“House builder, you have been seen!!” The commentaries tell us these are the first words spoken by the Buddha after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree over 2500 years ago. This week at the Stockport Group we explored the meaning of this, the Buddha’s victory cry, and its relevance to us today.

Paranayaka led the evening which started with a visualisation meditation, taking us back to that world-changing moment, so long ago. An unpacking of the ‘House builder’ verses followed, exploring how our limited sense of ‘self’ causes us suffering (see vs 153 and 154 in the Dhammapada). The first session concluded with another visualisation meditation, this time taking us to the current day Bodh Gaya and the Vajrasana.

The evening concluded with the Morning Puja with a period of beautiful silence at the end.