The Bodhicaryavatara is an 8th century text written by Shantideva, a Buddhist monk from the monastic 'university' at Nalanda, India, and Dhammadinna presented this material over three sessions on an Order retreat called "Teaching the Bodhicaryavatara." She says at the beginning that she isn't giving a formal talk and, indeed, the title is her description of what she was doing.... sharing some thoughts on the Bodhicaryavatara.

At various points in the talk, Dhammadinna asks us questions relating to the text - do we believe this? does this language still work for us in the 21st century? do we need to rephrase it for our generation and culture? or do we just need to try harder to be receptive to Shantideva's insights?

The three sessions were a preliminary to main activity of the retreat where each Order member present chose some verses from the text and led a session of study / discussion on them.

Given at Taraloka, October 2008

This is the first guided reflection in the series 'Night Lily Garden of the Midnight Way - Emptiness and the Great Compassion'.

Here's a talk by the wonderful Suvarnaprabha given at a meeting of the San Francisco Gay Buddhist Fellowship just after the U.S. election of 2008. Tempering the general delight at Barack Obama's win was the knowledge that the people of California had voted to outlaw gay marriage, reversing the then current law. Suvarnaprabha's talk is perfectly weighted to the context and the time, looking at the 'perfection of patience', one of the training principles of the Bodhisattva and its application in our own challenging spiritual lives.

Talk given at San Francisco Buddhist Center, November 2008

Nagesvara

28-year-old Swedish Order Member Nagesvara gives a very honest account of how he made contact with the Dharma and the FWBO: the music and party scene in Sweden leading to dissatisfaction, an interest meditation, the Stockholm Buddhist Centre, friendships with older Order Members, and finally the supportive community of Windhorse:Evolution in Cambridge UK, where he currently lives.

Lindsay

A clear and passionate talk proposing three specific initiatives FWBO Centres could take to inspire more young people with the Dharma. Still in her 20s, Lindsay currently lives and works at Taraloka Women's Retreat Centre in Shropshire, UK.

Kev

Kev's story of how he contacted the Dharma and the FWBO explores his search for ways to integrate early 'mystical' experiences and his love of community - while at university and working as a coach driver for expeditions across Europe. Still in her 20s, Kev currently works at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre.

What do we revere? Is reverence a Buddhist practice? When we bow, does it mean we are unworthy?

This talk explores "the problem of how to translate knowing into being"- the function and meaning of reverence in general and bowing in particular; introduces the Three Jewels of Buddhism and the Threefold Puja; discusses religion, the rational mind, and the dangers and fetters of reverence.

With quotations by Urgyen Sangharakshita, Lama Suyra Das, and Shunryu Suzuki.