03 May Sutta study Samyutta Nikaya 53:11 by Julian
10 May Four Noble Truths by Nigel
17 May The Gradual Training by Nigel
24 May The Acrobats by Alan
31 May The Ten Perfections by Lucy
07 June Right Speech by Alan
14 June Talk by Nigel
21 June Practice discussion
28 June Memorial for Barbara
01 Feb INTRODUCTION: Buddhism in Eight Words by Alan
08 Feb INTRODUCTION: The Four Noble Truths by Nigel
15 Feb Practice discussion
22 Feb Sutta study by Julian
01 Mar Dealing with physical pain by Alan
08 Mar Sutta study by Julian
15 Mar Practice discussion
22 Mar Right Speech by Alan
29 Mar Metta by Nigel
05 Apr To be arranged
12 Apr One thing – thought by Nigel
19 Apr Practice discussion
26 Apr Sutta study by Julian
We’ll be starting the year with a comprehensive introduction to both meditation and Buddhist teachings, so if your New Year’s resolution is to start or improve a meditation practice, now is the perfect opportunity. All classes are suitable for beginners and, while we recommend coming to all of them if you can, each one of them stands on its own.
4 Jan – Meditation posture
Sitting comfortably.
11 Jan – How daily life feeds into meditation
Meditation and daily life both affect each other.
18 Jan – What to do immediately before and after meditation
Preparation and post-meditation.
25 Jan – Working during meditation.
Good meditation is not a fixed practice. Learn the skill of adapting your meditation as you go along.
1 Feb – Buddhism in Eight Words
An introduction to basic Buddhist concepts.
8 Feb – The Four Noble Truths
More on this key teaching.
All meetings are Wednesday 19:30 – 21:30 in the Quaker Meeting House, 100 Crown Street. Like all our meeting, payment is by donation.
We will not be meeting on December the 21st or 28th. We’ll be back in the New Year with Introductions to meditation and Buddhism. Merry Midwinter and Happy Hogmanay to all 🙂
Oct 05: Alan – Equanimity
Oct 12: Nigel – Become an Independent Thinker
Oct 19: Practice group
Oct 26: Nigel – A Gradual Path
Nov 2: Rescheduled: Alan – Equanimity
Nov 9: Julian – Sutta study: identifying a wise person
Nov 16: Practice group
Nov 23: Julian – Sutta study
Nov 30: Nigel – A Whole Life Path
All meetings are 19:30 to 21:30 in the Quaker Meeting House, Crown Street.
All meetings are from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Quaker Meeting House, 100 Crown Street.
3rd Aug – Beginners: Buddhism in Eight Words
A brief introduction to key Buddhist concepts
10th Aug – The Positive Precepts
The negative precepts (I undertake not to…) all have a positive counterpart in the form of a positive quality to be cultivated.
17th Aug – Practice group: The Five Hindrances
A discussion of the things that stop us getting deeper in our practice and our meditation. See here for the handout on this.
24th Aug – Suggestions for improving meditation
By Nigel.
31st Aug – Subject to be arranged
The end-of-the-month online meetings are over, so all Wednesday night meetings will now be in person in the Quaker Meeting House.
7th Sep – Beginners: 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?
If you are interested in Buddhism or meditation and want a straightforward introduction with no need for any previous experience or beliefs, these courses are for you. Introduction to Meditation covers the basics of Buddhist meditation, including why we meditate, how we meditate and how to sustain a meditation practice. Buddhism in Eight Words is about the basic ideas that underlie all forms of Buddhism.
If you haven’t been to the Aberdeen Buddhist Group before and don’t have an established Buddhist practice, we ask you to come to at least one of these classes before coming to meetings on other evenings. Although the classes are free, we are taking bookings so that we don’t end up with too many people. You can use the links below to book – please remember to cancel if you can’t make it, to give someone else a chance. All meetings are from 7:30 to 9:30 pm on Wednesday evenings in the Quaker Meeting House, 98 Crown Street.
Wed 6th July – Introduction to Meditation
Wed 3rd Aug and 7th Sep – Buddhism in Eight Words
We’re happy to say that we are now holding in-person meetings on Wednesday evenings (7:30-9:30) in the Quaker Meeting House again. We are trying a new format for the month, with a monthly pattern of different kinds of meeting.
Beginners’ meetings
The first Wednesday of the month will always be a beginner’s-level meeting, needing no previous experience of Buddhism. If you are new to Buddhism, please come to one of these before coming to other meetings.
Practice group
The third Wednesday of the month will be focussed on personal practice. You can find a description of how the meetings will work and advance readings for each month in the study materials section of the website.
Regular meetings
All other Wednesdays will be regular meetings, usually following the format of meditation-tea-talk-discussion.
Online meetings
We also have a group that meets online by Zoom, currently on Monday evenings. Meetings include a meditation (often led) and a discussion on a reading agreed previously. Please contact us if you are interested in taking part.
We won’t be holding meetings for a while in order to avoid spreading Covid-19. Further updates will be posted on this site when we have them.
Do you want to learn meditation or understand the foundations of Buddhist practice? This short course introduces the essential Buddhist ideas and meditations that you need to begin. Its emphasis is on teachings that you can test and put into practice in your own life, not on untestable beliefs. We ask people to come to at least the Very Short Introduction before joining our regular Wednesday evening meetings
15 Jan 2020 A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism – part 1
22 Jan 2020 A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism – part 2
What do terms like karma, nirvana and enlightenment really mean? This two-part introduction looks at how to understand essential Buddhist ideas in a clear and practical way.
Meditations: mindfulness of body and breath
29 Jan 2020 Culture and Practice
Buddhism comes with various Eastern cultural attachments. What are these? Where did they come from? Are any of them useful today or can we practice Buddhism without any of them?
Meditation: gladdening the mind
05 Feb 2020 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: nurturing goodwill
There is also the option to do a longer introduction to meditation on the morning of Saturday the 11th of January. Click here for details.
Aberdeen Buddhist Group 