Day 5 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
Ethics as a difficulty that can be solved on its own level, and ethics as problem. What do we do with our own failure to live by our ideals? Shinran, Bhante and the third fetter of dependence on rites and rituals as ends in themselves.
Day 6 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
Trusting our samaya, and being held by the ocean. What if we trust that our connection to the transcendental is unlosable, irreversible? Bhante talks about Shinran's approach being a transposition of the Dharma from the dogmatic to the emotional. How does this work?
Day 3 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
How do we conceive of 'practice'? What do we imagine is actually happening? Every time we undertake a practice, we have assumptions and views about what is going on - and we're usually unaware of them. Exploration of the different perspectives on 'practice' in the three myths of the Dharma life.
Day 4 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
Spiritual death and rebirth as the beginning of the path - and receptivity, integration and positive emotion as the result of moments of clear-seeing. Contextualising Shinran's approach and Sangharakshita's A System of Practice, and interpretation of the Noble Eightfold Path. Are we in control of our minds? Is there a difference between the level of control we think we should have, and the level of control we actually have over the mind?
Day 2 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. What do we regard as reliable? Maitrisiddhi explores what self-power and Other Power really is. What if we realised that all the actions of the Dharma life flow naturally from 'placing our heart' on the measureless? What if we saw delusion as non-personal - an existential situation that we share - which connects us rather than separating us?
For experienced Dharma practitioners.
Day 2 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
What do we regard as reliable? Maitrisiddhi explores what self-power and Other Power really is. What if we realised that all the actions of the Dharma life flow naturally from 'placing our heart' on the measureless? What if we saw delusion as non-personal - an existential situation that we share - which connects us rather than separating us?
Day 1 of 'Shinran and Re Imagining Practice' retreat. Suitable for experienced Dharma practitioners.
How do we relate to the Bodhisattva myth? Are we inspired to become a bodhisattva and be part of saving all other beings through our practice? Or do we experience our limitedness and karmic conditionedness and realise we need the adhisthana of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Maitrisiddhi evokes and retells the mythic history of Bodhisattva Dharmakara creating Sukhavati and becoming Amitabha Buddha, using parts of Sraddhapa's translation of the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra, then contrasts the story of Shinran.
In Sthiranaga’s exploration of this section of Canto 103, he provides some practical techniques to help keep us from becoming estranged from our meditation practice as well as tips to creatively explore the positive formulation of the precepts, which can form part of the ‘enactment’ of Padmasabhava’s advice to Queen Ngang Chung, which leads to her liberation.
Padmasambhava’s final counsel to the Three Fortunate Women—from six fierce hammer blows of renunciation, through wholehearted offering, to reflecting on “the great dry misery of the cycle”. Practical pointers to stop chasing mirage water, live more lightly, and keep confidence when the teacher is no longer in the room.
In this talk Satyakirti explores how, through the threefold path of ethics, meditation and wisdom, we prepare ourselves to meet the Guru, Padmasambhava, and have an encounter with reality itself, that will leave us forever changed.
