The Essence of Zen: Order/Mitra Weekend

Led by Saddhanandi + Sona

A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence upon words and letters;
Direct pointing to the mind;
Seeing into one’s own nature and realizing Buddhahood.

Sangharakshita's original lectures from 1965 were based around a famous 12th century Zen verse attributed to Bodhidharma, each line representing a fundamental principle not only of the Zen tradition but of Dharma practice generally. Through short talks, discussion and meditation we’ll immerse ourselves in these pithy teachings.

Taking our lead from Sangharakshita’s commentary and the uncompromising nature of this verse, we'll explore the principles raised in the original lectures: the Dharma is caught not taught, it is primarily an experience beyond words; understanding is not that which is based on hearsay, on conjecture and on gossip but on direct knowledge; the Dharma points directly to the mind and a complete withdrawal of all projections, positive and negative; finally, realisation is of the nature of pure non-dual awareness without distinction of subject and object.

It’s a lot of material to cover in a weekend but we’ll keep the schedule as spacious as possible to allow time for the mind to relax and become more receptive: even over a short weekend it is possible to hear an aspect of the Dharma that will change our lives forever.

The retreat will start with dinner at 18:00 and you are welcome to arrive on site after 16:00, it will end at 14:30 on the last day.

For: Order Members and Mitras

Start date: 27th Sep 2019
End date: 29th Sep 2019
Event Type: Residential

Price: Waged/Supported £74  |  Unwaged/Unsupported £52
Non-refundable deposit: £52 (included in prices above)

Bursary Fund: Help those who can't afford to come on retreat
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Bookings are closed for this Event.