The first day of our Bodhi Retreat here at Amida Mandala Buddhist Temple in the beautiful town of Malvern in Worcestershire in England. In Far Eastern Buddhism, December 8th is taken as the anniversary day of the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha and it is traditional to hold a retreat at this time in celebration.
The schedule today has been:
Morning service with Dharma Talk
Breakfast
Dharma Talk (recorded and posted on this site)
Tea
Practice Session with Tai Shih Chih invocation
Lunch
Rest Period
Dharma Talk on Mahasthamaprapta-Vajrapani (Tai Shih Chih)
Small Group Discussions
Sharing Circle
Dinner
Evening Service
The main Dharma talk can be watched here
https://eleusis.ning.com/video/dharmavidya-s-dharma-talk-on-8-december-2015-the-beginning-of-the
Main themes emerging from the day have been
Mu Ge Ko - the unimpeded light of Amitabha Buddha
The image of Tai Shih Chih as creative power
Unconditional love giving one freedom to take responsibility for one's life
We have been a group of 17 people for most of the day. It has been a very happy spirited gathering of sangha members, a few completely new, but mostly old friends gathering to practice together.
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