Introduction to Meditation and Buddhism Course starting the evening of Tuesday 12th September

A six-week course for anyone wanting to find out about Buddhism and learn how to meditate or who wants to deepen their knowledge or practice.

Each evening will start very promptly at 7.30 pm, so best to get there between 7.00 pm and 7.15pm. Each class will finish at 9.45pm.

A lot of people are coming, and we only have limited spaces, so please get there early (anytime after 7.00pm) to avoid disappointment.

Starting Tuesday 12th September to 17th October

All are welcome including total beginners, and people who know nothing about meditation or Buddhism.

It is also suitable for seasoned meditators to come and to really go back to basics and give their practice a real boost.

We will give a daily meditation diary which has a question to work with every day and record your experience. This is totally optional, but if you do it, it will definitely help you have a deeper meditation experience.

It’s fine if you can’t manage to come to every class, each one can be enjoyed independently so just come along to any that you can make. Although like anything, the more you put into it, and the more you attend, the more you will get out of it.

The classes will be very friendly, welcoming and a lot of fun. There will be a tea and biscuit break half way through, so there will be a lot of opportunity to make new friends.

We don’t charge a fee but instead ask for a donation towards our costs. A suggested amount is £5 per session but it is entirely voluntary and we don’t monitor who gives or what is given.

The course is held at our usual venue of the Millbridge Rooms (opposite Hertford Theatre).

http://hertfordbuddhistgroup.co.uk/location/

 

Hope to see you at the course 🙂

Keith

What is going on at Hertford Buddhist Group in August

Hi there,
I hope you are having a great Summer.
It is possible that we will have a 6 week introductory course on Buddhism and meditation starting in Mid September.
It would be designed to be very useful both for complete beginners who know nothing on either topic, and also seasoned Buddhists and/or meditators to look at their practice with beginner’s mind which is something highly valued, as it is easy to get stuck in a rut.
It will probably be free of charge – although we do ask for a small donation of about £5 per evening to help cover our costs.
We have not got all the details nailed down yet, but I am personally really hoping it will go ahead.
Once we have more news, we will announce it on our blog, Facebook and also Meetup.
We have never done anything like this before in Hertford, and it is not known whether we will do it again. So it is a potentially life changing opportunity for people to come along and join us, and make some new friends.
Just to let you know what is happening at Hertford Buddhist Group in August:
Tuesday night (Tonight)
8th August Padmajata giving a talk on someone from the refuge tree
Classes as usual on the other Tuesdays. Probably lead by Rob.
Thursday night
10th August Nandaketu leading the class
17th August Keith or Leah leading the class
24th August Mangala leading the class
31st August Khemananda leading the class
I hope to see you at some of these
All the best
Keith

What is going on in July

Hi there,

Tuesday evening meetings are looking like this for the rest of July, with a theme of Buddhist teachers on the refuge tree;

 

The Refuge Tree is a picture of historic Buddhist teachers, as well as mythical beings, that inspire our vision in Triratna.

 

4th- Peter leading meditation, Rob talking about going for refuge to the sangha, the refuge Tree and Yogi Chen

11th – Talk from Rob about a Buddhist teacher from the Refuge Tree

18th – Leah and Helen leading the class

24th- Talk from Rob about a Buddhist teacher from the Refuge Tree

 

Thursday meetings is our regulars class. If you have been on Tuesday nights a couple of times (or more), and can meditate without instruction then you are very welcome to come along and join us on a Thursday night. Same time, same place.

 

Khemananda came along to lead last week, and Mangala is coming on Thursday 6th July. Leah will lead the meditation on that day.

 

Other great stuff will happen on the other Thursdays after that.

 

We also have hired an allotment in Hertford, and several sangha members are working on that – mainly at the weekends. If you would like to join in then have a word with Sarah, who is normally at the Tuesday class.

 

all the best

 

Keith

 

 

June is Buddhist Action Month

The essence of Buddhist Action Month (=June) is to encourage individuals and groups to get involved in taking action to benefit the environment, other people, our local communities or society.

In Hertford we have chosen food as our overarching theme for the month, increasing our ethical awareness of the impact of our consumer choices and caring for others with generosity

Go to https://www.hertsbuddhistmeditation.co.uk/buddhist-action-month for more information

Exciting news – Broxbourne Buddhist Group is going to move to Hertford and merge with the Hertford Buddhist Group.

