Live Events
A KOAN FOR OUR TIMES
WITH MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE OF PUBLIC PRECEPTORS
APRIL – OCTOBER 2024
What does a Buddhist Order have to offer the world in times of conflict, violence and environmental destruction? How is the creation of spiritual community relevant to wider society? What would a genuine, adequate and radical response to the cries of the world look like? How do we ground a burning aspiration for liberation from suffering in a tangible path of practice?
The Buddha’s teachings have both profound and pragmatic implications for living our life, addressing the root causes of suffering and calling for a transformation of self as a way to a corresponding transformation of world.
Through exploring the practice of the six paramitas, or transcendental virtues, we will approach this sublime and challenging ideal of the Bodhisattva, who is dedicated to awakening for all beings, in a series of talks from a line-up of experienced practitioners within our tradition.
Though the many beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Though greed, hatred and ignorance rise endlessly, I vow to cut them off.
Though the Dharma is vast and fathomless, I vow to understand it.
Though the Buddha’s way is beyond attainment, I vow to embody it fully.
There are no tickets for this event. We’ll share Zoom links for each event here on the day!
Generosity (Dana) with Nagaketu (Part of Triratna Day)
Ethics (Sila) with Vajratara
Forbearance (Ksanti) with Jnanavaca
🖥️ Watch the talk
Energy (Virya) with Parami
🖥️ Watch the talk
Meditation (Samadhi) with Amala
🖥️ Watch the talk
Saturday October 19: Wisdom (Prajna) with Mahamati
(90 mins) USA PST 02:00 | Mexico 03:00 | USA EST 05:00 | IE & UK 10:00 | Europe 11:00 CET | India 14:30 | Australia AEDT 20:00 | New Zealand NZDT 22:00
ENTERING THE BURNING HOUSE
COURSE FOR DHARMAFARERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLIMATE
WITH SHANTIGARBHA
STARTS TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2024
This eight-week online course follows Shantigarbha’s book The Burning House: A Buddhist Response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency (Windhorse Publications) and explores the most pressing questions of our times.
Buddhists give great importance to mindfulness, wisdom, compassion and interconnectedness, qualities that often make them deeply concerned about the environment and climate change. So what does Buddhism have to say about the climate emergency? How can we see it for what it really is, a crisis of empathy?
This is a course for Dharmafarers concerned about the climate, Triratna Earth Sangha members, and eco-activists wishing to ground their work in a spiritual context. The sessions follow the Buddhist path from self-development to social change, inspired by the profound principle of nonviolence or love.
Tuesdays 24 September; 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October; 5, 12 November 2024.
Sessions (2 hrs 15 mins, with break): USA PST 11:00 am | México CST 12:00 noon | USA EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK BST 7:00 pm | Europe CEST 8:00 pm | India IST 11:30 pm | Australia AEST 4:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZST 6:00 am (next day)
Shantigarbha is a Buddhist author, activist and mediator. He is an experienced teacher of both Buddhism and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1996, he was given the name Shantigarbha, which means ‘Seed or Womb of Peace’. Through his practice of Buddhism, he came across NVC and has been sharing it as a certified trainer since 2004. Within the Triratna Buddhist Community, he has held responsibilities as an Order Convenor, member of the International Council, trustee of the International Order Office and supporting restorative practices. He currently co-convenes the Triratna Earth Sangha. Find out more about Shantigarbha.
LOOKING BACK
A REFLECTIVE WRITING DAY RETREAT WITH YASHOBODHI
SUNDAY OCTOBER 13TH 2024
Join experienced writer and meditator Yashobodhi for this day retreat tuning into compassion through meditation and reflective writing.
We cannot force compassion to come, but we can certainly invite it to enter our experience as we delve gently into the realm of things waiting to be digested and excavated.
The writing on this day is about process rather than about a product. We are not writing texts, but using the writing for our personal reflections and explorations.
It works best if you attend both parts of the day, but you are also welcome to only come to the first or second session. And you won’t have to share your writing with anyone if you’d rather not!
