We’ll be taking a break from Wednesday evening meetings over the month of July. We’ll be back in August with a new programme. An Introduction to Meditation day is planned for the 31st of August – subject to confirming that the room is free. Have a good summer 🙂
Programme April-May 2013
For the next 8 weeks or so, the group will be working with the new meditation guide by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, ‘With Each and Every Breath’. We have a pile of free copies for people to use and it can also be downloaded as an e-book at dhammatalks.org. It isn’t essential to have read the book as the evenings will be led, but it’s the best way to get the most out of it.
Study group book: The Jewel in the Lotus
The next study group book will be ‘The Jewel in the Lotus’ by Stephen Batchelor. It’s a bit different from our usual study group books in that it’s more about the history of Buddhism than the practice. It is out of print but there are plenty of copies available second hand.
The study group is held once a fortnight in members’ houses and is open to anyone who has read the week’s text. There is a separate mailing list for the study group wo if you would like to join it please email us.
Programme January to April 2013
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.
JANUARY
Wed 9th        How To Approach Buddhism
                       Meditation: body awareness
Wed 16th      The Noble Quest
                       Meditation: body awareness
 Wed 23rd       The Buddha’s Enlightenment
                       Meditation: body awareness
Wed 30th       The Four Noble Truths
                       Meditation: mindfulness of breathing
FEBRUARY
Wed 6th          View and Intention
                       Meditation: mindfulness of breathing
 Wed 13th       Speech
                       Meditation: mindfulness of breathing
 Wed 20th       Action
                        Meditation: metta bhavana
Wed 27th       Livelihood and Effort
                        Meditation: metta bhavana
MARCH
Wed 6th          Mindfulness and Concentration
                       Meditation: metta bhavana
Wed 13th       The Historical Development of Buddhism
                      Meditation: karuna bhavana
Wed 20th       Buddhism and Society
                      Meditation: just sitting
Wed 27th       The Five Hindrances
APRIL
Wed 3RD        The ‘Meditation Roadmap’
Wed 10th       Discussion
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Introduction to Meditation class
Meditation posture, mindfulness of breathing and ‘metta bhavana’ meditations
Venue: Quaker Meeting House, 98-100 Crown Street
Date: 17th of November, 10:00 to 13:00
Cost: by donation
Programme September to December 2012
05 Sep       Khemaka – Feelings
12              Ian – How I Came To Buddhism
19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Meditation and reading by Thilini
26              Julian – Death of a Cat
03 Oct       Alan – Self and Non Self
10              Nigel – Metta Bhavana
17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Khemaka – Elements
24Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Double meditation
31              Mhairi – subject to be confirmed
07 Nov      Nigel – The Breath
14              James – Practicing the Four Contemplations
21              Dan – Buddhist Global Relief
28Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sangha Day Festival
05 Dec       Julian – Being Peaceful, Peacefully
12              Alan – Deceit and Self Deception
19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Double meditation
26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Closed
Thai Buddhist temple in Aberdeen
The Thai Buddhist community in Aberdeen is working towards building a temple and have started a programme of events. You can read their new website here.
Wednesday group restarts
The Wednesday evening meeting is back from its summer break, starting again on the 22nd of August. The first two meetings will be:
22/8/12 – Introduction to meditation – Alan
29/8/12 – Working in meditation – Nigel
The September-December programme isn’t quite ready yet, but will be kicking off with a talk by Khemaka on the 5th.
Study Group book – Tales of Freedom
The study group’s new text is ‘Tales of Freedom’ by Vessantara, which discusses the teachings through stories from the Buddhist tradition. It seems to be out of print at present but there are lots of second hand copies available online.
The first meeting to discuss the first chapter will be on Sunday the 29th of July. Anyone can come, so long as they have read the text.
Summer Break
The Wednesday evening meeting will be taking a break for the duration of the school summer holidays. Ian’s (re-)rescheduled talk, ‘Buddhism and Helicopters’ on Wednesday the 4th will be the last meeting in July. We’ll be back on the 22nd of August and will have a beginners’ class some time around then.
Aberdeen Buddhist Group 