Friendship is most important

Following last week’s film about India Dhamma’s Young People’s Projects, this week Liz celebrates the achievements of a young member of our Sangha in India.

Neha Gajbhiye is a graphic designer, film-maker, and a GFR Mitra. She lives in Nagpur with her husband Maitriratna and shares her Buddhist practice with her family, who are also involved in Triratna. But it wasn’t always like this. Neha has worked through incredibly hard circumstances to create this life for herself and her family.

Neha...

The Rain of The Dharma

One of my favourite parables given by The Buddha was ‘The Rain of the Dharma’
In it he says that just as the rain falls on the myriad diversity of seeds allowing them to grow into the plants they have the potential to be, so too the dharma rains down on myriad beings allowing them to grow into the true individuals they have the capacity to be.

This might be the theme of the forthcoming retreat that is open...

Persistence

I led a retreat in Toowoomba this weekend just past and I based it on a sutta called ‘Present Welfare, Future Welfare’.

The photo above is of sunrise at the tranquil Catholic seminary where it was held.

One of my ‘take-aways’ from this time was seeing that in this text which I have grown to love where The Buddha gives four principles for our welfare in this present life I have been misquoting him and therefore misunderstanding him. I have been saying his first...

Puja this Thursday Night

On Thursday night this week we will hold a puja in place of the regular meditation

A puja is a devotional ritual during which we move through seven stages that include reverencing The Buddha, his teachings and all who aspire to live by his teachings, the traditional Buddhist refuges and precepts and mantras.

There are opportunities during the puja to offer candles and incense to the shrine as an expression of our gratitude and intention. 

If you haven’t...