Demystifying Buddhist Ritual – Mudras

An illustrated and interactive beginner’s workshop on everything you ever wanted to know about Tibetan Buddhist ritual but were afraid to ask! Today’s workshop is on mudras – their meaning, how to do them, and how to integrate into a daily practice.

We may often feel awkward or even slightly embarrassed performing rituals of a culture different to our own, and until we learn the meaning and integrate it into our inner practice, they remain just pleasant artistic activities or slightly twee performances.

But with understanding, Buddhist ritual becomes a powerful connector to inner transformation and growth. It is a means of unifying body, speech and mind into a sum greater than its parts. It is also a method to confront our assumptions about reality, what’s ‘real’ and what’s merely make believe, and thus begin integrating the philosophical teachings on emptiness with our own lived experience.

This short course is a great introduction for beginners to combine Buddhist philosophy with daily practice. It is also a great refresher for returning students, to check they have all the ingredients for a stable and flourishing Dharma practice. Each session will have a half hour presentation illustrated with slides and demonstration, followed by a half hour question and answer.

Meaning of mudras
The ritual hand gestures may seem as mysterious as watching sign language. They create a bridge, integrating profound meaning and practice as a lived experience. Practice them, discover their meaning, and find out which ones you can use and when.

Integrating your daily practices
Putting it all together! How do we create seamless practice incorporating all the elements? Speech blessing, meditation, altar prep, your commitments – yes there is a way we can put them together into a logical and inspiring flow!

Presented by FPMT registered teacher:

“To make our life meaningful, we have to do meaningful actions.”

– Lama Zopa RInpoche

“Just seeing a portrait or statue of Buddha purifies our mind and plants the seed of enlightenment. Whether we are believers or non-believers, we get that benefit, to be free from oceans of samsaric suffering. We have never been free from suffering, since beginningless rebirth up till now, so it gives us that incredibly precious opportunity.”

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche