Tag: Satipatthana

Buddhist Centre Features
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Alive, Aware, Awake! (The Dharma Toolkit, Episode 31)

By Centre Team on Fri, 3 Jul, 2020 - 15:27

What is it to be fully aware, fully alive? Here is a great conversation with the retreat team from Taraloka, who are about to lead our online Home Retreat around the relief and ease of being in the present moment – whatever that present moment looks like. 

Join in with Alive, Aware, Awake - a Home Retreat for everyone!

Experience can be an adventure in awareness. How can we taste the deep excitement of opening to the nature...
Windhorse Publications
Windhorse Publications

Coming soon: 'Uncontrived Mindfulness' by Vajradevi

By Windhorse Publi... on Fri, 13 Mar, 2020 - 12:44
  • Vajradevi's 'Uncontrived Mindfulness' is now available for sponsorship.

Coming soon: 'Uncontrived Mindfulness' by Vajradevi

By Windhorse Publi... on Fri, 13 Mar, 2020 - 12:44

In December Windhorse Publications announced the first six books we’ll be publishing in 2020, and we’re now delighted to announce the seventh, due for release in October: Uncontrived Mindfulness: ending suffering through attention, curiosity and wisdom by respected meditation teacher, Vajradevi.

The Buddha emphasized that happiness is found through understanding the mind rather than getting caught up in what we experience through the senses. This simple yet radical shift from our usual focus is key to a relaxed and natural – uncontrived – way of observing the...
Free Buddhist Audio
Free Buddhist Audio

Dharmabyte: Catching the Arising of Vedana

By Sadayasihi on Thu, 14 Nov, 2019 - 14:00

Vidyamala explores the crucial place of awareness of vedana if we are to move from reactive states to more creative ones.

From the talk Vedana and Growth given on ‘Gravity and Grace’ Retreat, 2018, at Rivendell Retreat Centre. This talk is part of the series An Exploration of the Satipatthana Sutta.

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Community Highlights
Community Highlights

Complete Recordings from the Bristol Buddhist Centre Rains Retreat 2019

By Sadayasihi on Fri, 3 May, 2019 - 10:52

The 2019 Bristol Buddhist Centre’s Rains Retreat was called “Pathways to a Beautiful Mind”. Led by Vajradevi, the retreat explored ways of cultivating a beautiful mind by using the framework of the Satipatthana Sutta as well as the five spiritual faculties.

You can now listen to the complete recordings - which include led meditations and pujas as well as Dharma talks - and take part in your very own rains season retreat at your leisure! A big...
Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 6: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Thu, 2 May, 2019 - 15:49
  • Bhadra, the Chair of the Bristol Buddhist Centre
  • Bhadra rejoicing in Vajradevi
  • Khemajoti tidying the shrine
  • Farewells
  • Vajradevi leaving

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.

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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 5: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Thu, 2 May, 2019 - 11:31
  • Conversations during the tea break
  • More sofa practice!
  • The assembled company - part 1
  • The assembled company - part 2
  • The assembled company - part 3
  • Panorama of the entire assembled company
  • Vajradevi
  • Shrine for the 'Hermit Puja'
  • Milarepa

Day 5: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Thu, 2 May, 2019 - 11:31

Day five - the last full day - of our Bristol Rains Retreat 2019 saw us beginning with a led meditation in which we were watching our minds, including noticing how awareness arises with the object of awareness.  Vajradevi followed this with a full exploration of the poison of moha (delusion), which she described as the most illusive of the three poisons.  We looked a bit more at how we can use our sense faculties...
Bristol Buddhist Centre
Bristol Buddhist Centre

Day 4: Pathways to a Beautiful Mind

By Satyalila on Wed, 1 May, 2019 - 12:27
  • Naravira leading the puja

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
  • Flower offerings
  • Green Tara shrine
  • A reading from Charlotte Joko Beck
  • Satyalila leading Vessantara's 'Midnight Star' Tara puja
  • Making offerings

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
  • The 'sofa practice'!
  • Khemajoti leading a session

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
  • Vajradevi is leading this year's Bristol Buddhist Centre's Rains Retreat

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...

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