Hello from London, UK

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tilakkhana
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 10:45 am

Hello from London, UK

Post by tilakkhana »

Hello to everybody here. My name is Zac and I am 21 years old, originally from Australia but moved to the UK 7 years ago and have been living here in London ever since.

I've only just started out on the Theravada path - I come from a background of Western Occultism and Magick, and I really did think that path was going to give me more than enough to do for the rest of my life... but I got thrown a bit of a curve ball, mistakenly stumbled across some Dhamma teachings and that was it, I was absolutely hooked. The more I study Theravada, the less I want to control the world and my surroundings by magickal acts of willpower.

Bhikkhu Bodhi's The Noble Eightfold Path is the book that has changed everything for me, the direction I thought I was going in.

For those who are interested in reading my (fairly brief) story, I have set up a livejournal where I will be writing about my experiences on my path.

http://tilakkhana.livejournal.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I went to a weekend retreat at Amaravati Monastery in Hemel Hempstead, UK. It's a Thereavada monastery in the Thai Forest tradition, under the abbotship of Ajahn Sumedho. I'm sure many of you are familiar. It was a wonderfully eye-opening experience and I am going back for another 5 days at the end of this month. I may be going for refuge and taking the precepts from an Ajahn there soon also.

My current goals are to practice samatha and try to achieve access concentration on the way to the first jhana - but I'm not putting pressure on myself or having expectations of attainments at this stage. I am just practising.

I look forward to discussing with you all. Many blessings upon the path.
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Ben
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by Ben »

Hi tilakkhana

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel!
With respect to your goal to achieve access concentration - be sure to take refuge and to maintain your precepts. The development of samadhi depends on maintaining sila. The better the sila, the better the concentration (generally).
I look forward to getting to know you.
kind regards

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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bodom
Posts: 7216
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by bodom »

Welcome tilakkhana!

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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retrofuturist
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Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings tilakkhana,

Thanks for the introduction - good to hear you're benefiting from Theravada.

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel.

:buddha2:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Dhammabodhi
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: New Delhi, India

Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by Dhammabodhi »

Wecome to Dhamma Wheel! Your bog is nice! :)
"Take rest, take rest."-S.N.Goenka
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retrofuturist
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Dhammabodhi,
Dhammabodhi wrote:Wecome to Dhamma Wheel! Your bog is nice! :)
Luckily we can see from this first sentence that the L button on your keyboard is broken.

:?

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Moggalana
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Germany

Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by Moggalana »

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel, tilakkhana :anjali:
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Dhammabodhi,
Dhammabodhi wrote:Wecome to Dhamma Wheel! Your bog is nice! :)
Luckily we can see from this first sentence that the L button on your keyboard is broken.

:?

Metta,
Retro. :)
:rofl:
Let it come. Let it be. Let it go.
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Dhammabodhi
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: New Delhi, India

Re: Hello from London, UK

Post by Dhammabodhi »

ROF

:rofl:

seriously I should get my L fixed soon!:)
"Take rest, take rest."-S.N.Goenka
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