with Jon Landaw

Thursdays, 10:30am – 12:00pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)
May 6 – June 17, 2021
no class on June 3
(6 sessions)
online

When we experience difficulties or conflicts in our life, we often blame them on someone or something outside ourself. “If only she were nicer to me…if only he stopped behaving like that…if only we had a different system of government…then I wouldn’t be having all these problems.” But according to the Buddha dharma, although such outer factors can certainly provide the conditions in which our dissatisfaction arises, the actual causes for both our happiness and unhappiness are to be found within the workings of our own mind. Therefore, if we wish to have a more fulfilling life, we need to look inwards and discover if any of the ways we habitually regard the world and its inhabitants—including the views we have of ourself—are distorted and out of sync with the way things actually exist. And if we discover that they are, can we explore how they might be directly responsible for our unwanted suffering and dissatisfaction?

The Buddhist teachings contain a wide range of very practical methods we can use to identify, and then begin to correct, the distorted views and unrealistic behavior patterns that are responsible not only for our own personal difficulties, but also for the many problems and conflicts we see all around us. Everyone, no matter what one’s background or belief system may be, is welcome to join us as together we gain familiarity with these psychologically and spiritually profound methods of self-exploration and self-transformation.

The overall structure of each 90-minute session will be roughly as follows. We will begin with a 20-minute meditation practice to calm and focus our mind and generate a conducive atmosphere for the entire session. This will be followed by a 40-minute explanation of the specific transformative method chosen to be the main theme for that particular session. Then, after a brief pause, we will conclude with a 30-minute Q&A, or discussion, segment.

In an attempt to make these sessions as personally relevant to you as possible, I encourage you to express whatever comments, suggestions or questions you may have by sending an email to the following address:

        jonathanlandaw@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you in our sessions on Thursday morning and receiving whatever input you’d like to share, I remain warmly,

        Jon

Jon Landaw is always interested in deepening his own familiarity with the material that makes up this course and, like his main Guru, Lama Yeshe, is always seeking new and inventive ways to share this powerfully transformative material with others.