Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Great Faith, Great Wisdom, Day 2 - Rainy Season Retreat 2017 by Ratnaguna

By Centre Team on Tue, 12 Sep, 2017 - 21:17

A wonderful second pair of talks, bringing to life Sukhavati, the great Pure Land or Happy Land of Amitabha.

Talk 3: The ​D​eathless Buddha - Possible Roots of Sukhavati in the Pali Canon
In this fascinating talk, Ratnaguna shows us remarkable resonances between the Sukhavativuyha sutras and two late Pali suttas - the Mahaparinibbana sutta and Mahasuddassana sutta, and suggests the Sukhavativuyha sutras may have arisen from the distress of the Buddha’s followers after his Parinirvana. 

We also explored meanings of...

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...

Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

The Divine Eye as Vertical Imagination

By viriyalila on Tue, 7 Jan, 2014 - 17:34
In the Pali scriptures, do we have a word for ‘imagination?” In Monday’s FBA Dharmabyte, Sangharakshita offers his thoughts in “The Divine Eye as Vertical Imagination.” Vertical imagination is a creative force, enabling us to rise above ourselves. Quoting William Blake seeing the host of heavenly spirits in the sun, we are called to evoke the power of our imaginative faculty. This is an excerpt from the book launch of Living Ethically, available at ...

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