‘Although things appear directly to our senses to be truly, inherently existent, in reality all phenomena lack or are ’empty’ of true existence. This book, our body, our friends, we ourselves and the entire universe are in reality just appearances to mind like things seen in a dream.’  Excerpt from the book New Eight Steps to Happiness, by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Things appear to exist from their own side, without depending upon our mind. We feel that the device we are reading this with, for example, can exist without our mind; we do not feel that our mind is in any way involved in bringing the device into existence. However, the way things appear to our senses is deceptive and completely contradictory to the way in which they actually exist.  This way of existing independent of our mind is completely wrong!

These online classes are a deep exploration of emptiness, the  true nature of phenomena. Emptiness is the way things really are. It is the way things exist as opposed to the way they appear.

By meditating on emptiness with a compassionate mind to attain enlightenment to benefit all living beings, we can realize our potential as a being and accomplish the meaning of our human life, permanent liberation from suffering and the supreme happiness of enlightenment.  

We will be following the chapter on Ultimate Bodhichitta in the book New Eight Steps to Happiness.  You can ‘drop-in’ to any of these classes and derive immense benefit, but you can also prepare in advance, reading this section of the book and the topics to be covered in any particular class in advance.  

Each class begins with some brief Prayers for Meditation (included within New Eight Steps to Happiness at the back), followed by the teaching, a meditation, and time for questions at the end.

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Attending  all of the classes in sequence will  greatly increase the benefits!

You can download New Eight Steps to Happiness as well as Prayers for Meditation at www.tharpa.ca or arrange to purchase physical copies at our centre by emailing admin@meditateinvancouver.org

Class topics (by section name) and page reference numbers 

Sept 16 What is emptiness? And what is the mind of a bodhisattva? pp 201-206
Sept 23 The emptiness of our body… freedom from ordinary appearance of our body pp 206-211
Sept 30 Meditating on the emptiness of our body and mind p211- 216

Oct 7   The emptiness of our ‘I’  pp 216-221
Oct 14 The emptiness that is empty of eight extremes pp 221-226
Oct 21 The emptiness of the extremes and understanding the two truths pp 226-231
Oct 28 Conventional and Ultimate truths pp 231-236 (Pre-Recorded due to Intl Fall Festival)

Nov 11  The union of the Two Truths pp 236-242
Nov 25 The practice of emptiness in our daily activities pp 242-249

Dec 2 How to integrate the practice of these instructions pp 251-259

If you don’t have a physical copy, you can find the appropriate section in the contents of the electronic version under the name of the section referenced in the chapter on Ultimate Bodhichitta