We will use a variety of teaching methods in this module: audio files, DVDs, homework exercises, readings. All materials for this module will be online. No book purchase is required. Here are some of the readings:
Khenpo Tsultrin Gyamtso:
Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness
Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism:
The Development of Ego
Excerpts from Karma, Rebirth, and Selflessness by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche:
Selflessness and Nirvana
Introduction to Contemplation
Optional book:
Contemplating Reality, Andy Karr, Shambhala Publications, 2007
Class 1: Introduction, November 17, 2016.
The readings for this class are pages 11-17 of Progressive Stages, Introduction,
and pages 1-5 of Selflessness and Nirvana, an excerpt from Karma, Rebirth and Selflessness.
Audio of talk and discussion. Erika Wilton
Class 2: Permanent, Solid and Separate (also known as Permanent, Singular and Independent), December 1, 2016.
The readings for this class are pages 19-23 of Progressive Stages, Stage One,
and pages 6-12 of Selflessness and Nirvana, an excerpt from Karma, Rebirth and Selflessness.
Audio of Introductory Talk. Emily Weidman
Class Handout
Class 3: Review of Permanent, Singular and Independent, December 8, 2016
The readings for this class are pages 24-35 of Progressive Stages, from Methods of Investigation to the end of Stage One,
and pages 12-18 of Selflessness and Nirvana, an excerpt from Karma, Rebirth and Selflessness.
Audio of Talk and Discussion. John Roberts
Class Handout
Class 4: Analytical Meditation by Tyler Dewar DVD, Nalandabodhi, CT, December 15, 2016.
The reading for this class is pages 1-8 of Introduction to Contemplation, an excerpt from Karma, Rebirth and Selflessness
Class Handout
Contemplations by Sandra Galejs
Class 5: Subtle Impermanence, January 5, 2017.
Audio of talk, contemplations and discussion. Sandra Galejs.
Class Handout, Subtle Impermanence, by Sandra Galejs.
Class 6: Constructing the Imputed Self, January 12, 2017.
Audio of talk and discussion. Joseph Crane.
Selflessness 101, an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Contemplating Reality, by Andy Karr.
Excerpts from The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, by Tenzin Wangyal, Rinpoche.
Please read The Development of Ego, by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.
Class 7: The Eight Kinds of Consciousness, January 19, 2017.
Audio of talk and discussion. Emily Weidman.
Class Handout.
Class 8: The Twelve Nidanas, January 26, 2017.
Audio of talk and discussion. Michael Fagan.
Class Handout.
The wheel of life (below) is a graphic representation of the twelve nidanas.
To learn more about the individual segments in the wheel, you can view an interactive tour of the wheel of life.
In one of our 2014 classes, we also used a teaching by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche on The Wheel of Life.
Class 9: The 51 Mental Factors, February 2, 2017.
Audio of talk and discussion. Michael Levin.
Class Handout.
To prepare for this class, you can read about the 51 mental factors, in a teaching given by Lama Lhündrub: this is a 20-page PDF.
There was no meeting on February 9, because of heavy snowfall.
Class 10: The Six Realms, February 16, 2017.
Audio of talk and discussion. Michael Fagan.
The reading for this class is The Six Realms, taken from Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.
Class 11: Wrapup, February 23, 2017.
Erika Wilton led a review of the material that we have covered in this module.
Audio of talk and discussion.
Class handout, plus the long-awaited 12 nidanas go to a party.
If you would like to review contemplation technique, you can read a summary of some teachings by Tyler Dewar. We watched one of his presentations in Class 4 of this module.