About this Course

Growing older, we might question the wisdom we have gained thus far. Buddha did not spare us the details of aging and sickness. Kindly, he also gave us wisdom instructions to guide us to mental peace through the changing conditions of our personal lives and the larger world we inhabit. In “The New Meditation Handbook” Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche writes “Our lives are now more complicated, and mentally we are becoming more unhappy and worried. There are now more problems and greater dangers than ever before. This shows that cannot make ourself happy by simply improving external conditions.” Through Buddha’s teachings we can learn to cultivate the inner minds of compassion and wisdom, creating greater mental peace for both ourself and others. What Makes Life Meaningful? As we gain an appreciation of just how rare a human life is, our day-to-day experiences can become more and more meaningful. Working to a Deadline A clear project deadline often pushes us out of our complacency, and we get down to doing what we must do. How can we apply this type of effort to the most important deadline we all face? Getting a Bigger Picture Our limited understanding of our present experiences, whether pleasant or unpleasant, holds us back from growing something better for both ourselves and others for whom we wish happiness and freedom from suffering. Why Kindness? Due to our limitless interconnectedness, one tiny step towards kindness leads to huge gains in our personal and collective mental peace. Kindness really works. Compassion…Go Big! How do we expand our compassion for those “with us” to those we have yet to meet and love? Becoming Wiser Buddha’s teachings on “the way things really are” hold the truth of our future peace. How do we practice gaining this wisdom? Imagining the Very Best Buddha taught how we can imagine, and then go on to create the experience we have always wanted, free from suffering and a source of happiness for all beings. Let’s begin.