This week’s free e-book

This week we’re giving away a short book by Paramananda, the second in the Art of Meditation series. It’s called The Body, and it will be available to download free here until 6 July.

Paramananda’s approach to meditation enables a kind and grounded experience of the body in its physical sensations and its imaginal feel. He has been working with embodied approaches in practice for a long time, and this embodiment includes being part of and belonging to the world.

The book is beautifully written – you can expect a poetic sensibility. And its exercises offer pointers on how to play, investigate, and become simpler and richer in your relation to experience. Reading it again this week, I’ve found what he offers on abdominal breathing, posture, relaxation, aliveness and stability a great resource for calm, connection and courage.

If you would like to explore meditating with this emphasis on embodiment you can do online meditation with him on Thursday evenings at the West London Buddhist Centre. As part of his most recent book The Myth of Meditation, he recorded led meditations that you can access here. Please consider giving a donation for the use of this audio if you can.

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Jordana

I first became interested in Buddhism as a teenager from a chance encounter with a book found in my school library. I was immediately struck by how Buddhism taught that I could change how I experience the world and that I could grow as a person. However, it wasn’t until many years later at the Sheffield Buddhist centre, that I began to commit myself fully to Buddhist practice as I saw that practicing Buddhist teachings was having a very positive impact on my life and on the lives of others.

I was delighted to join the Still Learning Team in November 2018. My previous work has been as a teacher and as an artist and I feel privileged to be able to bring those skills together with my passion for Buddhism in order to teach children and young people about Buddhism.

Aryadasa

I first came into contact with Buddhism in my final year of university when I attended an introductory course at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre. I was instantly captivated by the revolutionary yet practical nature of the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha).

I began to meditate and apply Buddhism into my daily life and found that it actually worked! I had started to view the world differently and in a way that made me happier. I gained great confidence by this and became a committed Buddhist practitioner soon afterwards.

I enjoy sharing with others what I have learnt and how Buddhism has transformed me so I was delighted to join the Still Learning team in October 2013.

Buddhist Artefacts

Suitable for all Key Stages A fun activity for all ages. Explore a range of traditional Buddhist artefacts. Can you guess what they might be used for? Pupils and teachers love the hands-on approach of this game.

Ethics and Kamra

We have a range of exercises and activities, depending on ages and ability levels, exploring Buddhist ethics and their implications for how we might live as Buddhists.  

The Life of the Buddha

How did the Buddha become the Buddha? Who was he before? What is enlightenment?

An understanding of the Buddha’s life story is an indispensable introduction to the religion. We draw out the key aspects using a beautiful painting that depicts the different events from the story.

The Three Jewels

We often theme our tours and visits around the Three Jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dhamra and the Sangha. Find out why the Three Jewels are common and central to all schools of Buddhism.

Stilling Activity

Very popular with both students and teachers, this exercise will give you a taste of what it’s like to meditate.