Our Monday "Sangha Night" is open to anyone who has learned the Mindfulness of Breathing & Metta Bhavana practices which we teach at our drop-in classes and on courses and retreats.  On a Monday, we gather at about 7.30 and go into the shrine room promptly at 7.40.  We usually begin with chanting together - most often the Refuges & 5 Precepts in Pali and English.  If you're new to the class - and chanting - and would prefer just to sit and listen, that's fine! (Let us know if you'd like to talk through the devotional side of practice, if it's new to you.)  After this we normally sit in meditation (alternating Mindfulness one week, Metta the next) for about 40 minutes.  There are bells for the stages, but the meditations are not led through.  We generally then sit on for a few minutes of "just sitting" during which we'll have a Dharma reading.  A tea break follows and the second part of the evening most often consists of a talk or discussion - the theme for the second half of Monday evenings, and the programme of activities is outlined below. Suggested donation £7/5

'Being Sangha' - our theme for Autumn 2010

One of the defining characteristics of Triratna, our Order and Community, is our practice of Sangha and spiritual friendship or kalyana mitrata - something that the Buddha famously described as being 'the whole of the spiritual life'.  The practice of 'Being Sangha' can sometimes seem really obvious ('it's just about being friendly') and at other times really baffling ('how can this lead us to insight').  The answer really lies in trying out 'Being Sangha' and seeing what happens!  So this term is dedicated to 'Being Sangha' - not just on Monday nights, but through a whole series of events which, together, can form a very substantial experience of Sangha and a very effective body of practice which could, if we let, really help us to transform the way we see the world...  To download a programme of 'Being Sangha' events, click here.