North London Buddhist Centre
North London Buddhist Centre

How to Meditate at Home - Positive Tools for Life

By Ratnaprabha on Tue, 19 May, 2020 - 14:15

How to Meditate at Home - Positive Tools for Life

By Ratnaprabha on Tue, 19 May, 2020 - 14:15

New 3-week online NLBC course with Aryadhara and Anandavajra starts Saturday 23rd May.

3 Saturday mornings: 23 May, 30 May, 6 June 10:30am-12:30pm

Discover how to meditate, and how to set up a regular practice at home. We will explore two core foundation meditation practices that help us to focus and to have an open heart - key skills for life both in and out of lockdown!

Regular meditation brings positive benefits in helping us to improve our mental states and thereby...

North London Buddhist Centre
North London Buddhist Centre

Introducing meditation at Lunchtime

By Ratnaprabha on Thu, 26 Mar, 2020 - 21:28

Introducing meditation at Lunchtime

By Ratnaprabha on Thu, 26 Mar, 2020 - 21:28

Lunchtime introductory meditation classes on Friday (tomorrow), Monday and Tuesday

To join please click here (meeting ID 113 425 476) at 1pm on Mon, Tue, Thu or Fri for a 1-hour class on Zoom. Donate here, £5 suggested.

We have a class every weekday, the Zoom logins may be different for the Wednesday class, but watch this space!

North London Buddhist Centre
North London Buddhist Centre

Online meditation this evening

By Ratnaprabha on Tue, 24 Mar, 2020 - 16:44

Online meditation this evening

By Ratnaprabha on Tue, 24 Mar, 2020 - 16:44

Our very own Singhashri will be hosting an online meditation tonight (24 March) from 6-7 pm, and every Tuesday and Friday from now on. The link to join is here

Or go to Singhashri’s website here

Our NLBC drop-in online classes in meditation and Buddhism will from now on be free, but can you make a donation of £5 via PayPal for each class you attend online, or more if you can? If you too are running...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 6: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Thu, 2 May, 2019 - 15:49

Day 6: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Thu, 2 May, 2019 - 15:49

Day 6 - the final day! The 2019 Rains Retreat is now over. Here are some final photos - Bhadra, the Chair of the Bristol Buddhist Centre, thanking and rejoicing in Vajradevi, and then the inevitable dismantling of the shrine and farewells.

***
Listen to the audio recordings from day 6 on Soundcloud

Early Morning Meditation Session

Exploring Our Momentum with Mindfulness + Closing Ritual

Listen to the whole series on Free Buddhist Audio

View...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 4: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Wed, 1 May, 2019 - 12:27

Day 4: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Wed, 1 May, 2019 - 12:27

The morning of the fourth day of our rains retreat saw us diving into the ‘dangerous neighbourhood’ of our minds where the kleshas (poisons) hang out. With Vajradevi as a fearless guide, we explored both aversion and craving. With a skilful use of personal examples, she helped us venture into the territory with the companionship of mindfulness, helping us to distinguish the ‘knowing mind’ from the ‘known mind’.

Our afternoon session was devoted to exploring two very different...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 3: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Tue, 30 Apr, 2019 - 12:24

Day 3: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Tue, 30 Apr, 2019 - 12:24

On the third full day of the Bristol Rains Retreat Vajradevi continued the exploration of mindfulness with a talk on working with thinking, followed by a sitting meditation  in which we became aware of ‘thoughts as thoughts’ by the practice of gently ‘labelling’ what arose.  After tea, a led walking meditation provided the opportunity to carry that ‘thread of mindfulness’ from sitting into walking; this was followed by the exploration of ‘mood’ as a major conditioning factor of our experience...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 2: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Mon, 29 Apr, 2019 - 12:40

Day 2: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Mon, 29 Apr, 2019 - 12:40

In this second full day of our rains retreat on the Satipatthana Vajradevi explored the faculties of wisdom (prajna or panna)  and energy (viriya) in relation to mindfulness.  In the morning about 40 of us took part in a (very mindful!) led walking meditation round the shrineroom. 

During the day there were also opportunities to do the ‘sofa practice’! This a Bristol invention…  a term Khemajoti coined on one of our early Rains retreats 5-6 years ago when Lisa, a...

Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 1: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Sun, 28 Apr, 2019 - 09:31

Day 1: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Sun, 28 Apr, 2019 - 09:31

Our Bristol Rains Retreat 2019 had a rich first day with about 40 Order Members and Mitras taking part through the day.  Vajradevi gave us a great overview of mindfulness and awareness and skilfully wove what she’s learned of the practice in Burma with Bhante Sangharakshita’s teachings on the five spiritual faculties (drawing on the Essential Sangharakshita, What is the Dharma? and A Survey of Buddhism.)

In the evening we had a 45-minute Mindfulness of Breathing followed by the...

Online Meditators
Online Meditators

Mindfulness All Flavours! Week 1: Sati

By Candradasa on Mon, 24 Nov, 2014 - 20:34

Mindfulness All Flavours! Week 1: Sati

By Candradasa on Mon, 24 Nov, 2014 - 20:34Join us for our first flavour of mindfulness…

Over the next four Tuesdays, our course for regular meditators will be looking at mindfulness (sati, sampajanna, appamada, call-it-what-you-will!) in the context of the Five Spiritual Faculties. This will also give us a chance to explore the area of ‘breadth and focus’ in meditation, as well as generally develop and maybe even flex the great heart muscle of the spiritual life - “with mindfulness, strive on!”

Tuesdays until...
Online Meditators
Online Meditators

Tuesday Meditation Course - Mindfulness, All Flavours!

By Candradasa on Fri, 21 Nov, 2014 - 22:51

Tuesday Meditation Course - Mindfulness, All Flavours!

By Candradasa on Fri, 21 Nov, 2014 - 22:51Over the next four Tuesdays, our course for regular meditators will be looking at mindfulness (sati, sampajanna, appamada, call-it-what-you-will!) in the context of the Five Spiritual Faculties. This will also give us a chance to explore the area of ‘breadth and focus’ in meditation, as well as generally develop and maybe even flex the great heart muscle of the spiritual life - “with mindfulness, strive on!”

Tuesdays until December 16th: 2.30pm EST/7.30pm UK (courses primarily...