Sundays 3:30-5:00 at the North Main Yoga Studio
April 6th: Improving our Concentration
'From concentration comes peace.'
The life force of our meditation practice is concentration. When our mind is concentrated on virtue it because very still and peaceful and we are able to gain deep insight into our object of meditation. Without concentration our mind remains distracted, moving here and there unable to focus on anything. As a result we experience mental disturbence and agitation. In this class we will learn how we can improve our concentration and focus so we can begin to experience authentic inner peace.
April 20th: Life is But a Dream ~ Understanding Reality
The root cause of all our suffering is ignorance, a misperception of how things exist. We grasp at things far too concretely and this ignorant grasping underlies all our tension, fear and frustration. By contemplating Buddha's profound teaching on the ultimate nature of reality, emptiness, we can begin to let go of this misperception. When we recognize the dreamlike nature of reality, our mind is peaceful, flexible and creative. Ultimately, we can achieve a permanent freedom from suffering.
May 4th: Mind, Virtue and Delusion
Happiness and suffering are states of mind, therefore their causes must lie within our own mind. The main task within spiritual practice is to identify, diminish and erradicate all negative states of mind and to identify, increase, and stabalize all positive states of mind. If we train in this way it is completely possible to create a stable experience of inner peace that is not disturbed by anything. In this class we will look at the relationship between the mind, virtue and delusion.
May 18th: Overcoming Negativity
We all have the potential for limitless happiness and freedom from problems. If we can understand the causes of our own negativity we will be able to take steps to prevent it. In this class we will look at the six causes that contribute to negative states of mind and learn how we can avoid them.
May 25th: The Advantages of Cherishing Others
"When we think that others are important, and that their happiness and freedom are important, we are cherishing others. If we cherish others, we shall naturally perform actions that will cause them to be happy. This will make our daily life peaceful, happy, harmonious, and meaningful." Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
In this class, we will discuss the advantages of cherishing others and how decreasing (and eventually eliminating) our self-cherishing can lead to lasting inner peace and a more meaningful existence.
Registration
No registration is necessary. We ask for a donation of $7 to cover travel and publicity costs. Proceeds go to support our prison program.
Location
(view map) North Main Yoga Studio, 10 West Stone Ave, Greenville, (North End of downtown at the corner of North Main and Stone Ave, next to the Bohemian and Horizon Records.)
|
