Tuesdays The Aligned Center, Irvington
Last meeting on Dec. 17, 2019. Drop-ins Welcome!
The Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on Life, Death, and the Bardos (Intermediate States)
11 Tuesdays, (7 - 9 pm)
Dates: Oct. 1 - Dec. 17, 2019 (no class on 10/8)
The Aligned Center, 1 Bridge St. Suite 64, New York, NY 10533. See directions below (GPS won’t work).
Taught by John Baker
Drop-ins welcome
*Suggested Offering: $110 full Course or $10 per Class
ABOUT THE COURSE
This course—open to all—covers the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death and the bardos (the main intervals of life and death). We will use Francesca Fremantle’s Luminous Emptiness, Dzogchen Ponlop’s Mind beyond Death, and the 17th century revealed terma text, The Mirror of Mindfulness by the great terton, Tsele Natsok Rangdrol. Other texts will be recommended.
Actually, these teachings are equally about life. Part of the Dzogchen or Great Perfection teachings, they are deeply tantric, found in so complete a form only in the Tibetan tradition. They incorporate all the most important Buddhist doctrines, but with a particular emphasis: How to have a good (sane and compassionate) death (and life) and achieve enlightenment.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche makes the point that, just as you would be well-advised to read up on a country you were going to visit for the first time, so it is a very good idea to learn what to expect as and after you die. The Dalai Lama has said that he contemplates every day the descriptions of the experiences between death and rebirth, so that he will be prepared and not afraid when these experiences dawn. Ringu Tulku says: “In short, preparation for death and the preparation for life is the same… in order to prepare for death you meditate, you … learn ...the nature of your mind, you learn to be more positive... You aren’t overpowered by fear and worry and negative emotions. You have a kind heart. That’s it!!”
Drop-ins welcomed; suggested offering $10*
To register, click here or simply come to the class. If you have questions about the course, contact John Baker at jjoebaker@gmail.com.
Missed a Class? Audio Recordings of the Class will be posted a few days after each class
ABOUT THE TEACHER
A close student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, course instructor John Baker has been a practitioner and teacher of Buddhism for 49 years. He co-founded the Karma Dzong Meditation Center in Boulder, Colorado in 1970, serving for five years as its first co-director. He also co-founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, serving as its first CEO and heading the Buddhist Studies Department there for its first five years. He co-edited Trungpa’s Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and The Myth of Freedom and is the author of various articles. After 23 years in private business, he retired, continuing to teach Buddhist thought and meditation and is today co-founder and a principal teacher at the Westchester Buddhist Center in Irvington and the New York Buddha Dharma Center in Manhattan. More >
DIRECTIONS & ADDRESS
The Aligned Center
1 Bridge Street, Suite 64, Irvington, 10533 NY
Aligned Center is situated right above the Red Hat restaurant, next to WBC's usual Irvington location at the Eileen Fisher Headquarters
Park in the large lot in front of MP Taverna and walk into courtyard to the right of the Eileen Fisher Lab
Go straight ahead to the "Foundry" entrance
The office is on the second floor right at the top of the stairs
*WBC maintains a policy of making our programs affordable to all. Those with limited income please offer what you can afford on this page. All WBC events and activities are free with Student ID.