The
London Buddhist Centre
Magazine and Programme
May–August 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Contents
Magazine: The London Buddhist
3 Editorial
4 Symbolism or Suicide? Devamitra on cultures of self-immolation
9
Beauty and Imperfection Local ceramicist Sassirika at work
10 Why I Asked for Ordination by Sal Campbell
12 Master of Masters Farewell to a great yogi, by Karunamati
14 Diary of a London Buddhist The sail and the canvas. By Ollie Brock
Programme: May–August 2016
17 Introduction
18 Getting Started
20 Going Further
24 Sub35 & Sub25
25 Festivals & Special Events
26 Yoga for Meditation
27 poetryEast
Contributors to the magazine
Ollie Brock is Bookings Manager at the London Buddhist Centre. He has visited the White House only
once. Barry Copping (proofreading), a mitra, retired from scientific and technical publishing in 2014.
His interests include choral singing and railways. Devamitra was ordained in January 1974, established
the Norwich Buddhist Centre in 1976 and was Overall Mitra Convenor 1982–2002. Karunamati was
ordained eleven years ago in India. She has worked in women’s rights and health promotion in Nepal for
over twenty years, and also practises as a GP in London. Sal Campbell is an academic writing tutor at
a London university, a cyclist, a mitra, and a dharma revolutionary. Sassirika is a ceramic maker living
in Bethnal Green. She has previously worked as a dancer, and in the Wild Cherry, a Buddhist-owned
cooperative restaurant. She was ordained in 2006. Singhamanas (photos of Sassirika) was ordained at
twenty-four and so has next to no experience of ‘the world’. He is pretty much making it up as he goes
along. Vidyadaka used to work in televsion as a graphic designer, after studying visual communication in
Birmingham. He has now also learned to communicate with words.
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Transforming Self and World
Giving is a fairly simple thing to do:
money to a good cause, time to a friend,
food to the hungry, energy to a situation.
But sacrificing what you hold most
precious – your very own life – is an
altogether different giving up. How, and
why, would you give your life?
For an offering to be truly selfless,
the ideals behind it need to be of the
purest kind. Then you would need to
examine how you relate to those ideals,
since this forms the motive, and the
ethical basis, for your offering. Then you
would need to do it!
For Buddhists, of course, the Buddha
represents those highest ideals. The
Dharma is then the means with which you
move towards those ideals, and the Sangha
forms the context in which you do it.
All these areas that are explored in
this new issue of The London Buddhist.
In a bold new essay, Devamitra examines
the motives behind self-immolation, a
potentially shocking form of self-sacrifice.
Those motives may be quite different
in the cases of the most widely known
example, Quang Duc, the Vietnamese
monk who burned himself publicly in
1966, and the more recent wave of young
monks who are self-immolating in Tibet.
Another Buddhist monk, Chatral
Sangye Dorje, who recently passed away
in Nepal, is a vivid example of selfless
sacrifice. Karunamati remembers the life
that he gave so completely to the world.
Closer to home, in Bethnal Green,
we hear from Sal Campbell, who shares
with us her journey towards ordination
into the Triratna Buddhist Order. We
learn what she has given, and given up, in
offering her life to transcendent ideals. In
our photo feature, we see Sassirika giving
herself to expressions of her ideals through
the creation of beautiful works of art.
And finally we enter the day-to-day
life of Ollie Brock and discover, through
his reflections on living and working fulltime at the centre, another way of giving
one’s life to the Dharma.
I have been moved to read these
stories of lives so fully given. After all, it
is a courageous act to move away from
the mundane ideals of possession and
gratification, and face the challenge of
offering yourself to the highest human
ideals of compassion, energy in pursuit
of the good and wisdom. But as we see,
through doing so it becomes possible to
transform yourself and change the world.
I hope that the articles you read here,
and the events that are happening over
the summer at the LBC, also move you to
consider how fully you can give yourself to
this great project of transformation.
– Vidyadaka
The London Buddhist online
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The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Symbolism or Suicide?
Young Tibetan monks continue to burn themselves
in protest against the Chinese government. There
is a well-known historical precedent, but they have
misunderstood it. By Devamitra
10
am, June 11th, 1963: a 66-year-old monk
alights from a car at a busy intersection
in central Saigon. A younger monk lifts a large
tank from the boot, then takes his senior’s hand
as they step into the heart of the junction. Three
hundred monks and nuns, none of whom know
what is about to happen, lie in the road across
the four entrances, blocking access for vehicles.
The elder sits in full lotus and tells his rosary.
Malcolm Browne points his camera. Click! The
younger monk’s hands shake uncontrollably.
Much of the petrol spills onto the ground;
sufficient splashes onto the self-possessed figure
at his feet. The junior retreats. His elder flicks a
lighter. Flick, flick, flick. He calls out, ‘No fire!’
Duc Nghiep tosses a replacement. A policeman
rushes forward. Flick! Too late.
A huge flame spirals around and above
Quang Duc. Click! He sits serenely motionless
through endless minutes. Click, click, click.
His lifeless body falls back. And the world
wakes up to the severe persecution Vietnamese
Buddhists suffer at the hands of their Catholic
rulers. (Even though it later forgot: the ‘burning
monk’ became identified, quite wrongly, with
the protest movement against the Vietnam
4
war.) Thanks to Duc Nghiep’s meticulous
organisation, the presence of the American
journalist Malcolm Browne, a huge amount of
luck, and Quang Duc’s fearlessness, the impact
of his self-immolation was immense and worldwide, even comparable in its stunning effect to
the terrorist attacks of our era.
More recently, perhaps inspired by his
example, as a means of protesting against the
Chinese occupation of Tibet, Tibetans began
burning themselves. Since 2009 there have been
142 known cases, yet the world barely notices
and nothing changes. Given that suicide is
generally considered unethical within Buddhist
tradition, as it is usually driven by negative
emotions such as self-hatred, why have so many
Buddhists acted in this deeply shocking way?
Some answers can be found in James Benn’s
fascinating book, Burning for the Buddha, the
only detailed account of this tradition. I met
Benn several years ago in Chicago, when he
moderated the presentation of three papers to
the Association for Asian Studies, including one
by me on Quang Duc. Although a professor at
McMaster University in Canada, he is originally
from Leyton.
June 11th, 1966: as flames lick around Quang Duc’s body, passers-by and his fellow monks and nuns look on
I
t all began in China in the late fourth century
CE. While Buddhism was becoming gradually
more established there, not enough monks were
arriving from India to teach the growing number
of Chinese Buddhists. All that most had to
guide them were a few translations of Buddhist
texts including the Sutra of Golden Light and
the White Lotus Sutra, which were to become
two of the most popular throughout the region.
Both contain tales of bodhisattvas – mythical
beings who have vowed to lead all beings to
Enlightenment before attaining it for themselves
– sacrificing their lives. In the Lotus Sutra, one
such figure, named Bhaisajyarāja, burns himself
in expression of his intensely felt devotion to
the Buddha. Although this text was composed
in India, there are no records of Indian monks
following Bhaisajyarāja’s example. They
understood that the story was to be interpreted
symbolically, not literally – unlike some of their
Chinese spiritual descendants who, in their
eagerness to become bodhisattvas, did what
the bodhisattvas in the sutras did and thereby
initiated the tradition of self-immolation. This is
how dangerous it can be when an excess of zeal
combines with a lack of proper understanding.
