“We can transcend our passions and focus on the journey toward our true selves. We can prioritize giving and a feeling of openness, shifting from a self-centered perspective to seeking the well-being of others,” writes Brazilian sangha member Sebastião Miranda.
In the idealized sangha, everyone joyfully comes together and shares study and practice space. It is beautiful. However, what of the pain of community and the challenges we face together?” Stephanie Mikolaj asks. “Can there be a place for pain and conflict in this precious jewel, and can it in fact strengthen our bonds to one another?
Introduction to Buddhism is a cycle of teachings based on the fundamental discoveries of the Buddha. What is mind? How do we understand reality? How can we reduce the suffering of ourselves and other beings? This second course in the free series is based on the original teachings of the Buddha and lays the foundation for understanding major Buddhist philosophical traditions.
Freeing sentient beings who otherwise would die due to human activity is taught to increase the merit of those who are on a dharma path. During Tara Drupchen we will partner with our sister sanghas in Asia to offer this practice. Those in the Pacific time zone may pause at 2 p.m. Saturday Sept. 23 and at 1 a.m. Sunday Sept. 24, and make the aspiration that all beings be free and enjoy favorable conditions on their path to enlightenment.
When we practice listening to what others have to say,” Christian Scott writes, “when we truly hear them, there are fewer rambling thoughts coming from our own mind. When we hear what someone is saying before we put our own thoughts on it, our mind settles down into a receptive and peaceful space.
This is the third in a six-course series, exploring how Nagarjuna explained the Buddha’s teaching from a logical perspective. It describes the development of the Madhyamaka philosophical school in India and Tibet and explores the definitions of the two truths and the five great Madhyamaka reasonings.
