Regular events

Dharma Monday

Triratna, Unity and Diversity in Buddhism

We often hear people refer to Hinayana or Mahayana Buddhism and sometimes Vajyayana, normally without explanation. Buddhism is an ancient tradition, and even before its recent spread to the West it had taken root over an enormous tract of the Earth's surface, from Iran in the West to Japan in the East, from Mongolia in the North to Java in the South. As a result Buddhism now exists in a number of forms, each of which has been heavily influenced by the particular culture in which it developed.

This series of talks will provide an outline of the three yanas, how they are different in 'flavour' and tone, and yet are still interconnected, and in particular focus on how they relate to our practice in Triratna, which is ecumenical.

Early Buddhism
The image of the calm, stately, saffron robed Theravādin monk is an important part of many people’s idea of Buddhism. The name Theravada means 'way of the elders’ and they largely base their teachings on a set of scriptures in the Pāli language which were written down some time around the first century BCE. By this time these teachings had already been passed down as an oral tradition for several hundred years, and developed in many ways. Nevertheless parts of the Pāli Canon are still probably as close as we can get to the actual words of
the historical Buddha. Robert Gonzalez will present this topic and give a flavour of his own practice in relation to this material.

Dharma night is suitable for those who would like to learn more about Buddhism. It is also a popular night for regular friends to drop in and practice together. If you are a beginner but can't get to/or have just started one of our meditation classes, you are still welcome to come and join in.

The usual program for the evening is a talk on some aspect of Buddhism, tea break, then group meditation to end the evening.

Dharma talks at the Auckland Buddhist Centre
A collection of talks given by the Sangha available for download

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