The practice of self-immolation continued
well into the twentieth century throughout
China, Vietnam and Korea. As the tradition
developed, although there was no fixed pattern,
in practice there were several elements that
often recurred in differing combinations. For
example, many made vows to burn themselves
at some unspecified future date. This might then
be followed by a lengthy period of preparation
and purification. Requesting permission of
fellow monks or nuns, or even of state rulers,
was also common. Many practitioners wrote
death poems on the eve of their dramatic
passing. Self-immolations were often publicly
staged and immolators might recite a text, or
a mantra, as they burned. It was considered
particularly auspicious to die seated upright
with palms together. And there was always the
5
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Kirti Monastery, in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Ngaba, at least 24 of whose monks have self-immolated
expectation of the accompaniment of miracles
and the production of relics. Self-immolation
was sometimes enacted during political crises,
though that was far from the norm.
Burning oneself in this way, sometimes also
described as ‘auto-cremation’, is just one method
within the broader practice of self-immolation.
‘Immolation’ does not necessarily denote a
death by fire – it also has the more general
meaning of making a sacrifice, or of offering
oneself as a sacrifice. The two are often conflated.
But traditionally the Chinese set about selfimmolation in a variety of ways. For example,
imitating the bodhisattva in the famous story
of one of the Buddha’s previous lives recounted
in the Sutra of Golden Light, some practitioners
sought to offer themselves for supper to starving
tigresses – a more difficult task than you might
imagine. (Even hungry tigers, like human beings,
could be picky about their food!) Others even
resorted to cliff-jumping, starvation, drowning
and other practices for which I can find no
canonical precedents. Down the centuries the
practice of self-immolation, by whatever means,
became an established feature of Buddhist
tradition throughout the region, though its
6
devotees were a very small minority.
When I began this article, I emailed Tenzin
Tsundue. Tenzin is a well-known Tibetan
political activist and poet who writes press
releases to publicise Tibetan self-immolations,
and with whom I spent two weeks in India last
year. I warned him that my article would be
critical of the recent wave of protests and asked
if he wished to comment. He did not reply,
possibly because his email is constantly hacked
by Chinese authorities.
he self-immolations by Tibetans are
described on the Free Tibet website and
others almost exclusively in terms of protest.
Significantly, by contrast, Quang Duc spoke
not of protest, but of making an offering of
himself to the Three Jewels, the embodiment
of the three highest ideals of Buddhism. Protest
is too often, if not invariably, tainted by anger
and hatred. In 2012, at the height of the current
Tibetan wave of self-immolations, Tsering
Shakya, a Tibetan scholar and historian currently
attached to the University of British Columbia,
observed that, ‘... most of the Tibetans who have
committed self-immolation have been monks,
T
former monks or nuns. Their actions were not
an obeisance to religion or the performing of
virtue. Rather, they signify something entirely
different: they are a product of “rage,” induced
by daily humiliation and intolerable demands
for conformity and obedience. Religious figures
in Tibet have been particularly subjected to
the discipline of patriotic education and the
campaigns opposing the so-called “Dalai clique.”
These campaigns ... require them to endlessly
feign compliance, obliging them to demonstrate
repeatedly their patriotism and fidelity to the
Communist Party.’ Such a reaction is perfectly
understandable, given the inhuman and vicious
treatment to which they are subjected by the
Chinese authorities, tacitly supported by the
shameful hypocrisy and indifference of Western
governments like our own, who, presumably
from economic interest, dare not offend the
Chinese. Even so, the ‘rage’ referred to above
cannot be reconciled with the spirit of the
Dharma. This was implicitly understood by Sopa
Rinpoche, a reincarnate lama who set fire to
himself on January 8th, 2012. His final testament
is remarkably free from any hint of ill-will and
one senses that here at least was someone whose
preoccupations transcended the concerns of
Tibetan patriotism. His ‘offering of light,’ as he
put it in the statement, was ‘for all living beings’
– which would, of course, include the Chinese.
From the few images available on the
internet of Tibetans burning themselves, there is
an evident absence of the tranquility and stillness
so shockingly visible in Malcolm Browne’s
photographs of Quang Duc, who, in addition
to his many other outstanding qualities, was a
highly regarded meditation master. The most
recurrent image that I found in my searches is of
Jamphel Yeshi, his whole body ablaze, running
down a street in New Delhi in unmistakable
agony, protesting against a visit by the Chinese
president. Westerners may be predisposed to
regard such protesters as martyrs, but martyrdom
is not a Buddhist concept or practice. In
Buddhist tradition, there is no intrinsic merit
in dying for one’s religion and no guaranteed
reward.
The website of the Central Tibetan
Administration gives a detailed and sobering
breakdown of the bare facts of the recent Tibetan
self-immolators. Twenty-four were monks, or
former monks, of Kirti monastery in Ngaba,
the district which has had the greatest number
of such protests, and the site of repeated clashes
with the Chinese. What is most unsettling is
the age of so many of these ‘protesters’: the vast
majority of them – 101 out of 142 total cases
– were under thirty. Of those, forty-one were
twenty or under, the youngest being just fifteen.
The latter, simply named Dorjee, set himself on
fire together with two other young men called
Samdrup and Dorjee Kyab, both sixteen, and
all three of Ngoshul monastery, also in Ngaba.
What is the likelihood of a fifteen-year-old boy
and his friends grasping the deeper significance
of such an act?
A
s Buddhists in the West, it is difficult
to know what to make of all this. For
example, are these monks and nuns committing
suicide, as we normally understand that term?
Suicide is often committed in an impulsive,
clandestine way, and is frequently associated with
psychological disturbance. However, this did
not characterise the tradition described above.
Chinese auto-cremators of past tradition were
modelling themselves on Bhaisajyarāja and their
sacrifice would be regarded as an expression
of devotion, not of negative emotion. Like
the bodhisattva, they were making an offering
of what was most precious to all of us – their
bodies – to the Buddha. This seems to be what
they understood to be necessary if you aspired to
bodhisattvahood, as they presumably did. That is
very likely what was driving them, but what the
myth of Bhaisajyarāja probably points to is that
in extreme circumstances we may need to give
our lives for the sake of Buddhism.
Is it possible that so many people
missed the point in this way, suffering an
7
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
appallingly painful death on the basis of a
misunderstanding? One must always allow for
exceptions, and I for one am convinced that one
such exception was Quang Duc. In his case, it is
perhaps significant that Vietnamese Buddhists
universally consider him to have been a living
bodhisattva – and I can imagine that he was.
Some will argue that self-immolation is never
reconcilable with the principle of non-violence,
but actually it can be. ‘Non-violence’ is the
bodhisattva’s attitude to life expressed negatively.
But it can also be expressed positively, as
universal compassion, and it is in this overriding
spirit that Quang Duc acted. Even though he
sacrificed his own life, he did so in the spirit of
non-violence. Unlike suicide bombers, or the
9/11 hijackers – assassins seeking to harm or kill
others – Quang Duc harmed no other living
being. Moreover his action almost certainly
saved the lives of 300 monks, nuns and others
on the verge of starvation in the principal temple
in Hue which had been besieged by government
forces. It was the desperate plight of these people
that finally convinced his brother monks to help
Quang Duc fulfil his vow. His high-profile and
shocking death forced the government, under
pressure from their embarrassed American allies,
to call off the siege.
What about self-immolation in other,
less glorious circumstances? It has happened in
our very own Buddhist community. In 1985,
Mahadhammavir, an elderly Indian Order
member, whose health was beginning to fail,
and who did not wish to become a burden either
to the Order, or to his family – a particularly
significant matter in India – attempted to burn
himself to death beneath the full moon one
midnight at the back of our retreat centre at
Bhaja. He was discovered, and dragged from his
pyre. Even so, he spent the remaining twentyfour hours of his long life seemingly unaffected
by the pain that he must have borne consequent
to his fatal burns. He had worked indefatigably
in his last few years to spread the Dharma.
