Meetings

Programme January – March 2015

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INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION

INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

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.

7th Jan    Dedication ceremony

14th Jan  Nigel – New Year’s Resolutions

21st Jan   Alan – The Kutadanta Sutta: the Buddha on Sacrifice

28th Jan  Shona – Non-self Esteem

4th Feb    Nigel – Doing Something, Doing Nothing

11th Feb  David – Buddhism Without Beliefs

18th Feb  Festival – Parinirvana puja

25th Feb  Alan – Practising the Brahma Vihara Meditations

4th Mar    Nigel – Practical Mantra

11th Mar  To be confirmed

18th Mar  Spring puja

25th Mar  Phil – meditation discussion

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?

Programme Sept – Dec 2014

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INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION

INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

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.

3rd Sep            Nigel – The fourth precept 

10th Sep          Shona – The worldly winds 

17th Sep          Alan – Freud and the Buddha: ego, id and superego 

24th Sep          Autumn puja

1st Oct            Talk by Joe – subject to be confirmed 

8th Oct            Nigel – The fifth precept 

15th Oct          Alan – ‘The Better Angels of Our Nature’ 

22nd Oct          Double meditation 

29th Oct          Phil – The practice of the precepts

5th Nov           Nigel – Working in meditation

12th Nov          Nigel – Metta practice 

19th Nov          Fiona – Mindfulness and medical undergraduates 

26th Nov          Shona – subject tbc

3rd Dec            Alan – subject tbc 

10th Dec          Nava – subject tbc 

17th Dec          Winter puja 

24th Dec           No meeting

31st Dec           No meeting

Introduction to Meditation – 20th Sep and 1st Nov

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These two days are each an introduction to basic Buddhist meditation practice, including mindfulness and metta (goodwill) meditations. They are suitable for complete beginners. The mornings both 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.

Details:
10:00 – 13:00 Saturday 20 Sep or 1 Nov 2014
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 2014

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We are running two new Introduction to Buddhism courses for the remainder of 2014. These will run for three weeks each and 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 are:

First course: September 25th; October 2nd and 16th

Second course: November 6th, 20th and 27th.

Please note that there are gaps in both courses due to the availability of the venue. The dates are still to be confirmed so please check again closer to the time. 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?

Winter/spring 2014 ‘Buddhism from the Beginning’

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These talks build on each other, adding up to a rounded introduction to Buddhism, with the emphasis on practical application. However each talk is also meant to stand on its own and to be useful even if you can’t attend all of them.

February

Wed 05th         How To Approach Buddhism (Meditation: body awareness)

Wed 12th         The Noble Quest (Meditation: body awareness)

Wed 19th         The Buddha’s Enlightenment (Meditation: body awareness)

Wed 26th         The Four Noble Truths (Meditation: mindfulness of breathing)

March

Wed 05th         Right View, Right Intention (Meditation: mindfulness of breathing)

Wed 12th         Right Speech (Meditation: mindfulness of breathing)

Wed 19th         Right Action (Meditation: metta bhavana)

*Wed 26th         Right Livelihood, Right Effort (Meditation: metta bhavana)

April

Wed 02nd         Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration (Meditation: metta bhavana)

*Wed 09th         The Historical Development of Buddhism (Meditation: karuna bhavana)

Wed 16th         Buddhism and Society (Meditation: just sitting)

*Wed 23rd         The Five Hindrances

*Wed 30th         The ‘Meditation Roadmap’

May

Wed 07th         Discussion

*Wed 14th         Wesak / Buddha Day festival

* Not suitable for those with no experience of meditation

Programme for Summer/Autumn 2013

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AUGUST

7th –  Nigel – Questions are the Answer

14th –  Nigel – The Precepts

21st –  Alan – The Art of Listening

28th –  Erin – title to be confirmed

SEPTEMBER

4th –  Alison – The Presence of the Buddha

11th –  Julian – The Maha-Rahulovada Sutta

18th –  Nava – Inclusive Buddhism

25th –  Thilini – reading

OCTOBER

2nd –  Nigel – Strength Training

9th –  Alison – Mantras

16th –  Double meditation

23rd –  Alan – Ritual in Buddhism

30th –  Autumn puja