Buddhist Meditation 101

[presenters yet to be announced]
Weekend 4 and 5 December
10am – 5pm
Suggested donation £50 (includes lunch on both days)

Buddhist Meditation 101 (101 means for beginners in US English, like the ‘for Dummies’ series of books) introduces a broad range of meditation techniques that can be used by anyone.  The course is produced by the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, to which Jamyang is affiliated.  The course is aimed at people new to meditation or interested in exploring some the very many Buddhist meditation techniques in use today.  It is a very hands course on with time for explanation of the technique, practice of it, and feedback to the group from course participants on experiences had using it, as well as more general talks about the theory unpractised meditation.

This course builds on and gives breadth to the experiences gained in the Monday Free Introduction to meditation offered on one Monday at the beginning of every programme and the Free Meditation for Beginners evenings offered on occasional Fridays throughout the year.

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Buddhism in A Nutshell

(This course is not on offer in the Autumn Programme)

Weekend of 5 - 6 June
10am – 5pm each day
Suggested donation £50 for the weekend (includes vegetarian lunch on both days £25 a day

Buddhism in a Nutshell gives a good introduction to the life of the Buddha Shakyamuni and to the spread of Buddhism till now.  It is designed for people completely new to Buddhism or very new in Buddhism.

The course also introduces key Buddhist themes through studying a short seminal work by lama Tsongkhapa the founder of the particular Tibetan Buddhist tradition that the Centre follows, the Geluk.

The course allows ample time for interaction with the presenters and your fellow students and for discussion of the ideas presented, their relevance televised in the 21^st Century in the modern world and participants share their experiences.  It introduces participants to simple meditation techniques that can be used by anyone anywhere, regardless of whether they are Buddhist or not.

Jan and Jacky have been Buddhists for a number of years now practicing together as they lead normal daily working lives.  They have studied and practiced broadly across the Tibetan traditions and bring that wealth of understanding thievery practical presentations of what Buddhism is, what relevance it has for the modern world, and how it can help ordinary people to have happier more fulfilled lives.

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Dying Well Group

Saturday 16 October 10 am – 4pm
Voluntary donation

This Spring we will look at the issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is a difficult and emotive topic but hopefully our exploration will help us sort out our own thoughts and feelings in this area which is so much in the news nowadays.

 

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Student Seminar –with Jake Fisher

Not suitable for those new to or new in Buddhism. Seminar places limited so please book early.
Saturday 18 December  10am-5pm and Sunday 18December 10am -1pm
Suggested donation £30 for the 1.5 days.

Jake Fisher, a student from Jamyang London studying the Masters Programme at Istituto Lama Tsongkhapa will give a weekend seminar over one and a half days looking at the presentation of the lack of intrinsic existence to be found at the core of our experience of ourselves as distinct individual personalities and the momentary things and events in our experience upon which we base our ideas of who and what we are: also known as the two kinds of selflessnesses.  He will look at how this is explained in the texts and how relevant it is for our daily lives and daily practice.  He will also look at the purpose of longer term study, and the value of the Geluk approach to the textual tradition coming from lOrd Buddha and the great Indian masters.  

Instituto Lama Tsong khapa in Pomaia, Toscana in Italy is the only place in Europe where FPMT students can study the great texts of the great Nalanda tradition of Indian Buddhism, such as the Ornament of Clear Realisations by Maitreyanatha (famous for its explanations of skillful means and practises on the method side of Indian Buddhism), the Introduction/Supplement to The Middle Way by Candrakirti (famous for its clear delineation of what is ultimately real and true) and so on.  This is in the famed Masters Programme which has run there for many years.

  As well as being a hard working student Jake is also a very easy going and unpretentious seminar presenter. If you think dharma knowledge comes with age, think again. Come and meet a young (under 27 years old) dharma practitioner who has taken a risk to really try to understand the practice tradition of the Buddha Dharma in its true depth and spaciousness.

 

Discussing Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life.

Thursdays 7.30pm - 9.00pm

.Voluntary donation

Following the advice His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave Nottingham this year about what texts are good to study, we will be offering an opportunity for you to go through Shantideva's masterpiece "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's way ofLife".

In the whole Tibetan Buddhist tradition there is no single treatise more deeply revered or widely practised than "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life". Composed in the eighth century by the Indian Bodhisattva Shantideva, it became an instant classic in the curricula of the Buddhist monastic universities of India, and its renown has grown ever since.

Shantideva's presentation of the methods to harmonise one's own way of life with the Bodhisattva's ideal begins with a praise of the spirit of awakening, the Bodhisattva's altruistic aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all beings. In the chapters that follow, Shantideva inspires the reader to cultivate each of the six perfections that provide the basis for the Bodhisattva way of life - generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, meditative concentration and wisdom.

This discussion group will be lightly facilitated, and is intended to be a support to studying the text at home. The edition that will be used is the one by Alan and Vesna Wallace. You will be able to buy a copy at the bookshop.