Sangharakshita, the founder of the Triratna
8
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Buddhist Order and community, was so moved
by Mahadhammavir’s nobility of spirit that he
wrote a long poem commemorating his death.
H
ow then are we to view the recent wave
of Tibetan auto-cremations? As there
is no tradition of self-immolation in Tibetan
Buddhism, it seems likely that Quang Duc’s
example triggered them, as it was so widely
reported. Moreover, although he was not
politically motivated, his self-immolation had a
huge political impact and is widely regarded as
the event which, five months later, triggered the
collapse of the South Vietnamese Government.
While I sympathise deeply with the plight of the
Tibetan people and hope that one day Tibet will
be free of its Chinese tyranny, I for one cannot
see that any number of Tibetan auto-cremations
are likely to bring about their desired end. Sadly,
the world is not interested enough.
From a Buddhist perspective, the ethical
status of any individual act is determined by the
intention behind it. This holds true whether we
regard self-immolation simply as a method of
suicide or as a discrete phenomenon. But that is
problematic because it is very easy to rationalise
unskilful mental states, giving them a positive
spin. As I hope will be clear from this account,
it can be particularly difficult to determine the
mental state behind a person taking his life
(suicide) or giving it (self-immolation). It is
further complicated by the fact that often we
act with mixed motives. Furthermore, as in the
case of the Tibetans of the recent wave, I am left
with an uneasy question: are they really giving
their lives? More than that, if they are, for what
are they giving them – for their country, or for
the truth as taught by the Buddha? Their actions
seem to blur several lines. Perhaps that would
not matter if one could be confident that they
were acting for the benefit of all, but after 142
self-immolations, given the implacability of the
Chinese Government, it is difficult to see that
they are benefitting anybody. I think it is time
this tragic episode was brought to a close. ■
Beauty and Imperfection
Sassirika, a local artist, at work
‘I am moved by the beauty and imperfection
of being human. Fluidity of mind and body,
impermanence and vulnerability, identity and
illusion of self, are themes I come back to
repeatedly. I work mostly with porcelain because
as a material it has a quality of purity and delicacy,
but once fired is the hardest ceramic clay body. Its
characteristics seem to suit my ideas, aesthetic and
even spiritual aspirations.’
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Why I Asked for Ordination
Sal Campbell explains a shift in perspective
F
or most of my adult life, the radical queer
community has been home and family. The
trans folk and genderqueers, the sissies, femmes
and butches – these are my brothers, others,
sisters and lovers. We could see we were not
the only ones in need of love and protection
in an unjust world. I spent years involved in
alternative social movements, most centrally
in queer and antiracist activism, but also
fighting related systems of power: the excesses
of capitalism, immigration border regimes, the
prison-industrial complex. I was – and am –
trying to build a better world, together with
others.
Anger at injustice was our sword and our
shield: it motivated us to act, and prevented us
sinking into fear and despair. Sometimes we hurt
ourselves, and each other. Gradually, as I’ve got
older and wiser, I’ve put that weapon down.
I find myself fighting not capitalists, fascists,
or police, but more insidious foes: cynicism,
complacency, conformity. How to stay engaged
with suffering without rage? Anger burns
everything it touches.
At the same time, my Buddhist practice
had been developing for almost a decade, to
10
could handle it, and if they could handle me.
They could. It’s still a bit of a compromise, one
I hope won’t compromise me. I found it helps
to not take the labels ‘male’ or ‘female’ that
seriously, regarding them as an approximation at
best. I can hold them lightly, even irreverently,
and don’t have to be one or other to belong. The
order is made of the people who are in it – and
one day, I will be one of them. And so things
change.
I was finally able to commit myself when
I understood the true nature of the spiritual
community. It’s not a homogenous group to
which I have to conform to be accepted, but a
collective of individuals, united by a common
aspiration and ideal. More and more, it becomes
clear that there doesn’t need to be a ‘them’ in
order to be an ‘us’, and I have to act accordingly
to this insight. We don’t have to agree in order
to help each other grow, but knowing we’re
interconnected helps us keep talking. There are
creative, loving ways to deal with difference, with
conflict, both within Triratna and in the world.
I need to devote myself to a Buddhist life, with
others, if I want to develop the wisdom, energy
and positivity it will take to transform myself
and the world at the same time – for as long as it
takes, for all our sakes. ■
the point where it seemed to take on a life
of its own. I had come along to the LBC in
part to heal personal demons I didn’t know
how to combat. It helped, but it felt selfish –
abandoning social justice for my own happiness.
I thought Buddhism was basically self-serving,
but I’d misunderstood what the Buddhist
vision really is. The commitment to attain
enlightenment for the sake of all beings is an
ideal that fills me with inspiration and hope.
Increasingly I felt drawn – wordlessly, urgently,
joyfully – to commit my life to it.
Asking for ordination came at a price.
Being ordained currently involves joining the
‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’ wing of the movement – so
what do you do if you’re neither? Gender diverse,
transmasculine, non-binary; even the words I
could use to describe myself are often lost in
translation. I hesitated for a long time. I couldn’t
ask to join the order if it meant denying my own
identity and experience, and that of so many of
my loved ones – to do so would be a betrayal. I
had to find a way to bring my whole, authentic
self into the Order, or I couldn’t join at all.
In the end I went to Tiratnaloka, the
women’s ordination training centre, to see if I
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The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Master of Masters
Chatral Sangye Dorje, the great Buddhist yogi and
the last of Sangharakshita’s teachers, died last year.
Karunamati remembers him
C
C
hatral Sangye Dorje Rimpoche, the
last living teacher of our own founder,
Sangharakshita, died at the end of last year at
his home in Pharphing, Kathmandu, Nepal,
aged 102. One eulogy, by the Bhutanese lama
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, praised a man who
‘associated with some of the greatest beings, and
became master of the masters.’
The Green Tara Trust, a charity that I
founded, had a field programme improving
maternal health in Pharphing, where Rimpoche
had spent the last ten years of his life. As
Rimpoche’s life health deterioritated, Green
Tara Trust local staff and their families were
involved in caring for him. He lived in a house
with a basic monastery attached, with his wife,
daughters and grandchildren, who brought him
great pleasure. He spent much of his time in
the final years doing puja and not seeing many
students. His wife has been especially kind to
me, and has said she considers me part of their
Sangha, or spiritual community.
The main thing that has stayed with me
from my own meetings with Rimpoche has
been a very pure, even vibratory energy that I
could feel in his presence and still experience
now. I can only describe it as a sort of bass throb
that seems to emanate from him. It is likely
that he is the most realised being I have had
the opportunity to meet.There was a sense of
compassion, purity and clarity in sitting with
12
Sangharakshita the meditation practice of Green
Tara, the figure who embodies the ideal of
compassionate action in the Buddhist tradition.
Sangharakshita practised it daily for seven years,
as many of us in the Triratna Buddhist Order
still do. The name of the Green Tara Trust was
decided on before we arrived in Pharphing, and
so it was a co-incidence, or maybe some sort of
connection that was coming to fruition – who
knows – that we ended up working there, our
staff living next door to Rimpoche.
hatral Rimpoche was born in 1913 in
Kham, Tibet, and left home at the age of
fifteen to study with local Buddhist masters.
