Place of Peace, Wales

Dharma Reflections from The Place of Peace

In these monthly Dharma talks Rev. Master Myoho explores the intimate and detailed teaching that the heart of Buddhist practice reveals to us in the midst of ordinary daily life and worldly events. She also describes the unfolding of the life of faith within a small contemplative Buddhist temple and discusses some of the issues raised by those who come to practice here.

INDIVIDUAL TALKS

For those who may be interested in hearing Dharma talks, but do not wish to receive them on a monthly basis, the following, taken from the Dharma Reflections series, are available as individual CDs or tapes. Please state which you prefer.

SOUND QUALITY
These new talks were recorded on digital tracks and their sound quality is much improved from that of the previous selection.

COSTS
In order to make these talks available to those on a low income they have no set charge. As with the monthly issues we ask that our costs of £3.00 per CD / tape, (which includes postage if you live in the UK), be covered and then ask you to add a donation of your choice, made payable to our charity "The Life of Faith".
This Buddhist temple has no form of financial support other than lay donations and the offerings from these talks are greatly appreciated and form a vital part of our income. Thank you.

The Place of Peace is entirely dependent upon voluntary donations to our trust fund 'THE LIFE OF FAITH', Registered Charity No. 1091548.

	TWO NEW TALKS APRIL 2010
40 min	The Five Spiritual Roots These are faith, diligence, thought, meditation and wisdom. They are as the five fingers of one hand and help to connect us with our true nature. This, in turn, enables us to see more clearly so that we can make wise choices which, step by step, take us deeper along the path of awakening.
19 min	Taking Refuge in Others A short talk on various aspects of taking refuge in others.

40 min

The Seven Noble Riches
These are faith, discipline, learning, generosity, conscientiousness modesty and wisdom. They are called riches because they help us to live harmoniously with ourselves and others. They enable us, in a steady grounded way, to be true to our wish to train and they open up the heart of acceptance, ( and therefore fulfilment), within all the ups and downs of our ordinary daily life.

Here is a list of the available talks. Each box represents an individual CD/Tape.

38 min Never Give Up On Yourself
Looking at wise ways to train within your given circumstances and of the importance of never believing that anything can hold you back. We explore practical ways of going forward and look at how acceptance and doing the best you can will lead to peace of mind.

28 min
What Helps and What Hinders
Are the choices we make in life based in and adding to our confusion or are they coming from and leading us deeper into the heart of meditation and clarification?

32 min	Deepening Our Practice Self cannot resolve self, we need what only the meditation can bring. The heart of meditation is the heart of love, by taking Refuge in Buddha Dharma and Sangha we enable ourselves to benefit from all that lies hidden within us, waiting to unfold.
12 min	Working Meditation How can we practice ceaselessly, within and throughout all our daily activities? We look at stillness within activity and at how to find the Refuge within the unpredictability and impermance of daily life.
18 min	The Mind Needs The Heart The heart of meditation is the place within us that connects us with all life and with our True Nature. The mind wants to serve the heart but lifetimes of confusion have caused us to lose sight of this deeper place. Buddhism is the path of awakening and reconnecting the mind with it's source.

26 min	Giving Looking at aspects of selfless activity. What can we give to a situation that will help it to have the best possible outcome for all concerned? We can give in many ways such as the willingness to change or to let go of stubbornly held views. So often we search for peace of mind and joy of heart but when we practice selfless giving these things will find us.
25 min	The Broader Eye To live as a spiritual adult we need to look with a broad eye that can take many factors into account. On this talk we look at life in the human realm, at impermanence, at how this world is not answerable to our personal will and at karma, ( the law of cause and effect).
20 min	Awareness Looking at mindfulness in daily life and living in the moment.Leaving behind self-doubt and fear Addresses question and issues raised by many women, whilst also being relevant to men. Looks at training with feelings of inadequacy and how to be true to yourself through taking refuge in the completeness of that which we all are.

13 min	Introduction This includes a talk on how meditation is dynamic not passive and enables us to be fully alive.
18 min	Walking By The Sea
12 min	Sitting by The River Both of these talks are about different aspects of nurturing a contemplative attitude of mind whilst relaxing out of doors. They suggest ways of being, such as contemplative walking and reflecting upon the elements, that can call forth a quiet sense of our completeness and a knowing that we are one with all that exists.

	TRAINING AFTER HAVING TAKEN THE PRECEPTS The talks on the following five CDs look at the lifetime of training that comes after we have formally taken the Precepts at Jukai and become a Lay Buddhist. Although on each CD there is a description of one of the five great Ceremonies of Jukai the emphasis is on looking at the spiritual meaning of the ceremony and at the relevance that has to our life of training after the retreat is over. They look, in detail,at how we explore understand and fulfill our wish to be a Buddhist and at how the teaching and experience of those ceremonies points the way to a deeper understanding of how we can resolve our karma and transform our lives. The CDs can be ordered individually or as a set.
42 min	Reading The Precepts We read the Precepts many times during our lifetime, even when we know them by heart we still read them. As our eyes rest upon the words they flow into the depths of our being, returning to the place where they came from. This inspires contemplative reflection and calls forth aspects of the teaching that will point the way forward.
31 min	Lay Ordination part 1 The meaning of the wagesa, the cloth vestment which expresses our vow to train and live by the Precepts.
43 min	Lay Ordination part 2 Looks at how we understand and fulfill our wish to be a Buddhist in every aspect of our ordinary everyday life.
60 min	Contrition and Conversion By accepting responcibility for ourselves and by taking the time to reflect carefully upon how unwise choices have caused ourselves, and others, much grief, we are able to transform our lives. Our willingness to turn to the Refuge and be changed by the practice makes much possible.
52 min	Following Where the Bloodline of the Buddha's Leads. Throught a lifetime there are endless twists and turns along the way. Change and impermanence are ever present, invaluable opportunities can appear at any moment. How do we respond to what life offers to us and asks of us? Are we clear minded and trusting enough to recognise and respond to that which calls us forth?
45 min	Recognition An acorn 'recognises' it's potential as an oak tree by being willing to let go, open up and change. Thus forsaking self the universe grows 'I'. Through meditation, practice and the help and reassurance that flows towards us in so many ways we come to know our own completeness.