According to Buddhists, karma, or the law of cause and effect, is the true creator of our world. Anytime we act, speak or think, we create karma and that karma eventually ripens into painful, pleasurable or neutral experience for us, depending on the action. The Buddha described reality in terms of dependent arising- that phenomena arise only in dependence upon other causes and conditions. Understanding how these two concepts interrelate can completely change our life.

This primer provides the basics of meditation, how to sit properly, and how to setup a meditation session. Students will be taught different meditation techniques and how to recognize and deal with obstacles to their meditation practice.

The wisdom of emptiness is the ultimate teaching in Buddhism; its main tenet is that our suffering is caused by our inability to perceive the true nature of reality.

These teachings on emptiness are very subtle, profound and deeply transforming, Yet with correct understanding, we can shift our experience of the world.

In this course, we’ll begin to explore these ideas through meditation, understanding the process of attaining the wisdom understanding emptiness and practice some of the purification techniques to clear the obstacles to realization of emptiness.

Although there is no required pre-requisite for this class, it’s best if students have attended at least one other Discovering Buddhism class or the equivalent.

Beginner/Intermediate.