He would stay in tents or caves, always walking
and never taking a horse. In his early days, he
spent much time meditating in caves blessed
by the great teacher, or ‘second Buddha’,
Padmasambhava. He is considered by many to
be a manifestation of Padmasambhava. There is
a cave in Pharphing where Padmasambhava and
his consort Yeshe Tsogyal are said to have gained
full Enlightenment, and it is in this area that he
has lived for many years.
Rimpoche was vegetarian and insisted on
this in his monasteries. One sign outside his
Tibetan monastery reads: ‘How can we practise
true compassion while we consume the flesh of
an animal to fatten our own flesh?’ For many
years, he engaged in a practice of buying around
70 truckloads of fish in Calcutta and freeing the
fish back into the water. He was also known for
taking off for weeks at a time with his rucksack
to meditate. In fact, the last time he took off was
only a few years ago, at a time when I thought
he was not able even to walk around his house
much; yet he disappeared again, returning a
few weeks later. Chatral means ‘one who has
abandoned mundane activities’.
He picked his students carefully, and would
only give initiations to sincere practitioners. He
was not moved by money offerings, and often
gave money back to people who offered it. He
and his attendants became wary of westerners for
him that I have not experienced with anyone
else. This is still accessible and, as such, I do not
feel that he has ‘gone’, even though his body has
died. He was very encouraging and supportive
of our work to help local people in his area,
and he was very happy to hear about how
Sangharakshita was getting on.
Chatral Rimpoche is a treasured figure in
our own tradition because of his connection
with Sangharakshita, who went on to found
our own Buddhist community after many years
of practice and study in India. Sangharakshita
became Rimpoche’s student in Kalimpong, the
northern hill station where he lived and worked
in the 1940s and 50s. In 1956 Rimpoche gave
some time after a student tried to strangle him
for not giving him an initiation; the student was
mentally unwell and needed to be repatriated.
Rimpoche later called on him to check he was
improving at the hospital.
Rimpoche was in his 103rd year when he
died. According to reports, he faded away at
home. In another report, he had a fever for a
couple of days before he died. Practitioners
gathered and did not touch his body for three
to four days until he had finished his meditation
and had left the body, as is customary in
Tibetan Buddhism. While I concur with
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse that we have lost
a great master, and feel greatly saddened by his
death, his energy and the effect his life has had
cannot be lost. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
also remarked that ‘to try and express the great
qualities of this enlightened being is like trying
to measure the depth and width of the sky’ – and
this we can celebrate wholeheartedly.
I had just one opportunity to discuss
Buddhist practice with Rimpoche. I asked him
about what practices he felt would help me given
I had problems meditating. He looked out of the
window to where our work was going on, and
said to me, ‘You have done enough. I will do
puja for you.’ I have taken that as a strong hint
to practise receptivity ever since. ■
13
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
The London Buddhist May–Aug 2016
Diary of a London Buddhist
Thirty-six hours, last November. By Ollie Brock
W
hen I’d heard about the Paris attacks the
previous week, I had thought straight
away about my old friend Ali. She lives in the
exact area that was worst hit. I got to know
her working at Time Out Paris, when at the
tender age of nineteen I had briefly moved with
a crowd that knew the tucked-away cafes and
bars so well that they even left one or two of
them out of the guidebooks, keeping them for
themselves. I’d sent her a text – no reply.
It’s on my mind on Friday morning as I
unpack no fewer than 120 little boxes of incense
down in the bookshop. I lay them out on the
rack, a different vivid colour for each of the
twenty or so scents. I’m in the sort of mood to
disrupt the colour combinations, rather then
gradate them in a perfect rainbow. An old man
who’s forgotten his glasses asks me to pick out the
pine-scented one for him. ‘Just one?’ I ask, and
he tells me I’d sell snow to an eskimo. As he pulls
the money out of his pocket, a few bits of paper
come with it, landing among a hail of coins that
bounce on the space-ship white reception desk
of the centre. They include his dog-eared birth
certificate: 1935. Later he asks me to fetch his
Bible, which he’s dropped in the fountain. It’s too
wet to carry, and he abandons it.
I head back upstairs and get into the office
just in time to pick up the phone. It’s Adam, to
get the bookings list before leaving for a retreat
he’s leading that weekend. Do I know ‘Horses’
14
by Ted Hughes, he asks me, as we wait for my
computer to start up. He thinks he might read
it out during one of the meditations. I tell him
I don’t so he recites it to me over the scratchy
iPhone connection while I log into the database.
A bit bleak for a meditation, I say, when he’s
finished – actually when he’s halfway through.
He asks if I have other suggestions. I mention
‘The Silence at the Song’s End’ by Nicholas
Heiney. Amid a persistent struggle with
depression, Heiney had spent long, often happy
trips at sea, on replica tall ships and training
vessels, before he lost the battle and committed
suicide aged twenty-six. I saw his parents
launch a posthumously published book of his
diaries and poetry, much of it written on those
voyages, when I was volunteering at a literature
festival after my degree and feeling rather lost.
Perhaps Heiney would have developed a taste
for meditation, too. The image of the ocean has
always seemed to me an appropriate one for it –
big vistas; moving into the unknown; using the
weather to your advantage. The sea somehow
makes physical work, sadness and beauty all
reconcilable. But he had certainly loved sailing
and all it came with, including the songs. The
poem ends,
I catch the dew and set
a course amongst the ocean curls
The silence at the song’s end,
Before the next
Is the world.
Later in the morning I head up to Jnanavaca’s
room to talk to go through three items with
him. First up is Subhuti’s diary for his next visit
to the LBC. Subhuti is the president of the
centre, and a uniquely inspiring friend to the
community – so understandably a lot of people
want to meet him. It’s not so much a diary as
a diplomatic dance. Jnanavaca and I also need
to talk about arrangements for cooking for the
big winter retreat that’s coming up. 120 people
times ten days equals a lot of food.
But the main item on the agenda is
wave-particle duality. I’m helping Jnanavaca
put together an essay on Buddhism and
quantum physics, from transcripts of talks he
once gave on the subject, that hangs on this
principle, and I still haven’t grasped it. (On
another level, no-one has, but that’s another
story.) The piece still wasn’t finished at the end
of yesterday’s session, so we come back to it
today as the deadline creeps closer. The winter
light is paler but the instensity in the room
is the same. Luckily, Jnanavaca isn’t content
for me simply to transcribe what he says and
edit it later; he wants me to understand. So
transcribing and revising the essay comes with a
blast of metaphysical Buddhist study. We’re on
another ocean image, and this time it’s not so
appropriate. Jnanavaca is cautious of describing
something called vacuum energy – bear with
me – using the metaphor of something as farranging and fundamental to the planet as the
sea, as it might suggest an original ‘ground of
being’, or essence from which everything else
arises, a notion that Buddhism rejects.
We’re at the finishing touches, though. We
ditch a rather dutiful summary at the head of
the article in favour of a provocative Einstein
quote about our limited perceptions and our
limited love. It looks like a small adjustment,
but in fact it’s like finding the right frame for a
picture: the whole thing is lifted, brought to life.
I make a final series of changes at my desk and
put a print-out by Jnanavaca’s door at 5 o’clock.
n the community that evening, I’m sitting
in front of the West Wing in a tracksuit. I’m
daydreaming a (faint) parallel between the
atmosphere of the fictional White House and
this strange, full-time life at a Buddhist centre.
The president’s senior staff are fully immersed
in the White House and its project; there is no
sense that their ‘work’ and their ‘life’ are two
separate items kept in sealed containers. They
may occasionally dash out to a restaurant in
DC to refresh themselves, but really where they
want to be is back at the White House. They
are just trying to make happen the things they
want to see happen. So if something’s not good
enough yet, it doesn’t matter what time it is.
