About the HBS Theravada Group
Announcemnet: Due to the Coronavirus, regular in person meetings are currently suspended, however we are meeting online by Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 1930 (see our calendar for the exact schedule). If you would like to join us please contact us for details on hampshirebuddhistsociety@gmail.com
The Theravada group usually meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month (see our calendar for the exact schedule), meeting at the Friends' meeting house in Southampton (SO15 2AZ) at 7:30pm. Ideally message us before your first meeting so we can confirm the date.
'Theravada' means the 'Doctrine of the Elders'. The 'elders' in question were the senior monks who preserved this particular tradition of Buddhism. Theravada reached Sri Lanka from India around 250 BC. Over the next two centuries it diffused into the areas now known as Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The scriptures of Theravada were originally passed down by word of mouth by the Buddha’s followers in a language called Pali, which is an ancient derivative of Sanskrit, but later these were written down and translated into other languages.
The routine of the session is roughly as follows: first there is an offering of flowers, candles and incense to the Buddha, followed by a short chant and a silent meditation which usually lasts about 30 – 40 minutes. Then there may be a reading from Buddhist literature or a recorded talk by a monk or nun, rounded off by a discussion and questions over tea and biscuits. Several times a year, a monk or nun from Chithurst Forest Monastery will lead the meeting and bring more specific guidance on the practice.
Chithurst Monastery, or Cittaviveka, was established in 1978 under the guidance of a much revered Thai monk Ajahn Chah, when a benefactor made a gift of one hundred and eight acres of Sussex forest land to the English Sangha Trust, based in Hemel Hempstead. A building known as Chithurst House was purchased for the residence of Western monks and then, later on, another property was bought for a group of women who also sought ordination. Today, Chithurst is part of a flourishing Buddhist community which practises in the tradition of the Thai Forest Monastics, with centres in other parts of England and also abroad.
A former Abbot of Chithurst writes, "When you keep your personal achievements at the level of putting one foot in front of the other and being mindful, you listen to what the world has to say. In that ‘listening’, the mind is fresh and alert to the mystery of life and being unable to express that mystery only purifies the aspiration to live in harmony with it. You listen and live close to the heart of life, and the only refuge from the rawness of our nature is to do good and be mindful. Sometimes that seems to leave you completely alone with nothing to hold on to, but the path evokes a compassion in us that fills the heart, and a respect for our way of life that gives us many friends." (Ajahn Sucitto, 18th April 2001)
Announcemnet: Due to the Coronavirus, regular in person meetings are currently suspended, however we are meeting online by Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 1930 (see our calendar for the exact schedule). If you would like to join us please contact us for details on hampshirebuddhistsociety@gmail.com
The Theravada group usually meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month (see our calendar for the exact schedule), meeting at the Friends' meeting house in Southampton (SO15 2AZ) at 7:30pm. Ideally message us before your first meeting so we can confirm the date.
'Theravada' means the 'Doctrine of the Elders'. The 'elders' in question were the senior monks who preserved this particular tradition of Buddhism. Theravada reached Sri Lanka from India around 250 BC. Over the next two centuries it diffused into the areas now known as Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The scriptures of Theravada were originally passed down by word of mouth by the Buddha’s followers in a language called Pali, which is an ancient derivative of Sanskrit, but later these were written down and translated into other languages.
The routine of the session is roughly as follows: first there is an offering of flowers, candles and incense to the Buddha, followed by a short chant and a silent meditation which usually lasts about 30 – 40 minutes. Then there may be a reading from Buddhist literature or a recorded talk by a monk or nun, rounded off by a discussion and questions over tea and biscuits. Several times a year, a monk or nun from Chithurst Forest Monastery will lead the meeting and bring more specific guidance on the practice.
Chithurst Monastery, or Cittaviveka, was established in 1978 under the guidance of a much revered Thai monk Ajahn Chah, when a benefactor made a gift of one hundred and eight acres of Sussex forest land to the English Sangha Trust, based in Hemel Hempstead. A building known as Chithurst House was purchased for the residence of Western monks and then, later on, another property was bought for a group of women who also sought ordination. Today, Chithurst is part of a flourishing Buddhist community which practises in the tradition of the Thai Forest Monastics, with centres in other parts of England and also abroad.
A former Abbot of Chithurst writes, "When you keep your personal achievements at the level of putting one foot in front of the other and being mindful, you listen to what the world has to say. In that ‘listening’, the mind is fresh and alert to the mystery of life and being unable to express that mystery only purifies the aspiration to live in harmony with it. You listen and live close to the heart of life, and the only refuge from the rawness of our nature is to do good and be mindful. Sometimes that seems to leave you completely alone with nothing to hold on to, but the path evokes a compassion in us that fills the heart, and a respect for our way of life that gives us many friends." (Ajahn Sucitto, 18th April 2001)
Main image copyright Roberta Mansell. Text copyright Hampshire Buddhist Society unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.