It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the untimely passing of our beloved Dharmacharini Sugatadharini from Nagpur, who died today, 17th May 2024. She was 51 years old.
She received her ordination at Bordharan Retreat Centre in January 2011, with her private preceptor being Dh. Vajrashuri and her public preceptor being Dh. Karunamaya. Sugatadharini was devoted to the practice of Guru Padmasambhava.
She left this world quietly at night in her house,...
Sangharakshita tells the story of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, up to the time of his Enlightenment, drawing out the significance of some of the key events. Here we encounter the Buddha receiving help on the path to Enlightenment. Excerpted from the talk The Way to Enlightenment given in 1972.
The human body, at peace with itself, Is more precious than the rarest gem. Cherish your body - it is yours this time only. The human form is won with difficulty, It is easy to lose. All worldly things are brief, Like lightning in the sky; This life you must know As the tiny splash of a raindrop; A thing of beauty that disappears Even as it comes into being. Therefore set your goal; Make use of every day and night To achieve it.
With these inspiring words as a starting point, Sanghagita will be exploring how they support our practice of The Four Reminders, the preliminary practice of the Mind Training. How wonderful it would be to live like this! If only we could remember…
How would we act in every ordinary moment if we were Enlightened? How can we act to be more Enlightened? In this series we will be exploring a powerful, pithy teaching that tells us how to do just that.
According to the Buddha we see permanence where there is impermanence, substantiality where there is insubstantiality, see the unlovely as beautiful and the unpleasant as pleasant. How does this affect us? And even more importantly, what can we do about this? Yashobodhi makes the simple yet profound connection between ignorance and suffering. Excerpted from the talk Distortions of the Mind given at West London Buddhist Centre, 2017.
I am writing to announce the resignation from the Order of Dharmachari Ratnottara.
He was ordained by Bhante on 28th October 1985. I am his Kalyana Mitra (the other was Aryadaka, who has since died) and it falls to me to make this announcement.
Ratnottara was living in Prague in then Czechoslovakia, while it was under communist rule. He suffered greatly under the oppressive regime, especially because of being gay. He was a materials scientist, specialising...
Amitasuri explores what can happen when faced with well-being, illness, ageing and death, and looks at how the Dharma might influence our response. Amitasuri takes her Dharma practice to her work as a Buddhist Hospital Chaplain, where she supports health and well-being through pastoral, religious and spiritual care for staff, patients and their families in a number of hospitals in Greater Manchester. This talk was given at Manchester Buddhist Centre, 2015.