The ingredients of the day:
- Guided meditation
- Reflective writing
- Some optional interaction in small groups (3-4 people)
Do come along if you want to regroup, refresh and reinforce yourself. We will be looking back together…
Sunday October 13 2024
First session (3 hrs): USA PST 2:00 am | México CST 3:00 am | USA EST 5:00 am | IE & UK BST 10:00 am | Europe CEST 11:00 am | India IST 2:30 pm | Australia AEST 7:00 pm | New Zealand NZST 9:00 pm
Second session (2.5 hrs): USA PST 6:30 am | México CST 7:30 am | USA EST 9:30 am | IE & UK BST 2:30 pm | Europe CEST 3:30 pm | India IST 7:00 pm | Australia AEST 11:30 pm | New Zealand NZST 1:30 am (next day)
About Yashobodhi
Yashobodhi has been teaching Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness in different settings for over 15 years. She is also a writer and published a variety of articles and two books. For a number of years she has facilitated reflective writing groups, both for the TBCO and elsewhere. Yashobodhi is originally from the Netherlands, but has lived and worked in the UK since 2010 and happily continues to do so.
THE THREE BODIES OF BELONGING
A HOME RETREAT WITH BALAJIT, SINGHASHRI AND VIVEKA
OCTOBER 25 – 31, 2024
An embodied opportunity to explore meditation in community
Following on from last year’s successful Home Retreat ‘Forces for Good: Challenging Emotions as Portals to Liberation’, our friends Balajit, Singhashri and Viveka are back and joining forces again to offer another wonderful embodied opportunity to explore our system of meditation in depth and in community.
This year we’re all invited to draw inspiration from the Mahayana Trikaya (“three body”) teaching that points to who we actually are via three simultaneous dimensions of reality:
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Nirmanakaya: coming home to presence within this body, this world
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Sambhogakaya: befriending the dynamic flow of feeling and energy, and the relational dimension of being
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Dharmakaya: opening to the luminous, boundless dimension of awakened being
We will delve into poetic themes of “coming home” and “belonging” as an emotionally engaging and relational approach to insight that allows:
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Respect and appreciation of core human needs – belonging, safety and dignity
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Holding of the tension between our ideals and our current (often messy) experience
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Healing the illusion of separation and the habits of dualism
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Learning to feel sensations of belonging at the levels of self, community, place, world
and to express compassionately responsive activity -
Deepening of mindfulness and metta as practices capable of helping us see the true nature of reality
This retreat will include meditation, movement (somatics), music, chanting and ritual, exercises and discussions, teacher input and practice reviews.
If friendship in community is the whole of the spiritual life, here’s your chance to go deeper in your own practice in the supportive company of others.
“The Dharmakaya is… the embodiment, or the perfection of mind. Mind meaning here the deepest part of oneself, because it is with that deepest part of oneself…that one realises the ultimate. So Dharmakaya corresponds to mind, what in us is mind, in a Buddha is Dharmakaya.
In the same way Sambhogakaya corresponds to speech, what, in us is speech or communication, or communication principle, in a Buddha is Sambhogakaya. So in his Sambhogakaya form, in his ideal form, his archetypal form, he communicates with others on the same spiritual level, communicates with other Buddhas and with highly advanced Bodhisattvas.
And then Nirmanakaya corresponds with – it literally means ‘body of transformation’ – …what is Nirmanakaya in a Buddha in us is physical body. Our physical body determines where we are. The fact that we have a physical body means that we exist at a certain point in space and a certain point in time…”
Sangharakshita, Seminar on the Songs of Milarepa
Friday October 25 – Thursday October 31, 2024
The retreat will start at the time of the second session on October 25. This is to allow the full team to begin the retreat together. All other days will feature three sessions at the times shown on the booking page.
N.B. This retreat is for peole with at least six months’ meditation experience. Please get in touch if you have any questioins about attending: support@thebuddhistcentre.com
Balajit
Balajit (he/him) has been leading retreats and events across the UK for around 15 years. For several years he lived and worked at Vajraloka Retreat Centre in North Wales.
He is currently based in Birmingham, where he mixes Buddhist teaching responsibilities with work as a trauma therapist. He has studied the newly emerging psycho-biological approaches to trauma work- and is qualified in Somatic Experiencing, NARM therapy and SHEN Therapy.
In the past few years, Balajit has been exploring correspondences between these emerging approaches and the canonical Dharma, as aids to becoming more embodied and the arising of the bodhicitta.
