Maitrisiddhi evokes the three protective circles surrounding the mandala of practice, then leads a meditation.
From 2024 Taraloka retreat ‘Vajra Energy’, exploring themes from Sangharakshita’s ‘Creative Symbols of Tantric Buddhism’
What is a symbol? How does something – anything – become symbolic? Maitrisiddhi explores how to engage with both personal and traditional symbols of enlightenment. Faith and the imaginal faculty can open us into a world where everything is significant – everything is telling us of the path to awakening.
Talk 2 of 4 given on 2024 Taraloka retreat ‘Vajra Energy’, exploring themes from Sangharakshita’s ‘Creative Symbols of Tantric Buddhism’
The naked red sky dancer, embodying the liberated energy of the Awakened mind – playing, living, practising in the fearful Cremation Ground. Heartfelt and searingly honest, Sahajatara talks about how to recognise ‘cremation grounds’ in our own lives – situations that push us beyond our limits – and invites us to recognise the transformative potential of difficulty. Extreme difficulty can be the conditions where the dakini can arise for us.
Talk 3 of 4 given on 2024 Taraloka retreat ‘Vajra Energy’, exploring themes from Sangharakshita’s ‘Creative Symbols of Tantric Buddhism’
The naked red sky dancer, embodying the liberated energy of the Awakened mind – playing, living, practising in the fearful Cremation Ground. Heartfelt and searingly honest, Sahajatara talks about how to recognise ‘cremation grounds’ in our own lives – situations that push us beyond our limits – and invites us to recognise the transformative potential of difficulty. Extreme difficulty can be the conditions where the dakini can arise for us.
Talk 3 of 4 given on 2024 Taraloka retreat ‘Vajra Energy’, exploring themes from Sangharakshita’s ‘Creative Symbols of Tantric Buddhism’
An alive and dynamic spiritual community is vital to the individual flourishing of those that participate in it. In this keynote talk Paramabandhu gives his reflections on over 30 years of practising within the LBC Sangha.
Is it pessimistic to focus on the painful aspects of life, or can we find a way to something better by trying to understand it? An exploration of Dukkha - the teaching on suffering at the heart of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths.
Saraha draws out examples of the Buddha’s wisdom from the Pali Canon highlighting how pleasure and bliss are not obstacles to the spiritual path, craving and attachment is the problem leading to suffering.. Excerpted from the talk entitled Wisdom In the Pali Canon given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2010.
I’ve led Year 1 three times now, and each time I’ve found myself wondering whether year 1 is too soon to be looking at the Triratna Vandana? Few Mitras have encountered it, unless they’ve asked for ordination. It has a very welcome devotional feel which is, of course, appropriate for fully committed people. But each year I’ve found that several members of the group are puzzled and somewhat thrown by it.