Sure enough, just before 10pm, there is a knock
at my door. Jnanavaca has spotted that we’ve
referred to observable phenomena seeming to
play out on the illusory ‘canvas’ of space and
time. He wants to change ‘canvas’ for ‘stage’, as
a stage is three-dimensional, like our apparent
experience of space and time, whereas a canvas
is 2-D. For reasons I’ve now forgotten, I argue it
the other way. We stay with ‘canvas’.
The weekend arrives, and on Saturday I
speak to Ali. She had indeed been in a local
restaurant when the attackers struck – and in
fact she and her friends had spent all night there
after the owners locked them in for safety. She
wasn’t hurt, and amazingly didn’t know anyone
who was. But having to take one phonecall after
another from distant friends and family the
next day, going over the whole thing again and
again after a sleepless night, was leaving her so
drained that she had turned her phone off and
gone to bed. We spend a while catching up on
the phone, twentieth-century fashion, weaving
together a few old bits of the canvas, and some
new ones. ■
I
15
Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme
One aim of the London Buddhist Centre is to help people achieve
their highest potential by introducing them to Buddhism and
meditation. The centre runs on generosity: all teachers and class
teams offer their time, skills and experience voluntarily. We are
keen to develop this culture of generosity (‘dana’), so you will see
that many of our events are free of charge, but with an invitation
to give what you can (of course you do not need to give anything
if you do not want to or cannot afford to).
This culture of generosity extends to all levels of the centre.
For example, everyone employed by the LBC is paid a ‘support’
package which covers their basic financial needs (food, rent etc),
with a little extra for spending and travel. On this basis, people
give what they can and take what they need. It is therefore
generosity that is the principal motivation for a deepening
commitment, rather than status or the accumulation of wealth.
Generosity is a virtue that is highly regarded in Buddhism and
we hope that this quality is brought to the fore at the LBC. In
particular we hope that, if attending one of our free events, you
will feel able to contribute appropriately to the running costs of
the centre.
Alongside our programme at the LBC, we run drop-in classes and
courses in meditation at St Martin’s Lane in Central London.
We also run retreats throughout the year which offer excellent
conditions in which to explore and deepen your awareness of
yourself, of other people and of the world around you, away
from the habits and restrictions of your daily routine.
Booking Info
For many of our events, booking is essential.
You can book online at lbc.org.uk
drop in to reception 10am-5pm Mon-Sat
or call 020 8981 1225
Twitter @LDNBuddhist
Facebook facebook.com/LondonBuddhistCentre
Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme May–Aug 2016
Getting started
For anyone interested in getting a taste of Buddhist meditation
and those new to the Mindfulness of Breathing and
Metta Bhavana meditation practices
Classes
Lunchtime Meditation
Monday to Saturday
Drop in and learn the basics of
two crucial meditation practices
in a lunch-hour.
1-2pm. All welcome. Donation/dana.
Summer Retreat
Beyond Hatred
Led by Maitreyaraja and Srivati
How do you move beyond petty irritations and small mindedness,
and embody a love which extends beyond family and friends to
others in difficulty and the wider world? On this retreat we will
be exploring a set of four loving kindness meditation practises.
These will give you an emotional training and a perspective on the
Buddha’s Enlightened experience where Wisdom, Compassion
and Energy unify. There will be a programme of activities including
meditation and teaching, talks and rituals, plus time to get to make
friends and to deepen our awareness of the natural world.
Suitable for newcomers to meditation and those who have been
meditating for up to two years.
12–19 Aug at Vajrasana. £350/£265. Booking essential.
The Journey and the Guide
A Practical Course in Enlightenment
Led by Maitreyabandhu and Abhayanandi
How do we make the most of life? Buddhism is a non-theistic,
practical path of human growth and fulfilment. This eight-week
course leads participants step by step along the Buddhist path from
mindfulness and emotional strength to receptivity, spiritual death
and rebirth. On the course we will be learning how to put spiritual
life into practice here and now. Course participants will receive
Maitreyabandhu’s new book The Journey and the Guide as part of
the course.
Ideal for newcomers. Drop in any
week to learn two fundamental
practices that cultivate clear
awareness, peace of mind and
emotional positivity.
7.15-9.45pm. Free.
Suggested donation £11/£6.
Open Mind Club
Tuesday afternoons
After school club for young
people aged 11–17 (doesn’t run
during half term and the first and
last week of each term)
Led by Srivati
4.30-5.30pm. Free. Suggested donation
10p-£1.
Daytime Class
Wednesday Morning
Meditation and the Buddha’s
teachings for more clarity, selfawareness, open-heartedness
and peace of mind. Our focus
this term is on the value of
friendship and community in the
spiritual life.
8 weeks from 4 May. 7.15-9.45pm. £140/£110 (price inc. book).
Booking essential.
10.35am-12.30pm. Creche facilities for
children 6 mths - 5 yrs, supported by
experienced staff. Donation/dana.
The Journey and the Guide:
Intensive Meditation Mornings
Yoga, Chi Kung
& Meditation
Thursday Evenings
Led by Maitreyabandhu
Deepening our exploration of meditation in terms of the Five Great
Stages of the Path, cultivating each stage, including spiritual death
and rebirth. All welcome, whether or not you have attended ‘The
Journey and the Guide’ course.
Saturdays 18 & 25 Jun, & 2 Jul. 9am-12.30pm. (Doors open at 8.45am and
close at 9.15am – no entry after this time.) Free. Suggested donation £15/£8.
No need to book.
18
Evening Meditation
Tuesday and Wednesday
A meditative evening starting
with yoga or chi kung, followed
by sitting meditation, to bring
harmony to the mind and body.
Suitable for beginners. Wear
warm, comfortable clothing.
7.15-9.30pm. Free. Suggested donation
£11/£6.
Sub35 Class
First Friday
The alternative Friday night!
Meditation, discussion and
friendship. An evening of practice
with time for hanging out after
the class. Everyone welcome,
especially newcomers.
7.15-9.45pm (tea bar till 11pm). Free.
Suggested donation £7.
Weekday Yoga
Drop-in sessions of yoga for
meditation. These classes
encourage flexibility, strength
and awareness of bodily
sensations, to improve our
concentration and ability to sit in
meditation. Suitable for all levels.
Weekday lunchtimes 12-12.45pm.
Free. Suggested donation £6.
Mon/Tues/Wed/Fri evenings 5.456.45pm. Free. Suggested donation £8.
No need to book, just drop in.
Saturday Morning Yoga
Starts with yoga and finishes with
sitting meditation.
10-11.30am. Free. Suggested donation
£10. No need to book, just drop in.
Complete yoga listings: page 29
Outreach: Courses
& classes in central
London and Essex
Newcomers’ Classes
Introduction to meditation every
Saturday, 1-2.15pm and 2.45-4pm.
£8/£6. No need to book.
Four-week Foundation courses
in Buddhist Meditation
Four Saturdays at 10am-12.30pm,
starting 7 May, 4 Jun, 2 Jul, 6 Aug.
£90/£70. Booking essential.
Both of the above are held at 52 St
Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4EA
Weekly drop-in classes and courses are
also happening in Hornchurch, Essex
(hornchurchbuddhistgroup.org.uk)
and also in Mid Essex: see
mid-essex-buddhist-centre.org.uk for
details.
Courses, days &
retreats
Open Day
Come and discover the LBC
and what it can offer you. Find
out about Buddhism, learn to
meditate and try a taster session
in Breathing Space, our project
offering mindfulness for wellbeing.
