In What is the Western Buddhist Order? Bhante tells us what the fundamental doctrines of the Triratna Buddhist Order are.

He says: ‘At the doctrinal level, I see the teaching of pratitya-samutpada as most basic and from it follow the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, the twelve and twenty-four nidanas, and also the teachings concerning Nirvana, anatman,and sunyata. My teaching of Dharma as doctrine is essentially based upon and derived from, directly or indirectly, these teachings that, of course, go back to the Buddha himself. And I explicitly exclude whatever ideas are incompatible with them.’

On this short Going for Refuge retreat, we will be looking at some of these essential doctrines, making every effort to establish a clear understanding of their content and meaning.Knowing and living by these doctrines is an indispensable part of the Buddha’s path to liberation.

Study Material

The study material for this retreat is the following chapters from 'What is the Dharma?' --

7. The Spiral Path

8. Journey to Enlightenment

9. Pattern of Buddhist Life & Work

13. Cosmic Significance of the Bodhisattva Ideal

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Please bring your own copy of the text. This can either be from the Complete Works edition or the sole edition.

To engage wholeheartedly in the study, come having prepared notes and with questions.

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Details and Timings

The retreat starts with dinner on the first day at 6:30pm and finishes on the final day at 10.15am.

Banner and thumbnail image: cropped painting by Aloka ©