Our Thursday class offers step-by-step guidance on the meditation practices that will lead us to lasting inner peace and happiness.

Each class starts with a short guided breathing meditation, a teaching on why your state of mind matters and a concluding meditation to set up your week.

The class is designed for drop-in but greater benefit and understanding naturally arise through coming regularly.

We are often quite passive about our state of mind. If we’re angry, rather than trying to change our anger, we try to change the externals; same with depression, anxiety and so forth. What we really need to do is control our mind, change it from bad states to good, from anger to patience and compassion, and so forth. There are many reason for changing our mind rather than focusing on changing externals, but one thing is sure: we need to use every opportunity to improve our mind! (See below for schedule & topics.)

September Classes
Awakening Our Wisdom – The Mirror of Dharma

In this Thursday night series with our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Sanden, we have a perfect opportunity to look into Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche‘s latest book, The Mirror of Dharma with Additions, to improve our inner qualities and see the true meaning of human life. By taking some time out of our week for reflection and meditative contemplation, we can gain special knowledge about our self, our mind, and our life. This wisdom will bring us clarity and deep inner peace to bring out our best qualities for our self and others benefit.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Sept 9 – Why do I need to practice Buddha’s teachings?
Sept 16 – Why do I need to be concerned for my future lives?
Sept 23 – Why do we need permanent liberation from suffering?
Sept 30 – How do we train in contemplation and meditation?

OCTOBER | LIVING LIGHTLY

In this four-class series of meditation classes, we will explore how to recognize and let go of the negative states of mind that weigh us down and obstruct our happiness. We will learn how to develop and maintain special understandings and aspirations that will energize our life with joy and purpose, leading us to even the supreme happiness of enlightenment.

Oct 7 – Understanding where freedom from suffering is to be found
Oct 14 – The most helpful thing we can do for others
Oct 21 – Becoming a beneficial force in the world for everyone
Oct 28 – The determination that will energize our life with joy and purpose

NOVEMBER | LIMITLESS POTENTIAL | THE POWER OF MEDITATING ON EMPTINESS

Meditations on the real nature of things – training to see past deceptive ordinary appearances.

Buddha taught that our pain and suffering is rooted in our misconception of how things exist. Experiencing the world through this misconception, we perceive a world of limitations, where happiness comes only from external conditions.

In this way we set ourselves up for a life of dissatisfaction. Buddha’s special teachings on emptiness show us how happiness comes from our mind and help us to let go of mistaken perceptions that lead only to suffering. Join us for this 3 week series, learn the powerful “emptiness” meditations and start to experience a joyful, deeply satisfying world of possibilities.

Nov 4 – What is Emptiness?
Nov 11 – Cause and effect and what’s real
Nov 18 – Our self as ‘mere name’: Bye bye limitations
Nov 25 – The Union of the Two Truths: The power to eliminate our pain and suffering

DECEMBER | THE KEY TO PEACE AND HAPPINESS: HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR MIND

Everybody wants to be happy and free from problems. Normally we try to achieve this by using external methods, but no matter how materially wealthy, powerful, or highly respected we become we never find freedom from problems. Happiness and suffering are states of mind, therefore if we are to find the happiness we seek we must learn to understand our mind.

This series will challenge our ordinary way of relating to our life and provide a meaningful opportunity to explore Buddha’s teachings on the nature and function of the mind and how it has the power to create our world of experiences. We will also look at how we can practically apply a Buddhist understanding of human psychology so that we can eradicate negative emotions and come to experience deep inner peace.

Dec 2 – What is the Mind?
Dec 9 – How the Mind Works
Dec 16 – Dealing with Painful Feelings

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COVID GUIDELINES

According to the Provincial Health Officer (PHO):
-Masks are required in all public indoor settings for all people born in 2009 or earlier (12+).
-Indoor organized seated gatherings can have a capacity of 50 people or 50% capacity, whichever is greater.
-There are no capacity limits or restrictions on indoor or outdoor and worship services (such as for chanted prayers in person at the centre).
-If you or anyone in your family feels sick stay home and get tested immediately.