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Buddha Community |
ALBA Bulletins | |
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Dear friends Welcome to the Amaravati Lay Buddhist Association's eighth email bulletin of 2010, in which you will find news of forthcoming ALBA events at Amaravati. In this issue:
If you have any queries or comments about what you read here, I'd be pleased to hear from you. Alison Moore, on behalf of the ALBA Committee Email: metta@petalmoore.net Tel: 01442 865519 ________________________________________________________________ COMING UP Saturday 14th August Summer Day of Practice Led by Alison Moore
Join us to explore the Buddha’s teachings and to sit and walk together in the peace of a summer’s day at Amaravati. Registration will be from 9.30 am in the Retreat Centre reception area (men’s rest room) for a prompt 10.00 am start in the Retreat Centre Shrine Room. Please bring a packed lunch – we will not have the use of the Retreat Centre kitchen on this day. Hot drinks will be available in the Retreat Centre reception area (men’s rest room). There will be tea at 5.00pm after the closing session. No booking required. No fee. All are welcome Amaravati Lay Buddhist Association Visit us at www.buddhacommunity.org Or contact: Alison Moore: 01442 865519 metta@petalmoore.net ________________________________________________________________ ALBA EVENTS IN 2010 - DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Here are the dates for ALBA events at Amaravati Retreat Centre up until the end of 2010.
Saturday 18th September Day of Practice Introduced by Martin Evans
Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd October Weekend retreat Mindfulness Practice - Buddhist Psychology for Life. Led by Chris Ward (Booking is essential)
Saturday 13th November Day of Practice Led by Nick Carroll
Saturday 18th December Day of Practice Led by Nick Carroll _______________________________________________________________ GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ALBA DAYS OF PRACTICE AND RETREATS Days of Practice – no need to book Registration begins at 9.30 am for 10.00 am – 5.00 pm (please bring pre-prepared or ready-made vegetarian food towards a shared lunch) Retreats – advance booking essential with booking form Fri 5.30 pm – 4.00 pm on last day Or write to: Amaravati Lay Buddhist Association (ALBA), Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, St Margaret's Lane, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP1 3BZ For more information about booking, contact Alison Moore on 01442 865519 or Click here for more information about our 2010 events ________________________________________________________________ COMMUNITY Community is your newsletter, and we welcome contributions on all aspects of Buddhist practice. Is there a reflection or a memory that you'd like to share with fellow practitioners? Maybe you've read a Dhamma book that's made a big impression on you, or even a book with no obvious Buddhist content but in which you see a clear connection with the Buddha's teachings. Why not review it for Community? Maybe there's a poem or a drawing that you'd like to offer, or photographs that recall an unforgettable trip to the Buddhist holy places. Maybe you have an unanswered question that you'd like to air with other readers. Please email your submissions to Chris Ward at: c.ward@triplegem.org.uk Read the most recent issue of Community here Check out previous issues of Community ________________________________________________________________ ALBA AND YOU The Amaravati Lay Buddhist Association is no more nor less than its members and supporters ... and that includes you! Every one of you who attends an ALBA event, who subscribes to ALBA's newsletter, Community, who is a member of our Yahoo! group, ALBA Connections, or who reads this bulletin, is part of ALBA, and helps to make it what it is. Of course, ALBA is also a working organisation, and as you're a part of it, you might like to find out more about ALBA’s purpose and how it operates.. And if what you read inspires you to become more involved in the day-to-day organisation of ALBA and its events, we'd be pleased to hear from you. You may have particular skills to offer, or have a specific need which you think ALBA might meet. You might want to consider joining our committee in its occasional meetings or simply to help support our activities in practical ways. Whatever your interest, just get in touch. Telephone Alison Moore on 01442 86559 or email me at metta@petalmoore.net and I'll arrange for one of the committee to contact you. ________________________________________________________________ ALBA CONNECTIONS
We now have over 60 members, and there have already been some lively discussions. So if you'd like to add a contribution to the debate about Buddhism and government, to suggest topics you'd like to see covered on ALBA days of practice, or to start a new discussion, and you're already a member, do visit the website and join in. And remember, as I've said, you can use the group for more practical matters; for example to find out if anyone living near you would like a lift to a monastery next time you're going, or could offer you one, or simply to share some news or a concern with friends. If you're not already a member, there are two ways you can join, and both are very simple. You can join via the website - as it's an invitation-only site you will need to be approved, but that's just a formality, and approval is guaranteed. You'll then be able to start receiving and posting messages. Alternatively, email