Buddhism Today

We are really excited to announce that Tomek Lehnert will be visiting Hong Kong in October 2012. Tomek has been instrumental in bringing the timeless methods of Diamond Way Buddhism to the modern world, having been the travelling companion and secretary of Lama Ole Nydahl for over 20 years. 

Starting with a talk on Friday evening, he will give an overview of Buddhist teachings and their relevance in our modern societies, and will continue with explanations about meditation and its place in our daily lives, the meaning of taking refuge in Buddhism, and the importance of the Teacher – Student relationship in Buddhism, over the course of the weekend. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and take part in guided meditations.

About the teacher

Tomek was born in 1956 in Gdansk, Poland. He studied Civil Engineering at the Polytechnics of Gdansk and English literature at the University of Poznan, Poland. In the early eighties, he became active in the students’ Solidarity movement in the then communist Poland. 

In 1983, during martial law in Poland, Tomek met Lama Ole Nydahl, took Buddhist refuge and became his student. He began traveling with Lama Ole in 1987. Together with Ole’s wife Hannah Nydahl, he organised Lama Ole’s activity for twenty years and helped start Diamond Way Buddhist centers in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, Russia and Western and Eastern Europe. Tomek translated for Lama Ole at his lectures in Poland and Latin America for more than ten years. 

He is also the author of ‘Rogues in Robes’ (Blue Dolphin Publishing, 1998), a chronicle of the events surrounding  the recognition of HH the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

Please join us to hear Tomek’s inspiring teachings full of humour and tales of his times travelling on the road with Lama Ole (including being kidnapped at gun-point in Columbia by FARC guerrillas!).

The program for the weekend is as follows:

Introduction to Buddhism: Friday 12 October, 7pm

Meditation in daily life: Saturday 13 October, 11am
Buddhist Refuge: Saturday 13 October 3pm 

Meditation practice: Sunday 14 October, 11am
The Teacher and Student: Sunday 14 October 3pm 

All are invited to join us for dinner on Saturday evening after the afternoon talk.

Information

The talks will cost HK$80 (or HK$50 for concessions)

Venue: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

All are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulations London!

Fantastic news from our friends in the UK:

On 3 July 2012, Diamond Way Buddhism was granted Planning Permission to complete the purchase of the Beaufoy Institute, 39 Black Prince Road, Lambeth. The Beaufoy will be transformed into the biggest Buddhist meditation centre in central London, and brought back into use for the whole community. Our vision for the Beaufoy is one that will breathe new life into the building, preserving the heritage of the original listed building, whilst ensuring it meets the needs of the Buddhist community in London, local people in Lambeth and London as a whole (click on thumbnails below to see artists impressions of the project).

You get more information, plans and photos about this inspiring project here:

http://blog.dwbuk.org/diamond-way-buddhism/celebration-diamond-way-paves-the-way-to-londons-largest-buddhist-centre/

Congratulations London!

 

Buddha and Love: a new book by Lama Ole Nydahl

Lama Ole Nydahl, a western Buddhist Lama, has written the most comprehensive relationship book to date. Buddha & Love explains how a Buddhist approach to relationships can help us to relax our minds, break bad habits, and use relationships to grow ourselves and benefit everyone around us.

Unafraid of taboo topics, and free from sappy clichés and political correctness, Buddha & Love provides both women and men with practical advice on how to love better.

The Buddha & Love is available now and can be purchased from Amazon.com!

INSIDE THE BOOK

  • Why do we fall in love?
  • Making love last
  • Seeing differences as complimentary
  • Breaking up
  • Handling emotions like anger and jealousy
  • Finding lasting happiness in the mind

PLUS

  • Meditations to develop insight and compassion
  • How to consciously steer our lives toward meaning and growth
  • How to learn from relationships instead of repeating patterns
  • Ways to extend our love to others

You can read a chapter of the book here, and watch the video below where Lama Ole discusses Buddha and Love.

Website for the book: http://buddhaandlove.com/

Love, Partnership and Buddhism

Buddhism in the Modern World: Tuesday 12 June, 8pm

Put simply, Buddha’s teachings enable us to experience lasting happiness. By using suitable meditations, our theoretical knowledge turns into direct experience leading to the goal of Buddha’s teachings – the full development of body, speech and mind. The teachings of Buddhism have remained a liberating gift to mankind for the last 2,450 years. Non-dogmatic, and without any gods or commandments, they have enabled people to benefit both others and themselves. Especially today, with the many independent thinkers and new communication techniques, it has become possible to collect, organize and distribute Buddhist teachings, old as new, in attractive and fresh ways. In today’s fast paced world, how can we use these timeless methods in our modern, busy lives?

