Portsmouth Buddhist Center

New Summer Series! Meditating on the Earth, Sitting with the Elements

On Wed, 4 July, 2018 - 16:41
Candradasa's picture
Candradasa

Sundays, July 8-August 12, 9.30am-12pm.

Gather as usual at PPMTV, we’ll take cushions and chairs and make our way around 9.45am to Prescott Park to meditate by 10. Rain days, we’ll stay inside!

In Spring 2017 we lost our Buddhist Center to a fire. Thanks to the great generosity and hard work of lots of people, the community recovered, deepened and strengthened. And we’ve gone on together since, renewing the Portsmouth sangha in some beautiful ways here in town.

Practising Outside
One of the best of many unexpectedly positive things to come from the fire was that we passed much of the following summer outdoors! We spent almost 3 months sitting and meditating, practising together, and exploring the Dharma in a local park. And it was a bit of a revelation… Dharma gatherings are different out amongst the elements!

So, this summer, we’ll be gathering again under the trees, in the gorgeous Seacoast sunshine, and starting what we hope will become a bit of a local tradition and an aspect of our year-round practice of community: a summer series of Dharma meetings in the park…

Meditating on the Earth, Sitting with the Elements
As long as human beings have been getting together to talk about what matters they have sat outside on the earth, sharing awareness of all the elements and their experience. Following the Buddha’s own example of finding space between the jungle and the village to practise and discuss the Dharma with others, we’ll be having our weekly Sunday sangha mornings in or around the Trial Gardens at Prescott Park, where the river meets the sea at the edge of the city. 

Like last year, we’ll create a simple, mythic space to sit within, respecting our environment and sharing the space with whomever else is around. And continuing the overall theme of this year, we’ll be working through aspects of the Triratna system of practice (Integration, Positive Emotion, Spiritual Death, Spiritual Rebirth, Spiritual Receptivity), with a particular regard to the summer season and the opportunity to be outdoors, reflecting, perhaps more than usual, on the immediacy of the six elements in Buddhism: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Consciousness.

Come and join us! Explore an element each week, investigate the Buddha’s teaching, share with others, and have a laugh out under the great blue sky, by the great ocean as it comes in to meet our home town…

N.B. We may, occasionally, have to re-locate in the park or go further afield to sit at Newcastle Island right on the ocean. So please do gather first at PPMTV rather than come to the park direct. We’d be sad to miss you.

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