Historically, the triratna vancouver has offered several introductory courses each year from our centre.
All of our courses are taught in a friendly, informal manner, take account of individual’s needs and abilities – and provide plenty of time for questions over tea and cookies!
Meditation courses, usually consisting of consecutive Tuesday evening classes lasting about five weeks, give an excellent grounding in the principles and practices of meditation. As well as simply learning the basic techniques of meditation, there is much to learn about how to work with those techniques, how to address difficulties, and how meditation relates to daily life.
We have offered similar courses on Buddhist ethics in which we delve deeply into the ‘training principles’ of the five main precepts which all Order members and Mitras endeavour to follow.
Similarly, Buddhism courses give a grounding in the main teachings of Buddhism. The courses provide time for discussion and reflection, and the teaching typically involves not just theory but metaphor, myth, and the practical implications of the Buddhist view of life.
Occasionally we also offer weekend ‘meditation-in-a-day’ events where we introduce the two meditation practices fundamental to the tbc in a format aimed at those unable to commit to a five or six week course.
See our calendar for upcoming course dates and day events
Space is usually limited on our courses to a maximum of twelve people as experience shows this to be the highest number that still allows for effective learning, question/answer sessions and group discussion.
To reserve a place on an advertised course, you need to contact us to check if space is available, and if it is, you will be asked to make a donation to secure your spot.
intro to ethics
To live is to act, and our actions can have consequences that are either harmful or beneficial to others and ourselves. Buddhist ethics means acting with an awareness of this truth – seeing that our actions have consequences, and learning the skill of acting for the best. The Buddha did not lay down sets of rules governing how we should act in every instance. Instead, he emphasized the importance of considering what drives us to act in a particular way and purifying our hearts and minds through practices such as meditation. For Buddhists, ethics is less about doing good than being good.
Lest we should lose ourselves in a maze of self-analysis, the Buddha also proposed five basic guidelines. If we keep to these, he suggested, we won’t go far wrong. These are the five precepts that all Buddhists undertake to follow, and everybody seriously involved with the triratna community considers it very important to adhere to them.
Many Buddhists around the world recite the five precepts every day, and try to put them into practice in their lives. They are ‘principles of training’ that are undertaken freely and need to be applied with intelligence and sensitivity. The Buddhist tradition acknowledges that life is complex and throws up many difficulties, and it does not suggest that there is a single course of action that will be right in all circumstances. It is for the individual to implement the precepts with responsibility, awareness and integrity. The traditional word that describes ethical actions is kushala, which literally means ‘skilful’. Such actions are motivated by love, generosity and compassion, while unethical or akushala actions are motivated by greed, hatred and delusion. Learning to be ethical, then, is a skill or an art, something one learns, a faculty one seeks to refine. A true ethical sensibility develops as one becomes more aware of oneself and others through reflection and open communication. Spiritual friends are important here. Indeed, part of the value of sangha or spiritual community is that others will point out the lapses of which one is unaware or would like to avoid, and the example of their personal lives will, ideally at least, be an inspiration to change for the better.
The importance of ethics in the spiritual life is stressed throughout the tbc. Mitras are asked to follow the five precepts, and all Order members follow a similar list of ten precepts.
intro to meditation
The mindfulness of breathing – as its name implies, the mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati in Pali) uses the breath as an object of concentration, and the practice takes one through four stages that require progressively greater attention. By focusing on the breath one becomes aware of the mind’s tendency to jump from one thing to another. The simple discipline of concentration brings one back to the present moment and all the richness of experience it contains. It is a way to develop mindfulness, the faculty of alert and sensitive awareness. And it is an excellent method for cultivating the states of intense meditative absorption known as dyhana that form the basis for seeing things as they really are. The mindfulness of breathing is an effective antidote to restlessness and anxiety and a good way to relax: concentration on the breath has a tonic effect on one’s entire physical and mental state.
The development of loving-kindness – The Pali name of this practice is metta bhavana. Metta means ‘love’ in a non-romantic sense of the word, friendliness or kindness: hence ‘loving-kindness’ for short. Metta is an emotion, and it is felt in the heart. ‘Bhavana’ means development or cultivation. The commonest form of the practice is in five stages, each of which lasts about five minutes for a beginner. This beautiful meditation practice has a strong effect on the emotional life. It tends to make the meditator friendlier and emotionally stronger – less buffeted by the ups and downs of life. Just as the mindfulness of breathing spills over into the practice of mindfulness, the metta bhavana is expressed in communication, friendship, and more positive relationships.
The triratna approach to teaching meditation is an example of its approach to Buddhism more generally. The practices it teaches are drawn from several traditions, but they are taught progressively and systematically, according to the deepening spiritual needs of individuals.
intro to buddhism
Reflecting on the Dharma can be done individually or with others. Study groups are a chance to clarify understanding, share experience, and learn new approaches along with others, so these are an important part of how teaching happens in the tbc. Our founder, Sangharakshita, emphasizes that alongside a faithful wish to learn from the Dharma we need a critical awareness of the Buddhist tradition that draws on a range of commentarial material in study, including the findings of modern research, the Buddhist scholarly tradition, and even comparative literature.
Our introductory courses can be seen as ‘Buddhism 101’. Starting from the basic question ‘what is Buddhism?’ and ‘how should we approach it?’ we explore the teachings in a manner sensitive to the interests of the people making up the course study group.
In all these study activities there is an attempt to see the Buddha’s teachings in relation to the spiritual life. The Dharma may challenge long-held views, and these challenges offer a basis for prolonged reflection. Just as meditation implies the individual taking responsibility for his or her mind, so study means taking responsibility for one’s own views, opinions and understanding of life, and holding one’s own ideas and experience up to the light of the Buddha’s teaching.
