Inconceivable Emancipation

Led by Dhammarati, Lokeshvara, Parami, Saddhanandi and Saddhaloka

In 2016, Adhisthana will hold a series of Order retreats and seminars beginning with a week long retreat on the Vimalakirti Nirdesa sutra. On these events we hope to offer the same richness of vision that was witnessed on the Order weekend in celebration of Bhante’s 90th birthday, with its magnitude and diversity, though on a different scale.

Saddhaloka, Dhammarati, Parami, Lokeshvara and Saddhanandi, along with other members of the resident sangha, invite you to join them in a week of study and reflection, all within the context of the Bodhicitta.
 
The Vimalakirti Nirdesa teaches the validity of lay Buddhist practice, a validity that is central to Triratna, and reveals the danger of superficial judgements based on external appearances, echoing the Perfection of Wisdom teachings.
 
When Sangharakshita chose to deliver a series of talks on this text in 1979, he drew on some profound themes and we want to re-visit these and their relevance to us and our Order today: 

- freedom as the transcendental critique of religion;  
- the nature of upaya-kausalya (skilful means); 
- the sickness of ignorance; 
- the great compassion that arises from seeing through that sickness; 
- the non-validity of conceptual constructions; 
- the nature of routine and habit vs. freshness and spontaneity;
- and ‘adhisthana’ and the nature of effort in the spiritual life.

We will use the sutra as well as extracts from the 1979 lecture series, plus some of the seminar material from 1987 to reach a level of understanding that can inform the rest of our lives. In that way, Adhisthana will start to reveal the depth of inspiration, teachings and practices that form the lineage of Triratna.  Rather like a Mahayana sutra - it is a vision unfolding.

For: Order Members

Start date: 29th Jan 2016
End date: 5th Feb 2016
Event Type: Residential

Price: Waged/Supported £245  |  Unwaged/Unsupported £175
Please note that the payment includes a non-refundable and non-transferrable deposit of £70.

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

Bookings are closed for this Event.