An introductory course held over five Thursday evenings (7.00-9.30pm) - Book here
There is an old English saying:
“Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny”.
The Buddha would have agreed with that. According to the Buddha, what we think, what we do with our minds, is the most crucial factor in how free and happy we become. This course will help us become more aware of the thoughts...
“May I deliver all beings from difficulties; may I eradicate all passions; may I master all dharmas; may I lead all beings to Buddhahood.” This is the Bodhisattva’s resolve upon the awakening of the Bodhi Heart.
The four rūpa jhānas (hereafter referred to as the jhānas) have been described as connecting with liberating insight in different ways. Are they best considered as merely preparing the mind for the acquisition of insight? Is it that their characteristics represent suitable objects for insight practice? Or do they have a more intrinsic role in inducing insight? I am going to focus on the last of these possibilities and in particular propose jhānic experience as a way to counter mental...
What is the Bodhicitta, how can we talk about it, what parallels can we find in our own experience? These are some of the questions explored in this second talk on the Bodhicaryavatara.
Contemporary society tells us that its important to get it all out and that we need to be kind to ourselves. However when we look at the Bodhicaryavatara Shantideva takes a different tack - make war on the defilements! What are we to make of this? Talk 3 of 6 on the Bodhicaryavatara.
More counter-cultural stuff here, shouldn't we always express how we feel? Shantideva seems to be saying something else when he encourages us to be 'like a block of wood'...
Talk 4 of 6 on the Bodhicaryavatara.
The whole of the Bodhicaryavatara builds to Shantideva's exposition on Wisdom. Yet often the commentaries skip it, with humbleness and strong sense of biting off more than he can chew Dharmashalin tries to explore how we can engage with this material.
The Bodhicaryavatara culminates with verses of sublime beauty expressing a deep and profound desire for the alleviation of suffering. Maitrisara evokes these verses with tenderness and delight, whilst also turning back to that tricky topic of hell.
