Buddhafield Dharma: Practising Buddhism on the Land
280 x 216 mm Perfect Bound (Paperback), 222 pages, RRP £17.99, ISBN 9781905297948
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Essays by : Akasati, Akuppa, Dhiramati, Guhyapati, Kamalashila, Khemasuri, Lokabandhu, Paramananda, Ratnadeva, and Vessantara. Other contributions by: Alice Lancaster, Amaragita, Dave Barr, Sarah Ryan, Festival Eye, Rupadarshin, Sagaravajra, and many others.
Buddhafield is a unique phenomena in the history of Western Buddhism: a joyous, hard-working, idealistic, experimental, Dharma-practicing community of men, women and children who take delight in Dharma practice out-of-doors, in the woods and fields of England.
Drawing inspiration from the classic Buddhist Mahayana text the Vimalakirti Nirdesa, Buddhafield aspires to be first and foremost a “field of living beings” – but also, of “high resolve, virtuous application, generosity, tolerance, meditation, wisdom”, and much more. Buddhafielders are equally at home on a month-long silent meditation retreat in a remote Devon valley or teaching meditation in the depths of the 200,000-person Glastonbury music festival – or serving up veggie burgers 18 hours a day in the Buddhafield Café.
This book sets out to document the many facets of the Buddhafield project, and to explore something of its unique approach to Dharma practice – centred as it is on a love of the elements and community, with a deep appreciation of inter-connectedness and the need for a comprehensive approach to environmental and ecological ethics.
At its core is a collection of ten Dharma talks by members of the Triratna Buddhist Order, of which Buddhafield is a part. There’s also a full introduction to the many facets of the project, a brief history, a fine collection of photographs, and a series of practical instructions ranging from how to build a geodesic dome to how to make a hot tub to how to make a vegan ‘shepherdess pie’ for 200 people – all as used in Buddhafield.
The book has been produced as Buddhafield prepares to celebrate the 20th Buddhafield Festival, a much-loved annual gathering of some 3,000 people, with a unique ‘no-drink-no-drugs’ approach to alternative festival-going– asking people to cultivate instead an atmosphere of ‘clear and radiant awareness’.
“For the last twenty years Buddhafield has pioneered a new approach to the practice of Buddhism. It is an approach that emphasises the importance of our being in touch with the natural world. In Buddhafield we live in the open air, meditate in the open air, listen to the Dharma in the open air and communicate with our friends in the open air. In this we follow the example of the Buddha, who according to tradition gained Enlightenment sitting under a Peepul tree and died lying in a grove of Sal trees that showered him with their blossoms. Some of his most important teachings he gave out of doors. Buddhafield events are drug free and alcohol free, and its three week summer festival provides an ideal venue for those with children, and for young people. At a Buddhafield event we not only feel in touch with nature but experience ourselves as being part of it. We realise that we have bodies as well as souls. We feel healthier, happier and more integrated. This is to claim quite a lot, but the tens of thousands of people who have attended Buddhafield events over the years can testify to its truth.”
– sd. Urgyen Sangharakshita, Founder, Triratna Buddhist Order and Community
All royalties generated from the sale of the book will be donated to the Buddhafield Land Appeal.
Order Now:
£17.99 – with free P&P on all orders!