Alison Moore at metta@petalmoore.net and I'll send you an invitation. When you receive it, all you'll need to do to join is to click on the "Join this group" button at the bottom of the invitation email. We look forward to welcoming you. ________________________________________________________________ TRIPLE GEM – THE BUDDHIST FOUNDATION The Triple Gem Buddhist Foundation (TGBF) is planning a LifeSkills Mindfulness course starting on the 15th September in Abbots Langley for this autumn and be led by Chris Ward. This is not a teacher training course, but the foundation course that future LSM teachers will be leading. (Note that attendance at an LSM foundation course (or equivalent) will be a requirement for the teacher training course that we are developing) LifeSkills Mindfulness Course - Sep 15th 2010 This will consist of 8 weekly sessions on a Wednesday evening starting on Wednesday September 15th from 7.30 till 9.30 pm at:
Gallows Hill Lane Abbots Langley Herts WD5 0BU Gill Williamson, the Head, has kindly offered us the use of a space at her school. The cost will be £100 for 8 sessions. This includes £10 for the purchase of the main book (and CD) we will be using: The Mindful Way through Depression by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Please note that the book title does not imply that LSM is a course for those suffering from depression. This is not the case. In fact if you are currently diagnosed as suffering from depression and are undergoing treatment for this, then LSM would not be appropriate for you at this time. However, if you have had one or more bouts of depression in the past and are currently ok, then LSM may be helpful. Chris’s email is: c.ward@btinternet.com TGBF is also developing a LifeSkills Mindfulness teacher training programme for experienced practitioners wishing to lead 8 week LifeSkills courses for the public. If you are interested in joining a future LSM course as a participant, or in applying to become an LSM teacher, then please contact Alison Moore at metta@petalmoore.net or Chris Ward at c.ward@triplegem.org.uk The TGBF website provides details of all TGBF activities. Visit the Triple Gem Buddhist Foundationm _______________________________________________________________ THE NETWORK OF BUDDHIST ORGANISATIONS The Network of Buddhist Organisations (NBO), of which ALBA is a member, has been active for many years in bringing together Buddhists from all backgrounds and traditions and in working on behalf of the UK Buddhist community. The NBO has a growing profile as a national Buddhist organisation that consults with the diverse range of Buddhist organisations and groups to be found in the UK. The NBO has been making major changes to its structure and management to enable it to meet the increasingly complex demands on its time and collective expertise from Government bodies and other organisations, for example by contributing to educational initiatives and interfaith forums, as well as by promoting networking and information exchange between Buddhist groups. The full NBO committee includes members from a broad range of Buddhist organisations. The NBO now has a new website, at www.nbo.org.uk and work is continuing to populate this with material from the previous website and with new information.
This is open to all who support a flourishing, healthy, and active UK Buddhist community. Please join and make friends with Buddhists from all backgrounds. If you would like to learn more about the NBO and its plans, or would be interested in getting involved, you can find out more from ALBA’s representatives, Chris Ward c.ward@triplegem.org.uk or Alison Moore metta@petalmoore.net. Read Chris Ward's Buddhism in Britain blog _______________________________________________________________ HEAD COOKS NEEDED IN THE MAIN MONASTERY KITCHEN Dana is a key area of Buddhist practice, and is at the heart of the relationship between monastics and lay people. Monks and nuns depend for their survival on lay generosity, and working in the kitchen at Amaravati is an important way in which ALBA supporters can offer practical support to the Sangha. Diana Jones has quite a bit of experience in the kitchen and has offered to share her expertise with ALBA supporters and to show aspiring volunteers how to be head cooks in the monastery kitchen. The only qualification that you’d need is that you enjoy cooking! Click here to read more about what’s involved, and for details of how to contact Diana if you’re interested. You'll find the link at the bottom of the web page. AMARAVATI PUBLICATIONS NEEDS A NEW PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY Soon Amaravati Publications will need a new secretary to help with Sangha publications. This voluntary position acts as a link between those who wish to sponsor or produce a book, the Sangha, the printers and the English Sangha Trust. The time commitment might average one or two mornings a week. Please apply by emailing the Amaravati secretary Alison Moore has been Publications Secretary for three years now (when I’m not editing this bulletin!) and would be very happy to tell you a bit more about the role if you’re interested in applying. Call me on 01442 865519 or email me at metta@petalmoore.net _________________________________________________________
PRINT IT OUT AND PASS IT ON Sign up to receive a regular copy of this bulletin in your inbox – just email Alison Moore at metta@petalmoore.net and I will add you to the circulation list.
Amaravati Lay Buddhist Association (ALBA)
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