'Ardent' comes from the Sanskrit word tapas. Tapas originally meant burning, heating, glowing. It means setting yourself on fire - emotionally, psychologically, spiritually. So tapas means a sort of spiritual heat, a spiritual energy, the fiery quality that you develop as a result of your own, very intense, spiritual life and endeavour. This concept of spiritual heat is quite important in Buddhism: your impurities and your conditionality start melting and dripping away like melted wax. This is called the stage of heat, which immediately precedes the arising of Insight.’ (Sangharakshita, Udana Seminar 1974)
At the height of summer we will explore what inspires us, and how to generate spiritual heat and energy in our practice. If our impurities and conditionality melt away, what is it that is left? 'The person leading a spiritual life who, as a result of intense spiritual practice, is spiritually on fire and who is deep in meditation with experience of higher states of consciousness’.
This weekend is on a dana basis but we are suggesting an amount of £75. Please feel free to pay more or less than this!
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