Culture Night at the Dublin Buddhist Centre

Friday 22nd September 2023
4:00pm - 10:00pm

Led by Members of the Dublin Buddhist Centre Community

Culture Night comprises hundreds of events across Ireland and overseas. From the nation’s capital to county town, arts and cultural organisations will open their online doors until late, with hundreds of free events, tours, talks and performances for you, your family and friends to enjoy.

Once again the DBC will be participating in Dublin Culture Night and will be running an exciting programme of events for the occasion.

Wherever in the world Buddhism has been practised, over its 2,500 year history, there has been a dialogue between the essential spiritual aspects of the tradition and elements of the local culture.

We are in a fascinating phase of Buddhist history where, for the first time, there is a meeting of this tradition with modern western culture.

On Dublin Culture Night we will be exploring aspects of this cultural interchange as well as providing an opportunity to learn meditation and yoga.

For more information on events in our area, see the Culture Night Dublin Website.

Programme

Note that no booking is required for any of these events.

You are warmly invited to join us for this any or all of our events. All these events are in-person only, except the talk at 7.45pm which is in-person and online on Zoom.

4pm – 5pm
Mandala Making Workshop

A mandala (meaning circle) is a geometric design that symbolises the Buddhist universe and is used as an aid to meditation. Working with mandalas can be a creative way to come into harmony with oneself, with others and with the environment.

They can also teach us something of impermanence and letting go. Join us in exploring this ancient Buddhist art form as we co-create a mandala using materials gathered from nature and, when it is complete, release it back into nature.

Bring along any natural found objects such as flowers, leaves, leaves, pebbles, shells, feathers etc. that you would like to incorporate into the mandala.

Spaces limited.

Photo by Olena Ivanova on Unsplash

5:15pm – 6.15pm
Drop-in Intro to Meditation Workshop:
The Mindfulness of Breathing

 
Meditation is a means of transforming the mind and it can help us to better appreciate ourselves, other people, and the beauty of the world around us. Central to the practice of meditation is mindfulness.

In this workshop you will be briefly introduced to one of the fundamental Buddhist meditation practices of The Mindfulness of Breathing. No experience required.
 
 

6.30pm – 7.30pm
Drop-in Intro to Meditation Workshop:
The Development of Loving Kindness

Metta, or loving-kindness, is a core part of Buddhist meditation together with mindfulness.

By cultivating Metta we can grow out of self-centredness and emotional negativity, and into being able to have harmonious and satisfying relationships with other people, as well as with ourselves.

We will introduce the Metta Bhavana meditation practice in this workshop, as a way of cultivating states of emotional positivity and freedom of heart and mind. No experience necessary.

7.45pm – 8.45pm
Creative Spaces and Sacred Spaces:
Contexts for Transformation

Within the arena of the visual arts, the studios where renowned artists create their works have become the subject of intense interest and scrutiny. In Buddhism, there is a tradition of creating inspiring and beautiful spaces for spiritual practice. These sacred spaces and artists’ studios have become places of study, reflection and pilgrimage.

This talk explores what these two kinds of spaces have in common. What can they tell us about the minds of the people who created them? What lessons can we learn from considering these questions that could help us live meaningful lives in today’s world?

Open to all. This event will run both in-person and online.

Meeting ID: 825 0682 3202
Passcode: culture

9pm – 10pm
Mantra Workshop

In the Buddhist tradition, mantras are words or phrases that are chanted as objects of meditation and expressions of devotion. Sacred sound symbols, they invoke qualities of the enlightened mind and bring us in touch with our highest potential.

Join the Dublin Buddhist Centre Choir and explore how the practice of mantra can help to calm the mind and open the heart.

All welcome.

Photo by Petr Sidorov on Unsplash

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