An informal event around the fire at Padmaloka, hosted by Padmasagara and consisting of three short talks. Surata, Maitrikumara and Alokavira share stories that have moved them and given ‘soul’ to their Going for Refuge. The evening was part of a retreat for men who’ve asked for ordination on the theme of Going for Refuge.

The second of Padmavajra's talks on the Diamond Sutra, given on the Padmaloka men's winter retreat devoted to the Diamond Sutra and Just Sitting, Padmavajra speaks on the opening of the sutra and the Buddha's response to Subhuti's question on how a Bodhisattva "should stand, how progress, and how train their mind". He also explores viewing the conditioned as if it were stars. In the course of his talks he talks about Bhante's life in relation to the sutra and references the story of Dabba of the Mallas. He also does his best to show how The Diamond Sutra might inspire us

In this questions and answers session given at the Men's Great Gathering at Padmaloka, Padmavajra explores themes from the talk he gave the previous day. In his talk, Padmavajra explores the Buddha's proclamation that just as the great and mighty ocean has the taste of salt, the Buddha's Dhamma has the taste of freedom. By freedom, the Buddha meant complete liberation from the wheel of life, but he also indicated the importance of social freedom. In his talk Padmavajra begins with a quotation from the great Indian Dalit leader, Dr B R Ambedkar on the occasion of the great mass conversion to Buddhism of hundreds and thousands of Dalits. The talk focuses on the practices that lead to liberation, with a presentation of the Buddha's great teaching of the five teachings that lead to the maturing of the liberation of the heart.