Having drunk alcoholically from the age of 14 until 39, Vince Cullen sat in his kitchen and poured a glass of lager. He made a promise to himself that this would be his last drink… ever. That was 25-years ago. Since then, he has been associated with Wat Thamkrabok, the famous detox monastery in Thailand and Buddhist-oriented drug and alcohol recovery.
Vince founded and has facilitated Fifth Precept Sangha meditation-for-awakening Sit-and-Share meetings in England, Scotland, Ireland, India, Nepal, Thailand and the USA as part of his ongoing teaching of Hungry Ghost Retreats. He is a board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network and a keynote speaker at Buddhist Recovery Summits.
Vince has completed both the Committed Dharma Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner programmes offered by Gaia House in England. Vince has completed the Mindfulness Teachers Development Programme offered by Bodhi College in Switzerland and the UK. Vince has twice taken temporary ordination in the unique Buddhist tradition practised at Wat Thamkrabok monastery in Thailand. He has previously been a Buddhist Prison Chaplain in both male and female prisons in the UK. In 2022, Vince became a regular teacher for the Mindful Recovery Foundation.
Freedom without Expectations
London, NW11 7HY United Kingdom
The way out of suffering, the Buddha said, is the Middle Way; the middle path between the extremes of sensual existence. The first and most critical step of the Middle Way is appropriate understanding. And the first things we need to understand correctly are the realities, limitations and possibilities of being human. The Buddha’s primary insight can be paraphrased as life is painful and then you die. If this is true, then how do we respond to the difficulties and disappointments of this life and the certainty of death? Through talks, meditations and group work we will explore the ‘true’ realities of existence and what an appropriate response might be in both our mental attitude and our engagement with the spectrum of sensuality, and the unavoidable vicissitudes of life.
Previous Teachings
Vince Cullen – Higher Truths & Advanced Understandings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBSGDTNgIaM The Buddha's first official teaching was given to ‘noble ones’, that is the five ascetics who trained alongside Gautama, seeking an end to the suffering of this existence and an end to future rebirths....
The Basic Pattern of Things: Managing Expectations
The Buddha's First Truth or Realisation was "Life is painful and then you die." If this is true, then how do we respond to the disappointments of life and the certainty of death? This session will explore how we are conditioned to protect, promote an...
Looking for the Truth – The ‘secret’ facts of life hidden in plain view
Human beings are not meant to be ‘happy’. We are compelled to keep chasing pleasure and to avoid pain. The Buddha presented a view of our existence as being a fragile process, ever changing, impermanent, inconstant, uncertain, subject to ...
Cabbages and Condoms
Life is naturally difficult and disappointing. All living creatures are programmed to seek security and safety, and as humans, we also seek certainty. As a result, we often live life as unconscious prisoners of fear. Fear of this world and of a...
Concrete Beds and Wooden Pillows… Waking Up the Hard Way (or Finding Insight but not Serenity)
Sixteen years ago, I sat my first 10-day silent ‘Anapansati’ retreat at Wat Suan Mokkh monastery in southern Thailand. Wat Suan Mokkh has a separate retreat centre famous for its basic accommodation which includes concrete beds and ...
The Pearl in Sorrow’s Hand
I have recently been considering the nature of 'Dukkha' or 'suffering' or 'stress' in a Buddhist context, particularly how it plays itself out in my life.One ancient talk goes along the lines... “Now what, friends, is the noble truth of stress?...
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