Sangha Evening in Deal

Our regular Sangha Evenings are held in-person in Deal on Wednesday evenings. (In Buddhism Sangha means ‘community’). We ask for a donation of £8 (or what you can afford) to help with venue hire. There is usually a card machine available to take payments.

Our Sangha Evenings are suitable for people aged 18+ who know the Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana Meditations.

We usually have a lightly led meditation and a talk. Once a month we include a pūjā (ritual). 

There is also a chance each week for a cuppa and a catch up at the break! Drinks and biscuits are provided. 

We announce our weekly events along with our Zoom code (for occasional online weeks) in our regular mailings. 

If you would like to receive our email contact: ekbuddhists@gmail.com

Please also consider following our Triratna East Kent Buddhist Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/148699268982875/

And our Instagram page: @mindmatters.eastkent

Our Future Sangha Evenings:

On the first Wednesday of the month there is no Sangha Evening at Sholden Village Hall - please email ekbuddhists@gmail.com if you wish to organise something, eg a walk (weather permitting), a short meditation on the beach, or a meeting in someone's house etc.

Dates for your diary: 

Wednesday 24th July:

Our next event at Sholden will be an evening of meditation and puja.

Sangharakshita says: “Ritual is an integral part of Buddhism, as it is of all other religions, and an integral part of every school of Buddhism…we should try to understand ritual and see what it really is”.

One definition of ritual is “shared action, expressive of common strivings, rooted in common values”. Sharing it with others can create a very powerful spiritual atmosphere. It is an expression of devotion and of the parts of us to which myth and symbol speak. 

Sangharakshita adds: “Even if we simply offer a few flowers, or light a candle and place it in front of an image or picture, all this has an effect upon the mind, and sometimes we are surprised to find how much effect it does have”. 

We look forward to seeing you there.  

Wednesday 31st July:

Vidyanadi will host and it will be a Part 2 talk on the Worldly Winds (but don't worry if you could not make the Part 1 talk, you will still be able to join in).

 TO REST LIKE A TREE.

 “Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a great tree in the midst of them all.”

Buddha's Little Instruction Book.

In the Eden Project in Cornwall some of their biggest trees just fell down one day. What the teams learnt from this was that by being grown in sheltered conditions all their lives - never exposed to winds, rains or storms - the trees had had no need to develop deep roots - so when they reached a certain height - they couldn't hold themselves up anymore and they succumbed to gravity.

Even though none of us want to experience the blame, loss, sorrow and pain side of the Worldly Winds, it is when we are in the midst of them that we can awaken. It is here that we are called upon to practise and in practising grow firm roots that will hold us steady and upright as we go through life.

The roots that we develop will be our Dharma doors, our way out from the constant yo-yoing between the pairs, our place to rest. Our roots are formed from practising enlightened qualities of mind such as generosity, equanimity, mindfulness, becoming aware of the stories we tell ourselves - our wrong views - and letting them go.

In this second talk on the Worldly Winds we will look at the pairs of Loss and Gain, Infamy and Fame in more detail and find a way to "rest like a great tree" between them.  

Wednesday 7th August:

There will be no Sangha Evening tonight due to a study group.

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Please note, we will soon add more details to each of these events. Thank you, and we hope to see you soon.