Community Book Course: The Teachings of Shambhala
The Path of the Great Eastern Sun
12 of the Wednesdays from September 16 - December 23, 2020:
8 WMC Classes from September 16 through December 23, 2020
(Except Nov. 25 due to Thanksgiving Holiday and the Second Wednesday of the Month when we have a Open House/Dharma Gathering Talk; Dec. 9, 2020)
Hosted by WMC and led by Derek Kolleeny and Warner Dick
Suggested offering: $80 or $10 per class on a drop-in basis*
Nov. 18, 2020 at 7 PM ET: Community Book Course -- The Teachings of Shambhala, The Path of the Great Eastern Sun, with WMC’s Warner Dick on “The Ground of Fearlessness.” REGISTER HERE
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4 Wisdom Seat Classes - All Wednesdays in October (7, 14, 21 and 28)
Hosted by The Wisdom Seat and Led by Carolyn Gimian, Judy Lief, Larry Mermelstein, David Nichtern, Susan Piver, and Michael Carrol (see below)
In this course we will explore the unique presentation of the path of meditation and insight developed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche called Shambhala or The Path of the Great Eastern Sun. This presentation of the path of universal transformation serves as a profoundly skillful complement to the traditional Buddhist path. The emphasis of the Shambhala teachings is on how meditation can nurture our capacity for courageous engagement with our world and inspire our active participation in its improvement. The vision of these teachings, or the ideal result, is the manifestation of enlightened society in our lifetimes, as symbolized by the legendary land of Shambhala—a mythical central Asian country where everyone practiced meditation and kindness and became enlightened!
This Fall, we will focus primarily on two of Rinpoche’s three books on these teachings, Smile at Fear and Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior. These books seem particularly applicable to the difficult times we are living through this year, when basic human kindness and a bravery grounded in openness and tenderness are essential to our survival.
Since our friends at The Wisdom Seat are offering a course on Wednesday evenings during the month of October on Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior led by the editor and five other major teachers of this tradition, we have designed the sequence of our classes to coordinate with them. WMC will be focusing on Smile at Fear and coordinating the schedule of our course with theirs so one should attend and register separately for both.
This is a unique opportunity to study with a number of senior teachers of this tradition and join with other students from affiliated centers in the lively discussion which naturally follows!
You can read about the Wisdom Seat course HERE. We encourage all participants to register for BOTH courses -- that is the complete Fall sequence for this course.
Outline of the Fall Semester
September: Hosted by WMC. Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery. On the 16th, 23rd and 30th:
October: Hosted by The Wisdom Seat. Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior. On the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. Registration separately for these 4 meetings (which constitute Part 1) and for 5 additional meetings (which constitute Part 2) which will be held in January and February of 2021. Learn more.
November: Hosted by WMC. Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery. On the 4th and 18th (Open House on 11/11 and closed for Thanksgiving Holiday on 11/25)
December: Hosted by WMC. Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery. On the 2nd, 16th and 23rd (Open House on 12/9 and closed for Winter Holiday on 12/30)
Please order your own copy of the two books. The Publisher, Shambhala Publications, has generously offered a 20% discount for anyone taking this course! The discount code will be provided in upon registration, in your confirmation message. If you have questions or need help with the discount code for the books, you may contact us here: derek@westchestermeditationcenter.org
Shambhala Publications Website >
(Look for the discount code in your registration email)
* Please note: The Wisdom Seat course has two parts, with the second part taking place in Jan. & Feb. Your registration for that course will be for BOTH parts. WMC intends to repeat this combined structure again for our Winter semester.
**WMC maintains a policy of making our programs affordable to all. Those with limited income please offer what you can afford on our donation page.
