December Newsletter - Aro gTér Lineage Holders teaching at Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre

Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DB  07875 716644

December Newsletter 2015

As the festive season approaches, the courses for the new year have been decided and scheduled - please see below and at Meetup.com/arolingcardiff, and aro-ling.org.cardiff. 2015 has been most successful at Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre and we look forward to another inspiring year for 2016.

Before the new year we have two more Saturday events. The introductory session Discovering the Spaciousness of Mind is this coming Saturday, 5th December. The following Saturday, 12th December, is Dignity and Heroism - exploring the meaning of Natural Heroism and how to live our lives in this way.
 

In January we are delighted and honoured to have the Aro gTér Lineage Holders teaching on Dzogchen at Aro Ling. This is a rare opportunity to hear these teachings from realised Dzogchen practitioners. Aro Ling Cardiff is small, and we have to limit numbers to 15, so we strongly recommend advance booking for this event.
New for 2016

Dances of the Jane Austen Era - Wednesdays 16:30

Have you enjoyed the dancing in classic drama productions such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’? Come to Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre and learn how to practise them.
To dance these Georgian dances well requires passion and precision; respect and consideration; good humour and sensitivity – all valuable qualities Buddhists develop. While dancing we must be aware of our partner and our neighbour, and the overall pattern of the dance – and still have fun.
The class is suitable for adults, and children aged 10 and above with a supervising adult.
Adults £3, accompanied children £1.
Meditation Group - Wednesdays 18:00
A new, one hour, early-evening meditation session - the perfect way to end your work day and feel refreshed to enjoy the rest of your evening.
Short periods of silent meditation are interspersed with chant and song. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Requested donation £4.
Saturday retreats for the new year (details below)
January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness

Weekly schedule January 2016
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30; Meditation & Song 12:00; Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30
Wednesdays:

sKu-mNyé 14:00; Meditation & Song 15:15; Dancing of Jane Austen Era 16:30; Meditation Group 18:00
sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. It offers a range of movements, from simple and gentle to demanding and vigorous – so there is something for everyone. All are welcome whatever age or level of fitness. A wonderful form of exercise that is refreshing and invigorating. Each class is 1 hour and a donation of £4 is requested.
Meditation groups and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness.  Daytime £4, evening £5 donation requested. Introductory session every first Saturday of the month – £8 donation requested.

Monthly schedule:
First Saturday of month: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind  10:00 – 12:00; an introduction to the Aro gTér Lineage and its practices, and to the Nyingma school of Buddhism; £8 donation requested.
Retreat days – one Saturday a month as advertised, 10:00 to 19:00; £30 in advance, or £35 on the day. Concessions available on application and if paid in advance.
January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness

January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
In their first teaching at Aro Ling Cardiff, the Lineage Lamas will give direct introduction to Dzogchen sem-dé – the totality teaching of the ‘nature of Mind’. Dzogchen is unique in dealing with the experience of being human at the most essential level of perception. Dzogchen lays bare the problems which arise through our dualistic vision – and creates a sense of wonderment at the immense possibility for each individual.
10:00 – 19:00; £35 if paid in advance, £40 on the day
**Booking recommended as this event will be likely to be oversubscribed. This retreat is charged at slightly more than usual so that Aro Ling Cardiff can make an offering to Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen, and pay their travel expenses. **

February 13: Wearing the Body of Visions
Explore the rich and dramatic symbolism of inner Tantra, through practices of vision, yogic song, chant, mudra, and Tantric music. We are symbols of our true enlightened selves, and through ‘wearing’ the visionary body of the awareness-beings we can reveal our true nature. The peaceful, joyous, and wrathful awareness-beings are the key to both personal dignity and to perceiving the dignity of others. The day will conclude with an empowerment into the
practice of Yeshé Tsogyel, the female tantric Buddha of Tibet.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

March 12: The Mahasiddhas
The 84 Mahasiddhas were early Tantric practitioners who discovered complete liberation through outrageously conventional or unconventional means. The lives of the Mahasiddhas emphasise that spiritual realisation is found within ordinary life, not in a special realm outside it. Stories of some of the 84 Mahasiddhas will presented from the unique perspective of Dzogchen. This method of integrating practice into the experience of everyday life is a profound practice of finding the presence of awareness in all of one’s experience.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness
The method of the Owl Precepts undermines the confusion that creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Living within the Owl Precepts is an invaluable method of realising the spiritual path through everyday life. This Dzogchen view of the Five Buddhist Precepts originates in the Heart Essence Sutra of the Owl-headed Dakini, from the gTérmas of Khyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923).
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

For fuller details of events at Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre, please visit

aro-ling.org/cardiff

Meetup.com/aro-ling-cardiff