THE BUDDHIST CENTRE [LIVE]

Buddhism for everyone

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At The Buddhist Centre Live we want to offer easy access to Buddhist approaches to living that can help you in your own life. Whether you’re brand new to Buddhism and meditation, or experienced in the ways of the Dharma, we hope you’ll find something here for you.

Join some of the best teachers from Buddhist Centres and retreat venues in our community for a series of online events to inspire and guide.

All our classes are offered by donation. If you can, donate to allow others who can’t afford it to access these vital Dharma resources when they need them most. Thank you!

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Live Events

THE KARMA OF DREAMS

A FUN AND INSPIRING DAY EVENT EXPLORING DREAMS AND THE DHARMA

Saturday October 7th 2023

Viveka and Paramananda

About the day

  • What kind of karma is at play in our dreams?
  • How do actions in the dream state affect consciousness?
  • How can we dream with more awareness and influence our dreams skilfully?

These are some of the questions that we’ll explore in this fun, practical workshop taking a simple approach to reflecting upon dreams that enables us to relive them in a positive way. We’ll experiment with taking our dream work in new directions, sowing fresh karmic seeds that can then condition our future dreams and experience…

Arthabandhu is keen to show how dreams are available to us all, and how a connection with our dreams can have a very positive effect upon the quality of our lives. This connection can take many forms: it could be through lucid dreaming or dream yoga, or simply being aware of what we have dreamt and finding ways of appreciating these experiences more fully.

Having realized that this world is like a dream,
and that all Buddhas are like mere reflections,
that all principles [dharma] are like an echo,
you move unimpeded in the world

(The Gandhavyuha Sutra, Translated by Gomez, 1967)

What to expect

Arthabandhu will be drawing together approaches from the Buddhist tradition and modern psychotherapy to show how an aware engagement with our dreams can help us make progress on the Buddhist path.

The sessions will be a mix of presentation, practice, interaction and inquiry. Sessions may feature breakout groups.

Suggested donation for the day:
£40-70 | $55-95 | €50-80

We offer all our classes by donation. Please give generously so others who can’t afford to pay can attend more events like this.

Saturday 7 October 2023

Two identical sessions, come to one or both!

First session (3 hrs): USA PDT 2:00 am | México CST 3:00 am | USA EDT 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 (3 hrs): USA PDT 6:30 am | México CST 7:30 am | USA EDT 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 Arthabandhu

Arthabandhu is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and has been practicing Buddhism and engaging with dreams for 25 years. He has explored dreams through the approaches of Lucid Dreaming, Buddhist Dream Yoga and Gestalt Psychotherapy. During these years he has kept detailed dream diaries, illustrated with paintings and other artwork. These images and diary extracts are now featured in his zine ‘Stuff of Dreams’.

Viveka and Paramananda

THE LIGHTNING THUNDERBOLT OF THE BODHI MIND

FOR MITRAS OF COLOUR

14, 21, 28 October and 4 November, 2023.

Viveka and Paramananda

We are delighted to offer this brand new short course for Black/Asian/Indigenous/People of Colour Mitras and those who have asked for ordination worldwide.

Mitras of colour from across the Triratna world will gather together for four Saturdays in the autumn/fall to talk Dharma, create Sangha and bring to mind the Buddha. Each session will offer a chance for meditation, discussion, and reflection, with a particular focus on The Enlightened One chapter from the Dhammapada.

The course is free – and donations to Tiratanaloka Unlimited and The Buddhist Centre Online are welcome. We very much hope you can join us!

If a suggested donation is helpful to you: £40-70 | $55-95 | €50-80

Date and Time

Please note that UK changes daylight savings and timings might change for your location on the last session.

14, 21, 28 October

USA PDT 11:00 am | México CST 12:00 noon | USA EDT 2:00 pm | IE & UK BST 7:00 pm | Europe CEST 8:00 pm | India IST 11:30 pm | Australia AEDT 5:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 7:00 am (next day)

4 November

USA PDT 12:00 noon | México CST 1:00 pm | USA EDT 3:00 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)

Course leaders 

Karunadhi lives and works at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre in Wales as a member of the women’s ordination team.

Manjusiha teaches at the London Buddhist Centre and supports retreats at Padmaloka Retreat Centre as a former member of the men’s ordination team.

Sujiva lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the men’s Mitra Convenor there and a member of the Australia/NZ men’s ordination team.

Viveka and Paramananda

(MORE) REFLECTIONS

A WRITING AND MEDITATION DAY RETREAT WITH YASHOBODHI

Sunday October 15th 2023

Viveka and Paramananda

Following an engaging and thought-provoking event held last Spring, we invite you once more to take part in a day of exploration and practice through meditation and reflective writing with Yashobodhi and others. We will gently delve into our experience following writing prompts and working with images and metaphors. No previous experience required!

The kind of writing we will be doing is unplanned. We are expressing in written words whatever comes up in relation to a series of prompts. And through this process we learn more about our minds and hearts.