Exciting news!

After a year and a half the Broxbourne Buddhist Group is going to move to Hertford and merge with the Hertford Buddhist Group.

The final evening at Broxbourne will be Thursday 22nd June.

We are starting a new class for regulars on Thursday evenings in Hertford starting 29th June. This is in addition to the existing drop in class on Tuesday evenings, at the same location (Millbridge Rooms opposite the Hertford Theatre), and at the same times (7.30 pm to 9.45 pm).

More info is at https://www.meetup.com/Hertford-Buddhist-Meditation/

This Thursday night class is for people wanting to go a little deeper, and who want to find out a bit more about the Buddhist path. Hopefully people will be able to come both on Tuesday and Thursday nights, as this will have a MUCH stronger effect than just coming once a week.

I have thoroughly enjoyed creating and participating in the Broxbourne Buddhist Group, but there does seem a bigger need for a second night in Hertford, so I have decided to move the class there.

So. This is what is happening:

Hertford
Tuesdays
6th June Leah and Bev launch BAM (Buddhist Action Month) – with free food in the break!
13th June Keith and Rob’s stories of going for refuge to the sangha
20th June Padmajata on the true individual, the group and the spiritual community
27th June Leah on Dhardo Rimpoche

Thursdays
29th June Launch of the Hertford Buddhist Regulars night with Keith and hopefully a few others

Broxbourne – final 3 classes will be lead by Keith with a discussion from the book Buddhism Tools for Living your Life
8th June
15th June
22nd June

Hope to see you at some of these.

Keith

Activities in May

Hi everybody,

At every class we will share in a meditation practice, either the Mindfulness of Breathing or the Development of Loving Kindness. Suitable for beginners, each meditation practiced will be explained and led by experienced leaders.

This is what is going on in May

Broxbourne Buddhist Group
Thursdays at St Clement’s Church Hall, Turnford

4th May: Mangala
11th: Keith
18th: Padmajata
25th: Padmajata

We will have a meditation in the first half, and in the second half we will usually discuss themes from the book Buddhism: Tools for Living your Life

Hertford Buddhist Group
Tuesdays at the Millbridge Room, Hertford.

Continuing our travels through the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path,

2nd May – Perfect Effort – Rob
9th May – Perfect Awareness – Mangala
16th May – Perfect Samadhi – Khemananda
23rd May – we will enjoy a practice of a Buddha puja led by Padmajata, in celebration of Buddha Day.
30th May – Padmajata will begin an exploration of the Sangha Jewel with a talk about what makes the Triratna Buddhist Community different from more traditional Buddhist movements.

Also on Friday 26th May – meditation and puja at the Quaker meeting room, Railway Street, Hertford 7.30 – 9.30. Date and venue tbc. Please text Rob on 07754930902 for confirmation
In May we have the biggest Buddhist celebration of the year celebrating the Buddha’s enlightenment:
Sunday 14th May – Buddha Day (also known as Wesak) at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, see http://www.cambridgebuddhistcentre.com/events/event_details.php?eid=4537
and in London https://www.lbc.org.uk/event-details/buddha-day-festival-470
hope to see you at one or several of these

Keith

What is happening in April and May 2017

The picture is to celebrate Triratna’s 50th birthday, and was taken on the occasion of Nandaketu visiting to lead a going deeper about the Heart Sutra.

This is what is happening in April and some of May

Broxbourne

6th April – Keith leading
13th April – NO CLASS, as the room is being used by the church for Maundy Thursday activities
20th April – Nandaketu leading an evening on the theme of the metta bhavana (loving kindness)
27th April – Rob leading
4th May – Mangala leading
11th May – Keith leading
18th May – Padmajata leading
25th May – Padmajata leading

Hertford

4th April – Perfect Emotion – Padmajata
11th April – Perfect Speech – Padmajata
18th April – Perfect Action – Keith
25th April – Perfect Livelihood – Padmalila from Lamas Pyjamas
2nd May – Perfect Effort – Rob
9th May – Perfect Awareness – Mangala
16th May – Perfect Samadhi – Khemananda

