Meditation in Toronto (Downtown) :
courses and workshops
Calm-abiding Meditation Course
It is well known that the primary purpose of the Buddha's teaching is to attain happiness of enlightenment by practicing two forms of meditation : concentration meditation and analytical meditation. The first aims at achieving calm-abiding (shamatha), while the second aims to gaining special insight (vipashyana) .
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Our calm-abiding meditation course is meant for beginners as well as for more advanced meditators. Although our groups are mostly made up of first-time meditators, there are also those who have already practiced meditation and are seeking another technique. There are as well those who wish to take the course for the second or third time in order to improve their meditative skills. In this course are given all the fundamental elements necessary to attain calm-abiding according to Buddha's teachings : the preparations, the posture, the necessary conditions, the hindrances and how to overcome them, etc.
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Each course includes first an explanation on how to develop the mind's calm abiding according to Buddhist philosophy, followed by a period of meditation in silence. This group practice can give more power to our meditation. The attainment of mind's calmness and all the elements that make it possible to cultivate it are presented in a traditional image (see below).
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This session will be given by Buddhist monk Tenzin Gawa, with few classes by Tibetan Monk Lama Samten.
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Dates : Thursday evening, 12 weeks, from Sept. 19 to Dec. 5
Schedule : 19h30 to 20h45
At : Institute of Traditional Medecine
553 QUEEN ST. W., 3rd floor,
TORONTO, ON. M5V 2B6
Cost : 96$ for the 12 sessions (by interac transfer to : contact@paramitacentre.org or through Paypal, adding a 3$ fee in the latter case)
Contact: yalin@paramitamontreal.org or (437) 888-8864
Buddhist philosophy Introduction Course :
The Graded Path to the Happiness of Enlightenment (Lamrim)
For the first time in Toronto by Paramita Centre : the popular Tibetan Buddhist Teachings of Lamrim.
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Lamrim (Tibetan for “the stages of the path to enlightenment”) originates from the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. In the eleventh century, the great Indian saint, Atisha, committed the teachings to writing in a very clear and well-structured text which is just as popular today as it was then. It is a precise, step-by-step explanation of the entire teaching of the Buddha. Later, the famous Tibetan pioneer, Tsongkhapa, provided a more detailed version.
Today, this text has become very popular because it allows Westerners to receive a teaching that is at once concise and complete. Due to its exceptional clarity, it is easily understood and therefore facilitates study and meditation for those wishing to attain enlightenment. Because of the hectic pace of modern life, holding down a job, and raising a family etc., unlike monks and nuns, it is almost impossible to undertake several years of Dharma studies. For this reason, the Dalai Lama as well as the great masters prefer this text to any of the others. In our course therefore, we will be using Lama Samten’s book, The Essence of the Path to Enlightenment.
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