Topics Include: 1. Gotama’s meeting with his first teacher, Alara Kalama. 2. The generally prevalent Hindu teachings of the time: Advaita Vedanta and Samkhya Vedanta. 3. The similarity between Samkhya and the idea of pure awareness in Buddhism. 4. The problem of realizing Purisha purely through one’s intellect….the difficulty of controlling one’s mind and the necessity for an alternative means of consciousness. The dangers of egotism. 5. The universal desire of the Axial sages to return to our original connection to the sacred…the return to Eden, or in Buddhist terms, the return to our original nature. 6. The importance of yoga or meditation as a means of attaining pure awareness. Establishing the basic foundation of morality and ethics….the five precepts. 7. Learning to control his body through asana or the still, motionless meditation posture. 8. Learning to control his breathing to calm and still the mind. 9. Learning the fundamental concentration practice or ekaggata. 10. The relevance of the Buddha’s training to our current practice: the five precepts and the Eightfold Noble Path, the development of our posture and breathing, the purpose of quieting our discursive thinking process.
29 April, 2023
70 Minutes