it needs to know to do an urban retreat together. What exactly this would entail will become clear once the pack is out (in the late spring), but it will be a great way to practice together and intensify your practice as a Going for Refuge group, as well as it supporting your own individual practice. In addition, you'll know that many other people all over the world will also be taking part... you'll be part of an international practice community. It is an event which has big potential to inspire, promote harmony, and deepen our individual and collective practice. Do watch out for more details as they emerge and do take part!
With best wishes, Vajragupta
(Triratna Development Team, who are running the event on behalf of the European Chairs Assembly)
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Western Buddhist Review Volume 5 Out Now!
The Western Buddhist Review is an on-line journal publishing articles of interest to practicing Western Buddhists. Volume 5 has just been completed and is available online at http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/vol5/index.html.
Jnanaketu, its editor writes - “Volume 5 has a remarkable range of material. In it you‟ll find six good articles, an interesting collection of book reviews, and a critical note from Sangharakshita. Although the articles will speak for themselves, I‟d like to give you a taste of what they contain.
“The first piece is a substantial critique of D. T. Suzuki. Nagapriya investigates the origins of Suzuki‟s presentation of Zen to the West, his relationship with militarism and Japanese nationalism and his attitude to non-Japanese people. Nāgapriya concludes that Suzuki‟s legacy has probably been deeply damaging to the development of the Dharma in western countries:
“In stripping away the rituals, traditions, and practices of Zen, as well as its cultural and historical development, Suzuki dismantled Zen as a religious phenomenon. While his emphasis on the goal of Zen is perfectly legitimate, his lack of attention to the path removes the possibility of its realization”.
“An American academic, Bill Ferraiolo, compares the teaching of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus with the teaching of the Buddha, and considers to what extent the Dharma can be successfully mediated through Hellenistic philosophy. It‟s good to be able to publish this piece since its aspirations are very much aligned with the Triratna Buddhist Community‟s interest in excavating affinities between the Dharma and the work of western philosophers. This topic cries out for further treatment.
“The (very sadly) posthumous article by Adarsha examines the role of rights language and practice in the policies and practices of an international development agency active in India – the Karunā Trust. The author traces the origins of „rights‟ in western discourse and suggests that rights are philosophically inconsistent with the Dhamma. He goes on to claim that whilst this is the case, there is an argument to be made for using rights language tactically, within a context of duty, and supports this contention with reference to the work of Dr Ambedkar, the Indian Dalit leader, and of Sangharakshita and others. He surveys Chambers‟ “Obligations-Based Approach” which supports such a tactical stance from the angle of development, and outlines what he calls a “Dhamma-based Approach”. He concludes that “in relation to the „have-nots‟, it is possible to use a language of rights since there does not seem to be a better language that our partners can use which enables them to tackle the systemic discrimination they suffer, and because this perspective does lend itself to bringing about meaningful social change. In relation to the “haves”, the emphasis would be on duties, as currently is our [Karuna‟s] approach when fundraising on doorsteps or among the team in terms of lower salaries.....It seems to be the rule that when Buddhism enters a new culture some adaptation has to take place in order for existing paradigms and practices to be assimilated into what can be recognised as Buddhism”.
“Bodhiketu seeks to shed new light on the traditional account of the stages of spiritual maturity: Stream Entrant, Once-returner, Non-returner and Arahant. After exploring the matter of ethical development, Bodhiketu suggests that this schema has been understood in such a way that the bar has been set discouragingly high, which runs the risk of undermining the confidence of Dharma practitioners. His investigations lead him to recommend a more encouraging reading of the schema, which he hopes will benefit readers‟ Dharma practice. A version of this piece appeared in Shabda, but I‟m sure that you‟ll find this revised version valuable.
“Jayarava offers a annotated translation of and detailed commentary on the one hundred syllable Vajrasattva mantra, which should be of considerable interest not only to Vajrasattva devotees, but those who are curious about the way in which mantras have come down to us. He draws attention to important themes in the mantra, and considers the nature of authenticity in relation to mantras in general.
“Last, but by no means least, Sāgaramati offers a scholarly exploration of the claims made by an eminent Indian scholar that the progressive nidāna sequence can be traced to the Cūlavedalla Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya. In the course of this exploration, he discusses the enormous significance of the progressive sequence as it appears in, for example, and convincingly reiterates the contention that, had the implications of the progressive sequence been grasped earlier, the way in which the Dharma has been presented to the West could have been fundamentally altered.
“In addition to these articles, you‟ll find substantial book reviews embracing a wide variety of topics: mindfulness and depression, money, sex, war, karma, literary theory and Buddhist scriptures, Aung San Suu Kyi, recent translations from the Pali Canon, Buddhism and science, the origins of Buddhist meditation, what the Buddha taught, and the British Buddhist scene”.
The Western Buddhist Review is produced as a labour of love by Jnanaketu and others but it welcomes donations - please visit their donations page http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/donations.html to make a contribution. Jnanaketu ends by saying “If you would like there to be a sixth volume of the Western Buddhist Review, please consider giving at least something - or, even better, putting us in touch with people who might consider making regular donations.
Cheques can be made out to Western Buddhist Review, and sent to me at 11, Park Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AB. Or you can send straight to the WBR bank account: Western Buddhist Review, HSBC, sort code 40-18-14, a/c no 51061550”.
