Introduction to Meditation 2015

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

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

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

New study group book – This Being, That Becomes

This Being, That Becomes by Dhivan Thomas Jones is said to be a ‘clear, practical and open’ guide to that central but sometimes obscure Buddhist teaching of ‘conditioned co-production’. It will be the next book for the Study Group, which meets every other Sunday morning in members’ homes. The group is open to anyone who has read that week’s chapter, so if you are interested in joining in, please email us.

This Being That Becomes

Introduction to Meditation – 20th Sep and 1st Nov

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

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?