Mind Training: Shamatha, Vipashyana, and Lojong
From January 12th – April 27th (Winter Session) and May 4th – July 27th (Spring/Summer Session).
No class 7/6.
Wednesdays: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Teachers: Derek Kolleeny, Laura Read, & Arthur Segreti
Intermediate Level Course
Meets on Zoom. Virtual drop-ins welcome
Suggested offering: $200 for Winter Session;
$200 for Spring/Summer Session; $400 for Both Sessions.*
*Note that 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.
We invite you to deepen your understanding and experience of the profound and vast tradition of the Buddha known as Shakyamuni, the Mahayana path of the Bodhisattva. Of the two main areas for cultivation, Great Compassion comes first, as it is the ground of all intention and activity. In this 2022 Winter session (Part One), we will focus on cultivating compassion using the framework of the Mind Training system codified by Atisha DIpamkara and his colleagues, known as the Lojong system in seven main points supported by 59 individual slogans. In the Spring/Summer session (Part Two), we will focus on the cultivation of Wisdom, the other of the two main wings of Bodhicitta, the heart essence of enlightened mind.
Exploring the Great Vehicle, Part One: Cultivating Compassion Through the Mind Training System of Atisha
In this Winter session (Part One), we will read and study The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion Through Training the Mind by Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche. We recommend you obtain a copy if you wish to participate most effectively. We will also make an extended deep dive into the practice of shamatha-vipashyana, which are presented in points one and two, with supplementary material written by Chogyam Trungpa and B. Alan Wallace. This supplementary material will be provided in a digital sourcebook.
The course will be presented by Derek Kolleeny, Arthur Segreti, Laura Reed, and other WMC teachers and teacher assistants. Sessions will include sitting meditation (instruction provided for those new to our tradition), presentation based upon assigned reading and discussion, and will be conducted via Zoom. Upon registration, you will receive a Zoom link, digital source book, and syllabus.
We hope you will join us for this challenging but rewarding journey!
Shravakas and intermediate buddhas arise from the Mighty Ones,
Buddhas are born from the bodhisattvas,
And compassionate mind, non-dual awareness,
And bodhicitta are the causes of these heirs of the Victors. (1)
Since I assert that loving-kindness itself is the seed of the Victors’ abundant harvest,
Is the water which causes it to flourish,
And is its ripening that allows it to be enjoyed for a long time,
I therefore praise compassion at the very outset. (2)
- Chandrakirti, Entering the Middle Way, Translated from the Tibetan by Ari Goldfield
