Current
courses
|
|
Liberating
the Heart:
The Brahma Viharas |
Taught by Sharon
Salzberg,
guiding teacher, Insight Meditation Society |
 The
Buddha taught "the liberation of the heart which
is love," and he taught a systematic, integrated
path that moves the heart out of isolating contraction
and into true connection: the brahma-viharas, meditation
practices that cultivate love, compassion, sympathetic
joy and equanimity. These four qualities are
among the most beautiful and powerful states of consciousness
we can experience.
Sharon Salzberg, Insight
Meditation Society co-founder and guiding teacher, offers
a profound exploration of the deepest meanings of brahma-viharas,
bringing light to the spiritual value, practical utility
and psychological insight that most Westerners are longing
for. |
|
|
Taming
the Mind:
Cultivating Peaceful Abiding |
Taught by sakyong
Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist
lineage, and Acharya William McKeever |
 Discover
the natural strength of the mind through meditation.
This course offers a universal guide to "peaceful
abiding"—the simple practice of sitting meditation.
A step-by-step guided exploration of the practice of
shamatha meditation with which to strengthen, clarify
and stabilize the mind.
In this course you will learn:
• Why meditation is proactive and completely natural
• How to gather in a scattered mind and dismantle emotions
• How to overcome common obstacles to practice, from muscles aches to boredom
• How to establish a meditation practice
 Bill
McKeever guides you through a workshop in peaceful abiding,
based on the first section of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's
book Turning the Mind Into an Ally. (A future
Ashoka course will continue this exploration, teaching
contemplative meditation.)
|
|
|
Four
Thoughts That Turn the Mind |
Taught
byProfessor Robert Thurman
Columbia University, Tibet House New Ypork |
 Robert
Thurman teaches the "preliminary" contemplations
that help you develop a solid basis for listening to the
teachings and developing a practice. Reflecting upon the
precious human birth, impermanence, karma, and the sufferings
of samsara frees one of the attachment to life in the realms
of samsara. |
|
|
|
|
Upcoming
courses
|
| These courses
are under development and will soon be available on Ashoka.
These preview lessons will give you a taste of these
upcoming courses. |
Dogen-Zenji's
Genjo Koan |
Taught
by Dairyu Micheal Wenger,
Dean of Studies, San Francisco Zen Center |
 The
Genjo Koan, Dogen-Zenji's concise, poetic expression
of the practice of the Buddha’s dharma, is one
of the most treasured texts in the Soto Zen tradition.
Dogen's basic philosophy of our day to day lives as practice
in the bodhisattva way is precisely presented in this
guide to the integration of training with zazen and daily
life. |
|
|
The
Metta Sutta: the art of translation |
Taught
by Andrew Olendzki,
Exec. Dir. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies |
 This
is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace...
When we read the words
of the Buddha, we are, of course, reading someone's
translation of those words. How does translation
influence the meaning and effect of the teachings?
In this course you explore the Metta Sutta, the Buddha's
discourse on loving-kindness, with Andrew Olendzki,
executive director of the Barre Center for Buddhist
Studies.
|
preview
lesson >>> |
|
Lojong — Training
the Mind |
Taught by Lama
Pema Wangdak,
Vikramasila Foundation and Pema Ts'al Schools |
 Lojong— training
the mind in the spirituality of love and compassion—is
the essence of the enlightened path. In this course
Lama Pema offers guidance in enhancing compassion,
cultivating balanced attitudes toward oneself and others,
developing positive ways of thinking and transforming
adverse situations. This course will help you deepen
your understanding of the meaning of love and compassion
through the practice of the pithy lojong sayings. |
preview
lesson >>> |
|
|
