Why not like us on Facebook?

I have recently brought the Facebook page back to life

http://www.facebook.com/HertfordMeditation

It is very easy for me to update with articles, videos and photos. It is also very easy for people to like, share and comment on each post.

There is a reason Facebook has over a billion monthly active users. It must be doing something right!

I have just put a video up there about the mindfulness based approaches that the London Buddhist Centre are teaching for people suffering from depression and addiction.

I am also going to post a video on there about the importance of volunteering, and some videos with volunteers at the London Centre.

Don't worry! We haven't any need for volunteers at the Hertford group!

But I just think it is good for people to see what it is like at some of the other centres, so we know that we are all connected in some way to a much larger movement.

Anyway.

There are 20 people aleady who "like" the Facebook page.

If you could visit it, like the page, and maybe interact a bit with it (like, comment, or share), it would be much appreciated. That way we can stay connected to the energy of the group throughout the week.

thanks a lot

Keith

Why not visit our page at meetup.com

You may not be aware, but we have a page at meetup.com where we try and let people know what is going on.

Go to http://www.meetup.com/Hertford-Buddhist-Meditation/

It is totally free, and people often leave little comments about whether they are coming to the next meeting, or what they thought of the last one.

It just to helps build our spiritual community a bit, by giving people a chance to communicate with each other inbetween classes.

You can leave public messages, and also privately send emails to the other members of the group etc

There are a total of 19 people who have joined our meetup.com group at the moment.

Tuesday March 19th - discussion on ethics

On Tuesday March 19th, I will be leading the class, as Rob is going to visit the London Buddhist Centre.

As well as the normal meditations, I will be leading a discussion based around the chapter on ethics in Chris Pauling's book, "Introducing Buddhism".

For some people, the word "ethics" has negative or boring connotations. It is probably a bad translation of what we are talking about. A conscious code of behaviour in our everyday lives can be a gateway into a happy and joyous life.

The opening paragraph of this chapter states:

"Buddhism is a practical tradition. It does not just offer an inspiring vision of what a human being can become. It also provides a large number of effective techniques and practices to help us grow towards this ideal and make it a real force in our everyday lives"

Everyone is very welcome to come along.

Links to some articles about meditation

I am reposting some articles from our friends at the Hornchurch Buddhist Group that may be of interest:

Here is a link to a handout on Establishing a Regular Meditation Practice

Recognising and dealing with the hindrances in meditation (PDF file)

This is a brief summary of the traditional categories of hindrances, the traditional similes for them and some suggestions for working with them. It is good to learn to begin to recognise the hindrances as and when they arise as this then puts one in a in a better position to counter them and move toward deeper absorption in meditation.

One traditional antidote that couldn’t be fitted fully on to on to the sheet is to “Go for Refuge”, which means essentially to call upon one’s confidence and faith in the ideal, the teachings and practices, and in one’s own potential and abilities. The Three Refuges are synonymous with the Three Jewels of Buddhism and are the Buddha, being the ideal of Enlightenment to which we aspire, his teaching and the path of practice known as the Dharma and the Buddhist community known as the Sangha. See also Saluting the Shrine  and a Rough Guide to Buddhism.

2 order members are coming to lead it 12th March

We have just heard that 2 order members (Dridhakarin and Diyampati) are coming from Cambridge to lead the class tomorrow (on 12th March), so it should be a good night.