Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 4 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

On Wed, 13 September, 2017 - 20:20
Centre Team's picture
Centre Team

Day 4 brings us a bumper crop of great Dharma exploration and evocation from Ratnaguna and friends in the Bristol sangha as they deepen into their retreat together.

Talk 6: The Sutra as a Practice of Annussati - Recollection of the Three Jewels
Ratnaguna introduces the practice of reading the longer Sukhavativuyha Sutra as a recollection of the Buddha, Dharma and arya-Sangha.

Reading from the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra - The Living Beings of the Buddhafield
Ratnaguna briefly recaps on how to listen to the sutras before Karunavapi’s beautiful reading of the sections of the longer Sukhavativuyha sutra describing the Pure Land Sangha.

Amitabha Mantra
Another beautiful collective rendition of the Amitabha Mantra as part of the retreat. OM AMIDEVA HRI

Ratnaguna In Seminar on the Pure Land Sutras
Ratnaguna in conversation with the Bristol sangha, including talking about samatha and vipassanaTalk 7:  in sutra-reading; how to meet high aspirations; ‘volitional types’ and ‘self-surrender types’; and faith and true entrusting.

Talk 7: Sanghanussati - Sanghas in Pure Lands and Impure Lands
Ratnaguna reflects on the duality between the ideal Sangha of the Pure Land and our sangha which is inevitably imperfect as we are in an impure Buddhafield; and how the myth of pure and impure lands can address the problem of perfectionism if we use the beauty of the ideal as a star to navigate by. We also get some further comment on the sutra’s use of ‘human world images’ to communicate the beautiful qualities of the arya-Sangha.

See all the resources and blogs from this year’s Rainy Season Retreat

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