Padmaloka Retreat Centre
Padmaloka Retreat Centre

Bodhicitta - The Highly Potent Elixir of Transformation

By Satyakirti on Sat, 4 Apr, 2020 - 12:13

Bodhicitta - The Highly Potent Elixir of Transformation

By Satyakirti on Sat, 4 Apr, 2020 - 12:13

“Taking this image of the human form the Bodhicitta transmutes it into the priceless image of the Jewel of the Conqueror. Grasp tightly this highly potent elixir, known as the Bodhicitta, which must be thoroughly worked.”

In his first talk on Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, given on a day retreat to the Padmaloka community, Padmavajra speaks of Sangharakshita’s evocation of the Bodhicitta. He goes on to talk about his discovery of the Bodhicarayavatara and what is known of the life of Shantideva. The main...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 7: Guides to What Actually Works (with Concluding Thoughts)

By Centre Team on Fri, 28 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 7: Guides to What Actually Works (with Concluding Thoughts)

By Centre Team on Fri, 28 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

We’ve come to the end of our week together looking at training the mind to greater happiness using new ways of engaging with our experience in the world. To gather the threads of the practice together Yashobodhi reflects on some key, pithy lojong reminders that capture the great efficacy and delight of this work - and which we...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 6: What Are We Committed To?

By Centre Team on Thu, 27 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 6: What Are We Committed To?

By Centre Team on Thu, 27 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

The big questions keep coming as we move deep into our week of shared practice around the seven point mind-training. What are we “bonded” to? How do we see our ethical path? How do we envision making commitments to ourselves and the promises we make? Yashobodhi offers some lojong (“teaching slogans”) that can help us clarify what...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 5: How Do We Know This is Working?

By Centre Team on Wed, 26 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 5: How Do We Know This is Working?

By Centre Team on Wed, 26 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

Day 5 revolves around evaluating the mind-training practice we’ve been engaged in all week. This is essential on any spiritual path, with any kind of method or doctrine, and Yashobodhi provides a clear set of questions to ask ourselves in checking out that the things we’re doing are actually helping! The sense of agency and confidence we...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 4: Making Our Whole Life a Life of Practice

By Centre Team on Tue, 25 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 4: Making Our Whole Life a Life of Practice

By Centre Team on Tue, 25 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

Day 4, point 4 of our practice week looks at what it means to integrate this kind of mind training work into every area of our lives using reflection on 5 forces (or “powers”). Yashobodhi also movingly evokes the relevance of such deep Dharma activity to the process of our own (and other people’s) death…

If you have any...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 3: Transforming Adversity into Awakening

By Centre Team on Mon, 24 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 3: Transforming Adversity into Awakening

By Centre Team on Mon, 24 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

Day 3 and point 3 brings us to the great challenge of what to do when things go wrong in life: how to respond in a way that supports greater peace of heart and mind; how to overcome suffering and use its energy for transformative good, particularly by moving away from a strategy of blaming ourselves or...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 2, Part 3: Training in Relative Bodhichitta

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:02

Day 2, Part 3: Training in Relative Bodhichitta

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:02

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week.

Point 2 of the lojong mind training being explored this week as to do with how to practise ‘Bodhichitta’ (the deep, realised wish for all to attain liberation of heart and mind), introduced in the first of today’s three talks.

Having already touched on the area of “absolute” Bodhichitta, here Yashobodhi...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 2, Part 2 - Training in Absolute Bodhichitta

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:01

Day 2, Part 2 - Training in Absolute Bodhichitta

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:01

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week. 

Point 2 of the lojong mind training being explored this week has to do with how to practise ‘Bodhichitta’ (the deep, realised wish for all to attain liberation of heart and mind), introduced in the first of today’s three talks.

Here Yashobodhi draws out the “absolute” aspect of this work, examining how reflection...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Day 2, Part 1 - What is the Bodhichitta?

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Day 2, Part 1 - What is the Bodhichitta?

By Centre Team on Sun, 23 Sep, 2018 - 04:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week.

For Day 2, the first of three teachings giving us a great 360º overview of the Bodhichitta in Buddhist tradition and, more importantly, its relevance to everyday practice in the crucial work of learning to work with our minds and becoming a happier person.

If you have any comments or questions about this point or the retreat itself, let...

International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'
International Practice Week 2018: 'Turning Arrows Into Flowers'

Introducing Seven-point Mind Training and The Four Reminders

By Centre Team on Fri, 14 Sep, 2018 - 09:00

Introducing Seven-point Mind Training and The Four Reminders

By Centre Team on Fri, 14 Sep, 2018 - 09:00

Yashobodhi is our guide for this year’s Dharma immersion online and at Triratna Centres around the world as part of the 2018 International Practice Week

To get us ready for Day 1, here we get an encouraging introduction to what the seven-point mind training has to offer anyone interested in learning to work more effectively to lessen suffering (our own and other people’s). Yashobodhi’s experience with this material shines through - as does the practical joy of engaging in this way....

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