Led By: Saddhavasini, Viriyalila, Sunada, Sravaniya, and Suddhayu
4 sessions from January 25th to April 19th, 2025
In Person at Aryaloka Buddhist Center
14 Heartwood Circle, Newmarket, NH 03857
Zoom participation is also possible!
Event Description:
Celebrating Aryaloka’s 40th year and following the success of this past year’s exploration of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa, we are happy to announce four new Order/Mitra day retreats! Come together with other Order Members and Mitras for a deep dive into one of the most profound and inspiring Sutras of the Buddhist Canon: The White Lotus Sutra.
The day retreats will include meditation, discussion groups, dramatic readings of the text, and creative ritual. A vegetarian lunch will be provided.
Participants will be encouraged to read Sangarakshita’s commentary over the course of four months, as well as excerpts from the sutra. We encourage participants to attend all four day retreats, but understand that this may be impossible for some. We have therefore made it possible to book for each day individually. Zoom participation is also possible.
From the description of the lecture series: “An image or story can mysteriously convey a sense of truth that the most convincing intellectual argument cannot. In the White Lotus Sutra, bursting with symbols, imagery and myths, we meet the Buddha as a story-teller. Indeed, this sutra tells the greatest of all stories, that of human life and human potential. This great story takes the cosmos as its stage and all sentient beings as its players, yet within it lie many tales that address aspects of our lives or personalities.”
Schedule:
January 25th, 2025 from 10 a.m -4 p.m. EST
Covering chapters one and two: The Universal Perspective of Mahayana Buddhism and The Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment.
February 22nd, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST
Covering chapters three and four: Transcending the Human Predicament and The Myth of the Return Journey.
March 22nd, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST
Covering chapters five and six: Symbols of Life and Growth and Five Element Symbolism and the Stupa.
April 19th, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST
Covering chapters seven and eight: The Jewel in the Lotus and The Archetype of the Divine Healer.
Texts You Will Need:
•The outline of the Mitra Study module is here and includes some abridged readings from the sutra, as well as an overview of the whole sutra.
•The main reading is from The Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment: Parables, Myths and Symbols from the White Lotus Sutra by Sangharakshita. The original lectures are available for free here.
The ebook (in Vol. 16 of Sangharakshita’s Complete Works) is available from Windhorse Publications here.
There are also copies available in the Aryaloka bookshop.
Copies of the original publication of ‘Drama of Cosmic Enlightenment’ and Vol. 16 of Sangharakshita’s Complete Works are also available in the Aryaloka Library.
Translations of the White Lotus Sutra include:
•The Lotus Sutra by Gene Reeves
•The Lotus Sutra by Burton Watson
•The Threefold Lotus Sutra by Bunno Kato, Yoshiro Tamura, and Kojiro Miyasaka
•The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers by Michio Shinozaki, Brook A. Ziporyn, David C. Earhart
These translations are also available in the Aryaloka bookshop and library.
Facilitated/Supported by Saddhavasini, Viriyalila, Sunada, Sravaniya, and Suddhayu.
Event Registration:
Complete the form below.
Payment:
At Aryaloka, we strive to make our programs available to everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances. Our fee structure allows you to pay according to your means.
Event Fee — $80.00
Mid-level Reduced — $60.00
Base-level Reduced — $40.00
Zoom Only — $40.00
Zoom Only Reduced — $20.00
Financial Hardship Reduced Rate — $10.00