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Yashobodhi

Last blog post of the 2014 This Being Retreat

Thu, 10 Apr, 2014 - 18:57
Well all comes to an end. On the ceasing of this, that ceases. We’ve been using a round chant before some of the reflections and during some evenings. The evening events have been fairly simple. We have been chanting the Pali imasmim mantra, followed by a sutta that Dhivan had mentioned in the teaching session and then a period of meditation. After that we alternately did the Threefold puja and the Dhammapada puja, with some readings and a Shakyamuni mantra...
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Yashobodhi

This Being retreat day 6, How everything ties together

Thu, 10 Apr, 2014 - 13:50
In the last session of the This Being retreat, Dhivan moves from the three marks of existence to the Middle Way and ends with Nibbana. The latter he beautifully translates as blowing out the flame of compulsion, hostility and confusion. He also addresses the issue of not-self. This is the last full day of the retreat and nearly the end of the uploads here from this retreat. I will hopefully post the This Being That Becomes round chant we have...
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Yashobodhi

This being, led meditation 5

Thu, 10 Apr, 2014 - 09:57
Yesterday afternoon Nayaka led a meditation on the spiral path. Most important fact is that it unfolds naturally. ie without wilfulness. In this recording Nayaka gently shows where there could be an opening to the spiral path in our experience.
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Free Buddhist Audio

This Being Day 6, How Everything Ties Together

Thu, 10 Apr, 2014 - 01:00
Dhivan talks about the three marks of existence, the Middle Way and ends with Nibbana.
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Free Buddhist Audio

This Being Led Meditation 5

Thu, 10 Apr, 2014 - 01:00
In this led meditation Nayaka encourages us to find our footing on the spiral path.
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Yashobodhi

This Being retreat day 5, The Spiral Path

Wed, 9 Apr, 2014 - 13:53
This session started with the word joy on the flipchart. After that Dhivan asked us to name something that had come up for us with the retreat as condition. As we went round, it was very moving to hear how the retreat was supporting people to work with past and current situations and helping them to set up more conducive conditions for the future.
In this sessioin Dhivan emphasised the natural unfolding of the different steps on the spiral...
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Yashobodhi

This Being, led meditation 4

Wed, 9 Apr, 2014 - 09:57
Yesterday afternoon, Nayaka led a beautiful reflection on the five kandhas (or skandhas in Sanskrit). I thought his exploration was very clear, interesting and insightful.. A particular interesting part for me was that he had us playing with the skandha of cogntion, saññā. Thoroughly recommended.
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Free Buddhist Audio

This Being Day 5, The Spiral Path

Wed, 9 Apr, 2014 - 01:00
Dhivan talks about the spiral path and emphasises how it naturally unfolds.
Free Buddhist Audio's picture
Free Buddhist Audio

This Being Led Meditation 4

Wed, 9 Apr, 2014 - 01:00
Nayaka leads a clear and skilful meditative exploration of the five skandhas.
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Yashobodhi

This Being retreat day 4, How views and Emotions arise

Tue, 8 Apr, 2014 - 14:53
Today we’re exploring the underlying tendencies that give shape to our experience. We’re also going into the psychology of conceptual and perceptual proliferation and are presented with a model that explains how exactly we become a proverbial ‘tangle of string covered in mould and matted like grass’.