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.

As part of a whole year at San Francisco Buddhist Center dedicated to the theme of 'Going for Refuge', we have this talk from Viveka. It's a personable and wide-ranging look at one of the most important aspects of Buddhist practice, whose significance is upheld in every tradition. What is it to look to the 'Three Jewels' as a response to our dissatisfaction? A thoughful exploration, taking in traditional Dharma approaches and contemporary counter-cultural art forms and ways of living...

Please note that some small noise artefacts can be heard occasionally on this talk due to a poor original recording.

Talk given at San Francsisco Buddhist Center, 2006