This is now the second Ordination training retreat of the year to become fully booked, other retreats are filling up too.
You can avoid missing out by paying a small deposit to secure your place on a retreat.
The theme for the May Area Order weekend is Riding a Tiger – Padmasambhava in the Life of the Order, both Maitryabadhu and Padmavajra have been confirmed as speakers for the weekend, Padmavajra will also be leading the Padmasambhava Sadhana on Saturday afternoon.
Book on the weekend here.
We now have prints of the new Milarepa and Wrathful Vajrapani paintings from the Padmaloka shrine room. You can buy them either the next time you visit Padmaloka or from the website shop: https://www.padmaloka.org.uk/shop/photos
During our first Great Gathering weekend of 2018, around 70 men gathered in the Shrine Room to hear Surata speak about the essential and central topic of Going for Refuge. If you didn't join us for the weekend you can listen to the talk here:
https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details.php?num=LOC3357
The May Area Order weekend will be devoted to the Rainbow-Bodied One, the Greatly Precious Guru Padmasambhava.
Recently, Bhante reminded us how important Padmasambhava has been for him. He also reminded us that Padmasambhava continues to be very much alive in his own life, as well as in the life of the Order.
During the weekend we will be invoking Padmasambhava and exploring what he means for us.
Alokavira writes:
'For those of us not travelling to India for the convention Yashodeva and I of the Midlands Region are pleased to lead this weekend on the practice of the Metta Bhavana. The theme of metta and its importance, its ethical dimension and its possibility for very real and significant transformation will tie in with the re-launch of the Order Metta that will happen on the Order convention at Bodh Gaya.
There will be a good amount of shrine room practice supported by practice-based talks, study, puja and time to meet with friends.'
The Bodhisattva Ideal retreat is now fully booked and we eagerly await Subhuti's visit next April.
All of our other 2018 retreats still have spaces but some are filling up. To book on a retreat next year just follow the link below:
'Only the spiritual friend can help you to go further, beyond the worlds of the devas and the brahmās, beyond all that is conditioned, to Nirvana. For, as the Buddha told Ānanda, if a man had a spiritual friend it was to be expected that he would develop and cultivate the Perfect Eightfold Path.' - Sangharakshita
For those of you who weren't able to join us for the recent Great Gathering, you can listen to the inspiring talks given by Vadanya and Padmavajra here:
https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC3236
https://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details.php?num=LOC3237
The 2018 programme has arrived at Padmaloka.
Over the next few days we will be busy packing them up and delivering them directly to you and to your local Triratna Centre.
We really hope you enjoy the programme when it arrives. Everyone at Padmaloka is very excited about the year ahead not least because it is the 50th anniversary of the Order. The pages are infused with the Bodhisattva Ideal from first page to last. Aloka’s art, writings from the Ordination Team and quotes from our teachers all serve to bring the ideal to life.
