Second Buddhist Philosophy Class

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Second Buddhist Philosophy Class

Time: 10:30 to 11:45 am
Teacher: Geshe Lobsang Tsondu

Texts: Thirty Seven Practices of Bodhisattava (Tib: རྒྱལ་སྲས་ལག་ལེན་སོ་བདུན་མ། Wylie: rgyal sras lag len so bdun ma) and Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend (Skt: Suhrllekha Tib: བཤེས་པའི་སྤྲིངས་ཡིག །)

11 March – 11 December
Before beginning the Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattva’s, it’s important to understand a little about the situation we’re in, which is called “Cyclic Existence” or “Samsara” in Sanskrit. Unless we have a general understanding about Cyclic Existence, its causes, nirvana as alternative, and the path to peace, these 37 ways in which Bodhisattva’s practice won’t necessarily make a lot of sense to us. There are two reasons to teach these practices: the first is to help people solve their current problems and find more happiness in this life. The second is so they can attain liberation and enlightenment. The text is taught to give you tools to help you in this life, as well as to free ourselves and others from cyclic existence. If you aspire for liberation and enlightenment, you need to know from what you want to be liberated. That means you should understand the present situation you are in and what causes it. This is crucial for any deep spiritual practice. Otherwise, it is very easy for our spiritual practice to be defiled by the eight worldly concerns. But when we are aware of what cyclic existence is and have a sincere wish to be free from it—that is, to renounce suffering and its causes—then the motivation for our spiritual practice becomes quite pure.

After completing the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattva, Geshe la will teach Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend. The teaching gives a concise and comprehensive introduction to the entire path and practice of Buddhism. It guides both householders and the ordained onto the path leading to liberation and enlightenment. The instructions are of special interest to those who wish to take up spiritual activity while continuing to live and work in society; they are meant to convey the whole meaning of the Dharma to the ordinary person in a language and style that are easy to understand.