Regular events

Dharma Monday

The five spiritual faculties

In Buddhism 'The five spiritual faculties' are faith (shraddha), vigour (virya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samadhi) and wisdom (prajna). Also known as virtues they are seen to be necessary for spiritual progress to take place.

As we progress on the path these virtues are seen to become stronger forces within us that gradually shape and flavour everything we think, feel and do. These virtues are sometimes also referred to as powers (balas) in that they are said to eventually be unshakable by their opposites.

During this theme we have different members of our sangha speaking and expanding on each of the faculties/virtues in turn.

For this final week Ratnavuyha will talk on wisdom (prajna).

The place of wisdom (prajna) in Buddhism with Ratnavyuha
Wisdom is not very fashionable these days. In fact it is something people are frequently cynical about, preferring to value varied perspectives rather than singular wisdom. And perhaps even those who do respect wisdom tend to believe that it is merely a highly tuned up version of the reason and intelligence they already have? Simply 'knowing' done better. However, this is very far from what wisdom (prajna) is within the Buddhist tradition. Wisdom within Buddhism is more aligned with 'what we know we don't know', than 'what we know'. However, this knowing is not a not knowing and, paradoxically, it does seem there are ways to deepen this capacity. We can practise Wisdom. Looked at in another way, wisdom balances faith (sraddha) within the five spiritual faculties. It places our emotions in a wider context and keeps us from getting lost in the narrowness of our limited subjectivity. If we are willing to listen, if we are willing to practice, Wisdom completes our mandala of spiritual faculties and gives us a complete tool box to make spiritual progress here and now.

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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