Morning Sitting Sessions: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

With Frank Pleske

For those wishing to sit in silent meditation in a Buddhist atmosphere. If you wish to leave before the session is ended, please do so quietly. Everyone welcome.

 Buddhist Meditation in the Thai Forest Tradition

With Mahesi Caplan

Learn to cultivate the contemplative skills of the Thai Forest tradition.

Weekly Tuesday evening meditation sessions.

Everybody welcome.

 Stages of the Path (Lam Rim)

With Steve Palmer

Ongoing weekly Wednesday evening sessions of talks and meditations focusing on the Tibetan teachings of Lam Rim. The Lam Rim is a presentation of the stages to enlightenment as taught by the Buddha. There will be meditations, an opportunity for questions and discussion, followed by tea. Everyone welcome.

 Seven Points of Mind Training

With Colin Moore

These ongoing weekly Thursday evening meetings are based on the Seven Points of Mind Training. This is a Tibetan system of practice that encourages compassion both for oneself and others. It is practical and interactive in nature, and there are weekly feedback forums.

Commentaries being used are by HH Dalai Lama and Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, as well as extracts from 'Taming the Tiger' by Akong Tulku Rinpoche.

It is recommended that participants have an established meditation or contemplative practice and a wish to benefit one and all. Non-Buddhists are also welcome if they are sympathetic to the aims of the course.

If you would like to read Colin's notes from his first class click here

And the notes from his second class click here

 Morning Sitting Sessions: Tuesday and Thursdays

With Helen and Colin Moore

This is an early morning session set up initially for the month of March only.

You are requested to arrive before the session begins and if you wish to leave before the end, please do so quietly.

 Morality

With Geshe Lobsang Thinley

Geshe Lobsang Thinley is based at Lam Rim, Bristol, and usually visits the Golden Buddha Centre once a month to give Tibetan Buddhist teachings. The sessions are usually begun with a short period of meditation followed by the teachings, then a break for tea and further teachings. There is an opportunity for questions.

Sunday 18 March 2012 More information...

 Buddhism of the Pali Suttas: Establishing Mindfulness

With Jenny Wilks

A series of three sessions exploring some key teachings and practices as recorded in the Pali Canon, the earliest record of the Buddha's teachings that has been translated into English. Each session will cover a different text so you can attend any or all of them. The sessions will be interactive, with time for questions and discussion, and a short meditation practice based on the sutta. (Links are given to the texts for those who would like to read them in advance, but this is not essential as copies will be provided.)

This first session will explore the why, what and how of mindfulness meditation as the foundation of dharma practice, from the Satipatthana Sutta 'the Discourse on (four) Establishments of Mindfulness' (Majjhima Nikaya 10). See link below to download this sutta:

Further talks will be 'Cultivating Loving-Kindness' (the Metta Sutta) on 27 May, and 'Faith and Doubt: How do we Evalute the Teachings?' (the Kalama Sutta) on 10 June.

Sunday 15 April 2012 More information...