Tag: retreat

Buddhist Action Month 2015

BAM retreat in Ireland - Self and Other: the Alchemy of Transformation

By Sadayasihi on Fri, 5 Jun, 2015 - 15:30

BAM retreat in Ireland - Self and Other: the Alchemy of Transformation

By Sadayasihi on Fri, 5 Jun, 2015 - 15:30

Compassion is far more than emotion. It is something that springs

Up in the emptiness which is when you yourself are not there,

So that you do not know anything about it.

Nobody, in fact, knows anything about it (If they knew it, it would not be Compassion);

But they can only smell

The scent of the unseen flower

That blooms in the Heart of the Void

(‘The Unseen Flower’, by Bhante)

BAM in Ireland opened with a retreat over the June bank holiday weekend in the lovely surroundings of Sandville House, Co. Cavan. Twenty...

Earth Metta Sangha

Transforming World and Self - Tara and the Tears of Avalokitesvara

By Christine on Tue, 5 May, 2015 - 13:44

Transforming World and Self - Tara and the Tears of Avalokitesvara

By Christine on Tue, 5 May, 2015 - 13:44

Happy to say that Suddhacandika and Christine are booked on this retreat at Taraloka:

Transforming World and Self - Tara and the Tears of Avalokitesvara

Avalokitesvara weeps for the sufferings of the world and from his tears Tara is born.

This retreat will have the mythic theme of Green Tara, who has one hand extended in a gesture of infinite giving, and with one leg steps down into the world to go to the aid of living beings.

She is also much associated in our minds with...

Buddhist Centre Features

Letter from a Buddhist Retreat Centre

By vajratara on Fri, 17 Apr, 2015 - 16:33

Letter from a Buddhist Retreat Centre

By vajratara on Fri, 17 Apr, 2015 - 16:33

Vajratara lives at Tiratanaloka, a retreat centre in Wales that specialises in running retreats for women who are training for Ordination. She gives us a flavour of a remote — but busy — life

The wind has finally died down and the sun is shining. This morning, when I went for my run, the waves on the reservoir were spraying over the dam, the wind howling and crashing down the valley. The new and tender crocuses and snow drops were...

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

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

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

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...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 6: Upekkha & Ratnasambhava

By jvalamalini on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 15:17

Day 6: Upekkha & Ratnasambhava

By jvalamalini on Thu, 19 Mar, 2015 - 15:17A cold bright day in Bristol, and a deep quiet atmosphere in the Buddhist Centre, as we move into cultivating upekkha (equanimity).

As a brahma vihara, equanimity is more than the dictionary definition of ‘calm and composed especially in adversity’. It is a composite of metta, karuna and mudita pervaded by Dharmic understanding, like metta with a wisdom eye. It sees joy and suffering, their conditionedness and the constant flux of everything.

After just sitting in the mandala,...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 5: Mudita & Amoghasiddhi

By jvalamalini on Wed, 18 Mar, 2015 - 18:58

Day 5: Mudita & Amoghasiddhi

By jvalamalini on Wed, 18 Mar, 2015 - 18:58We’ve had a wonderful sunny spring day today in Bristol, perfect for us to dwell in what Sangharakshita has described as the bright dancing colours of mudita.

Ratnavandana talked about mudita as a natural response that happens often, but which we don’t always recognise. She suggested consciously appreciating moments of gladness in our lives, particularly when it connects us to others - for example she enjoyed seeing three small girls with mother’s day bouquets in the street at the...

Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 4: Karuna & Amitabha

By jvalamalini on Tue, 17 Mar, 2015 - 14:57

Day 4: Karuna & Amitabha

By jvalamalini on Tue, 17 Mar, 2015 - 14:57After days of gloom outside it’s wonderful to have spring sunshine today as we move into contemplating karuna - which Sangharakshita has described as like metta with a shadow over it.

Ratnavandana says:
It is good to reflect on our attitudes to suffering, whether it’s physical or emotional. I know for a long time I had this a sense that somehow suffering was wrong, that I shouldn’t be suffering, so there was a feeling of failure there which was...

Tag: retreat

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