Love and Partnership: Wednesday 13 June, 8pm

The Buddhist approach to love and partnership can help us to relax our minds, break bad habits, and use relationships to grow ourselves and benefit everyone around us. 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.

About the speaker

Jonathan Bradley has been a student of Lama Ole Nydahl since 1997. Asked to teach by Lama Ole Nydahl, Jonathan is also the co-executive editor of Buddhism Today magazine and the President of the Diamond Way New York Buddhist Centre. Jonathan has given talks at NYU and Columbia University. He lives with his wife Liz and works for a major arts organization in New York.

Information

The talks will cost HK$80 (or HK$50 for concessions) and will start at 8pm.

Venue: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

All are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Buddhist Refuge: talk on 19 May

Normally everybody is taking refuge in something. Some in a Mercedes, others in their families, in being rich, smart, young, etc. But if we look for something lasting, something beyond coming and going, then what can we rely on?

The Buddha explained that mind itself is the only source of lasting happiness and the teachings about Buddhist Refuge align us with this. Starting with an understanding of our goal (the Buddha), the teachings which bring us there (the Dharma), and the friends who help us on the way (the Sangha), this talk will explore these teachings and also explain the role of the teacher (the Lama) who is necessary to practice Diamond Way Buddhism.

This talk will be given by Anthony Hopson, one of the founders of Diamond Way Buddhism Hong Kong. He took Buddhist Refuge in 1997 with Lama Ole Nydhal and has taught in Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Australia. Anthony is actively involved in various translation and editing projects with respect to Buddhist meditations and texts.

The talk will cost HK$80 (or HK$50 for concessions) and will start at 2pm.

Venue: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

All are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Meditation Course: 18 – 19 February

Please join us for a weekend meditation course from Saturday 18 – Sunday 19th February. We will be joined by a fantastic Buddhist teacher from Australia, Matt Balara.

In Buddhism, meditation means “effortlessly remaining in what is.” This state may be brought about by calming and holding the mind, by realizing compassion and wisdom, or by working with the body’s energy channels and meditating on Buddha forms of light and energy. The most effective methods are the constant identification with one’s own potential to be a Buddha and experiencing the richness of every situation in life; both of which are taught in the Diamond Way. When one understands that the seer, what is seen, and the act of seeing are not separate from each other, the goal has been reached.

Matt Balara has been a student of Lama Ole Nydahl since 1997, when he helped start the first Diamond Way group in Canberra. In 1998 he travelled to India with Lama Ole to meet His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje. After exploring more of Asia and Europe, Matt settled in Hamburg, Germany, home of a very active Diamond Way group. He returned to Australia in late 2008, and now lives in the Diamond Way centre in Sydney. Lama Ole asked him to teach in Australia during his visit in 2009. Matt works as a freelance web designer and consultant for clients worldwide.

The schedule for the weekend course is as follows:

– Saturday 18 February: Talk on Meditation, with Matt Balara (7pm)

– Sunday 19 February: Talk on Meditation, with Matt Balara (10am)

– Sunday 19 February: Talk on meditation, with Matt Balara (3pm)

Each talk will cost HK$80 or HK$50 for concessions each.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to explore this central topic in Buddhism, participate in guided meditations and ask any questions you may have. The talks are suitable for those new to Buddhism as well as those who have started practicing meditation already.

So if you’re curious about how Buddhism and meditation can be integrated into a modern lifestyle, drop by!

Look forward to seeing you there!

The Great Seal – Lama Ole Nydahl

We are delighted to announce that Lama Ole Nydahl will be visiting Hong Kong in early March to give The Great Seal (Skt. Mahamudra / Tib. Chag Chen) teachings.

Mahamudra means “The Great Seal” and is considered to be the crown jewel of Buddha’s teachings. When one rests in the totality of the seer, what is seen and the act of seeing at all times, the goal, Mahamudra, is reached.

