Dharma Monday

The Wheel of Life and its secrets

buddha face

In Buddhist thought, the six realms are different places where we can be reborn. However, they can also be viewed as psychological states we experience in our life here and now in our human form. Whether literal or figurative, if we want freedom, we have to work with these realms skilfully to escape the wheel of life. Over the next 3 weeks, we will spend time exploring what each realm represents in Buddhist thought. We will look at how to work with the challenges that each realm presents, and explore what the Buddha offers to guide us out of them. By bringing awareness to our tendencies, we’ll learn to identify which realm we are in or frequently occupy. We’ll introduce some practices associated with moving through these realms and there will be an opportunity to practice with other people.

God and Titan Realm - with Mary Anna Smith

In the God Realm, everything seems ideal. We are attractive, we own exquisite possessions and life is filled with every kind of pleasure. There’s no conflict, pain or struggle, in fact, life is pretty darn perfect in every way. But there’s a catch. Like everything in life, it doesn’t last. What happens when this perfect life falls apart? Even the land of the gods is subject to impermanence, and when the fall comes, it comes hard. The gods, softened as they are by their entitlement and privilege are devastated.

The Titans live in a world that looks much more like our everyday world. They are in a state of intense competition, hungry for power and ready to exploit anything or anyone that will give them an advantage. This is the land of big egos and narcissism, jealously and immense pressure to be at the top of your game. Because competition breeds separation, the titans believe that everyone is out to get them and use all their energy to strengthen and fortify their position. However, when failure happens, they are hit hard. Used to being measured only by the outward trappings of success, they have nothing to fall back on when the inevitable fall from grace occurs and they are devastated.


These evenings start in the shrine room and end somewhere between 8:30 and 9pm. There will be an opportunity to ask your questions about Buddhism, both formally and informally.

Dharma Night is suitable for everyone, regardless of their level of experience or exposure to Buddhism. If you like what you find we recommend that you sign up for one of our introductory Buddhist meditation courses. These courses provide a systematic introduction to Buddhist meditation practise.

When

23 March 2020  7:00pm-9:00pm

Cost

Koha/dana

Caring for each other's health

Before attending, please read our current Covid Guidelines. This is part of how we practice together.

Location

Image of The Auckland Buddhist Centre
The Auckland Buddhist Centre

45b Normanby Rd, Mt Eden

Led by

Portrait of Mary Anna Smith
Mary Anna Smith

Mary Anna first started attending the Buddhist Centre in 2000 with a friend as a place to catch up for a weekly gossip. The friend and the gossip…

Portrait of Dharma Mondays team
Dharma Mondays team

A team of order members and mitras