Wednesday Evening Meditation Class
In this class we look into various aspects of Buddhist philosophy, psychology and spiritual practice and discover how we can apply Buddhist wisdom to the day to day problems we face in our busy modern lives. Classes consist of two guided meditations and an inspiring talk. There is always time for questions. This class is suitable for everyone but is pitched at a somewhat higher level than the Monday evening and Wednesday morning classes. No special clothing is necessary and people can sit on chairs or meditation cushions.
There is no need to book to attend these classes – just drop in. While it is best to attend the whole course, this is not always possible and you are welcome to come to any classes you can.
New Series: Concentration and Wisdom
To make any real positive change in our mind and in our life we need both concentration and wisdom. Concentration is the ability to keep our mind focused on whatever we choose, and wisdom is a clear and precise understanding of meaningful objects. Buddha taught that the reason we suffer is because we are out of touch with reality – our mind distorts everything we see and so we do not relate to ourselves, other people or the world in a clear and realistic way. This distortion is called self-grasping ignorance, and is the source of all negative and suffering-producing states of mind. The way to overcome ignorance is to develop the wisdom realizing emptiness, which is a clear and precise seeing of the real nature of things. For this wisdom to be effective, it needs to be combined with deep concentration. In the first three classes of this series we will look at how to improve our concentration, leading eventually to the perfect concentration called tranquil abiding. In the remaining four classes we will explore the difficult but vitally important topic of emptiness, the heart of Buddha’s wisdom teachings.
September 11th The peace of concentration
September 18th Mindfulness and alertness
September 25th Overcoming the obstacles to concentration
October 2nd The dream-like nature of things
October 9th Interdependence
October 16th What is the self?
October 23rd Emptiness and appearance
October 30th NO CLASS
New Series: A Sense of the Sacred
The central insight of Buddhist philosophy is that the world we see depends on the mind we see it with. We do not experience an objective world, that is simply waiting for us to come along and perceive it. Rather, our minds are very much involved in constructing the world we experience. The trouble is that at the moment our minds are severely distorted by delusions, particularly self-grasping ignorance, and as a result we experience a world filled with ugliness, pain and evil. An impure mind experiences an impure world. But what would we experience if we purify our minds of all delusions and mental distortions, if we saw ourselves and everything else as it really is? We would experience a pure world, a sacred world. There are beings who have purified their mind completely and have come to experience a totally pure and blissful universe. And what the sacred world experience is more true than impure world we experience, just as what a perfect mirror reflects is more true than what a distorted mirror reflects.
The question is, is the enlightened world totally separate from our world of suffering? Can enlightened beings influence us at all, uplift our mind and draw us into their state? Do we have to do all the work of spiritual development ourselves, or can they help us, or even do the greater part of inner transformation for us? Are we alone in our struggles or is there such a thing as grace?
November 6th What is religion supposed to be about?
November 13th Who or what is Buddha?
November 20th The magical power of blessings
November 27th Compassion Yoga
December 4th What does relying on a Spiritual Guide mean?
December 11th Buddha Nature
December 18th Joining the Enlightened World
When
Wednesdays 7:30-9.00 p.m
Where
Ganden Buddhist Centre, 5 North Bridge, Halifax
HX1 1XH
Price
£6 per class/ £4 concessions.
Free with all membership cards.
To book in advance (In Person) click here
Level
Suitable for everyone, though at a slightly higher level than the Monday evening and Wednesday morning class.