We are starting over with the cycle of Discovering Buddhism courses, moving back to Tuesday nights. It takes about 2-1/2 years to get through the whole series when taken as a weekly class. You don’t have to take the modules in order, but we’re going to start with module 1, Mind and Its Potential.
There are two reasons why it is important to understand the nature of mind.
One is because there is an intimate connection between mind and karma. The other is
that our state of mind plays a crucial role in our experience of happiness and suffering.
If understanding the mind is very important, what then is mind, and what is its nature?… the ultimate nature of mind is essentially pure. This pristine nature
is technically called “clear light.” The various afflictive emotions such as desire, hatred
and jealousy are products of conditioning. They are not intrinsic qualities of the mind
because the mind can be cleansed of them. When this clear light nature of mind is veiled
or inhibited from expressing its true essence by the conditioning of the afflictive
emotions and thoughts, the person is said to be caught in the cycle of existence,
samsara. But when, by applying appropriate meditative techniques and practices, the
individual is able to fully experience this clear light nature of mind free from the
influence and conditioning of the afflictive states, he or she is on the way to true
liberation and full enlightenment.– HH the Dalai Lama, MindScience.
Topics covered in this course:
- Definition of Mind
- Our Experience of the World
- Continuity of Consciousness
- Our Potential for Enlightenment
- Buddhist Psychology
Homework and Related Materials
Reading material will be provided in the form of PDFs which can be downloaded.
Get password in class.
See more about the whole Discovering Buddhism program at Land of Medicine Buddha, here.
About the Instructor
Venerable Drimay is the regular Discovering Buddhism teacher at LMB. She has been teaching Discovering BUDDHISM since its inception in 2002. See more about our instructors.
Participation
Drop in on the first class to see if it suits you. Online registration below gives various options for donating to support this program. The Dharma center depends on your contributions to make classes like this possible. However, we don’t want anyone to feel that there is an obstacle if they are unable to donate. All are welcome.
Benefits of Membership
Scholar-level membership covers donations for regular classes. Look into becoming a Scholar.
| Date(s): | Tuesdays, July 5 - Aug 2 |
| Times: | 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm |
| Instructor/Leader: | Venerable Drimay |
| Type of event: | Discovering Buddhism |
| Number of sessions: | 5 |
| Level: | Introductory |
| Participation: | Best to attend regularly, but drop-ins allowed. |
| Location: | Main Gompa |
| iCal Link: | iCal |
| Add to Google Calendar: |  |
Registration and Donations for DB1: Mind and Its Potential
Online registration is now closed for this event.