Singhashri
Singhashri (she/her or they/them) is a queer, Latinx-American dharma teacher and writer. They teach mindfulness and compassion as means to awakening to love, beauty and truth and have committed their life to supporting collective liberation for all and the joy and freedom found there. They teach at various retreat and urban centres across the UK, Europe and the USA, and support a number of projects aimed at creating greater diversity and inclusion within Buddhist sanghas and the secular mindfulness field. They currently live in London with their partner.
Viveka
Viveka (she/they) has worked for social, racial, economic, environmental and gender justice and civil rights for 30 years as a consultant, facilitator, trainer, coach and somatic coach. She specializes in guiding leaders and organizations through transformational processes: race equity and liberation culture change and strategy, team building and coaching, vision and strategy, leading innovation and change and working with conflict, leadership transition, and alliance building.
Viveka was chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center for 15 years, until 2015. She still serves on the board, and leads meditation and Dharma retreats in the Bay Area and around the world.
RESPONDING TO THE CRIES OF A BURNING WORLD: THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND THE SIX PARAMITAS
TRIRATNA EARTH SANGHA CONFERENCE 202
15 – 17 November, 2024
How do we move beyond hope and fear with the Six Paramitas as a guide? A weekend of talks, workshops and practice exploring how we as Buddhists can respond to the climate and ecological emergencies.
The conference will include papers, workshops, guided meditations, puja, poetry and the visual arts. We will present perspectives of particularly affected communities and show what Buddhists can do in this current time of multiple crises.
We are linking the conference to COP29, which is happening at the same time.
Suggested donation for the conference:
$175 / £125 / €150 for all days and events.
$90 / £65 / €75 per day.
$15 / £10 / €12.50 for single events.
Get one ticket and come to any session you wish!
This event is offered freely, in the spirit of dana (generosity). At the same time, we would deeply appreciate your financial contribution. Proceeds will be split between the Triratna Earth Sangha (TES) and the Buddhist Centre Online. TES funds will go towards supporting eco-projects and funding a part-time coordinator to continue their work.
Like all our events, this retreat is offered by donation rather than charging a compulsory ticket price. We want to do this because we never want money to be an obstacle to taking part in a supportive community, and we know many people are struggling financially in the wake of the pandemic and cost of living crisis. The amount we suggest reflects the huge amount of work and love that goes into putting on events we hope will benefit everyone attending. If you can, please donate today to help us continue with our work and support others to attend who cannot afford to pay. Thank you!
Event images by Karl Magnuson and Casey Horner
Conference begins Friday 15 November, 2024
See the full programme and meet the speakers
USA PST 11:00 am | México CST 1:00 pm | USA EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK GMT 7:00 pm | Europe CET 8:00 pm | India IST 12:30 am (next day) | Australia AEDT 6:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 8:00 am (next day)
What is the Triratna Earth Sangha?
A group of Triratna Order members, Mitras and Friends worldwide who are deeply concerned about the climate and ecological crises we face and see it as part of their practice to do something about them. We are all too painfully aware of the Buddha’s core teaching that actions have consequences. The accelerating destruction of ecosystems in the natural world caused by greed, hatred and ignorance is causing untold suffering to beings of many kinds, and we feel that it is our duty as Buddhists to do what we can to raise awareness of the plight of the planet, demonstrate an alternative way of life based on stillness, simplicity and contentment and act to relieve suffering where we can.
Visit the TES website and Facebook group
Daily Meditation
We offer two open meditation spaces Monday to Saturday every week.
Please be aware that there will be seasonal time changes for the US, India and Oceania in spring and autumn/fall.
First sit (45 mins):
USA (PST): 23:30 (previous day)
México: 00:30
USA (EST): 02:30
IE & UK: 07:30
Europe (CET): 08:30
India: 12:00
Australia (AEST): 16:30
New Zealand (NZST): 18:30
Second sit (45 mins):
USA (PST): 05:00
México: 06:00
USA (EST): 08:00
IE & UK: 13:00
Europe (CET): 14:00
India: 17:30
Australia (AEST): 22:00
New Zealand (NZST): 00:00 (next day)
Donations