Sun 22 May, 10am-5pm. Refreshments
are provided and all events are free. No
need to book.
Introductory Days
One Sunday a month. Learn
how to keep both your mind
and heart in steady focus, with
meditation practices that help
cultivate openness, clarity and
courage.
Sun 8 May, 12 Jun, 10 Jul, 7 Aug.
10am-5pm. Lunch provided. £40/£30.
Booking essential.
Introduction to
Buddhism & Meditation
An essential overview of
Buddhist principles, introducing
two meditation practices which
offer a means to self-awareness,
change and spiritual insight.
These courses are a step-by-step
guide to Buddhism that can
transform your perspective on
the world and provide you with
tools you can use for a lifetime.
6 weeks from Mon 23 May or Mon 4
Jul, 7.15-9.45pm. £100/£80. Booking
essential.
Introductory Retreats
These introductory weekend
retreats are an ideal way to
encounter meditation and
Buddhism for the first time. So
join us Learn two fundamental,
far-reaching meditation practices,
while living communally with
diverse but like-minded people.
24-26 Jun, 26-28 Aug at Vajrasana.
£180/£140. Booking essential.
19
Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme May–Aug 2016
Going Further
If you know both meditation practices or are a Mitra or Order member,
all these events are for you
Presidential Visit
Rambles Around Reality
As well as leading the Opening Retreat at Vajrasana as part of his
Presidential visit, Subhuti will also be giving a series of informal ‘rambles’ on
the Dharma. Subhuti has been ordained for over forty years and is known
for communicating the Dharma with great skill, clarity and insight.
Mon 23, Tues 24 & Wed 25 May, 5.30pm-7pm. Doors open briefly for latecomers just
before 6pm. Donation/dana.
Grand Opening
The New Vajrasana
Led by Subhuti and Maitreyabandhu
After five years of planning and two years of construction, the new
Vajrasana will open. Don’t miss this great occasion! Saturday 28th will be an
Open Day for the general public and local people around Vajrasana. Then
on Sunday 29th there will be a day for the Sangha where we will ritually
dedicate the new retreat centre. This will be followed by a retreat (Sunday
29th May–Friday 3rd June) led by Subhuti, for Order members and Mitras
only. More details, including on transport, nearer the time.
Sat 28 May. Open Day. No need to book.
Sun 29 May. Sangha Day. No need to book.
Sun 29 May–Fri 3 Jun. Retreat. £310/£260. Booking essential
Men’s Intensive Meditation Retreat
Mastering the Mind
Led by Jnanavaca and Maitreyabandhu
To deepen our life we need to become happier, calmer and more energized
and we need to reflect deeply on the fundamental issues of life. So on this
retreat we will learn how to cultivate Samadhi (energized calm) and Prajna
(wisdom). The retreat will include seven days of silence and regular one-toone meditation reviews.
15–24 Jul at Vajrasana. £450/£340. Booking essential.
Women’s Intensive Retreat
A Naked Beauty
Led by Maitrivajri, Shubha, Sudurjaya, Vishvantara & friends
Whatever is happening, meditation provides the conditions for an
encounter with that truth. This retreat will explore the what, why and how
of this encounter, using the Buddha’s teachings. We will be sitting for at
least six hours a day, performing Buddhist ritual and maintaining several
days of silence. Open to women who have been on a Triratna retreat before
and who have been meditating regularly for at least six months.
29 Jul–7 Aug at Vajrasana. £450/340. Booking essential.
20
Classes
Monday Morning Metta
Start the week well, cultivating
positive emotion within, for
others and for the world.
With meditation, simple
ritual, reflection, chanting and
occasional readings. Stay on
if you like until 9am to share
breakfast and talk informally
about our practice as Buddhists
in a troubled world.
Led by Ambaranta, Sanghasiha &
friends.
7am-8am. No need to book, just drop
in. NB: enter only through Breathing
Space entrance between 6.50-7am.
No late admittance possible. Free.
Suggested donation £3
Lunchtime Meditation
Monday to Saturday
Drop-in meditation for regulars.
1-2pm. Donation/dana.
Dharma Night
Monday Evenings
Explore Buddhism through
lively seminars and talks,
meditation and puja. Whether
you have undertaken one of our
introductory courses and want to
learn more, or you have learned
to meditate with us and are
wondering what being a Buddhist
is all about, you can drop in and
participate any Monday evening.
7.15-9.45pm.
Free. Suggested donation £7.
Evening Meditation
Tuesday and Wednesday
Meditation is more than just a
technique. After learning two
fundamental practices, explore
how to work with your mind
more deeply and thoroughly.
With led meditation, further
teaching and guidance.
7.15-9.45pm.
Free. Suggested donation £11/£6.
Daytime Class
Wednesday Daytimes
This term we will be exploring
the meaning and significance
of Sangha: spiritual friendship
and community. This will include
exploration of Dharma texts as
well as stories from the Buddha’s
life, our own lives and from the
Triratna Buddhist Community.
The first class of every month is
a practice morning, devoted to
meditation and ritual practices
– a wonderful way to start the
month!
10.35am-12.30pm. Creche facilities
for children from 6 months to 5
years, supported by experienced staff.
Donation/dana.
Yoga, Chi Kung &
Meditation
Thursday Evenings
A meditative evening starting
with yoga or chi kung, followed
by sitting meditation, to bring
harmony to the mind and
body. Wear warm comfortable
clothing. All welcome.
7.15-9.30pm.
Free. Suggested donation £11/£6.
Meditation and Puja
Friday Evenings
Bring the week to a
contemplative close with
meditation and ritual. Devotional
practice helps us to engage
with the Sangha and strengthen
confidence in the Dharma.
7-9.45pm.
Free. Suggested donation £7.
Transforming Self and
World
Monthly Saturdays
A morning exploring what
Buddhism has to say about the
world today and how we can use
the Dharma to transform both
ourselves and our communities.
Including meditation, Dharma
talks and group discussion on
different themes each month.
There are also opportunities
to help organise social and
environmental projects as a
Sangha.
Hosted by the Transforming Self and
World team, with talks from Order
Members
Last Saturday of the month, 10am1pm. Free. Suggested donation £7. No
need to book.
28 May, speaker TBC
25 June, with Vaddhaka
30 July, with Kalyanavaca
27 August, with Akashadevi
Women’s Class
Monthly Saturdays
A meditation and Buddhism
class for women who know the
Mindfulness of Breathing and
Metta Bhavana meditations.
Led by Mahamani, Sudurjaya &
Tareshvari.
3-5.30pm. 21 May, 18 Jun, 16 Jul, 20
Aug. Free. Suggested donation £8/£5.
Days & evenings
Lunchtime Course
Meditation Toolkit
During this week of teaching,
Maitreyabandhu will lead six
consecutive lunchtime classes,
exploring how to work fruitfully,
creatively and playfully with
the mind. Drop in to any of the
classes, or come to all six.
Mon 16–Sat 21 May. 1-2pm.
Donation/dana.
As part of the lunchtime drop-in
meditation class.
Meditation Days
It is easy to stop deepening your
connection. Why not come and
renew your inspiration? For
meditators who know both the
Mindfulness of Breathing and the
Metta Bhavana.
Sundays 5 Jun, 17 Jul (Total
Immersion Day), 14 Aug. 10am-5pm.
Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Free. Suggested donation £30.
21
Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme May–Aug 2016
Going Further
Continued
Full Moon Pujas
These monthly rituals give a
regular point of devotional
focus and the chance to explore
Buddhist ritual.
Sat 21 May, Mon 20 Jun, Tue 19 Jul,
Thu 18 Aug. Times to be announced.