We can write anything we want to, and everything that emerges is “right”! It is not about correct grammar or punctuation, but about making visible what may often be invisible.

We are not producing a text, but instead relating, discovering, and perhaps transforming.

There will also be a chance to interact with other participants in small breakout groups. You do not need to share your writing if you do not wish to.

The day consists of two parts which can be attended separately if you wish. We recommend taking part in the whole day, to get the most out of this event!

Suggested donation for the day:
£40-70 | $55-95 | €50-80

We offer all our classes by donation. Please give generously so others who can’t afford to pay can attend more events like this.

Sunday 15 October 2023

First session (3 hrs): USA PDT 2:00 am | México CST 3:00 am | USA EDT 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 (2:30 hrs): USA PDT 6:30 am | México CST 7:30 am | USA EDT 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.

Viveka and Paramananda

A WISDOM AS VAST AS THE OCEAN: EMBODYING INTERDEPENDENCE

TRIRATNA EARTH SANGHA CONFERENCE 2023

17 – 19 November, 2023

Viveka and Paramananda

Global heating is in the news, while some governments and fossil-fuel multinationals are actually reducing their carbon reduction targets. It seems as if we are back to ‘business as usual’, until the next extreme weather event or species extinction. How do we respond as Buddhists to the claims of ‘climate justice’? How does the Dharma inspire us to respond creatively to the climate and ecological emergency?

At the heart of this year’s conference will be a climate café, a mass-participation event on Saturday. The conference will include papers, workshops, guided meditations, puja, music, 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.

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.

Hosted by The Buddhist Centre Online, in fulfilment of the European Chairs Assembly’s strategic priority of ‘Dharmic engagement with social and ecological issues’.

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!

Conference begins Friday 17 November, 2023

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?

We are 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 aware of the Buddha’s core teaching of how 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

Viveka and Paramananda

EMPTINESS AND THE NATURE OF MIND

MEDITATION INTENSIVE LED BY TEJANANDA WITH UPEKSHANANDI

24 – 28 November, 2023

Viveka and Paramananda

Our deepest and truest nature, right now, is the Dharma. We can imagine – and ultimately experience – this as the total openness of the ‘Dharma body’, which is pure emptiness: empty of any divided-ness whatsoever.

Our world is literally made up from this total openness, together with the illuminating clarity of awareness and unlimited, spontaneous ‘compassionate energy’. Traditionally, the union of these is referred to as ‘mind itself’ or ‘the nature of mind’.

Of course, if we’re caught up in the bewilderment of delusion, we don’t realise that the true nature of our mind is these three ‘bodies’. We identify with our own very solid-seeming body and with our sense of ‘me’ as a substantial ‘self’ separate from everyone and everything else. This very natural mistake is a product of our deluded mind, and is the source of so much unnecessary suffering.

Over the five days of this online retreat we’ll be exploring our own body, just as it is, and the relationship between deluded mind and its true nature. As we settle and relax into this open perspective, we may well discover that the ‘compassionate energy’, the love and sensitivity of our deepest heart is – and always has been – informing every moment of our Dharma practice. Indeed, our whole life…

Suggested donation for the whole retreat:
£125 / $175 / €150 or £25 / $35 / €30 per day.

We offer all our classes by donation. Please give generously so others who can’t afford to pay can attend more events like this.

Tejananda

Led by Tejananda. He has been teaching and leading retreats for many years at Vajraloka Retreat Centre in Wales, UK, one of Triratna’s earliest and foremost centres of in-depth meditation practice. He also teaches around the world, with a special connection to the Dharma community in and around San Francisco in the USA.

Friday November 24 – Tuesday November 28, 2023

First daily session (2 hrs): USA PST 12:00 midnight | México CST 2:00 am | USA EST 3:00 am | IE & UK 8:00 am | Europe CET 9:00 am | India IST 1:30 pm | Australia AEDT 7:00 pm | New Zealand NZDT 9:00 pm
 
Second daily session (1.5 hrs): USA PST 7:00 am | México CST 9:00 am | USA EST 10:00 am | IE & UK 3:00 pm | Europe CET 4:00 pm | India IST 8:30 pm | Australia AEDT 2:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 4:00 am (next day)
 
Third daily session (1.5 hrs): USA PST 11:00 am | México CST 1:00 pm | USA EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK 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)

Daily Meditation

Viveka and Paramananda

We offer two open meditation spaces Monday to Saturday every week.

First sit (45 mins):

USA (PDT): 11:30 pm
México: 12:30 am
USA (EDT): 2:30 am
IE & UK (BST): 07:30 am

Europe (CEST): 08:30 am
India (IST): 12:00 noon
Australia (AEST) 4:30 pm
New Zealand (NZST) 6:30 pm

Second sit (45 mins):

USA (PDT) 5:00 am​
México (CST) 6:00 am
USA (EDT) 8:00 am
IE & UK (BST) 1:00 pm
Europe (CEST) 2:00 pm
India (IST) 5:30 pm
Australia (AEST) 10:00 pm
New Zealand (NZST) 12:00 midnight

Donations