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Devamitra

Can Can Cancer Dancer 5

From Stories From the Past and Present (Looking to the Future) on Wed, 13 Sep, 2017 - 19:09

Can Can Cancer Dancer 5

From Stories From the Past and Present (Looking to the Future) on Wed, 13 Sep, 2017 - 19:09

5 Chemo’s Ghost

Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s two chief disciples, was once meditating in the open air on a full-moon night. A passing mischievous spirit, beguiled perhaps by the moon shining on Sariputta’s freshly shaven head, found such a tempting pate irresistible and gave it a hefty swipe with his club. However, Sariputta was so deeply absorbed in meditation he felt nothing. His friend Mogallana, who had seen the assault, asked him if he was in pain. After thinking about it,...

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jvalamalini

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 4

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Wed, 13 Sep, 2017 - 13:22

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 4

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Wed, 13 Sep, 2017 - 13:22

Today we focused on the very beautiful descriptions of the beings in the happy land of Sukhavati. In many ways these are my favourite sections of the sutra; I’ve spent happy meditations in the past basking in the golden light as I imagined being amidst great beings with “minds of equality, minds of loving-kindness, gentle minds, affectionate minds, diligent minds, clear minds, stable minds, unhindered minds, unshaken minds, unagitated minds, minds which practise the perfection of wisdom” who stroll around...

Centre Team

Against Buddhist Violence In Burma

Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 13:06

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jvalamalini

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 3

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 09:04

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 3

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 09:04

Another beautiful day in the pure land! On my way home, I sighed - “oh it’s all so lovely!”.

Today our sutra reading was sections of the text describing the land of Sukhavati, which is the Dharma aspect of the text. (Yesterday focused more on the Buddha - including beautiful descriptions of bodhisattva activity)

I found the description of the river particularly beguiling - the sound of the river is both soothing, and conveys the Dharma. It conveys the Dharma by murmuring the only,...

Centre Team

Triratna Southampton opens new centre!

From Triratna News on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 17:20

Triratna Southampton opens new centre!

From Triratna News on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 17:20

After many hours and lots of generous help from a team of volunteers, we have transformed the old ‘Plume of Feathers’ pub into our new Southampton Buddhist Centre.

On the eve of their grand opening on 8th September - the last day of the ‘old’ before they formally became the ‘new’ - Amritadasa led an evening of meditation and quiet reflection to begin the weekend of celebrations. Next they held an Open Day beginning with a ribbon cutting opening ceremony, with an opportunity to...

Centre Team

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

From Community Highlights on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

From Community Highlights on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

All this week we’ll be bringing you online resources and blogs from the Bristol Buddhist Centre’s Rainy Season Retreat on ‘Great Faith, Great Wisdom’ with Ratnaguna.

Follow the retreat online

On this retreat Ratnaguna will guide us on a journey into Amitābha’s Pure Land, Sukhāvati – a mythical realm where the ground is golden, trees are made of jewels, heavenly musical instruments play ravishing music, and magical birds sing the Dharma. It is...

Centre Team

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

From Community Highlights on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

From Community Highlights on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

jvalamalini

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 2

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 08:27

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 2

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 08:27

My day started with double meditation by our very golden shrine. I appreciated the time to just sit with some of the phrases which resonated with me from yesterday’s readings of the shorter Sukhavativuyha sutra. Sitting with “heartfelt desire”, exploring the associated sensations, and ‘objects’ of desire; and with a sense of “embraced by all the Buddhas”; and the connection between the two. It felt rich and fruitful.

Ratnaguna gave a fascinating talk, showing us resonances between the Sukhavativuyha sutras and two late Pali suttas...

jvalamalini

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 1

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Sat, 9 Sep, 2017 - 21:51

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 1

From Bristol Buddhist Centre on Sat, 9 Sep, 2017 - 21:51

We had a wonderful first day of our Order-Mitra ‘Rainy Season Retreat’ today, with Ratnaguna on fine form exploring everything from what we can learn from the language of the heptapods in the film ‘Arrival’, through the way the Mahayana expresses insight cosmically, suggestions on how to listen to the sutras, to why birds have to be magical apparitions in the pure land.

We listened to one of the sutras twice, and discussed our responses.

When I walked out...

Acalavajri

Upcoming ordinations at Akashavana

From Order Connection on Sat, 9 Sep, 2017 - 20:24

Upcoming ordinations at Akashavana

From Order Connection on Sat, 9 Sep, 2017 - 20:24

Dear Friends,

We are delighted to let you know that the private ordinations of the following women will take place over Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th September here at Akashavana in Spain. The public ordinations will follow on Saturday 16th September at 10am local time.

The public preceptors will be Maitreyi, Paramachitta and Parami

Jaimie Redwood from Norwich.
Private preceptor Srivati

Gill Davies from Shrewsbury.
Private preceptor Kalyachitta

Penny Strange from Llangollen.
Private preceptor Saddhanandi

Meera Vig from Auckland.
Private preceptor Malini

Caroline Rogers from North London.
Private preceptor Amritamati

Danièle Adam from Paris.
Private preceptor Vajrapushpa

Ursula Brosch from Essen.
Private preceptor Taracitta

Cate Clark from...

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