Bodhi College is a European educational initiative in meditative learning for all who practice mindfulness and the Dharma in today’s world. We draw specifically on the early teachings of the Buddha before they became codified into different Buddhist traditions. The college is non-sectarian and unaligned with any particular Buddhist school. While making use of modern scholarship, our goals are not primarily academic but experiential. We offer a contemplative education inspiring students to realise the values of the Dharma for themselves. Bodhi College is open to Buddhists and non- Buddhists alike, to people of any faith or none, to those who use mindfulness for its therapeutic value, as much as those for whom meditation is part of their religious practice.
John is my new favourite voice to listen to since last year. His clear and precise language on the the most sublime subject in the world, the dhamma. His authority with a warmth and humility is unparalled in my opinion. I have met a lot of buddhist teachers but John is my new hero. Give yourself the gift of going on a retreat with him if you have the possibility. Even online courses are available through Bodhi College. May all be well.
The condition is fuel (firewood), the cause is fire, and the fire continues causing itself (producing burnable pyrolysis gas, smoke, by its heat from the fuel) until the fuel is burnt. Thus fire has a degree of own causation (svabhava). I call that HALFEMPTINESS. -- A more complex example of halfemptiness are living organisms, where the "most non-empty" ones are chemoautotrophic bacteria, a pillar of the foodchain on which higher life depends, becoming "emptier" with complexity and dependencies, until the circle dance of emptiness and non-emptiness closes to the planetary Gaia system, which for all practical purposes can be seen as an own-being again.
This short clip hinges and pivots on a crucial understanding that can make a colossal difference in our immediate experience and lead us in a different direction that culminates to an inner joy that permeates our life.
I just found this sweet video (on 6/19/22). It's a marker of sorts for me. Two months after it was made, I learned about Bodhi College first hand by visiting Buddhist caves in India with the Batchelors and some directors of Bodhi College. That was followed by the Pandemic Blessing that made online learning the new norm, and made Bodhi College my new cloud campus. Thanks to the Bodhi College's Thinking Out Loud series, I met wonderful teachers who were new to me. Tomorrow I start the Dependent Arising course with four of them, including Stephen and John.
Thank you so much for your courses. Much as I am hesitant about labels I am myself an atheist and an aspiring secular Buddhist. I am fascinated by concepts of truth, belief, faith and delusion. Although I live in Canada on the West Coast I would very much like to join an online Sangha that approaches Buddhism from the perspectives that you portray In your courses.
Thank you Nicholas. You can find out more about this course here: learn.tricycle.org/p/dependent-arising?src=bc&fbclid=IwAR2Dudu55ZdVyoSZsngpLelvY7w2n4_meVR2DDw7BvxijTdecyGRXXqlAq4 And information about all our courses here: bodhi-college.org/2022-programme/
You can find out more and book your place on the remote learning course here: learn.tricycle.org/p/dependent-arising?src=bc&fbclid=IwAR2Dudu55ZdVyoSZsngpLelvY7w2n4_meVR2DDw7BvxijTdecyGRXXqlAq4