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New sub35 Padmaloka Talks

In November of last year, we held our annual weekend for men under the age of 35. The theme of the weekend was 'Fearless Love'.

During that weekend, three talks were given on the theme. The main talk by our very own Satyakirti, 'Moving Through Fear Into Love', explored the story of Angulimala, a mass murderer whose life was turned around by an encounter with the Buddha. In relation to this, Satyakirti spoke about fear and how, through love, we can harness the energy it contains.

New Buddhist Blog by Tarapalita

Tarapalita is an ex-Padmaloka community member who lived at Padmaloka until 2018. After living here for about five years he decided to take what he had learned and developed during his time here to Berlin, joining friends at the thriving Buddhistisches Tor Berlin.

As part of his contribution to Buddhism in Berlin and beyond, he has recently started a blog in which he shares his reflections on the Dharma and his own experience of living the Dharma life. That blog is The Berlin Buddhist Blog.

New Prints of Aloka Paintings Now Available

We have recently updated our bookshop with three new prints of Aloka paintings from around Padmaloka. They join the many other images in the bookshop that are often bought and used for devotional purposes.

The three paintings are:
-Fudo, a lesser known Bodhisattva very popular in Japan, from the Shrine Room.
-The Refuge Tree with the new additions of Dr Ambedkar and Anagarika Dharmapala, from inside the Main House.
-Padmasambhava, from the Community Lounge.

Sutra of Golden Light Talks Now Available

Last month, we held our annual 5-day Open Retreat, an opportunity for men who haven’t asked for Ordination to get a real taste of what it is to be on retreat at Padmaloka.
During this retreat, entitled ‘Changing Ourselves, Changing the World’, Dharmachari Saddharaja from the Cambridge Buddhist Centre gave a set of four talks about the Sutra of Golden Light, a very mysterious and highly revered Buddhist text which Saddharaja has been studying for the past thirty years.

Those talks are now available on Free Buddhist Audio. You can find them here:

New Talk by Padmavajra Now Available

Last month, a few of us from the Padmaloka community joined Padmavajra for one of our now regular visits to the Mid Essex Buddhist Centre . The warmth and enthusiasm of the Mid Essex Sangha members make it a real highlight to go and visit their new and thriving centre. Each time we visit Padmavajra gives a talk for their Sangha evening.

This time he spoke to a packed shrine room on the theme of 'Beauty, Love and the Dharma Life'.

That talk is now available on Free Buddhist Audio. You can listen to it here: http://bit.ly/MEBC-Beauty

Thank you to David

Here is David, a former long-term working guest at Padmaloka. He recently stayed on for a couple of weeks after attending a retreat to do some more work and connect with old friends in the community.

Knowing that David is skilled in building work, we decided that it would be a good opportunity while he’s here to replace the disabled access ramp that leads into the dining room. The old wooden one was becoming less stable over time and the wire we put on the surface to prevent slipping often had to be replaced.

New Padmaloka Talks Now Available

Last month, we hosted our final Great Gathering of the year. The theme of the weekend was ‘Creating the Land of the Buddha: The Buddha's Social Revolution’.

During the weekend, two talks were given. The first talk, from Vadanya of the Sheffield Buddhist Centre, was called ‘Making the Pure Land’. The second talk, from Padmavajra, was called ‘Inspirations from the Dhamma Revolution’, drawing on the example of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his followers.

More Buddha Tiles On Their Way

We have recently picked up a new batch of blank wooden tiles. Later this month, they will begin to be painted with a whitewash and then stamped with Aloka's line drawing of the Buddha.

Once these tiles are ready, you will be able, for a donation, to order and then paint one. We will then be putting them up onto the walls of the main Shrine Room. Around 70 tiles are already up on the walls, we will soon be posting photos of them so you can see what an effect they have.

Remembering Urgyen Sangharakshita

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the death of Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita.

Along with many others across the Triratna Buddhist Community, we used this day to remember our teacher; who he was and all that he has given us. It was also a time to reflect upon our experiences of Bhante's death from last year, a strange and magical time in which we felt loss but at the same time having a vivid sense of Bhante's presence.

Winter Retreat 2019/20 Now Fully Booked

This year's Winter Retreat, 'From Breath to Bodhi' led by Satyaraja, is now fully booked.

The retreat will be a two-week intensive meditation retreat exploring Sangharakshita's system of meditation, with its five stages of integration, positive emotion, spiritual death and spiritual rebirth.

If you would like to be added to the waiting list for the retreat, email the Guest Master at info@padmaloka.org.uk