There are some fantastic books out there that explore the dharma. Reading books together helps to motivate us, and discussion can help us to catch meanings and perspectives that we’d miss on our own.
Buddhist ideas— non-attachment— the 4 immeasurable - the 3 characteristics can be a bit dry and sometimes hard to understand, but these materials come alive when we explore them together, when we have time to reflect, digest and ask questions. These sessions enable cross-pollination of ideas because we get to hear how others apply principles in their everyday life. The sessions and the community we build also support our meditation and reflection practice.
The group will meet on a Thursday between 7.00 & 8.00 pm. There will be an introductory session of 45 mins on May 28th, in order to confirm the shape of the sessions, cover ground rules, and confirm future dates. The group will then meet on the last Thursday of each month.
2026 June 25th, July 30th, August 27th, September 24th, October 29th, November 26th, December tbc.
We’ll, start with Vajragupta’s Tools for Living Your Life, which is described on the back page as the next best thing to a Buddhist teacher! The book is a guide for those seeking a meaningful spiritual path, while living everyday life, full of families, work and friends. It's a light read and has lots of exercises, which help to integrate the teachings into daily life. The core ideas in the book are central to Buddhism (Four Noble Truths, why we suffer and how to respond, Eightfold Path, how to live, Four Immeasurables, how the heart develops). The book translates the teachings into everyday language, and there's minimal use of Pali/Sanskrit terms (like mettā, upekkhā). The book is very accessible, and encourages personal reflection, group sharing and sangha/community building. The book also encourages us to enquire into what kind of life we want to live and what kind of person we want to be. It emphasises ethics and mindfulness, a sensitive, conscious attitude towards ourselves and others.
Vajragupta gives clear explanations of Buddhist teachings and the necessary guidance on how to apply these to enrich our busy and complex lives. Buddhism is presented less as something to “believe” and more as a set of practices you can test. The focus is on what actually improves your experience—reducing stress, increasing clarity, and living more meaningfully. Vajragupta is a name given to an ordained Buddhist. He was born Richard Sutton in 1968 and grew up in Bromley, London.
The book is 175 pages long, and you can get a second-hand copy on eBay for around £3.50.
Proposed Schedule
7.00 - 7.05 (5) Check in
7.05-7.10 (5) Short landing/settling meditation
7.10-7.50 (40) Sharing reflections…Feeding back on key aspects of the chapter/s (We’ll use a series of questions to guide discussion
7.50-8.00 (10) Next Steps, Closing comments, sharing, author links, set reading for next session.
We can discuss which books we’d like to cover going forward, but here are a couple of suggestions:
Pema Chodron Welcoming the Unwelcome
Ursula LeGuin’s Tao Te Ching
Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance and/or Radical Compassion
Paramananda, A Deeper Beauty
The Seven-Point Mind Training (Lojong)
Boundless Heart Christina Feldman
Please support this class with your Donation. Teachers of donation-based classes are not paid a wage, but instead rely on donations for support. I'd like to suggest a scale of £15.00 Benefactor, £10 Sustainer, £5 Student/Scholarship. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please using my bank details (I'll send them to you) or pay via paypal either paypal.me/colettepower or use QR code below. 
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