Some comments by Emily Weidman:
In this module we will be using the book Karma: What it is, What it isn’t, Why it matters by Traleg Kyabgon. Traleg Rinpoche taught many times in the Boston area before his early death in 2012. He was a quiet, understated teacher of great depth and knowledge. I feel this book presents key Buddhist teachings in an accessible way. The topics covered require contemplation and deep reflection. They are essential to understanding what Buddhism is really about.
From the Foreword by His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa:
…In this, Rinpoche’s last book, his thorough examination of karma and related topics, such as emptiness, the nature of the self, death and rebirth, will be of great benefit as an authoritative countermeasure to common misunderstandings of Buddhist teachings. He clearly explains how the process of karma is not mechanistic but dynamic; it operates within a complex web that interconnects and affects all things within the universe, both animate and inanimate. I believe that fully understanding this is of particular importance in the twenty-first century, when the actions of individuals, groups, and nations have far-ranging impacts on the lives and well-being of other sentient beings. Indeed, our planet itself now faces possible destruction at the hands of human beings. It is very important that we understand the intricate, multifaceted relationship between cause and effect. What we do as individuals in daily life will affect not just us but other people, the world at large, and even the universe.
Class 9: Working with Karma, May 9, 2019.
Please read Chapter 10.
Audio of talk, Emily Weidman.
Class 8: Immortality, Reincarnation and Rebirth, May 2, 2019.
Please read Chapter 7.
Audio of talk, Joseph Crane.
Class 7: Karma and This Life, Apr 18, 2019.
Please read Chapter 8.
Audio of talk, Joseph Crane.
Class 6: Meaning in Life and the Fear of Death, Apr 11, 2019.
Please read Chapter 6.
Audio of talk, Meghan Gardner.
Class 5: The Four Reminders, Apr 4, 2019.
Commentary on the Four Reminders by Dennis Hunter, and another commentary by Michael Levin.
Audio of talk, Elisse Ghitelman.
Class 4: Emptiness and the Two Truths, Mar 21, 2019.
Please read Chapter 5.
Audio of talk, Emily Weidman.
Class 3: Karmic Theory and the Bardo Teachings, Mar 14, 2019.
Please read Chapters 3 and 4.
Audio of talk, Michael Fagan.
Class 2: The Buddha’s View of Karma, Mar 7, 2019.
Please read Chapter 2.
Handout and audio of talk, Michael Levin.
Class 1: Origins of the Concept of Karma, Feb 28, 2019.
Please read the Introduction and Chapter 1.
Handout and audio of talk, Joseph Crane.