Buddhism

Volunteering

Help our Spiritual Programme Director:

Mike Murray, who organises Jamyang's entire spiritual programme (and much, much more!), is always looking for volunteers who can spare a few hours or days, helping him do tasks such as: keeping our meditation rooms clean & tidy, taking care of our Library (cleaning, sorting and cataloguing books), delivering leaflets and help with publicity.

Contact Mike:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Link to main volunteer page:

Buddhist Tantra

Mahayana Buddhism comes in two styles of practice, Sutra and Tantra.

Sutra style Buddhism takes a long view of practice as a gradual gaining of positive attitudes and qualities and a gradual shedding of unhelpful qualities and attitudes. 

Tantra style Buddhism holds that development into a Fully Enlightened Buddha can be speeded up if the practitioner can develop the mental strength and clarity to continuously model the enlightened motivation, view and behaviour of a fully enlightened being.

All the Tibetan Buddhist Schools take Buddhist Tantra as the highest form of Mahayana Buddhist spiritual practice.  Within that all the Sarma schools (Sakya, Kagyu, Geluk) agree that the practice of Mother Tantra is very effective, and the FPMT and Jamyang are no exception.

We offer three different kinds of Buddhist tantra event at Jamyang London

• Tantra blessings and initiations (only occasionally, and usually as part of a visit by a high lama)
• Tantra practice groups (regularly, but currently only for three Highest Yoga Tantra practices)
• Tantra teachings (only occasionally, and again usually as part of a visit by a high lama)

Look in the Calendar to find out about the regular tantra practice groups for Kalachakra, Guhyasamaja and Vajrayogini.

Tailoring our offer

Tailoring our offer

Public teachings, by their very nature, give a broad overview, a little something for everyone.  They cannot offer practices exactly tailored to your specific circumstances, because you are unique - just like everyone else.  No one had the same life chances and life experiences as you. 

Buddhism recognises this.  It also recognises the need to work effectively with what we have rather trying to give a 'one size fits all' prescription for practice or trying to shoe horn or force people into practices they are unready for.

Traditionally the way people started to tailor the Buddhist offering to their own needs was to find a teacher, or teachers, and in one to one personal interviews and discussion get guidance and feedback on how their mediation and studies were going.  This finding of a teacher was, and still is, considered very important for progressing along the path. 

There is a basic recognition in Tibetan Buddhism at least, that you cannot really taste Buddhist practice by reading books or listening to recordings alone, you actually have to engage with a living person and listen to them for the dynamic of practice to really take off. 

Left to our own devices there is an unhealthy tendency in many of us to either make the trainings of Buddhism into harsh inflexible self harming structures or to become slack in our practice of countering negative unhelpful attitudes and behaviours in ourself, and so also harming ourselves.

In modern Europe it is not so easy to find the perfect teacher or one fulfilling the traditional list of qualities a teacher should have, even the bare minimum list.  But not having met your true teacher, or teachers, should not hold you you back from seeking interim advice and feedback to do with your practice or from exploring meditation and trying to broaden your Buddhist learning and understanding.

Advice and guidance
Jamyang is very fortunate in having a highly qualified Tibetan Geshe teaching at our Centre and he is more than happy to meet people to discuss their practice.  Interviews are usually on Wednesday afternoons and can be booked through the Jamyang office.

But if, for whatever reason you would prefer to talk to someone else, Jamyang is also very lucky to have a number of London based ordained Sangha, nuns and monks, with whom you can also discuss your practice or difficulties in your life. 

Also we are lucky to have some lay FPMT recognised Foundation level Buddhism teachers closely connected with the Centre and these too can help with interim advice and feedback on your practice and any difficulties you may be experiencing in your life.

Visiting teachers and presenters

The Spring and summer programmes see Jamyang being visited by friends old and new offering a wide range of events.

Look in the Calendar or Whats On to find information on visits by the following teachers

Venerable Geshe Graham: Praise to Dependent Relativity   Weekends 28 & 29 April

Gareth Sparham: Is There a Mind in Enlightenment?  Meditation in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.  The path traced by a bird flying in the sky: the bodhisattva path from the start, to the goal of enlightenment.  A seminar on the perfection of Wisdom.  Weekend 19 & 20 May

Venerable Robina Courtin: Topic not yet decided   Weekend 2 & 3 June

Venerable Sangye Khadro:  Nurturing the Kind Heart: How Buddhist meditation and study and action in daily life can strengthen your love, compassion and joy.  Weekend 7 & 8 July