Programme: May to August 2018

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REGULARS’ GROUP (Wednesdays 19:30 to 21:30)

The regulars group is open to anyone who has been on an introductory course or who is already familiar with Buddhism and meditation. Evenings marked INTRODUCTION are suitable for complete beginners.

16 May  Nigel – The five hindrances
23 May  Alan – The Brahma Vihara meditations
30 May  Bright – Anatta-lakkhana Sutta: the discourse on not-self

06 Jun  Nigel – The five aggregates
13 Jun  Alan – Community and friendship
20 Jun  Orla – Buddhism and mental health
27 Jun  Julian – Angulimala

04 Jul  Nigel – The seven factors of awakening
11 Jul  Alan – Apollo, Dionysus and the Buddha
18 Jul  Julian – subject to be confirmed
25 Jul  Alan – Buddhist ethics in a global economy

01 Aug  Nigel – Getting to know the breath
08 Aug  Bright – Contemplating death
15 Aug  Nigel – Dhamma in daily life
22 Aug  Orla – subject to be confirmed
29 Aug  INTRODUCTION A very short introduction to Buddhism

Programme February – April 2018

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07 Feb  Nigel – Emotions and their role on the path

14 Feb  Julian – Right speech

21 Feb  Nigel – Effort or no effort

28 Feb  Orla – Gender in Buddhism

07 Mar  sangha evening

14 Mar  Alan – Biased? Me? – part 1

21 Mar  Alan – Biased? Me? – part 2

28 Mar  Nigel – Putting the present in its place

4 Apr  Julian – The Sīgālaka Sutta

 11 Apr  double meditation

 18 Apr  INTRODUCTION: A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism

 25 Apr  Nigel – The Threefold Path: Ethics

Introductory classes 2018

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We’re starting 2018 with our 3-week introductory course, covering the basic teachings of Buddhism and a bit of background about Buddhist texts, schools and history to help you navigate the different forms of Buddhism that you might find. We will also be teaching meditation, suitable for complete beginners. Once you have come on an introductory course you can come to our Regulars group which meets every Wednesday.

17 Jan A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism
An introduction to the basic concepts of Buddhism and to Buddhist meditation.

24 Jan Schools and Sources
Buddhism was passed down as an oral tradition for several hundred years. How did it come to be written down? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different texts and traditions that we know Buddhism through?

31 Jan Culture and Practice
Buddhism comes with various bits of Eastern cultural baggage. What are these? Where did they come from? Are any of them useful today or can we practice Buddhism without any of them?

Meeting times and place

Programme Sep 2017 to Jan 2018

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REGULARS’ GROUP (Wednesdays 19:30 to 21:30)

The regulars group is open to anyone who has been on an introductory course or who is already familiar with Buddhism and meditation. Evenings marked INTRODUCTION are suitable for complete beginners.

06 Sep  Alan – Biased? Me?
13 Sep  Nigel – The 7 factors for enlightenment
20 Sep  Julian – What’s metta got to do, got to do with it?
27 Sep  Nigel – Go with the flow

04 Oct  Cliff – The Aggi Sutta
11 Oct  Double meditation
18 Oct  Nigel – How to prosper
25 Oct  Alan – On loneliness

01 Nov Eszter – Being your own god
08 Nov  INTRODUCTION A very short introduction to Buddhism
15 Nov  Nigel – Creating worlds
22 Nov  Nigel – How do I do it?
29 Nov  Cliff – The suffering of others

06 Dec  Talk by Orla
13 Dec  Talk by Julian
20 Dec  Winter celebration
27 Dec  no meeting

03 Jan Nigel – New Year’s Resolutions
10 Jan Subject to be confirmed
17 Jan INTRODUCTION A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism
24 Jan INTRODUCTION Schools and Sources
31 Jan INTRODUCTION Culture and Practice

Venue and time details

Programme May – August 2017

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REGULARS’ GROUP (Wednesdays 19:30 to 21:30)

The regulars group is open to anyone who has been on an introductory course or who is already familiar with Buddhism and meditation. Evenings marked INTRODUCTION are suitable for complete beginners.

03 May  The eightfold path – Nigel
10 May  Walking the path – Nigel
17 May  Refuges and precepts – Alan
24 May  The Ānāpānasati Sutta – Alan
31 May  The same but different, but the same – Nigel

07 Jun  Don’t get mad, get dhamma! Anger management in the suttas – Shona
14 Jun  The Saraniya Sutta: the principles of cordiality – Julian
21 Jun  Summer celebration – Alan
28 Jun  The eight worldly winds – Nigel

05 Jul  Dharma Day – Alan
12 Jul  Life is not an easy ride – Cliff
19 Jul  Buddhism at work – Eszter
26 Jul  The four elements – Julian

02 Aug  Sigalovāda Sutta pt2 – David
09 Aug  INTRODUCTION A very short introduction to Buddhism – Alan
16 Aug  The five precepts – Nigel
23 Aug  Right speech – Nigel
30 Aug  Jhāna – Nigel

Venue details

Retreat April 2017

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10:00 to 16:00 Saturday 22 April

This is our first self-organised retreat in a long time, so we’re keeping it simple. There is no theme or teaching, just a chance to experience the results of a longer period of meditation in a conducive environment.

The day will fall into two parts. The morning (10:00-13:00) will be an Introduction to Meditation class for beginners. Obviously anyone coming on the retreat won’t need this, but we encourage you to come along and sit in, taking advantage of the periods of meditation and giving new folk a chance to meet some regulars.

At 1pm we’ll stop for a light lunch. If you can’t make the morning you can come and join us then. After that the afternoon will be dedicated purely to meditation, alternating sitting and walking meditation. At the end there will be a short time to end with a cup of tea and a discussion of meditation practice.

Further details: see Time and Place