Tonglen & Developing Bodhicitta
Autumn Class Series with Lama Liza
Six Classes: October 11 - November 15
Tuesdays 6:30 PM - 8 PM
In-person at KSC and via Zoom (Hybrid)
(Registration closes at Noon on Tuesday, October 11)
Central concepts in the practice of Tibetan Buddhism are bodhichitta—the awakening mind—and dissolving self-clinging. Bodhichitta opens our usual limited viewpoint to discover an inherent quality of clarity, well-being, and compassion within our own mind and heart. We also recognize that everyone wants to be happy, but tends to perpetuate suffering through their own versions of reactivity and closed-mindedness. Through meditation practice, we can learn to reorient this limited viewpoint and self-clinging to discover open-hearted care and skillfulness in the world.
The Courage To Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others is a wonderful book about the many aspects of Tonglen Practice (Taking-and-Sending) by longtime practitioner and Jungian psychotherapist Rob Preece. He combines clear descriptions of the traditional aspects of formal practice with the insights of an experienced practitioner and Western psychologist. In this 6-week class, we will go through the book together, discussing the main topics and experientially doing the practices.
This course is an excellent gateway for new practitioners to experience the breadth and depth of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice, and it is also an excellent opportunity for longtime practitioners to clarify and deepen the nuances of bodhicitta in their own practice. Please join us in this beautiful practice to benefit all beings, ourselves and the world.