Eight weeks of exploring Buddhism as a path of heart.

This course began on 13 August, 2023 (Eastern Australia). Each week, there will be a short talk on the topic of the week, and then there will be group conversation about the practice of the topic. The topics will be sufficiently independent for you to attend all, or any number of the sessions that you wish. On the other hand, there’s a design in the sequence which will benefit whoever attends all the sessions. In the weeks between 13 August and 1 October 2023. we will explore the following topics:

13th August. Topic: Personal Experience.
The centrality of the felt body in experiencing. The centrality of personal experience in Buddhadharma.

20th August. Topic: Personal Experience. The experience of ‘darkness’; the experience of the cessation of ‘darkness.’ Enlightenment.

27th August. Topic: Concepts, Reality, and Experiencing. Care in conducting experience in accordance with Reality; and the meanings of ‘Buddha.’ Taking personal responsibility for knowing yourself and Reality.

3rd September. Topic: Life’s implying and carrying forward; and our wanting. The practice of mindfulness in Buddhism. Five primary sentient (that is, felt) processes. Intimacy with sentient these processes as the Way of Mindfulness.
How misperception of self brings blocked bodily-felt processes (particularly, greed, ill-will, and ignorance).

10th September. Topic: Meaning-making. Meaning in nature, in human life, and in Buddhadharma.

17th September. Topic: Cancelled due to illness.

24th September. Topic: Care, altruism, compassion, responsiveness. The nature of being human, in Shakespeare’s mirror: ‘Most ignorant of what we are most assur’d – our glassy essence.’ To what kind of process does the word ‘mind’ refer? What does ‘heart-mind’ imply?

1st October. Topic: The Meaning and Activity of Generosity

8th October. Topic Dependent Arising, Experiencing, Heart, and Gratitude.

__________________

In the context of dependent arising, the Buddha said:
“Practitioners, don’t you only speak about that which is known, seen, and found by yourselves?”
“That’s so, Bhante”
“Good, Practitioners! You have been guided by me, by means of this teaching [on dependent arising], which about this life. It is timeless; a ‘come and see’ teaching which is effective in leading to nibbana, and which should be felt individually by the wise.”
– The Buddha, from Mahātaṇhāsankhaya Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya I 265.