DHARMASUNDAYSA space for Order members to share experience of meditation and the view of the path overall.
Sundays 10am to 5pm West London Buddhist Centre 45a Porchester Road W2 5PT(opp.Royal Oak; Paddington, Queensway Bayswater 10m)
We’ll let in latecomers if we can, but please arrive on time.
Mar 8 Tejananda: ‘Exploring the Three Bodies’
In this day workshop we’ll be exploring the real nature of the body & embodiment. Usually we think ‘we’ are walking around in a body of flesh and that the world is ‘out there’. But is this how things actually are? By looking at our actual experience in a directed, inquisitive and playful way, we can begin to discover what’s really going on: right here we have access to the ‘pure relative truth’ of the body which reflects the Three Bodies of the Buddha - the Trikaya. These three dimensions of experience are the apparent body, the sensations we take to be our ‘ordinary body’, the subtle ‘energy’ body and the body of ‘space’ and ‘awareness’. These are ways of talking about our actual experience right now, once we notice what is really going on in direct experience.
The day is intended to challenge our preconceptions about ‘what we are’ and will centre around ‘spiritual death’ and ‘spiritual rebirth’ practice: death of the deluded view of what we are, rebirth to our actual nature as pure relative truth.
Mar 15 Abhaya: Beauty
“Beauty is Important” —Sangharakshita, in a recent conversation.
With the one of the 6 Distinctive Emphases, (slightly expanded), of the spiritual value of beauty, we will be spending most of the day contemplating beauty. There will be two short presentations by Abhaya, each followed by an activity encouraging us to contemplate and appreciate what we find beautiful.
Those who come are asked to bring something which they find beautiful, either an object, a flower for example, a precious or semi precious stone, or a short text.
The meditation in the morning will be the Kasina practice.
22 Sanghapala & Karunagita: Direct Pointing [tbc]
Apr 12 Paramananda: Meditation tbc
19 Kamalashila: Samadhi
May10 Satyadhana: The Fetters of Desire and Ill Will
Desire and ill will are likely well known to us, perhaps more than we would prefer! They may in fact seem insurmountable at times, whether as hindrances to meditation or, more fundamentally, regular constraints or fetters that influence how we respond to others and the world around us.
We will explore how and why these fetters come to hold sway in our lives, and the ways in which the Buddha prescribed we can work to first weaken then break them. Focus will be placed on how we already work with them as part of the Triratna System of practice, and also how Direct Pointing can be used to see that, like the ego, desire and ill will are illusions that can be dispelled. Satyadhana will relate some of his personal experiences, and offer some guided meditation. He will also present a Sanskrit puja, Shantideva’s original verses set to traditional Indian chanting melodies, to accompany the English version we already know.
17 Vajradevi: mindfulness as an insight practice (Satipatthana sutta).
24
Jun 14
21 Prakasha: Tranquillity and Insight - Fresh Perspectives.
A re-appraisal of of our understanding of Dhyana, especially in our methodology for contemplating the three Laksanas of impermanance, unsatisfactoriness, and no-self. Presentations will alternate with meditation instructions, especially exploring ‘turning towards whatever arises in our experience with a spacious awareness’.
Jul 12 Sagaramati & Kamalashila - Views and Practice 1 [tbc]
16
Aug 9
16 Sagaramati & Kamalashila - Views and Practice 2 [tbc]
23 Vajradevi: Mindfulness as an insight practice (Satipatthana sutta)
Sep 13
20
Oct 11
18
Nov 8
15
22
Dec 13
20
Sundays 10am to 5pm West London Buddhist Centre 45a Porchester Road W2 5PT(opp.Royal Oak; Paddington, Queensway Bayswater 10m)
We’ll let in latecomers if we can, but please arrive on time.
Mar 8 Tejananda: ‘Exploring the Three Bodies’
In this day workshop we’ll be exploring the real nature of the body & embodiment. Usually we think ‘we’ are walking around in a body of flesh and that the world is ‘out there’. But is this how things actually are? By looking at our actual experience in a directed, inquisitive and playful way, we can begin to discover what’s really going on: right here we have access to the ‘pure relative truth’ of the body which reflects the Three Bodies of the Buddha - the Trikaya. These three dimensions of experience are the apparent body, the sensations we take to be our ‘ordinary body’, the subtle ‘energy’ body and the body of ‘space’ and ‘awareness’. These are ways of talking about our actual experience right now, once we notice what is really going on in direct experience.
The day is intended to challenge our preconceptions about ‘what we are’ and will centre around ‘spiritual death’ and ‘spiritual rebirth’ practice: death of the deluded view of what we are, rebirth to our actual nature as pure relative truth.
Mar 15 Abhaya: Beauty
“Beauty is Important” —Sangharakshita, in a recent conversation.
With the one of the 6 Distinctive Emphases, (slightly expanded), of the spiritual value of beauty, we will be spending most of the day contemplating beauty. There will be two short presentations by Abhaya, each followed by an activity encouraging us to contemplate and appreciate what we find beautiful.
Those who come are asked to bring something which they find beautiful, either an object, a flower for example, a precious or semi precious stone, or a short text.
The meditation in the morning will be the Kasina practice.
22 Sanghapala & Karunagita: Direct Pointing [tbc]
Apr 12 Paramananda: Meditation tbc
19 Kamalashila: Samadhi
May10 Satyadhana: The Fetters of Desire and Ill Will
Desire and ill will are likely well known to us, perhaps more than we would prefer! They may in fact seem insurmountable at times, whether as hindrances to meditation or, more fundamentally, regular constraints or fetters that influence how we respond to others and the world around us.
We will explore how and why these fetters come to hold sway in our lives, and the ways in which the Buddha prescribed we can work to first weaken then break them. Focus will be placed on how we already work with them as part of the Triratna System of practice, and also how Direct Pointing can be used to see that, like the ego, desire and ill will are illusions that can be dispelled. Satyadhana will relate some of his personal experiences, and offer some guided meditation. He will also present a Sanskrit puja, Shantideva’s original verses set to traditional Indian chanting melodies, to accompany the English version we already know.
17 Vajradevi: mindfulness as an insight practice (Satipatthana sutta).
24
Jun 14
21 Prakasha: Tranquillity and Insight - Fresh Perspectives.
A re-appraisal of of our understanding of Dhyana, especially in our methodology for contemplating the three Laksanas of impermanance, unsatisfactoriness, and no-self. Presentations will alternate with meditation instructions, especially exploring ‘turning towards whatever arises in our experience with a spacious awareness’.
Jul 12 Sagaramati & Kamalashila - Views and Practice 1 [tbc]
16
Aug 9
16 Sagaramati & Kamalashila - Views and Practice 2 [tbc]
23 Vajradevi: Mindfulness as an insight practice (Satipatthana sutta)
Sep 13
20
Oct 11
18
Nov 8
15
22
Dec 13
20
