Introductions

Programme autumn/winter 2016

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INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Introduction to meditation: Saturday 22nd Oct; 10:00 to 13:00
Introduction to Buddhism: Wednesday 2nd Nov; 19:30 to 21:30

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.

14 Sep        Nigel – everyday practice
21 Sep        Autumn celebration
28 Sep        Alan – ‘The Spirit Level’ – Buddhist responses to inequality

05 Oct        Julian – The Four Frames of Reference
12 Oct        Cliff – Rebirth
19 Oct        Nigel – Swimming Against the Stream – non-craving in a consumerist culture
26 Oct        Julian – Going for Refuge

02 Nov       Introduction to Buddhism – see above
09 Nov       Nigel – The Buddha’s meditation system – handout
16 Nov       Alan – Mindfulness – handout
23 Nov       Shona – Why the Breath?
30 Nov       Alan – Gladdening the Mind

07 Dec        Alan – Practicing the Brahma Viharas
14 Dec        Alan – The mudita bhavana
21 Dec        Winter celebration
28 Dec        closed

4 Jan        Double meditation

Meeting times, place and costs

Programme – summer 2016

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The summer programme will cover the Buddha’s teaching of the ‘Noble Eightfold Path’, one limb of the path per week. Each evening will consist of a short talk, followed by discussion. This would be a good point for beginners to start as it should make a good introduction for people not familiar with the teachings.

20 Jul   View
27 Jul   Resolve
03 Aug  Speech
10 Aug  Conduct
17 Aug  Livelihood
24 Aug  Effort
31 Aug  Mindfulness
07 Sep  Samadhi

14 Sep – talk, subject tbc
21 Sep – Autumn equinox celebration

Introductory courses 2016

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20 April – Introduction to Meditation
27 April – A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism

06 July – Introduction to Meditation
13 July – A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism

As usual, meetings run from 19:30 to 21:30 in the Quaker Meeting House, 98-100 Crown Street, and payment is by donation. There is no need to book for the evenings.

 

Programme autumn 2015

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The Noble Eightfold Path

These five evenings will be mostly discussion-based, covering the main areas of Buddhist practice. They are suitable for beginners if attending from the beginning.

23 Sep – Right View, Right Intention

Meditation: Body awareness

30 Sep – Right Speech

Meditation: Mindfulness of breathing

07 Oct – Right Action

Meditation: ‘Gladdening the mind’

14 Oct – Right Livelihood, Right Effort

Meditation: Cultivation of goodwill (metta bhavana)

21 Oct – Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration

Meditation: Four-stage metta bhavana

28 Oct, 4, 11, 18, 25 Nov – Buddhism in Daily Life

September meetings

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Our autumn programme will begin with a brief introduction to both Buddhsim and meditation – an ideal introduction for beginners or a useful refresher for regulars.

2nd Sep: A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism

Seven key Buddhist concepts. Meditation – body-based mindfulness.

9th Sep: 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? Meditation – mindfulness of breathing.

16th Sep: 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? Meditation – mindfulness and emotion

Programme April – June 2015

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INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION

Saturday 16th ­May; 10:00 to 13:00

INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

Thursdays 21st and 28th May, 4th June; 19:30 to 21:30

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.

8 Apr Alan – The Soṇadaṇḍa Sutta: on nobility

15 Apr Nigel – A question of skill

22 Apr double meditation

29 Apr Alan – The Mūlapariyāya Sutta: clinging to beliefs

6 May Wesak celebration

13 May Shona – Fate or free will?

20 May Nigel – Strength training for the mind

The next four talks form a short series on the Brahma Vihara meditations, which include the metta bhavana. Each talk and meditation will also stand on its own.

27 May ‘Gladdening the mind’

3 Jun Practising the Brahma viharas

10 Jun The mudita bhavana: sympathetic joy

17 Jun Bodhisattvas of compassion

24 Jun to be confirmed

All meetings are in the Quaker Meeting House, 98-100 Crown Street.

Study Group
The study group meets every other Sunday in members’ homes and studies books chosen by the group. During this programme we will be using ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’ by Jonathan Haidt. If you would like to join the study group, please contact the group email.

Introduction to Meditation 2015

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These courses are an introduction to basic Buddhist meditation practice, including mindfulness and metta (goodwill) meditations. They are suitable for complete beginners. They run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will also be teaching meditation during our Thursday evening Introduction to Buddhism courses which follow on from these Saturday sessions, but these courses give the opportunity to take more time and go deeper.

The next course is:
10:00 – 13:00 Saturday 16 May
Quaker Meeting House, 98-100 Crown Street
Cost – donation

There is no need to book formally for the courses, but if you are thinking of coming do drop us an email as it is nice to know who to expect.

Introduction to Buddhism courses 2015

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We run three-week Introduction to Buddhism courses periodically through the year. They cover basic Buddhist concepts and practice (including meditation) and an overview of the different sources used in Buddhism. They are strongly recommended for anyone who would like to start attending our Wednesday evening Regulars group as this will no longer include any introductory evenings. The courses are on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 and the dates for the next one are:

21st and 28th May, 4th June.

Each course is preceded by a three-hour Introduction to Meditation class. It isn’t essential to come on this as well since we do cover meditation on the Thursday evenings, but you might find that you get more out of it if you do since the morning class allows us more time to go over meditation in more detail.

Further details can be found in Meeting times.

Week 1: A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism

Seven key Buddhist concepts.

Week 2: 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?

Week 3: 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?