Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 6: Guided Meditation - Sitting In The Mandala (With Ratnasambhava Mantra)

By Centre Team on Sun, 22 Mar, 2015 - 15:31
Ratnavandana introducing Day 6 of the urban retreat on the Brahma Viharas - Living In The Mandala. Today we’re sitting with the great golden Buddha of the South, archetypal Buddha of abundance and spiritual richness. A good way to start things off…

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Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 8: meditating, rejoicing, puja to Bhante, and clear up!

By jvalamalini on Sat, 21 Mar, 2015 - 20:53

Day 8: meditating, rejoicing, puja to Bhante, and clear up!

By jvalamalini on Sat, 21 Mar, 2015 - 20:53

Late post today - it’s been a full last day.

We had our usual silent meditative morning, with more beautiful words from Ratnavandana. The shrine room felt very still as we sat with her open approach to practising with all the brahma viharas again.

After lunch - and much rejoicing in Ratnavandana, the team, and the retreat - we did a puja to Sangharakshita, ending with dismantling the central five Buddha shrine. I found it...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 5: A Personal Take On Mudita by Sanghaketu

By Centre Team on Sat, 21 Mar, 2015 - 20:43
An infectiously delightful talk by Sanghaketu on the subject of joyful resonance with others (mudita). He really gets into his subject here! And his sense and experience of gladness comes across beautifully through laughter and reflection on the boon of good friends.

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Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 5: A Puja To Amoghasiddhi

By Centre Team on Sat, 21 Mar, 2015 - 18:18
A strong, stirring puja dedicated to Amoghasiddhi, the archetypal, unstoppable green Buddha of the North. This ritual features dedicated sections and readings that call forth Amoghasiddhi’s great qualities of fearlessness as well as the magical realm he inhabits. We are also treated to words enjoining us to practise empathy and sympathetic joy (mudita) in all our relationship. This puja includes some beautiful mantra chanting and lovely verses to Green Tara, Amoghasiddhi’s consort, used to help face and overcome our fears…...
Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

A Note For Online Rainy Season Retreatants!

By Centre Team on Fri, 20 Mar, 2015 - 21:56

A Note For Online Rainy Season Retreatants!

By Centre Team on Fri, 20 Mar, 2015 - 21:56

Hi all,

Two reasons for this post. First, a chance to post some rather lovely spring photographs from Bristol now the retreat has come to a close. Secondly, there’s been so much good material from it that we have fallen behind on remastering all the audio for internet use. Over the weekend and through the week we’ll get the remaining days’ worth of material up - plus a few extra treats! So, in a way, the retreat...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 7: All Brahma Viharas & Vairocana

By jvalamalini on Fri, 20 Mar, 2015 - 14:55

Day 7: All Brahma Viharas & Vairocana

By jvalamalini on Fri, 20 Mar, 2015 - 14:55

Today is the Spring Equinox, and this morning brought the mysterious dim-bright light of a partial solar eclipse, before turning into a glorious sunny day. We’re at that stage of the retreat when the end is in sight and my mind starts turning to other things, yet we still have this special chance to drop deeply into the divine abodes.

This morning Ratnavandana talked about “bhavana” as tending the conditions for growth. Just as with plants in...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 5: Guided Mudita Bhavana Meditation (Cultivation of Sympathetic Joy)

By Centre Team on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 23:11
Ratnavandana again with an inspiring take on the third Brahma Vihara - mudita (sympathetic joy), which she renders as a “joyful resonance”. Her central image is of the lark ascending, the music of its song, and the possibilities for joy within us if we choose them…

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Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 5: Guided Meditation - Sitting In The Mandala (With Amoghasiddhi Mantra)

By Centre Team on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 19:20
On Day 5 of the Rainy Season Retreat, Ratnavandana again encourages us to begin by orientating ourselves in the mandala. Today we’re bearing in mind Amoghasiddhi, the fearless Buddha of the North!

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Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 4: A Puja To Amitabha

By Centre Team on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 18:23
Karunavapi leads a rather beautiful puja to Amitabha, the archetypal Buddha of the west, red with the love and light of compassion. Featuring some excellent readings!

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Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Connections between the Brahma Viharas and Jinas

By jvalamalini on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 15:34

Connections between the Brahma Viharas and Jinas

By jvalamalini on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 15:34We can restore our innate mirror-like wisdom, transform our hatred, by developing Love-Metta. In this way we become like the blue Buddha Akshobhya.

We can restore our innate all-distinguishing wisdom, transform our greed and attachment, by developing Compassion-Karuna. In this way we become like the red Buddha Amitabha.

We can restore our innate all-performing wisdom, transform our envy and jealousy, by developing Sympathetic Joy-Mudita. In this way we become like the green Buddha Amoghasiddhi.

We can restore...

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