Theravada

Welcome to the Hout Bay Theravada Buddhist Centre
Cape Town, South Africa

See Calendar for events

Buddhism is a practical and experiential approach to improving our own lives while having a positive influence on the world we live in...

• We provide a space that is non-judgemental, friendly and supportive
• Each week we have informative and useful talks about Buddhism or to help us be mindful about the quality of our lives
• We support your meditation practices
• We are not all Buddhists - we have an open approach to learning and being a community
• Get involved, meet people interested in life and growing greater wisdom and mindfulness

It starts with mindfulness ...

Buddhism is a philosophy, faith system and guide to living explained by Siddhârtha Gautama from Lumbini, North India in the early 5th century before the current era.

Born into a noble family, Siddhârta Gautama was not satisfied with his privileged life and went out into the world to understand it better. He eventually studied under many types of spiritual teachers and practiced some extreme forms of purification, worship and self-examination in an attempt to understand the true nature of the universe.

Finally, through the process of meditation and the watching of his own mind, he was able to awaken to a full and complete understanding of the nature of existence and the cycles of rebirth and suffering, and to the way to end suffering and experience eternal liberation - nibbana. He became the Buddha, meaning ‘the Awakened one’.

The Buddha taught that suffering is inherent in life. The primary cause of suffering is clinging and desire. If we develop our concentration, our ethics and our wisdom, following an eight fold path of mindfulness, we can overcome suffering and eventually reach a permanent state of enlightenment.

For a further introduction to the basics of Buddhism visit Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism.


Upcoming Event from the Theravada Calendar ...

	"Our Mind and consciousness" : 27 Aug

	Buddhism teaches us to slow our world down so that we can start to perceive the mind, learn its habits, slowly master it, and put it to go use. What is consciousness and mind in Buddhist teachings? How can we understand these and use that understanding to... [ Read More ]

	[ View all calendar events ]

Wisdom through stillness of mind
Phra Kitsakol shared with us a guided meditation and teaching on the eve of Asala Puja. His message was to meditate each day to help purify the mind. Happiness is in our grasp, we need to settle the 'monkey mind', quieten it, and through meditation happiness is already within us, let it surface and fill each moment of our day. In meditation, our goal is to be the observer of the mind, we do not have to act, direct, edit or judge, simply found our central point, watch our breath and observe the wonder of our mind. Through this simple technique we let go of suffering and follow a path of greater wisdom. Change your life today.

Serene Buddha