Tag: community

Community Highlights
The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

The Ministry of Presence (The Dharma Toolkit Daily, Episode 12)

By Centre Team on Wed, 8 Apr, 2020 - 12:17

A mythic sense of things is never far away in today’s conversation about radical imagination: at the most intimate levels of close, personal friendship; and also culturally, historically, politically, and spiritually as we try to meet the moment of crisis to which we are all witnesses.

With Viveka and Upayadhi we discuss taking cues from anticipatory communities who deal with systemic suffering every day, and who have stored up effective responses to some of the issues we are all now facing. The...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Buddhism and Inequality: An Opportunity to Respond to Need in India

By kusaladevi on Wed, 8 Apr, 2020 - 11:30

For the home retreat, we have been reflecting on material from Vajragupta around Sailing the Worldly Winds. As Vajragupta said in one of his introductory talks, the worldly winds can blow both individually, within us, but also within society and the world. 

We have an opportunity when ‘Sailing the Worldly Winds’ to remember that they are not personal - they don’t only blow through us, but they blow all over the world and in some places and some cases they...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Only Possibilities - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 5

By Sadayasihi on Tue, 7 Apr, 2020 - 12:37
  • Claude Monet's Water Lilies

Only Possibilities - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 5

By Sadayasihi on Tue, 7 Apr, 2020 - 12:37

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. 

- Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks with John Moyne

This beautiful poem by Rumi popped into my head when I was reflecting on today’s home retreat material, which is about...
Community Highlights
The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

A Buddhist Way Through the Ups and Downs of Life: Live Q & A (The Dharma Toolkit Daily, Episode 11)

By Centre Team on Tue, 7 Apr, 2020 - 00:41

As part of our week-long Home Retreat on ‘Sailing the Worldly Winds - A Buddhist Way Through the Ups and Downs of Life’, we are delighted to host here for a live online Q & A, Vajragupta the author and Dharma teacher behind the retreat itself.

A great, wide-ranging and practical discussion about what this classic Buddhist teaching has to say to us about caring for ourselves and each other during the current coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic. And what...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Changing Practice in Times of Crisis - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 4

By kusaladevi on Mon, 6 Apr, 2020 - 12:36

Changing Practice in Times of Crisis - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 4

By kusaladevi on Mon, 6 Apr, 2020 - 12:36

In today’s reflection, Vajragupta suggests we review our practice so far and how we are getting on with Sailing the Worldly Winds. In times of adversity, I am often more able to honestly review my practice - how am I coping with the uncertainty? Based on my response to a crisis, I can often see more clearly which areas of my practice require attention and where I have set up positive conditions and responses within my mind. I...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

How I'm Remembering to Remember - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 3

By Sadayasihi on Sun, 5 Apr, 2020 - 14:02
  • My daily reminder

How I'm Remembering to Remember - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat Day 3

By Sadayasihi on Sun, 5 Apr, 2020 - 14:02

In these times, when so much is going on - when there’s a constant flow of information and the situation is seemingly changing by the hour - it can feel hard to maintain one’s practice. It can be hard to not be blown about by the worldly winds. 

I’ve been acutely aware of the extremes of my responses to even the smallest of things these past few days: joy at the sunlight streaming in the window, at exchanging smiles with a stranger...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Truthfulness As a Teacher - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat, Day Two

By kusaladevi on Sat, 4 Apr, 2020 - 14:00

Truthfulness As a Teacher - Sailing the Worldly Winds Home Retreat, Day Two

By kusaladevi on Sat, 4 Apr, 2020 - 14:00

Truthfulness has always been very important to me. It’s something which I valued long before I came across the Dharma. So I was quite struck when Vajragupta suggested the opportunity to practice truthfulness when the winds of Praise and Blame are blowing. Praise and Blame are the Worldly winds I notice most in my experience, or perhaps the ones I am blown about by most strongly.

So I started to reflect on this - how might truthfulness help me when...
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The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Covid Emergency in India: A Home Retreat Appeal (The Dharma Toolkit Daily, Episode 10)

By Candradasa on Sat, 4 Apr, 2020 - 00:12

I confess, when I sat down to record this podcast yesterday I somehow didn’t expect it to have the impact it did. I’d seen all the news stories, shaken my head, wondered at how human beings can meet such complex, painful realities as what’s unfolding in India right now. But here they were - my friends - talking about what I can do about it. What you can do too. 

We’re spending a week - in whatever ways we can manage...
Adhisthana
Adhisthana

Daily Circumambulations

By Khemabandhu on Thu, 2 Apr, 2020 - 15:55

Daily Circumambulations

By Khemabandhu on Thu, 2 Apr, 2020 - 15:55

Bhante’s body lies at Adhisthana and Bhante’s spirit lies at the heart of what we do. During the lockdown the community is circumambulating every evening at 7am in an act of worship, devotion and rememberance.

Here’s a short snippet that was live-streamed last night.
Community Highlights
The Community Toolkit for Uncertain Times

Breathing Space (The Dharma Toolkit Daily, Episode 9)

By Centre Team on Wed, 1 Apr, 2020 - 16:30

Dr. Paramabandhu Groves is the co-author with Dr. Jed Shamel of ‘Mindful Emotion - A Short Course in Kindness’, and the pioneering spirit behind the Breathing Space project in London. Using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy he specialises in recovery work with those suffering from long-term depression and addiction issues.

As you might expect from someone who has lived for 30+ years in Dharma-centred community, Paramabandhu has also turned to developing resources for mental health based around core Buddhist practices...

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