Buddhism is sometimes thought of as a religion, sometimes as a philosophy but perhaps most helpfully as a way of life informed by higher values. It originated in India over 2500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama set out on a quest to find some answers to the problems of old age, sickness and death. He left his home and took up a wanderer's life, learning meditation and other spiritual practices from the teachers of his day. Finally, after many years of practice, he reached Enlightenment, a state free from suffering and full of great peace and happiness.
For the next 50 years, he wandered through northern India teaching the truth he had discovered to all who wanted to hear it. Large numbers of his disciples attained to the state of freedom that he had discovered and Buddhism has continued to thrive ever since, spreading throughout Asia and now to the West as well.
Essentially, the Buddha taught that we are responsible for our own mind and that we can free ourselves from suffering and develop qualities such as love, compassion, wisdom and generosity. His teachings - ethical precepts, meditation and discourses on the nature of reality - are designed to help us overcome our own limitations and act more skilfully in the world around us. Alone amongst the great world religions, Buddhism teaches that there is no God from whom we derive our being. Instead, it is up to us as individuals to make something of ourselves and to fulfil our potential as human beings.
If you wish to find out more about the Buddha and his teachings and how they might be relevant to you, you can come along to our Tuesday evening drop-in class or sign up for an Introduction to Buddhism course. See the Calendar of Events for further details.
Dharma
Foundation Course 2010
Understanding what the Buddha taught and why
If we want to develop an effective Buddhist practice,
to follow the path which leads to the end of suffering, it’s essential that we
have a good grasp of what it was that the Buddha actually taught.This year-long course in five stand-alone
modules provides a clear, comprehensive and practical grounding in the real
fundamentals of Buddhism.You can do all
or any of the modules:
1 Going
for Refuge to the Three Jewels
Sangharakshita, the founder of our movement,
identified Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels as the unifying factor across the whole Buddhist tradition.What does this actually mean?What are
‘the three jewels’?Why should we ‘go
for refuge’ and how?This 10-week module
answers all these questions and more – it’s an indispensible start.
Thurs 14
Jan – 25 MarchCost: £95 (concessions
available)
2 Ethics
The earliest Buddhist teachings emphasis the ‘3-fold
way’ of ethics, meditation and wisdom as the path to liberation.This 6-week module explains the meaning of
Buddhist ethical practice and introduces the 5 ethical precepts.
The 2nd stage of the 3-fold way, meditation
is a fundamental Buddhist practice.This
6-week module introduces the comprehensive ‘system of meditation’ taught within
the FWBO and covers key skills to take our practice deeper.
Thurs 10 June – 15 JulyCost: £60 (concessions
available)
4 Wisdom
The 3rd stage of the 3-fold way, ‘wisdom’
is all about the teachings the Buddha used to try and share his experience of
enlightenment.Profound and sometimes
paradoxical, Buddhist wisdom is always cultivated on the basis of a sound
practice of ethics and meditation.
5 FWBO/The
Buddhist Tradition + Ritual and Devotion
The final module of the Foundation Course explores how
the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order in the context of the Buddhist
tradition.It also explores ritual and
devotion, it’s meaning and purpose, together with introducing the key
devotional practices of the FWBO.
Thurs 4
Nov – 16 DecCost £70 (concessions
available)
All the study materials for the Dharma Foundation
Course are available free on-line.Google ‘Free Buddhist Audio’ then click ‘study’, then ‘foundation’.
"Cease to do evil; cultivate the good; purify the heart; This is the teaching of the Buddhas."
Dhammapada Verse 183
