Buddhism Today magazine

The new issue of Buddhism Today magazine is available in the centre (issue number 21). The magazine costs HK$50 and is produced bi-annually.

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“Buddhism Today aims to be a living document of authentic Buddhist transmission for the lay person and yogi practitioner in the modern world. It is meant for people leading normal, active lives, who wish to understand and experience mind’s vast potential.

“Buddhism Today will challenge your mind by providing information and news that appeal to the discriminating individual. No religious truth can be above science or humanism, and Buddhism Today’s aim is to work with and to complement these areas of contemporary thought. For this reason, Buddhism appeals to educated, critically thinking people with fresh, independent minds — people for whom nihilism rings hollow and existentialism provides no joy.

“It is said that we live in “interesting times”. To some these words reflect the degenerative nature of the modern world in which we live. But to us, these words are a call to action and a statement of renewal, an opportunity for seeing new possibilities and openings. In either case, we promise to expound joy and humanism above political correctness or dogmatic assumptions.”

Buddhism Today is produced by friends in the USA on a non-profit basis. While we will always get copies of the new magazines when they are published, if you would like to support this project, it would be fantastic if you could subscribe to the magazine online. Small magazine productions like this rely heavily on regular subscriptions to ensure that all their costs are covered. You can sign up online and receive the magazine directly by post here: www.buddhism-today.org

The Way Things Are

A new and completely re-written version of Lama Ole Nydahl’s main book, The Way Things Are, has just been published and we have copies available at the centre (you can also order it via Amazon). Lama Ole Nydahl began teaching Buddhism in Europe at the request of H. H. the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school ofTibetan Buddhism. He has established over 550 Diamond Way Buddhist centres in the Western world.

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The highest teachings on the nature of mind are like a diamond, transparent and indestructible, also reflecting the color of the society into which they are introduced. Originating in India, Buddhism migrated to Tibet, and is today taking a style more appropriate to educated and independent minds in the West. Lama Ole, one of the few qualified western lamas of the Karma Kagyu tradition, is a major driving force in this process, and provides here a fresh, exciting summary of Buddha’s timeless wisdom. This seminal work offers the liberating and powerful methods of Diamond Way (Vajrayana) Buddhism for readers seeking to incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives.

“It is my wish that through this book, the seed of Buddhahood is planted in the reader’s mind. By putting the teachings presented here into practice, may they accomplish the ultimate goal of Enlightenment for the benefit of all.”
– Trinlay Thaye Dorje, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa (the current spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu lineage).

Love and Partnership

Eckardt Dross, an experienced Buddhist teacher from Argentina, will be visiting Hong Kong and will give a talk about Love and Partnership. Rather than competing with our partners, the Buddha advises us to support each other and stand side by side. This talk will discuss patterns of behaviour that can come up in our relationships and will include concrete advise on how we can use our closest connections as important steps on our way to reach enlightenment.

Date / time:    Saturday, 26th July / 1pm.
Venue:    DWB Centre Hong Kong (c/o Anthony & Kukka, Flat Q, 20F, 1 Robinson Road, Mid-levels)
Cost:        HK$60 / HK$30 for concessions

There will be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and take part in a guided meditation.

All are welcome!

Meditation Course

Dear all,

We’re very pleased to announce our first Meditation Course, taking place later this month. The course will run over three weekday evenings, from Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 June, starting at 8pm each day. The first talk on Monday night will be held in Central (a fantastic opportunity for those new to Buddhism to attend), the others will take place at our centre in Mid-levels

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About the speaker

Our guest speaker will be Wojtek Tracewski, who was born in 1962, graduated from the Art Academy of Warsaw and for several years worked as a painter. He took refuge with Lama Ole Nydahl in 1980 and started to give lectures about Buddhism in 1992. He is Lama Ole’s official translator in Poland and an editor-in-chief of the Polish Buddhist magazine “Diamond Way”. Wojtek is one of our most experienced international teachers from the West and it is great pleasure to have him visit us in Hong Kong after a month long teaching tour of Australia and New Zealand.

About the course

The Buddha taught methods for skillfully working with mind. These meditation techniques have several aims: they free us from disturbing emotions; help us to realise the dreamlike nature of our experience while strengthening our compassionate ability to help others to do the same; and allow us to recognise the timeless and perfect potential of mind.

This series of talks will give an overview of the types of Buddhist meditation and will include guided Diamond Way Buddhist meditations. There will an opportunity to ask any questions you may have – all are welcome! You don’t have to come to all the sessions to attend the talks.

Venues

Mon 23 June – 12F, Southland Building, 47 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong (entrance on Jubilee St)

Tue 24 June – Diamond Way Buddhist Centre HK

Wed 25 June – Diamond Way Buddhist Centre HK

Cost

HK$60 / HK$30 concessions (for each session)

Lama Ole Nydahl in HK: The Way Things Are

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First time in HK!

A public talk by Lama Ole Nydahl

Buddha probably used the best word himself when he called his teachings Dharma. For the last 1,000 years in Tibet, their name was Chö. Both mean the way things are. Understanding the way things are is the key to every happiness and leads to the full development of body, speech and mind. His advice allows beings to avoid problems and to enter a state of increasing joy while also liberating and enlightening others.

The Diamond Way (Skt. Vajrayana) is the crown jewel of Buddha’s teachings, employing methods of direct identification with enlightenment for the quickest possible results. Diamond Way Buddhism is part of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the three ‘old’ schools of Tibetan Buddhism headed by the successive Karmapas, which puts special focus on meditation practice. Modern education, which stresses self-reliance and independent thought, has proven to be an excellent basis to access these methods. Through such capable minds, the Buddha’s most effective teachings are being passed on to the most idealistic and independent people around the world.

Lama Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah met the 16th Karmapa in 1969 during their honeymoon in the Himalayas and became his first western students. After years of studying Buddhist teachings and practicing meditation, the 16th Karmapa gave them the task of making the Diamond Way teachings accessible to the modern world. Since then, he has been working to develop a contemporary approach to the Buddha’s teachings and inspired more than 550 Diamond Way Buddhist centers around the world. Lama Ole shows us that spontaneous freshness and resting in the nature of one’s own mind belong together. He is the author of 6 books on Buddhism, translated into over 10 langauges.

Venue
Sheung Wan Civic Centre,
Lecture Hall, 5/F,
Sheung Wan Municipal Services Building,
345 Queen’s Road Central,
Hong Kong

Tickets
HK$80 or HK$40 for concessions (students and senior citizens)

Event information
Tickets can be purchased at all URBTIX outlets
(expected from 20 January 2008)
Internet booking: www.urbtix.hk
Ticketing enquiries and reservation: 2734 9009
Telephone credit card booking: 2111 5999
The talk will be given in English with translation into Cantonese

Contact us
Email: info@buddhism.hk
Telephone: 2537 7553