Hope to see you at some of these

all the best

Keith

Just to let you know what is happening in March

Hi everybody

Just to let you know what is happening in March

Arthasiddhi’s visit to the Going Deeper group at the Strawbale

Broxbourne Group

We are continuing with our beginners’ meditation course on Mondays at the Broxbourne council complex lead by Keith and Leah. This is going very well, and it is still possible to join on Monday 6th for our penultimate evening. This evening will focus on the metta bhavana (living kindness meditation). https://www.meetup.com/Broxbourne-Buddhist-Meditation-Meetup/events/238063262/
Thursday drop in classes at Broxbourne

9th will be lead by Leah – discussing the theme of the three levels of wisdom and really seeing things as they really are. https://www.meetup.com/Broxbourne-Buddhist-Meditation-Meetup/events/237798913/

16th will be lead by Keith (and possibly Leah). This will be focussed on meditation covering the five hindrances and their antidotes (keywords: name, acknowledge, positive regard)

23rd will also be lead by Keith (and possibly Leah). This will be focussed on our attitude to meditation and in particular cultivating an attitude of learning and exploring.

Khemnananda’s visit to Hertford

Hertford group

Tuesday 7th March: Mangala is coming to the Hertford Tuesday drop in and will be talking about conditionality and the three characteristics of conditioned existence – the laksanas https://www.meetup.com/Hertford-Buddhist-Meditation/events/238066483/

Tuesday 14th March: Rob will lead the class

Tuesday 21st and 28th March: Helen is leading discussions at on the key Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths

Hope to see you at some of these

Hope to see you at some of these. Everybody is very welcome including complete beginners and anyone wanting to find out more about meditation and/or Buddhism.

Have a great month 🙂

Keith

Exciting news if you want to learn to meditate.

Hi there,

Exciting news if you want to learn to meditate.
1)Beginners’ Four Week Meditation Course supported by meditation diary handouts and home practice

You can join us on week 3, even if you missed week 1 and 2

Please come along. You are warmly invited.

Details at https://www.meetup.com/Broxbourne-Buddhist-Meditation-Meetup/events/xkxdpmywdbkc/

Learn two amazing meditations in a four week course. Charge for this is £10 per evening to help cover the costs of our group.

We will assume no prior knowledge or experience of meditation, and we will teach both meditations from scratch.

The location is the wonderful Spanish Ambassador’s Suite at the Broxbourne Borough Council Offices EN8 9XF

There is no obligation to come to all four evenings (although it is highly recommended you do). Just come along to the first one with an open mind and willingness to really give it a try and see how you get on.

Make some new friends at the same time, as you will all be learning together.

This is the first time we have ever done a four week meditation course like this, so it is a bit of an experiment. So if you ARE a beginner (or relatively new to meditation), make sure that you come along, as we are not sure if or when we will run another one.

Even if you have meditation experience, you are very welcome to attend, and you will probably find it very useful to really come back to basics, and look at your practice with beginners’ mind.

We will teach two traditional methods of meditation:

Weeks 1 and 2: Mindfulness of Breathing meditation (this is a basic mindfulness meditation. As your thoughts gradually quieten down, you enter a deeper, richer, space).

Weeks 3 and 4: We introduce Metta Bhavana (allowing loving kindness to arise, and directing it towards ourselves, a good friend, a neutral person, someone we don’t like, and expand outwards to all beings in the Universe), but we still carry on practising mindfulness of breathing during the week, alternating the two meditations, and we will discuss both practices at our weekly class.

We will teach and lead you through both of the meditations and have plenty of time for group discussion and questions, plus a tea and biscuit break at half time.

We will also give a meditation diary hand out at the end of each class. This will recap the basic instructions, and also give you six mini assignments for the six days between each class night. Each assignment will suggest you focus on a different aspect of the meditation practice, and there is a space to write one positive thing about the practice (even if it is just that you managed to do it!) and one thing about awareness of body sensations that you noticed.

If you practise these meditations regularly, and set up the right conditions, they will start to affect your daily life, which can lead to feeling lighter, happier, more joyous, kinder etc. It can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, and can allow you to experience a spiritual dimension to your life. Words are inadequate to really convey the experience, but you may notice that something profound is happening.

