Meditation teaching is currently paused.
Enquire within in Southsea!
Vipassana Meditation
'Wisdom has to do with seeing clearly, seeing things as they are, that is, coming to terms with the way things are.
"Perfect seeing" is one translation of Vipassanation.
Larry Rosenburg.
Weekly
Thursday Evenings
Currently having a break from teaching!
7.45pm - 9.15pm
Mindfulness practice & sutras.
Vipassana Meditation is the mindfulness practice, also known now as Insight Meditation, taught by the Buddha 2600 years ago for developing wisdom, insight into the nature of all things and find liberation from suffering.
'This exhausted mind,
Beaten helplessly by Karma and neurotic thoughts,
Like the relentless fury of the pounding waves,
In the infinite ocean of Samsara.
Rest in Natural Great peace'
Khen Rimpoche
Google 'Rest in Natural Great Peace' for Youtube videa.
See below for Mindfulness,
Dana, Links &
Archive sessions
Buddha was asked, "What have you gained from meditation?"
He replied "Nothing!"
However, Buddha said, let me tell you what I lost:
Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Insecurity, Fear of Old Age and Death"
For more details contact...
Brian Attridge, Hadiqa, 16 Victoria Grove, Southsea, PO5 1NE
07894444210
[email protected]
See below for Video, Archive, Dana, mindfulness and meditation benefits.
Mindfulness
The Psychology of the Buddhas
The practice and psychology of mindfulness was formulated by the Buddha some 2600 years ago.
It has survived all this time because as a form of yoga it simply works.
His teaching on awareness of mind are now widely secularized and taught in as a way of countering stress,
trauma and depression. It is recommended by NICE, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as an effective way to treat depression.
It is recognised by our UK government which in 2014 set up an All-Party group and formed The Mindfulness Initiative to bring it to the attention of society at large and especially in the workplace of schools, Social Services, Prisons and Government. Mindfulness is a psychology and a meditative practice that shows an effective way of understanding oneself and our world.
The meditation sessions are secular and spiritual rather than religious in approach.
The term Buddha translated means the 'awakened one', being awake to this moment to moment of reality.
Mindfulness meditation facilitates a slowing down physically and mentally to enable a clear observation of our thoughts, body, emotions and feelings. This in a natural way produces a restful mind.
The practice of meditation is a way to the realising of our true nature, the awakened mind.
The awakened mind is our natural and innate intelligence and moves all of life.
Meditation needs a conducive environment for practice and is a way
of developing clarity of mind through insight that allows wisdom to naturally
arise to find true peace of mind.
Mindfulness meditation is a practice of observing the experience of the body and mind's flow of thoughts, feelings, memories, fantasies and the impact upon the body and mind. So much of our physical, emotional mental stress and distress is due to the lack of awareness as to how we manage ourselves.
Meditation offers a way of understanding the nature of the mind by self-observing in a quiet atmosphere through concentration practices, developing insight and stabilizing and calming the busy mind.
Our everyday mind is usually very restless, busy, impulsive and automatic. We react immediately to what we see, hear and feel without pausing, without reflection. We cannot stop thinking! As such our agitated behaviour changes very little.
.
Mindfulness is at heart a yoga practice and an early form of psychotherapy developed by the Buddha.
'The Four Foundations of Mindfulness' formulated by the Buddha some 2600 years ago in his 'Satipattana Sutra's' are now being widely secularized and taught in the West as a way of countering stress, trauma and depression.
Mindfulness meditation facilitates a slowing down physically and mentally and enables a clear observation of our relationships and reactive thoughts, emotions and feelings. This in a natural way produces a mindful mind.
Benefits
Meditation and mindfulness are one and the same thing - you practice meditation to become more mindful.
Growing scientific research has shown that meditation can help with pain relief, lower blood pressure, boost your immune system and even slow down the aging process.
In 2004 mindfulness meditation was recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) for dealing with anxiety and depression. Research has also shown that meditating 20 minutes a day can reduce pain thresholds and brain scans of meditators practising mindfulness show shifts in brain activity.
