Week 1 | 2 June

"May the merit gained in my acting thus go to the alleviation of the suffering of all beings"

You may be used to performing the Dedication of Merits and Self Surrender at the end each Sangha Night, but are you fully aware of the profound meaning of this simple ritual? It might come as a surprise to learn that what we are effectively doing is pledging our allegiance to the Bodhisattva Ideal.

But what is the Bodhisattva Ideal, and what exactly is a Bodhisattva?

However lofty this ideal, choosing to follow in the footsteps of the Bodhisattva - to even a limited a degree - can have enormous implications for our everyday lives.

Week 2 | 9 June

We will look at how one actually becomes a Bodhisattva, including an introduction to that defining quality of a Bodhisattva's spiritual attainment, the realisation of the Bodhicitta - the will to Enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings - and how we can begin our own 'training' towards such an attainment.

Week 3 | 16 June

Green Tara

Join Tārānīta as we continue the series with an evening on Tara. We'll look into her origins, explore what it means to be a Green Tara devotee, and engage in some Green Tara practice.

Week 4 | 23 June

Padmasambhava: Confronting demons

Ratnadhya introduces us to Padmasambhava, a central figure on the Triratna Refuge Tree. The myth of Padmasambhava's life tells us how he brought Buddhism to Tibet and tamed the demons he encountered there. We will explore how his extraordinary career symbolises aspects of our own spiritual lives: we too can confront our own demons and harness the hidden energies they release when transformed by our practice.

Week 5 | 30 June

Kuan Yin

Chandranishta will introduce us to Kuan Yin, the female Bodhisattva of compassion. When Buddhism moved east from India to China and other parts of Southeast Asia, Avalokitesvara (the Bodhisattva of compassion) changed gender and transformed into a female form. Kuan Shih Yin: "she who hears the cries of the world". Tonight we will find out about her many forms, associated symbolism, meditations and teachings.

Week 6 | 7 July

Avalokiteshvara: The many arms of compassion

Ratnadhya concludes this series by looking at the figure who, perhaps more than any other Bodhisattva, symbolises what Triratna as a spiritual community represents. Reaching out to the world with a thousand arms, Avalokiteshvara reminds us that the Bodhisattva Ideal can be a collective one - an ideal more effective when practiced together, each of us offering our own skills and qualities to the noble task of leading all beings to liberation and the end of suffering.