The Foundations of Buddhism: The Truth of the Origin of Suffering

February 4th (2021)

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  • $149 Program Price
  • $179 Patron Price
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This five-week course Jan. 7 - Feb. 4/ 2021 is an exploration of the Buddhist teachings on the origins of dissatisfaction and suffering. It also offers an introduction and exploration of Mindfulness of Feeling - one of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. There are no prerequisites for this course, and all are very welcome, regardless of their background!

The main talks will be pre-recorded by the senior teachers. Classes will include guided meditations, as well as group discussion and contemplative exercises.

When we recognize the truth of suffering and the confusion that is pervasive in our life, we naturally have questions. How does this state of suffering arise?  Where does confusion come from? If we’re inspired by these questions, our innate intelligence begins to explore the subtle layers of our experience, going deeper and deeper until we come to the heart of our being...

Each class will explore the Buddhist teachings on the “Five Skandhas” - the basic factors of experience from which we build a sense of self (i.e. form, feeling, perception, concepts, and consciousness). We will touch these layers of experience one by one, and see how we fabricate our own world from our projections.

Class 1: Introduction to the Second Noble Truth and how it relates to our construction of ourselves from the five skandhas of experience:

Class 2: Form and Feeling

Class 3: Perception

Class 4: Concepts

Class 5: Consciousness

There will be suggested readings from the following books:

Chögyam Trungpa, Glimpses of Abhidharma

Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

About the Teachers

Acharya Dale Asrael became a student of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche in 1973, and has continued to practice and teach within his lineage, leading programs and retreats internationally. She is a Professor at Naropa University, and leads the Naropa University Mindfulness Instructor Training, a year-long program for people teaching meditation in transitional environments.  

 
Ashe Acharya John Rockwell has been on the Shambhala and Buddhist path for 40 years, studying with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. His main interests are in opening the heart and senses through meditation and qigong and in bringing awareness to everyday life and the natural world. 

 

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When available as an option, your generosity in offering the patron price helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price. Any amount offered above the Program Price is considered a charitable donation to the centre, and will be included in a tax receipt issued by email in February of the following year.

For programs that have a register button, it is helpful for us if you can indicate your intention to attend by registering ahead of time. In order to prevent duplicate entries in the Shambhala Database, all registrations are reviewed before you will receive a confirmation email.

Our Refund Policy:  For convenience you can pay online using a credit card via PayPal. If we cancel the program for any reason, we will give you a full refund. We understand that sometimes after you have pre-paid, you might be unable to attend.  We will be happy to refund your payment if you request it at least 24 hours before the program starts.  Due to the difference in PayPal charges for purchases and refunds, we charge a nominal amount of $5 for a refund.