"Call forth as much as you can of love, of respect and of faith!
Remove the obstructing defilements, and clear away all your taints!
Listen to the Perfect Wisdom of the gentle Buddhas
Taught for the weal of the world, for heroic spirits intended!"
The Buddha from the Ratnagunasamcayagatha

The Buddhist Path begins with the human situation, with the reality of change and loss and the reality of wonderment, inspiration and spiritual transformation within the processes of impermanence. In the midst of life’s changes, we may sometimes hear a call — perhaps it's an inspiration, an intuition or even a sense of existential angst. It may seem to come from within our deeper hearts, or from outside of us, through an image or teaching. It is a call that compels us towards something unknown, and it can be both exhilarating and frightening.

How do we respond?

This past summer we explored the role of ethics and meditation in Buddhist spiritual life (also known as the Dharma life). We have seen how changes in the way that we think, communicate and act can lead to real and deep change in ourselves and communities. For the remainder of 2024 we will be exploring how that positive change continues to deepen, becoming more liberative and eventually leading to real Insight. The Buddha’s teaching is described as an invitation to ‘come and see,’ and we can respond by walking the path.

On Sunday mornings we will explore:
•How our views can limit our happiness and trap us in old habits, or lead to our freedom
•The Buddha’s vision of the human condition and the interconnected nature of life
•An understanding of the Four Noble Truths
•How faith deepens and becomes wisdom
•The role of the imagination in Dharma life and its relationship to the Buddhist idea of faith
•The limitation of concepts/views in understanding reality
•The provisional nature of concepts about spiritual life
•How wisdom is non-conceptual and involves personal transformation and direct experience

Every Sunday, 10-11:45am. These mornings will include meditation, a short talk and discussion. Everyone is welcome! We will be meeting in-person at Gateway Taiji, 875 Islington St, Portsmouth, with a Zoom option. Offered by donation, $5-$15 suggested. If you’d like to attend by Zoom, we’ll send the Zoom link upon registration, or simply sign up for our weekly email which includes the link. Please bring your own water bottle or thermos; we have meditation cushions and chairs at the studio.

Schedule:
September —
15 Two Visions of Humanity: Impermanence and Transformation
22 Responding to the Call
29 The Way of Things: Four Noble Truths
October —
6 A Transformative Life: Living the Four Noble Truths
13 Reimagining Spiritual Life: A Thicket, a Raft, a Handful of Leaves, a Snake and the Moon
20 This Being, That Becomes
27 Three Ways of Looking Deeper
November —
3 The Stories We Tell Ourselves
10 Changing Habit into Liberation Part One
17 Changing Habit into Liberation Part Two
24 The Inspired Imagination
December —
1 no gathering thanksgiving
8 For Heroic Spirits Intended: The Perfection of Wisdom
15 Prajnaparamita: Mother of the Buddhas
22 Mind Only
29 no gathering holiday weekend

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Click Here to Join on Zoom