Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 3

By jvalamalini on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 09:04

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat, 2017 - day 3

By jvalamalini on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 09:04

Another beautiful day in the pure land!  On my way home, I sighed - “oh it’s all so lovely!”.

Today our sutra reading was sections of the text describing the land of Sukhavati, which is the Dharma aspect of the text. (Yesterday focused more on the Buddha - including beautiful descriptions of bodhisattva activity)

I found the description of the river particularly beguiling - the sound of the river is both soothing, and conveys the Dharma. It conveys the Dharma by murmuring the only,...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna, Day 1

By Centre Team on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 20:54

Here are the two wonderful Dharma talks by Ratnaguna from the first day of the retreat this weekend, along with a led visualisation bringing the Pure Land of Sukhavati, made of all precious things, to life. As a treat to conclude, we also get the Bristol sangha chanting a beautiful, resonant version of Amitabha mantra.

OM AMIDEVA HRI

Talk 1: Why hear the Pure Land Sutras?

An introduction to the three Pure Land sutras and to understanding the practice of Mahayana sutras in general. Other...

Community Highlights
Community Highlights

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

By Centre Team on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

Great Faith, Great Wisdom Retreat Online!

By Centre Team on Mon, 11 Sep, 2017 - 16:37

All this week we’ll be bringing you online resources and blogs from the Bristol Buddhist Centre’s Rainy Season Retreat on ‘Great Faith, Great Wisdom’ with Ratnaguna.

Follow the retreat online

On this retreat Ratnaguna will guide us on a journey into Amitābha’s Pure Land, Sukhāvati – a mythical realm where the ground is golden, trees are made of jewels, heavenly musical instruments play ravishing music, and magical birds sing the Dharma. It is...

Buddhist Centre Features
Buddhist Centre Features

The Buddha of Infinite Light

By akasajoti on Fri, 26 Aug, 2016 - 16:01

The Buddha of Infinite Light

By akasajoti on Fri, 26 Aug, 2016 - 16:01

Today on the Women’s Convention we have been with the Buddha of Infinite Light, Amitabha. This morning we celebrated Bhante’s birthday, and passed on gifts and cards to Suvajra, singing Happy Birthday in three languages - Dutch, English and Hindi! Then Satyajyoti and Padmabodhini invoked Amitabha’s presence with two very personal, and tender talks about their bonds with him and Maitrimala led us in the Amitabha Sadhana. We heard a reading of Bhante’s vision of Amitabha holding up...

Community Highlights
Community Highlights

Great Faith, Great Wisdom - Interview with Ratnaguna on His New Book

By sanghadhara on Thu, 10 Mar, 2016 - 19:36

Ratnaguna shares his excitement on his new book and tells us why he wrote this book on Pure Land sutras, who it’s written for, and the extras! :) Enjoy!

You can order this book soon from Windhorse Publications

European Chairs' Assembly
European Chairs' Assembly

Ratnaguna - Three Talks On The Pureland

By Centre Team on Wed, 13 Jan, 2016 - 00:09

Ratnaguna - Three Talks On The Pureland

By Centre Team on Wed, 13 Jan, 2016 - 00:09

A new three-part series from Ratnaguna introduces the Pureland texts as a practice in themselves, and discusses their relationship to Sangharakshita’s core teachings. 

In the first talk Ratnaguna takes us on an excellent exploration of imagination itself, essential for understanding the sutras on their own terms. The second talk discusses how the texts hint at what Sangharakshita calls the supra-personal force of the Bodhichitta. The third talk is on the importance of sangha in the sutras and its relevance...

European Chairs' Assembly
European Chairs' Assembly

ECA Winter 2016 - Podcast No. 2: Ratnaguna on the Pure Land Sutras

By mokshini on Wed, 6 Jan, 2016 - 23:14

At the end of the second full day at Adhisthana on the European Chairs Assembly, Mokshini and Dassini report in on a rich, full and delightful day spent in the company of Ratnaguna - an Order member who has just written a commentary on the Pure Land Sutras.

Ratnaguna shared some of his insights during the day on common themes between the Pure Land Sutras and Sangharakshita’s teaching, which underpins Dharma practice in the Triratna Buddhist Community.

We also hear why this “meeting” shouldn’t...

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