Dharma Talk - Discovering Buddhism

In some ways Westerners are now widely aware of Buddhism. Statues of the Buddha replace gnomes in the garden, and images of peaceful meditators appear in ads for insurance companies that offer to guarantee your peace of mind. And yet this is just surface knowledge, piecemeal glimpses into the richness of what Buddhism is today and has been for 2,500 years. 

In this talk, Dominique Side will open our minds to the diversity of Buddhism. She will speak of its history, of how it inspired centuries of Asian civilization, and of the different approaches of its various traditions. She will summarise the key points of the Buddhist worldview and touch on contemporary dialogues between scientists and Buddhist scholars. This talk will give a comprehensive overview of the many different ways Buddhism manifests to enrich our world. 

Dominique will be referencing her new book Discovering Buddhism. 

Dominique Side encountered Tibetan Buddhism in the mid-1970s in London. She has studied with Sogyal Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in particular, and over the years held a number of leadership roles in Rigpa UK and in Lerab Ling, Rigpa’s retreat centre in southern France.

She has completed several strict retreats and has also obtained a PhD in Madhyamaka philosophy from Bristol University, UK. She taught Buddhism in London schools for eight years and has written textbooks on the subject. Under the guidance of Dzongsar Khyentse she initiated the Milinda training programme for Dharma teachers in 2017, and she also served as vice-president of the European Buddhist Union for five years. As a senior teacher in Rigpa, she specializes in making Buddhist thought and philosophy accessible to all.

Since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, Dominique has been concerned by environmental issues and for 15 years worked professionally as a writer and editor on the interface between environment and economic development.