Donation/dana.
Buddhist Sunday School
Encouraging and developing
our children’s mindfulness and
kindness through Buddhist
practice and storytelling. Includes
meditation, chanting and craft
activities. For 3-10 year olds,
parents/carers welcome.
Led by Jyotismati and team
10.30am-12.30pm
Last Sunday of every month: 29 May,
26 Jun, 31 Jul (no class in Aug)
Buddhism &
12-Step Recovery
These days are for people
who are in 12-Step Recovery
Groups and are also interested
in Buddhism and meditation.
Come and join us for a day of
Sangha, fellowship and practice.
For those familiar with the
Mindfulness of Breathing and
Metta Bhavana.
Led by Sanghasiha & Shraddhasiddhi
Sun 8 May, 10am-5pm. Bring
vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Free. Suggested donation £30.
No need to book.
A Night of Furious
Intensity
To celebrate the Summer Solstice
we will generate our own inner
heat, spending the night in
silence, in sitting and walking
meditation. Practising in such a
way highlights the importance
of attention and the necessity
22
Great Gathering for Men
The Buddha’s Vision of
Friendship
of working directly with the
wandering mind. For meditators
who know both practices.
Led by Vidyadaka & Singhamanas
Tues 21 Jun, 10pm-7am. Free.
Suggested donation £30.
Summer Fayre
Join us for all the fun of the
fayre! With live music throughout
the day, home-made food, craft
stalls, face painting, book stalls,
yoga, meditation, and lashings of
community spirit. All funds raised
go towards Vajrasana, our new
retreat centre.
Sat 25 Jun, 12pm-5pm. All welcome.
The Art of Tea
Tea harvested from ancient trees
is a medicine that can restore
the balance in our life. Done in
a mindful and ritualised way,
the simple act of drinking tea
becomes an aesthetic experience
of simplicity, beauty and
connection. Come for just the
morning, just the afternoon, or
for the whole day.
Led by Prabhasvara
Sat 30 Jul, 10am-12.45pm and 2.305pm. Suggested donation £15 per
session. Booking essential
Heart of Mantra Day
Chanting & Meditation
Mantras are sound symbols that
can point towards the mystery
and beauty of Enlightenment.
The day will be an exploration
of this mystery, and will include
chanting, discussion and
meditation. Suitable for those
who know both pactices.
Led by Dayabhadra
Sun 31 Jul, 10am-5pm. Bring
vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Free. Suggested donation £30.
No need to book.
Film Night
Tashi and the Monk
Lobsang, a Buddhist monk, left
behind a life as a spiritual teacher
in the USA to create a unique
community in the foothills of
the Himalayas. Now five year-old
Tashi is the newest, and most
challenging, arrival. The evening
will include some meditation,
and refreshments.
With Sanghasiha
Sat 20 Aug, 7.15-9.30pm.
Free. Suggested donation £7. No need
to book.
Deep Ecology Day
‘We are capable of shutting off
the sun and the stars because
they do not pay a dividend.’ –
John Maynard Keynes. A day
exploring our appreciation, as
Buddhists, of the intrinsic worth
of the environment. With sitting
and walking meditation, sound,
talks, poetry, music and puja.
Sun 28 Aug, 10am-5pm. Bring a
vegetarian lunch to share.
Free. Suggested donation £30. No need
to book.
Retreats
Awakening Your
Potential
This weekend retreat will enable
us to recognise and deepen
our potential for kindness and
wisdom. We will bring this
into being through meditation,
chanting and ritual. For those
with at least three months’
experience of the Mindfulness
of Breathing and the Metta
Bhavana.
Led by Nandaraja, Sajjana & Svadhi
17-19 Jun. £180/£140.
‘Meeting Spiritual Friends’, from
a work by the great Tibetan
master Gampopa, inspired
some of Sangharakshita’s early
teaching. The text reveals the
Buddha’s vision of the whole
range of spiritual friends, from
the Buddha, down to the most
important of all: the spiritual
friend in the form of an ordinary
human being.
Led by Vajrashura and Padmavajra
1–3 July at Padmaloka
Book at www.padmaloka.org.uk
Buddhist Action
Month
A series of events in June
emphasising compassionate
activity in the 21st Century. These
events are focus on how to act in
ways that are explicitly practical,
and that benefit the local
community and the world.
Afternoon Event
Rising Tide
How can we harness the tide of
the Dharma to tackle the rising
tide of global warming? An
afternoon of talks, discussion and
meditation.
Hosted by the Transforming Self and
World Team, with guest speakers. Stay
on for a Mojo Box vegan meal before
the evening film screening.
Sat 11 Jun, 3-6pm. Supper 6-7pm.
Free. Suggested donation £20. No need
to book.
Film Night
Chasing Ice
Chasing Ice is the story of one
man’s mission to change the
tide of history by gathering
undeniable evidence of our
changing planet. Balog’s
hauntingly beautiful videos
capture ancient mountains of ice
in motion as they disappear at a
breathtaking rate.
Hosted by the Transforming Self and
World Team
Sat 11 Jun, 7.15-9.30pm.
Free. Suggested donation £7. No need
to book.
Ratnasambhava Day
This is the year of generosity at
the LBC, and this festival day will
explore the rich yellow figure of
Ratnasambhava, the Buddha of
abundance and generosity. His
wisdom shows us that giving can
take us beyond ourselves, into an
expansiveness beyond measure.
Led by Sraddhagita and Dayaruci
Sun 19 Jun, 10am-5pm. Bring
vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Check the programme for the day
nearer the time. No need to book.
Transforming Self and
World
With Vaddhaka (author of
The Buddha on Wall Street)
What’s wrong with our current
financial and banking system,
and what would a Buddhist
banking system look like? A
special morning with Vaddhaka,
hosted by the Transforming Self
& World team.
Sat 25 Jun, 10am-1pm
Free. Suggested donation £7. No need
to book.
Compassionate
Communication
When we choose to hold on to
a grievance, the problem never
ends. Grievances give us tacit
permission never to experience
joy. Forgiveness, on the other
hand, affirms our essential
human and spiritual dignity.
On this day we will look at how
we can choose forgiveness.
Led by Vajraghanta
Sun 26 Jun, 10am-5pm.
Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
£40/£30. Booking essential.
Monday Morning Metta
Start the week well, cultivating
positive emotion within, for
others and for the world.
With meditation, simple
ritual, reflection, chanting and
sometimes readings. Breakfast
8-9am optional, plus informal
conversation around our practice
as Buddhists in a troubled world.
Led by Ambaranta, Sanghasiha &
friends.
7am-8am No need to book, just drop
in. NB: enter only through Breathing
Space entrance between 6.50-7am.
No late admittance possible. Free.
Suggested donation £3
Double your impact:
switch to Ecotricity and
raise money for the LBC!
Switching to green power is one
of the most powerful actions
that individuals can take to
tackle global warming. For every
gas and electricity account
transferred, Ecotricity will donate
£60 to the London Buddhist
Centre. Just quote LBC1 when
you contact Ecotricity and they
do the rest. See ecotricity.co.uk
for details.
Volunteering
Volunteering can be a satisfying and energetic way
of giving to the centre.
See the section of our website labelled
‘Support Us’ for more
Monday & Thursday
afternoons
2.30pm. Straight after the lunchtime
class join in with the work period,
cleaning the centre and looking after
the shrines.
If you would like more information or
would like to chat with someone about
this, please contact Vajrabandhu at
[email protected] or drop in at
one of these times.
