Tag: Rainy Season

Day 5: Spiritual Receptivity - Final Day - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Thu, 2 Apr, 2020 - 18:51

Day 5: Spiritual Receptivity - Final Day - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Thu, 2 Apr, 2020 - 18:51

The fifth, and concluding, day of our Virtual Rains Retreat with Tejananda saw us exploring the Receptivity or ‘just sitting’ aspect of the System of Practice, seen as a ‘Dynamic Mandala’. Tejananda introduced this aspect of practice as a transition from a ‘fabricated’ to an ‘unfabricated’ approach.

In a period of meditation practice we had an ‘experiential resume’ of the material from the previous four days. Questions and observations followed, including how to work creatively with a ‘frozen heart’ and working with...

Day 4: Spiritual Rebirth - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Wed, 1 Apr, 2020 - 18:08

Day 4: Spiritual Rebirth - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Wed, 1 Apr, 2020 - 18:08

Day Four of our Virtual Rains Retreat in Bristol with Tejananda and there were still about 50 of us logging on, this time to explore the aspect of Spiritual Rebirth in the ‘Dynamic Mandala’ presentation of the System of Practice. Tejananda began with some reflections on the benefits of the ‘principial’ nature of the system of practice - especially the flexibility of application which it offers. This retreat is working with these principles in a somatic way, ie with the...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 3: Spiritual Death - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Tue, 31 Mar, 2020 - 16:55

Day 3: Spiritual Death - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Tue, 31 Mar, 2020 - 16:55

Day three of our Virtual Rains Retreat in Bristol with Tejananda saw about 50 of us exploring the aspect of Spiritual Death, through the ‘Dynamic Mandala’. Tejananda re-emphasised the fact that we can’t meditate unless we are able to know this sense of being embodied. He talked more about the value of engaging with our actual bodily sensations through which we may discover that soma or the ‘cloud’ of sensations of the body are less fixed than we may have...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 2: Positive Emotion - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Mon, 30 Mar, 2020 - 16:39

Day 2: Positive Emotion - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Mon, 30 Mar, 2020 - 16:39

This morning there were 50-60 of the Bristol Sangha online again to hear the second part of Tejanada’s teaching on the ‘Dynamic Mandala’, a somatic exploration of the Triratna System of Practice. ‘Somatic’ is the term used to highlight the alive/vibrational aspect of awareness.

Today’s focus is on positive emotion. Tejananda encouraged us each to find where ‘a sense of ease’ may be located in our bodies, as a starting point for this practice. It may not be...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 1: Integration - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Mon, 30 Mar, 2020 - 10:26

Day 1: Integration - Bristol Rains Retreat 2020: 'The Dynamic Mandala'

By FB-Jay on Mon, 30 Mar, 2020 - 10:26

About 50 of us gathered (online) for the start of the 2020 Bristol Sangha Rains Retreat for Order Members and Mitras this morning. Tejananda had been due to be at the Centre this week to lead the Rains, but as that wasn’t possible, due to Covid-19, he’s generously offered to run 5 x 2 hour sessions over five mornings covering the same material - ‘The Dynamic Mandala’.

After a general introduction we did a short exercise to explore...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Ratnavandana talks about the Living in the Mandala Retreat

By jvalamalini on Mon, 30 Mar, 2015 - 16:20

Ratnavandana talks about the Living in the Mandala Retreat

By jvalamalini on Mon, 30 Mar, 2015 - 16:20

On the last day of the 2015 Rainy Season retreat, Ratnavandana talks about how it was to lead a retreat in an urban Buddhist Centre.