Meditation & Daily Life

March’s classes and courses explore how to turn every disadvantage into an advantage by developing an optimistic view of life as an incredible opportunity.

Thursday 6th: Avoiding Future Suffering

We may wonder what happens when we die. Buddha taught that the kind of rebirth we take depends on our actions, or karma, and he explained that performing non-virtuous actions is the main cause of taking lower rebirth. How can we be sure we do not take lower rebirth in our next life?

Thursday 13th: Who Can Really Protect Us?

When our life is in danger or we are threatened or sick we usually seek refuge in the police, doctors etc. But they can provide only temporary protection. We can enjoy permanent liberation from all sufferings only by seeking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Thursday 20th: Do You Believe in Karma?

From non-virtuous actions comes suffering and from virtuous actions comes happiness: if we believe this, we believe in karma. Buddha gave extensive teachings that prove the truth of this statement and showed how we can use our understanding of karma to avoid future suffering and enjoy pure happiness.

Thursday 27th: The Truth About Suffering

In general, everyone who has physical or mental pain, even animals, understands their own suffering; but when Buddha said in his first teaching, ‘You should know sufferings,’ he meant that we should know the sufferings of our future lives and develop a strong wish to liberate ourself from them now while we have the opportunity.

Thursday April 3rd: What Causes Suffering?

The main cause of our suffering is our deluded minds, especially our self-grasping. If we abandon our self-grasping permanently, all our suffering and problems of this life and of countless future lives will cease permanently. How can we do this?

April’s classes and courses explore how we can develop a positive relationship with change.

Thu 10th: What Is a True Spiritual Path?

A spiritual path is an inner path, or spiritual realisation, that leads us to the pure happiness of liberation and enlightenment. How do we train in such paths?

Thu 17th: Permanent Freedom From Suffering Is Possible

Buddha said we should not be satisfied with merely temporary freedom from particular sufferings but apply great effort to attaining permanent freedom from all suffering. Only by following a correct spiritual path can we accomplish this freedom.

Thu 24th: Developing Affectionate Love for All Living Beings

Buddha taught how to develop and maintain a warm heart and a feeling of being close to all living beings without exception. This affectionate love makes our mind pure and balanced, and prepares the foundation for generating cherishing love for all living beings.

Thu 1st May: Equalizing Self & Others

When we train in equalizing self and others we are learning to believe that the happiness and freedom of ourself and all other living beings are equally important. Learning to cherish others is the best solution to our daily problems, and is the source of all our future happiness and good fortune.

May’s classes and courses explore our relationship with ourself and with others, and how to make these relationships harmonious, meaningful and joyful.

Thursday 8th: Exchanging Self with Others

This profound practice enables us to change our perspective at a very deep level so that eventually we spontaneously believe that the happiness and freedom of each and every other living being are far more important than our own.

Thursday 15th: Wishing the Very Best for Everyone

By training in wishing love we will genuinely wish for all living beings to attain the pure and everlasting happiness of enlightenment and make a strong determination to work for this aim.

Thursday 22nd: Being Truly Compassionate

Universal compassion is a mind that sincerely wishes to liberate all living beings from suffering permanently. We can develop this mind spontaneously by training in special meditations taught by Buddha.

- No class Thursday 29th because of Spring Festival