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Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme May–Aug 2016
Sub35 & Sub25 groups
Festivals & Special Events
Sub35
Sub25
Buddha Day Festival
First Friday of the Month
Sub35 Class
Third Friday
Sub25 Class
The alternative Friday night! Meditation, discussion and connection.
An evening of practice with time to hang out after the class. Everyone
under 35 welcome.
7.15-9.45pm (tea bar till 11pm).
Free. Suggested donation £7.
Second Saturday of the Month
Meditation Morning
A chance to meditate together, for longer, cultivating stillness and
friendship.
10am-12.45pm.
Meditation experience recommended.
Donation/Dana.
Final Friday of the Month
Young Women’s Night
Join us to explore meditation and Buddhism in a friendly, relaxed
and intimate environment. An opportunity to make friends with
other young women at the centre and support each other’s spiritual
practice. With meditation, discussion and tea.
7.15-9.45pm.
Free. Suggested donation £7. Experience of both meditation practices required.
A Vision of Reality
The Buddha’s core teaching encapsulates both the cyclic grind of
day-to-day life, and a path of creative growth. We will explore what
this means in our own lives through meditation, talks and Buddhist
ritual in a communal context. Everyone under 35 welcome, including
newcomers.
Led by Gaelle and David
10-12 Jun. £180/140. Booking essential. Everyone under 35 welcome.
The Sub35 team runs a programme of events for men, including Dharma study
and socials. For an invitation email [email protected]
A chance for those aged 16-25
to come together to explore
Buddhism and meditation.
7.15-9.30pm. All those under 25
welcome, especially if it is your first
time. By donation.
Day Retreat
A rare opportunity to spend a
Saturday gathered with likeminded people under 25 to
explore Buddhism and make
friends through meditation, talks,
ritual and discussion.
Sat 21 May, 10.30am-4.30pm.
Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
By donation. No need to book.
Open to all
Led by Jnanavaca and Sraddhagita
The LBC’s key festival celebrating the Buddha’s attainment of
Enlightenment. We will explore this central mystery through talks,
reflection, meditation and ritual.
Sun 15 May, 10am-10pm. Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Check the programme for the day nearer the time. No need to book.
Ratnasambhava Day
Led by Sraddhagita and Dayaruci
This is the year of generosity at the LBC. A festival day exploring the
rich yellow Buddha Ratnasambhava, the Buddha of abundance and
generosity. His Wisdom of sameness dissolves the boundaries of self
and other revealing that giving takes us beyond ourselves and leads to
an expansiveness beyond measure.
Sun 19 Jun, 10am-5pm. Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Check the programme for the day nearer the time. No need to book.
Dharma Day
Essential Truths for Our Time
Led by Vandanajyoti and Akashamitra
‘The Buddha taught out of compassion for the world for the welfare
and happiness of all beings.’ The Dharma inspires and guides us in our
lives today when we find ways to be receptive to its meaning. Join us
on in meditation, devotion and reflection on the significance of the
Buddha’s teaching. Dhammarati will give a talk in the afternoon and
the day will end with a puja with mitra ceremonies.
Sun 24 Jul, 10am-10pm. Bring vegetarian/vegan lunch to share.
Check the programme for the day nearer the time. No need to book.
Welcome Back Evening
Ordination is a highly significant aspect of the Dharma life which
has the potential to radically transform the lives of many dedicated
practitioners. This special evening will be celebratory and devotional.
We will be welcoming back ex-SuYen Tan, ex-Sarah Bannock, ex-Joe
Krohn, ex-Glenn Kitsune and ex-Adam Showman who, all being well,
will have recently returned from the long ordination retreats in Spain.
Mon 1 Aug. 7.15-9.45pm. Suggested donation £7
108 Year Puja for Bhante
Led by Maitreyabandhu
The 14th of 108 pujas celebrating Bhante Sangharakshita, who founded
the Triratna Buddhist Order, on the occasion of his 91st birthday.
Fri 26 Aug, 7.15-9.45pm. Suggested donation £7
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25
Programme May–Aug 2016
Programme May–Aug 2016
Yoga for Meditation
PoetryEast
These yoga classes encourage flexibility, strength and awareness of physical
sensations. Loosening up the body and deepening our awareness can be a great
way into sitting meditation. Yoga and meditation are complementary practices.
PoetryEast is an ongoing series of cultural events at the LBC, hosted by
Maitreyabandhu, exploring the meaning and value of the arts. Each event focusses
on the life and work of a single guest artist, by way of an interview and a reading.
Previous guests have included Sasha Dugdale, Michael Frayn, Don Paterson and
Colm Tóibín.
Weekday Lunchtime and Early Evening
Alex Danchev
Drop-in sessions of yoga for meditation. All levels.
Weekday lunchtimes 12-12.45pm. Free. Suggested donation £6. No need to book.
Mon/Tues/Wed/Fri evenings 5.45-6.45pm. Free. Suggested donation £8. No need to book.
Yoga, Chi Kung & Meditation
Thursday Evenings
A meditative evening starting with yoga or chi kung, followed by sitting meditation, to bring
harmony to the mind and body. Suitable for beginners. Wear warm, comfortable clothing.
7.15-9.30pm. Free. Suggested donation £11/6.
Saturday Mornings
Drop-in sessions of yoga for meditation. All levels.
10am-11.30am. Drop-in Yoga and Meditation. This class starts with yoga and finish with sitting meditation
practice. Free. Suggested donation £10. No need to book, just drop in.
Yoga and Meditation Retreat
Led by Priyavajra, Shraddhasiddhi and Holly
Come and join us for a weekend in the countryside working to integrate our bodies and
minds to create a positive and unified whole. We will be teaching meditation suitable for
both newcomers and regulars and the yoga will be a mixture of restorative and energising
poses suitable for all levels.
8-10 Jul. £180/£140.
Professor Alex Danchev’s new biography of Paul Cézanne brings
the artist vividly to life, dispelling the many myths that have grown
up around him, to put the man, his life and thought, and of course
his painting, at the centre of a book brimming with life – from his
turbulent friendship with Emile Zola, to Monet’s birthday party at
Giverny, to the sunshine of the South of France. Professor Danchev
has also written a biography of Georges Braque, and is the editor
of the best-selling ‘100 Artists’ Manifestos’. Maitreyabandhu will
be in conversation with him about Cézanne and the Impressionists,
Braque and the imagination. Professor Danchev will then give a talk
on the life and work of Paul Cézanne.
Sat 2 Jul. 7.30pm. £10. Book at poetryeast.net
Ledbury Poetry Festival
Poetry and meditation day retreats
On these two, day-long retreats we will combine meditation with poetry and writing. The retreats will build
on each other, although you can book for either day separately. The mornings will focus on meditation
while the afternoon will open out from meditation into writing. Fiona Sampson will be leading a poetry
workshop as part of the day on 6th July. In the evening she’ll be the guest of PoetryEast, discussing her
new collection, The Catch (Chatto). Similarly, Matthew Sweeney will be leading the poetry workshop on
7th July, and will be that evening’s PoetryEast guest, in conversation about his new collection, Inquisition
Lane (Bloodaxe). Both days will be led by Maitreyabandhu and are suitable for newcomers to poetry or
meditation, or both.
6 & 7 Jul, at Adhisthana, just outside Ledbury.
Booking: £56 for one day or £92 for both days (price does not include the PoetryEast evening events). Booking essential. A
limited amount of accommodation is available at Adhisthana for those who’d like to stay for both days. Book at www.poetryfestival.co.uk
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Beyond
Hatred
Summer Retreat
Led by Maitreyaraja and Srivati
12–19 August at Vajrasana
£350/£265 Booking essential