Workshops being offered in 2016Freedom and Fear: Eight Ancient Ways to Work With Fear and Anxiety
In this class we explore an ancient practice on how to cultivate infinite compassion in our hearts and be free of the grasping and anxious mind. Based on the advices of the 11th Century meditation master Dorje Sengye we explore how to use these ideas in our jobs and in our daily lives. The Dark Side: An Uplifiting Exploration of Freuds Death Drive and the Buddhist Notion of Evil
A lively and fairly deep dive into some heady terrain. Be prepared to pipe in your comments as we explore cultural relativism, emptiness, the erotic, the aggressive, the pornographic and the didactic. Freud, Lacan, Joyce, Nagarjuna, and Chandrakirti all join in as we ultimately look at our own multi-leveled maturation. Be forewarned; a full throttle and heady tour de force. Born to be Wild: Shiva, Nagarjuna and the Power of Polarities. In this workshop we explore the teachings of 2nd century Buddhist master Nagarjuna in relation to the symbology of the Dancing Shiva. These ancient teachings offer us four profound and relevant tools for becoming more vibrant in our relationships, jobs, and spiritual practices. Meditation Essentials: The Key Ingredients to a Practice.
A lively introduction to the key components of a vibrant and manageable meditation practice. The why and how of meditation and some key factors to help make your practice joyful and successful. Appropriate for brand new beginners and advanced practitioners alike. The Two Truths: Understanding Spiritual By-Passing
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that the Two Truths Doctrine is perhaps the most important aspect of the Buddha Dharma for Westerners to understand. In this class we explore some of the foundational ideas of the two truths and how they relate to emotional maturity, and the subtle tendency to hide behind our spiritual practices. The Buddhist Toolbox: An introduction to the Classic Literature of Buddhism.
A lively survey of the most relevant and applicable tools and techniques from the ancient Buddhist Scriptural Traditions.
When the S#%@ Hits the Fan: Buddhist Advice on Thriving in Difficult Situations
All of us have to deal with physical and emotional pain and suffering. The question is not “if” something bad will happen to us but rather “when” will something bad happen to us. In this class we explore 5 techniques for actually using the difficult times as part of our spiritual practice. A fun discussion about un-fun situations. Lessons Learned from Three Years of Silence
Five tools for vibrant living learned from three years of stillness. The Essential Yoga Sutras: A Timely Look at the Relevance of the Yoga Sutras in Modern Times
The mother of all Yogic texts, The Yoga Sutras, offers us profound insight into the workings of the mind and how our misperceptions lead to suffering and confusion. In this class we explore the depth and profundity of the Yoga Sutras through the framework of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and see the remarkable similarities between these two systems gaining deeper insights into both of them as a result.
The Yogis Scriptorium
21 Course From the moment of dissatisfaction with a meaningless life all the way up to the liberated state of awakening the Yogis Scriptorium is a tour de force through the relevant work of great yogis like Atisha, Bhartrhari, Teresa of Avila, John of the Ladder, Patanjali and Svatmarama. Course 1 - The Spiritual Journey – A survey of how the various traditions map the spiritual levels. Course 2 – Practice - Understanding the varieties of techniques and different paths for moving through the spiritual stages. Course 3 – Balance – The importance of working with polarities and balance on the spiritual journey. Course 4 - Bhartrhari and The Art of Pleasure A lively introduction to the relevant profundity of Bhartrhari’s Vairagyasatakam. Course 5 – Madhya – Journey to the Center A deep dive into the Mūlamadhyamakākarikā: Root Verses of the Middle Path; a legendary text from the ancient yogi Nagarjuna. Course 6 - Warriorship Shantideva's seminal text, Guide to the Boddhisatva's Way of Life on becoming a warrior of compassion. Course 7 - Fearless Joy A look at the deep and relevant teachings of The Bhagavad Gita Course 8 - The Yoga of Devotion Exploring the depth of the path of devotion through a comparative look at the Narada Bhakti Sutras and The Imitation of Christ Course 9 - The Lord of Death A look at the endless search for pleasure in the Katha Upanishads |
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