October 04th, 2016

Way back in early September, we ran the Pop Up Cafe - a fun and enjoyable experience. Great to work together and have a chance to talk, great to be able to offer food and friendship in a spirit of generosity. And it got a warm reception from many people.
Since then we have offered some introductory evenings on meditation, and welcomed some newcomers. This Thursday October 6th will be another Meditation Evening led by Anantamani, when we will be also celebrating Dr Ambedkar, courageous and inspirational leader of the ex-'Outcastes' in India, and his conversion to Buddhism 60 years ago.
On October 13th, we will be starting a series of evenings based loosely on the book 'The Journey and the Guide' by Maitreyabandhu. The first evening will be an introduction to the series and to the four stages or aspects of practice that we will be exploring, both in meditation and in daily life.
You don't have to read the book or come to all the evenings - each evening will be understandable in itself. But if you're interested, the book is well worth reading, clear, inspiring, practical, using creativity and imagination to help us on the path.
Here's a poem that could be about the journey  - the journey of 'continually expanding through sympathy and understanding.

knowing now
that the life
at which I aim
is a circumference
continually expaning
through sympathy and
understanding
rather than an exclusive centre
of pure self-feeling
the whole I'm out for
is centre plus circumference
and now the struggle at the centre is over
the circumference
beckons from everywhere.

Kenneth White, from Walking the Coast