Buddhism Made Easy
a Practical Introduction
Sundays, 11:15am – 12:45pm
August 31, 2014
September 21
October 26
November 23
What is Buddhism? What are the fundamental teachings and
the history of this spiritual tradition?
In this series Jon Landaw will cover the main concepts of
Buddhism without overwhelming you with technical jargon.
The topics are loosely based on his best-selling book
“Buddhism for Dummies”.
Everybody is welcome. No background required. There also
will be time for Q&A.
Jon Landaw was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1944. He
received his A.B. degree in English Literature from
Dartmouth College in 1965 and spent three years teaching
English as a Second Language with the Peace Corps in Iran
(1966–69).
Jon worked as English editor for the Translation Bureau of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India at the
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (1972–77) producing
numerous texts under the guidance of Geshe Ngawang
Dhargyey. As a student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa
Rinpoche since the mid-1970's, he has edited numerous
works for Wisdom Publications, including “Wisdom Energy”
and “Introduction to Tantra.” He is also the author of
“Prince Siddhartha,” a biography of Buddha for children,
“Images of Enlightenment,” published by Snow Lion in 1993
and “Buddhism for Dummies”. As an instructor of Buddhist
meditation, he has taught in numerous Dharma centers
throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New
Zealand and elsewhere.
Jon is known for his ability to present traditional
Buddhist ideas in ways that are accessible and relevant
for everyday life. He and his wife currently live in
Capitola where he teaches regularly at the nearby Land of
Medicine Buddha center.
Class 1: Introduction to Buddhism and its various traditions
- Life of the historical Buddha
- How Buddhism spread
- The emergence of different Buddhist schools and traditions
- Introduction to the Four Noble Truths: the fundamental Buddhist teachings
Class 2: How our mind creates our experience
- The nature of the mind
- The causes of happiness and suffering
- How karma works
- Reincarnation and the various realms of experience
Class 3: Fulfilling our highest potential
- Gaining liberation through the three higher trainings
- Cultivating the compassionate heart
- Practicing the six perfections on the path to Enlightenment
- Introduction to the Vajrayana: the lightning vehicle of Buddhist tantra
Class 4: Practicing Buddhism in everyday life
- How to deal with life's problems
- Avoiding common misconceptions
- Starting a daily practice
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Audio Recordings
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