Fridays, 3:30 - 4:30pm

Riverdale Buddhist Meditation Class

Finding Joy and Happiness in the Practice of Cherishing Others

$10 per class, free for supporting members

Cherishing others is the best method to solve our own and others’ problems. Without problems we can be happy all the time. Geshe-la says that through this practice we can eliminate the ignorant mind of self-cherishing and self-grasping, the root of all suffering and problems. At the present time we are not so sure because if we were we would be doing it already. We will come to understand that if we cherish everyone we meet and
everyone we think about then our mind will be at peace all the time and we will be happy all the time. This means that we work to develop a mind pervaded with love and kindness.

In this series we will focus on the teachings found in Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s book, Eight Steps to Happiness based on the widely renowned Eight Steps to Training The Mind composed by Bodhisattva Longri Tangpa and 11 th century Buddhist master. Come along and GET HAPPY!

September 13: What is True Happiness and Where Can I Find It?
September 20: No Class
September 27: Understanding the Kindness of Others
October 4: Learning to Cherish Others
October 11: Finding Joy in Refuge
October 18: Benefits of Cherishing Others
October 25: Cherishing Love
November 1: No Class due to International Fall Festival in Brazil
November 8: No Class due to International Fall Festival in Brazil

NEXT SERIES

Conquering All Our Problems with Confidence, Compassion, and Wisdom

The great 8th century Buddhist monk, Shantideva said, “I shall conquer all obstacles, and none shall conquer me, thus I who shall become a conquer shall practice with self-confidence.”
In this series we will learn how to apply this wisdom and Buddhas teachings to improving our daily lives. We learn that we have the freedom not to identify seemingly difficult situations as problems. In fact, as Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche reminds us in How to Solve Our Human Problems, in whatever situation we find ourselves, we can learn to train our mind to always be happy and to always connect to its’ peaceful pure nature before responding. This is great news as we navigate through this cyclic existence known as samsara. Why not change our mind and view situations as a training ground instead of as a problem? In this way we can find lasting happiness, learn to conquer our delusions and be of real benefit to all living beings.
Calling all potential conquerors: If this is what you would like, join us in exploring the teachings and meditation. Now is the time!

November 8: Establishing or Enhancing our Meditation Practice
November 15: I Love Dharma but Why do I Get Discouraged?
November 22: Practicing with Effort and Concentration
November 29: No Class due to Thanksgiving
December 6: Patiently Accepting Suffering: Dealing with Anger
December 13: Compassion not Retaliation
December 20: Choosing Wisdom

DETAILS

Classes include Dharma teachings and guided meditations
They are suitable for both beginners and more advanced practitioners
Each class is self-contained and is also presented as part of a series over 5-6 weeks. Drop into any class you like
No special clothing is required
No pre-registration is necessary
Chairs are supplied
Everyone welcome!