The Buddha’s teaching exceeds the materialist limitations of Western science and worldview with its radical insights into how our minds shape our reality. He saw that while every sentientbeing possesses an innate brilliance and freedom, they also, due to confusion, find themselves ensnared in a cycle of pain and discomfort.
Throughout his countless teachings, the Buddha illuminated a practical path towards awakening, identifying the causes of this confusion and the causes for liberation. His message transcends cultural conditioning, remaining timeless and universally relevant.
OUTLINE
SESSION 1
Ground 1
- The foundations of Buddhist insight
- The Buddhist understanding of experience
- Epistemic premises shared with modern science
- Differences with our modern science
- The experiences of samsara and nirvana
SESSION 2
Ground 2
- The two truths: dependent arising and emptiness
- The progressive views of the Hinayana and Mahayana
- The marriage of understanding and experience
Path 1
- Three prajnas and three trainings
- Upaya and the paramitas
- Revulsion, compassion, and sacred outlook
SESSION 3
Path 2
- Discerning the Sutra and Mantra teachings
- Absence and presence: the second and third turning of the wheel
- The Vajrayana preliminaries and co-emergent wisdom
- Empowerment and the Vajrayana Path
SESSION 4
Fruition
- Enlightenment as reality
- Enlightenment as seen in the masters
- Enlightenment as a personal perspective
Conclusion
- Bodhicitta and the three excellences
- Meditation as the red thread