There is a shift from the pessimistic right side, which is associated with fear, anxiety and depression, to the optimistic left side which is responsible for upbeat, positive emotions.
Generosity
Dana in Pali
The Buddha offered his teachings freely as a practice of cultivating generosity or Dana in Pali.
This practice continued for for 2600 years in monastic settings. The community, known as the Sangha, survived by an economy of gifting, generosity, and is a reminder that our dominant monetary economy is not he only path to happiness.
Monastics offered the teaching freely and the lay community provide food, shelter, medicine and help to the monks and nuns.
This gifting encourages the purity of heart in the donor and in the recipient.
You give what is appropriate to the occassion, to your means and whenever your heart feels inspired.
The Dharma body of wisdom teachings, now popularly referred to as mindfulness teachings, are considered priceless and their survival has depended upon the daily acts of gifting between monastics and lay people.
The Buddha taught that generosity is one of the most important qualities to be perfected because it opens the heart, reduces self absorption, serves others and demonstrates our inter-dependancy.
Someone once asked Gandhi, “Why do you give so much? Why do you serve all these people?” Surprisingly, Gandhi answered, “I don’t give to anyone. I do it all for myself.” The aim and the fruit of our dana practice is twofold: we give to help and free others, and we give to help and free ourselves
The challenge of all teachers who are not monastics and prefer a secular approach of teaching is how to translate the spirit of Dana into our culture. This is now widely and gradually happening. The Sunday retreats are, in a small way, an invitation to practice meditation, imbibe the teachings and participate in the practice of gift and generosity.
“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.” Buddha
Some years ago when I started teaching these Sunday retreats I did not request a deposit to book for the day and far too often people did not turn up where others could have been offered their place.
So now I ask for a small £10 fee as a gesture of commitment, to cover arranging the day and attendances are now very reliable!
However, our materialistic mind remains very strong in our culture and psyches.
Archive
2013 - 2019
Meditation Themes
Sundays 2017
Jan 22 Is Happiness an Inside Job? Feb 19 The Great Escape! March 19 Simply Meditation April 22 Being Here Now.
May 21 The Restful Mind 24 July Releasing Stress in Mind & Body Oct 1 This Very Body the Buddha
Oct 29 Seeing Things as They Are Nov 26 The Six Sense Doors of Perception Wed Dec 27 Xmas Recovery
Sundays 2018
January 14 Taming the Mind - 10 Bulls of Zen Feb 11 Welcome Everything Mar 11 This Too will Pass. April 8 Breath & Well Being.
May 6 Don't try to Escape! June 11 It's Summer, Enjoy This World! Sept 16 The Tender Heart Oct 21 Exploring Attachments
Dec 30 Calmly Active - Actively Calm
Saturdays 2019
The Four Noble Truths Feb 23 Suffering Exists Mar 23 Causes of Suffering April 27 The End of Suffering
June 2 The Path to End Suffering
Sundays 2019
January 27 Live as a Flowing River Feb 24 Being Enough March 24 So Far, So Good April 28 The 5 Hindrances
June 2 Looking for Serenity
Last of weekend sessions.
Thursdays 2019
April 4 Turning Inwards, Turning Outwards April 11 Still Flowing Water April 25 3 Moments of Mindfulness
May 2 Anapanasati Sutra - Mindfulness of Breathing May 9 Listening to the Body May 16 Rumi - 'The Guest House'
May 23 'It's as it Is' May 30 'Taming the Inner Critic' June 6 'Wants, Needs and Self care'
June 13 'Listen Without Judgement'
Currently having a break…..
Links
Chithurst Buddhist Monastery has evening meditation mid-week days and always at weekends.
It's between Petersfield and Midhurst.
www..cittaviveka.org
Gaia House is a Buddhist Insight retreat centre located near Newton Abbot in Devon.
www.gaiahouse.co.uk
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. A Theravadin Buddhist Monastery near Hemel Hempstead with a retreat centre.
www.amaravati.org
There is a Chan Zen group that meet regularly in Portsmouth.
www.westernchan fellowship.org
And a very good Dharma teaching website offers a wide range of online talks by various international teachers….
Dharmaseed.org