We would definitely recommend that you meditate every day. You will find meditating for 20 minutes a day makes a tangible difference. And then you can make it longer (30 or 40 minutes), if it suits your lifestyle. If you really cannot spare the time for 20 minutes, then start off with 10 minutes and gradually increase it. Everyone can spare 10 minutes.

The classes are taught by the Broxbourne Buddhist Group , but we will not be teaching Buddhism on these evenings. You do not have to “become a Buddhist”, or even know anything about Buddhism. There is no dogma, superstition or God in Buddhism. These meditations are fully compatible with any religion or belief system including atheism. It is recommended that you test everything we teach against your own personal experience for you to evaluate whether it is helpful.

If you attend this course, after that you are very welcome to meditate with us at our regulars’ night every Thursday, and find out about Buddhism. One way of looking at Buddhism is that it is really just a very practical way of building a way of life around meditation.

If you would like to come on this course, please book your place before it gets full up.

We will start the class very promptly at 7.30 pm, so best to get there at 7.15 or a bit earlier. Doors open at 7.00.

Hope to see you there 🙂

Keith

p.s. Places are very limited so please book early (by RSVPing onhttps://www.meetup.com/Broxbourne-Buddhist-Meditation-Meetup/events/237523663/ ) to avoid disappointment.
2) I have spent a bit of time revamping the page http://hertfordbuddhistgroup.co.uk/meditation/

This now lists a whole load of resources including:

phone app
beginners retreats
meditation days
meditation courses and classes
online classes
mp3s of lead meditations
playlist of 28 excellent youtube videos by the London Buddhist Centre on meditation
recommended books

So now you have ABSOLUTELY no excuse but to start meditating now, and reaping the amazing benefits.

Then come along one Thursday and meditate with us.
3) So here is what is going on at our two groups:
Broxbourne Buddhist Group

Keith, Leah, and Padmajata are leading the class most (if not all Thursdays). And we will mostly be studying Vajragupta’s excellent book in the second half, after the meditation.

Beginners meditation evening at Broxbourne on Thursday 16th Feb

And the last Thursday of the month (23rd) we will probably have a video night, hopefully on the massive TV that we noticed hanging on the wall.
Hertford Buddhist Group

My old friend Khemananda is coming up from East London on Tuesday 21st Feb to lead the evening. That should be a great night, and I hope to be there.

There is also a puja (devotional ritual) on Friday the 3rd of Feb lead by Rob.

The other Tuesdays will probably be lead by Rob (and possibly some of the evening lead by Padmajata).
4) Many of us had a very heartwarming Sunday morning last weekend, as Viryajyoti came down from Cambridge and lead a going deeper event around the theme of beautiful spiritual friendship.

5) Last, but definitely not least. Debs took the major step of becoming a mitra at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre last week. Many congratulations from all her friends in the sangha.

 

That is all for now

Have a great month
Keith

Background information

There are two excellent pdfs with a lot of background information and links about meditation, Buddhism, Triratna etc

Click the links below to open and/or download and/or print:

Triratna Resource Pack 1

Triratna Resource Pack 2

Contents of Resource Pack 1

where to find…
Recommended reading lists
Sangharakshita’s books
On-line Dharma talks
Study material (including the Triratna
Dharma Training Course)
Contact details for Triratna Centres
Details about retreats
Dharma material and events for young
people
Children and schools’ Dharma material
Ask a Buddhist: on-line answers
what we look like
Photos of Triratna Centres
Profiles of people/Order Members
Video clips from around Triratna
more about Triratna
Triratna News
Social Engagement
Fundraising
FWBO/Triratna History and archives
beyond English
going deeper
Dharma study
What is a Mitra?
Asking for Ordination

 

Contents of Resource Pack 2

This Pack complements this Resource Pack and includes short introductions to meditation and
Buddhism as practiced in the Triratna Buddhist Community, plus the text of the main ceremonies used.
introductions
a short introduction to meditation
a short introduction to Buddhism
a short introduction to the Triratna Buddhist Community
basic Triratna texts
The Threefold Puja
The Dedication Ceremony
The Sevenfold Puja
the Refuges and Precepts
The Heart Sutra