The Buddhist Path

Some 2,500 years ago, an Indian prince, Siddhartha Gautama, sat quietly in a place known as the Deer Park at Sarnath. In this quiet place, before a small assembly he began to offer simple teachings, based on his own experience. These teachings, referred to as the "dharma," meaning "truth," were practical instructions on how to relate to one's everyday experience of life and mind.

Because his realisation was profound, he became known as the "Buddha," which means "the awakened one." The teachings he offered came to be known as buddhadharma ("the teaching of the awakened one"), and ultimately as Buddhism. The Buddhist teachings proclaim the possibility of awakening the potential within every human being, and they provide a practical method for doing so. This practical method, passed down from generation to generation, is known as meditation, which is the practice of mindfulness and awareness.

Meditation is a natural process of allowing oneself to examine the nature of thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, and to discover the inherent purity of one's being. It is a practice based on direct experience, rather than on blind belief.

Buddhism is taking an increasingly prominent role in contemporary western society as interest increases in this approach to life. A unique quality of the Buddhist teachings is that they can be expressed through existing cultural norms, making use of them rather than destroying or replacing them. This allows many westerners to practice Buddhism today without renouncing their cultural heritage or radically changing their lifestyles.

Vajradhatu (Sanskrit for "indestructible space") provides a spiritual journey of training on the Buddhist path following a well-defined, graduated method of practice and study developed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. This path places strong emphasis on joining the view and practice of meditation with everyday life, rather than the more traditional monastic approach.

Vajradhatu oversees and supports Buddhist educational and practice programs for all levels of students. This includes the training of meditation instructors and teachers, as well as the development of meditation and study programs for students.

The Vajradhatu path set out by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche is based primarily on the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, but also includes elements from the Zen and Theravadan traditions. The path Vajradhatu presents is characterised by a strong emphasis on mindfulness-awareness practice. The teachings of Buddhism are presented in English (as well as other Western languages, as required), and programs are designed to deepen students' understanding and experience of buddhadharma in a gradual and systematic way. A careful sequence of group practice programs ensures that students can develop according to their own interests and commitments.