Dear friends,
As September gives way to October, the trees in the park have started their annual lesson in letting go. They drop their leaves without a fuss, without clinging, and without writing to the council to complain. I find myself wondering what it would be like to meet change in my own life with half that grace. That, perhaps, is what practice is for. We learn to loosen our grip, leaf by leaf, and trust that something new is already forming underneath.
Vision and Transformation: A Path Well Walked
We’ve just finished our six-week course on the Noble Eightfold Path, Vision and Transformation. The Eightfold Path comes from the Buddha’s very first teaching after his Enlightenment. What struck me most was how practical it is. It isn’t a philosophy to admire from a distance. It’s a set of directions for the whole of life: how we see, speak, act, work and pay attention.
The Buddha’s first talk after Enlightenment was essentially a practical manual. The rest of us are still working our way through it.
Day Retreat: The Brahma Viharas, the Four Heavenly Abodes
Sunday 11 October, 10am to 4pm, Ware
Samudraghosha, Hridyasila and Amber will introduce and lead meditations on the four Brahma Viharas: loving-kindness (metta), compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. These are the “heavenly abodes” of the heart. They are qualities we can all cultivate, and the world could frankly use a few more of them.
The day is suitable for everyone, including complete beginners, and is offered on a donation basis. To book, please email hertsbuddhistmeditation@gmail.com by 12 noon on Saturday 10 October. Please bring some vegetarian food to share at lunch. Shared lunches on these days are legendary, and nobody has yet gone home hungry.
Weekend Retreat: A Path of Waking Up
Friday evening 23rd – Sunday afternoon 25 October,
Othona Retreat Centre, Bradwell On Sea, Essex. Led by Samudraghosha, Srigarbha and myself.
It’s been a year since our last open retreat, and it may be six months to a year before the next one, so this really is the moment. There is something special about a whole weekend of meditation and spiritual friendship. It reaches parts of our practice that Tuesday evenings can’t quite touch, and it’s where acquaintances quietly become friends. Every retreat I’ve been on has been a joy, and I’ve been on a fair few.
The retreat is open to all levels, including complete beginners. Twelve people have already booked and places are limited, so if you’re tempted, don’t leave it too long or you may be disappointed. The video below was taken at the end of our retreat 2 years ago.
The cost is £190, and bursaries are available. Please don’t let money be the reason you stay at home. To find out more or to book, simply reply to this email.
Tuesday Evening Classes: Millbridge Rooms, Hertford (7.15–9.30pm)
These classes are drop-in, friendly, welcoming to complete beginners, and free of charge:
29 Sep: Jordan shares his life story and why he became a mitra
6 Oct: Ruchi
13 Oct: Samudraghosha on Dr Ambedkar and the great conversion of 1956
20 Oct: Mangala
27 Oct: Amber
3 Nov: Launch of a new six-week course, Unlimited Heart, on the Metta Bhavana
On 14 October 1956 in Nagpur, Dr Ambedkar led hundreds of thousands of formerly “untouchable” Indians out of a caste system that had denied them dignity for centuries. They became Buddhists in a single day. It was one of the great moments of modern Buddhist history, and Samudraghosha’s talk falls on the eve of its 70th anniversary.
Each evening includes meditation with instruction, discussion, good company and, yes, tea and biscuits.
Falling Leaves, Open Hearts
Autumn reminds us that nothing stays and nothing needs to. The leaves fall, the light shortens, and somehow the world keeps turning. Whether you’ve been with us for years or are simply curious, you are warmly invited. The sangha is here: a place to land, a place to grow, and a place to practise letting go together.
Until we meet again, may you find ease in every falling leaf, warmth as the evenings draw in, and a heart as wide as the autumn sky.
With love and metta,
Manishura