During Great Seal Courses, Lama Ole describes the progressive stages which lead to this state and also guides his students in various meditations throughout the course. There are only very few schools of Zen and Tibetan Buddhism which have succeeded in keeping these teachings alive until today.

More information on the weekend course can be found on our dedicated event website by clicking on this link.

Look forward to seeing you there.

 

Space for Mind

We are very pleased to announce that Jakub Kadlec will be returning to Hong Kong to give a series of teachings and guided meditations over the weekend of 2, 3 and 4 December. The theme for the weekend will be “Space for Mind”.

Jakub took Buddhist refuge in 1994, and has been the official translator for Lama Ole Nydahl in his native Czech Republic since 1998. He has been teaching Buddhism since 2000. Apart from his main teacher (or root lama), Lama Ole, Jakub has received teachings from many of the great masters of the Karma Kagyu school including the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje, Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, Lobpon Tsechu Rinpoche, Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Jigme Rinpoche and Mipham Rinpoche.

Weekend Course Overview

The full timetable of events is set out below.

Space for Mind (introduction) 8.00pm Fri 3 December
Space for Mind (part 2) 3.00pm Sat 4 December
Space for Mind (part 3) 3.00pm Sun 5 December

Each talk costs HK$80 (HK$40) for concessions to attend.

There will also be group meditation events on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11am on both days.

Venue for all the events is: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, Unit 3, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan.

All are welcome and look forward to seeing you there!

 

Ways to Permanent Happiness

We are very happy to announce that Burkhard Scherer will be coming to give teachings in Hong Kong. Burkhard was born 1971 in Germany and took refuge with Lama Ole Nydahl in 1999. He teaches Religious Studies (Buddhist Studies) at the university in Canterbury (U.K.) and works for the Diamond Way university project ITAS (International Institute of Tibetan and Asian Studies) in Karma Guen, Spain.

Burkhard’s speciality is the linking of academic and practitioner views on Buddhist thought, history and meditation. He has been teaching Buddhism at the request of Lama Ole since 2005. During the weekend, Burkhard will expand on the foundational aspects of Buddhism, bringing his unique insight and expertise.

Weekend Course Overview

The full timetable of events is set out below.

Ways to Permanent Happiness (part 1) 3.00pm Sat 22 October
Ways to Permanent Happiness (part 2) 3.00pm Sun 23 October

Each talk costs HK$60 (HK$30) for concessions to attend.

Venue for all the events is: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, Unit 3, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan.

All are welcome and look forward to seeing you there!

The Buddha and Love | Weekend Course

Denes banner

Denes Andras, an experienced Buddhist teacher from Hungary, will be visiting Hong Kong and will be leading a weekend course about Buddhism. The course will start with a talk about Love and Partnership in Buddhism on Friday evening, and continue with a series of meditations and talks over the weekend. Details of the talks and the rest of the program are below.

 

The Buddha and Love

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: Friday, 14 October / 7.30pm
Cost: HK$60 / HK$30 for concessions

The Teacher-Student Relationship

One of the central topics in Diamond Way Buddhism. According to the highest level of Buddha’s teachings, the teacher  is so important because we see him or her not as a person or god but as a mirror to one’s own potential. Showing us our timeless nature with countless skillful means, here the teacher actually represents the Buddha. For more information, please take a look at this article by Lama Ole Nydahl.

Date / time: Saturday, 15 October / 3.00pm
Cost: HK$60 / HK$30 for concessions

Working with Disturbing Emotions

Denes will explain how one can integrate Buddhist teachings and meditation into our every day lives, providing the tools we need to transform the emotional ups and downs we experience into a state of awareness and joy. As our disturbing feelings dissolve, we are able to experience the true nature of mind more and more: a state of space and bliss inseparable.

Date / time: Sunday, 16 October / 3.00pm
Cost: HK$60 / HK$30 for concessions

Weekend Course Overview

The full timetable of events is set out below.

Love and Partnership 7.30pm Fri 14 October
Meditation session 11am Sat 15 October
Teacher-Student Relationship 3pm Sat 15 October
16th Karmapa Meditation followed by dinner 8pm Sat 15 October
Meditation session 11am Sun 16 October
Working with Disturbing Emotions 3pm Sun 16 October

Venue for all the events is: Diamond Way Buddhist Centre Hong Kong, Unit 3, 2/F, 3-5 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan.

All are welcome and look forward to seeing you there!