Jewel Ornament of Liberation: Sangharakshita in Seminar Revisited

Led by Saddhanandi

In the early decades of Triratna, Sangharakshita held dozens of study seminars. They were perhaps his principal way of injecting fresh inspiration to the Order and movement, giving an aspect of the Dharma new emphasis, or educating his disciples in how to read Buddhist texts. Some of those events were seminal in the development of Sangharakshita’s thinking and in the life of the Order.

In 2016 Adhisthana is hosting a series of study retreats for Order Members, Sangharakshita in Seminar Revisited, looking afresh at some of those teachings, and seeing their continuing relevance for the Order, the movement, and the world today. Each of the study retreats will be limited to 8 places.

Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Chapter Four: Transitoriness

Awareness of the impermanence of all composite phenomena leads one to release attachment to this life. Moreover, confidence is nourished, you strive energetically and by having become free from attachment and aversion, the foundation is laid for the comprehensive understanding of the truth, enlightenment.''

In the 1980s Sangharakshita chose to lead seminars on several chapters from the Jewel Ornament of liberation, a text written by Gampopa one of Milarepa's chief disciples. In so doing, Sangharakshita bought alive particular themes and aspects of the spiritual life that he felt pertinent to the people practising around him. This retreat will be based on Chapter Four: Transitoriness, using Gampopa's original text along with Bhante's seminar material. Impermanence will be the main theme for study and reflection, not so much a contemplation on death, although that will come into it, but rather a more objective contemplation on the way we see ourselves and others: you see yourself objectively, you see yourself as others see you, you see yourself as you see others and in this way self-awareness and self-consciousness is enhanced ...the recollection of death is something that sharpens one's self-awareness, one's self-consciousness (Bhante). These teachings confront the romance we have with samsara: the way we see things is not the way they are.

The seminar begins with an opening question: 'How is it, when conditions are so good and facilities are so abundant that we haven't made greater spiritual progress? How is it that we don't progress more rapidly?' Bhante then goes on to look at this question and our lack of motivation: 'only too often we sacrifice the essential to the unessential.' So during our time together we'll turn our minds towards the more 'essential' themes such as wise attention; motivation; objective seeing; underlined with reflections on the nature of impermanence - reflections on impermanence of the outer world (gross and subtle) and reflections on impermanence of others and of oneself, though investigating impermanence within oneself and applying others impermanence to oneself.

The retreat will take place in the Sangharakshita Library at the heart of Adhisthana, and we'll use this venue, with its spacious beauty, to create a context for study, meditation and reflection. If you have a copy of the Jewel Ornament of Liberation then please bring it with you, though all study material will be provided.

For: Order Members

Start date: 6th May 2016
End date: 13th May 2016
Event Type: Residential

Price: Waged/Supported £245  |  Unwaged/Unsupported £175
Non-refundable deposit: £70 (included in prices above)

Bursary Fund: Help those who can't afford to come on retreat
You're invited to donate to enable individuals experiencing financial hardship to attend events with bursary places.
Go to our Bursary Fund page

Sorry, due to unforeseen circumstances this event has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Bookings are closed for this Event.