WELCOME
 Thank you for visiting the website of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
SHANTIKULA
PLEASE VISIT SHANTIKULA
UPCOMING COURSES/EVENTS
SHANTIKULA
Located in the leafy suburb of Emmarentia, Johannesburg, our Buddhism and Meditation Centre has been named Shantikula, which derives from Sanskrit, a classical Indian language thousands of years old. We translate Shantikula as Peaceful Tribe. Shanti means peace, and Kula is a Sanskrit term meaning grouping together or woven together, so its main connotation is that of an intentional community, a community of the heart, a group coming together of its own free well. It also has the connotations of brother/sisterhood, human body, house, abode, sanctuary, school, family, clan, or tribe. In the FWBO tradition a place of practice has often been named as a Loka, which means realm (for example Padmaloka - Realm of the Lotus), but we have chosen to stress more the Sangha or community aspect of our centre, and to seek a name which has a particular African resonance and vision. So that is why we translate Shantikula simply as Peaceful Tribe.
You may also notice from the photos on this page and on other pages of our website, that on our main shrine we have a large figure of the Buddha as an African man. In the FWBO we seek to follow the Buddha’s teachings in ways appropriate to how we live our lives today, and which take account of cultural, social, economic, and many other conditions which affect our lives. So it is important to us that we reflect on and work towards the arising of a genuinely African Buddhism which responds to and resonates with these conditions.
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PLEASE VISIT SHANTIKULA
Don’t just visit our website. If you live in or are visiting Johannesburg, please visit us at Shantikula, which is situated in Emmarentia very close to the dam and the Botanic Gardens.
We are open Mondays for regular classes. Feel free to drop in. Meditation on Monday evenings' starts at 19h00 – beginners or experienced meditators are welcome. Details on classes and events are available in our programme.
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UPCOMING COURSES/EVENTS
SANGHA RETREAT AT EMOYENI
Our Sangha has the opportunity to practice together for a whole weekend. Mervyn and other members of the Emoyeni Retreat Centre are kindly allowing us to conduct a FWBO Johannesburg Sangha retreat at their beautiful haven in the Magaliesburg. From the 19th to the 21st March we will gather and share in meditation and Dharma. Sitting together, learning together and being together. We are going to be using this weekend to explore greater depth within our practice. We will be delving deeper into our meditation practices and will have more spaciousness to be with our experience. There will be group discussions working with aspects of meditation that may be helpful in your personal practice. Annie and Achalaraja will be facilitating the retreat and our intention is to keep it accessable and exploratory. Please email either Annie orAchalaraja if you would like to attend the weekend. Achalaraja will confirm a price for the retreat within the next few days.
NEW DHARMA GROUP
In March we will be starting a new study group at Shantikula. Please join us if you have a regular meditation practice, and consider yourself to be a Buddhist or are seriously contemplating that commitment. If you are looking for something more in your practice and want to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the dharma, this group is for you. We will cover the course material for FWBO mitra study, starting with the foundation year. We ask that you make at least an initial six month commitment. The group will meet every second Thursday and will be convened by Annie. This is an opportunity to bring our lives, our practice and the dharma together in a supportive and committed context. If you are interested in joining, please contact Annie.
INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION COURSE
Meditation is a tool to becoming more aware within your daily experiences and from this basis of awareness, moving towards an understanding and experience of Reality, through developing calm and clarity. Achalaraja will be presenting an Introduction to Meditation course. This will cover the two main meditations as taught in the FWBO. These are the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana. This course will give you the tools to work with, and to further your practice of these meditations. The course will start as of Wednesday, the 24th March from 19h00 to 21h00. It will continue for 4 weeks on Wednesday evenings. If you are interested in attending email Achalaraja. The cost of the course will be R600, and please realise that if you find that you cannot afford this, you are still free to attend. Please refer to our fees section for our policy in terms of payments.
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THE FIVE POSITIVE PRECEPTS
With deeds of loving kindness, I purify my body.
With open-handed generosity, I purify my body.
With stillness, simplicity and contentment, I purify my body.
With truthful communication, I purify my speech.
With mindfulness clear and radiant, I purify my mind.
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