Sunday, 11:30am - 1:00pm

Jersey City Buddhist Meditation Class

The Art of Concentration: Improving your Meditation Through Training in Mindfulness and Concentration

$10 per class, free for supporting members

This class is offered in-person only

Distraction is the enemy of meditation. It is because our minds are so distracted that our meditations lack the power to bring real and lasting change in our hearts. With an undistracted, single-pointed mind of concentration, our meditations on cherishing love, compassion, and wisdom will bring about rapid, profound spiritual development, and we will naturally benefit in every other facet of our life also.

In this series we will follow the clear, step-by-step instructions for training in meditative concentration taught by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in his books Joyful Path of Good Fortune, Meaningful to Behold, Clear Light of Bliss, and others, using the clarity of mind as our main object. The emphasis will be practical, with guided meditations in each session and clear instructions for how to continue to train in between classes. The intention of this series is to empower practitioners to establish a clear and effective meditation practice in which they can journey at their own pace through the different levels of meditative concentration known as the nine mental abidings. The ultimate goal is the state of fully developed concentration, called tranquil abiding.

September 10: The Happiness of the Undistracted Mind
September 17: Developing Meditation Strategies for Deepening our Peace
September 24: Finding our Object for Training: the Mind Itself
October 1: Understanding Distraction: the Five Obstacles to Concentration
October 8: Generating Enthusiasm: The Opponents to the Obstacles
October 15: The Power of Mindfulness
October 22: Concentration: Learning to Peacefully Abide
October 29: Fly Like an Eagle (in your Meditation)
November 5: Journey through the Mental Abidings

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!