Form is empty - is it? - A weekend exploring Suññata with Tejananda

A weekend exploring Suññata with Tejananda

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Earlier this year we explored how the Buddha's teaching in the Shorter Suññata Sutta establishes emptiness in a very direct and experiential way, by noticing absence. Experience is empty of whatever isn't right here in experience now. This seems obvious, but we delude ourselves into thinking that although something isn't 'here', it's still 'there' in some way, even when we don't experience it.

Say you've been somewhere away from home (even just out shopping) - where is that place in experience now? Quite simply, it's nowhere, other than in our imagination. This is not suggesting that the place 'doesn't exist', it's about directly knowing the distinction between what is experienced and what is imagined or mentally constructed. Once we gain clarity around this, the liberating path of insight (prajñā) can unfold.

We'll use the Buddha's method to explore areas of our experience of bodily form, space and consciousness - gaining clarity about what is actual experience, what is imagined or constructed and what the emptiness teachings are actually pointing to.

First session (2 hrs) USA PST 12:30 am | México CST 2:30 am | USA EST 3:30 am | IE & UK GMT 8:30 am | Europe CET 9:30 am | India IST 2:00 pm | Australia AEDT 7:30 pm | New Zealand NZDT 9:30 pm

Second session (1.5 hrs) USA PST 8:00 am | México CST 10:00 am | USA EST 11:00 am | IE & UK GMT 4:00 pm | Europe CET 5:00 pm | India IST 9:30 pm | Australia AEDT 3:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 5:00 am (next day)

Third session (1.5 hrs) USA PST 11:00 am | México CST 1:00 pm | USA EST 2:00 pm | IE & UK GMT 7:00 pm | Europe CET 8:00 pm | India IST 12:30 am (next day) | Australia AEDT 6:00 am (next day) | New Zealand NZDT 8:00 am (next day)

To take part in this intensive meditation retreat we ask that when reserving your place you affirm you have been practising meditation regularly within Triratna for at least three years. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this or your own potential attendance on the retreat.

Suggested sliding scale donation for the whole retreat:

£90-50 | $120-65 | €105-60

This event is offered by donation rather than charging a compulsory ticket price. We want to do this because know many are struggling financially through the pandemic. The amount we suggest reflects the huge amount of work and love that goes into putting on events we hope will benefit everyone attending. If you can, please donate today to help us continue with our work, support Dharma teachers who very generously lead events with us, and support others to attend who cannot afford to pay. Thank you!

Attend any or all meditations in Zoom.

This event will be recorded and may be published online for others to access. Only the leader's video will be used unless by permission.

Led by Tejananda. He has been teaching and leading retreats for many years at Vajraloka Retreat Centre in Wales, UK, one of Triratna’s earliest and foremost centres of in-depth meditation practice. He also teaches around the world, with a special connection to the Dharma community in and around San Francisco in the USA.

Event images by Sean Sinclair, BoliviaInteligente and Jason Leung.

Host or Publisher The Dharma Toolkit from The Buddhist Centre Online