Date(s) - April 19, 2018 - August 23, 2018
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Exploring Compassion and Wisdom
A Public Talk Series on the Six Paramitas
With Tergar Instructors Edwin and Myoshin Kelley
Select Thursdays, April 19 to August 23, 2018
Tergar Minneapolis / St. Paul
The heart of the Buddha’s teachings lies in the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. Wisdom helps us to uproot the causes of suffering and dissatisfaction, while compassion ensures that our journey will not only transform our own lives but alleviate the suffering of others as well.
Those who travel the path of wisdom and compassion are known as bodhisattvas – courageous individuals who have committed themselves to the awakening of all beings. The path of the bodhisattva is most clearly expressed in the principle of bodhichitta and the practice of the six paramitas. Bodhichitta is the union of wisdom and compassion, the deep insight into the nature of reality and the compassionate intention to help all beings awaken. Bodhichitta is applied in daily life through the six paramitas – the six transcendent practices of generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and wisdom.
Join Tergar Meditation Community in an in-depth exploration of compassion and wisdom with a series of public talks by Tergar instructors Edwin and Myoshin Kelley.
These evenings include a period of meditation, a time to share informally with the community, a short talk by the instructor and a period of open discussion on how we are working with these aspects of our lives. The evening is open to all, beginners and experienced meditators alike, and is a great opportunity for us to delve deeper as a community into the richness of bringing meditation into our everyday lives.
You may attend any single session, there are no prerequisites for any of the talks. Registration is not required but is appreciated for planning purposes.
Thursday, April 19, The Bodhisattva with Edwin Kelley
In Buddhism a bodhisattva is someone who has generated the compassionate, heartfelt desire to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. In this talk Tergar Instructor Edwin Kelley will discuss the aspiration and practice of a bodhisattva.
Thursday, May 10, Generosity: The Mind of Letting Go with Edwin Kelley
Generosity and gratitude are qualities that uplift the mind. They help us to live with an open heart and appreciate even the small things of life. The essence of generosity is the mind of letting go, which helps us move from a self-centered way of life toward being able to include all beings in a tangible way. This paves the way for wisdom.
During this evening talk we will look at these qualities, from the small ways in which we overlook them to how they are the basis for living a life of contentment.
Thursday, May 24, Living with Integrity with Myoshin Kelley
Living with integrity—or, as it is sometimes called, discipline or ethical conduct—reflects a sensitivity to the impact our thoughts, words, and actions have on both ourselves and others. This sensitivity is rooted in a deep sense of care and a recognition that our own awakening is intimately related to the well-being of others. The essence of discipline is restraint, or refraining from doing harmful actions, and the confidence that ensues from acting in ways that create greater harmony.
Come join us for an evening when we can look in a light-hearted way to some basic principles that will help us live in a way that brings peace to ourselves.
Thursday, June 21, Patience: An Open Spacious Heart with Edwin Kelley
The practice of patience is the practice of moving towards greater balance and openness. If we learn to approach experiences of all flavors—whether in practice or daily life—from a place of receptivity, forgiveness, and acceptance, this patience keeps our heart open and buoyant. We become resilient in the face of difficulty. Patience allows us to open to the totality of our experience including any reactivity we may have. Everything is allowed within awareness. Through this we can begin to connect with the underlying compassion and love that are always there.
It is through our impatience that we learn patience. This is an evening when we will be able to shine some light on our habit of impatience and begin to make a friend of it.
Thursday, July 5, Joyful Effort: An Inspired Life with Myoshin Kelley
By learning to take delight in the virtue of joyful effort, or diligence, we find the energy to continue on the path of awakening, to tackle our tendencies toward procrastination, and to move past feelings of discouragement. Contrary to what one might imagine, this kind of effort is not tight or excessively willful but arises naturally out of our own interest and inspiration. When the mind is enlivened by teachings, spiritual friends, or experiences during meditation, the burden we normally associate with effort is lifted, and we find it easy—even joyful—to put energy into our practice.
This is an evening where we can share stories of inspiration and what brings us joy on the path even in the face of adversity. Looking at how we can stay in the game with a lightness of heart.
Thursday, August 9, Unwavering Meditation with Edwin Kelley
When perfected, this paramita refers to an unwavering mind, one that is so permeated with stable awareness that nothing of internal or external origin will diminish its clarity.
Steeping ourselves in theory without putting the teachings into practice can lead to laziness, and eventually a loss of inspiration. Through establishing and maintaining a regular habit of meditation, we gather the experience that, over time, helps us develop confidence in the possibility of radical internal change. Eventually, meditation loses its compartmentalization; it is no longer something separate from our daily activities but is fully integrated into how we live. It is in bringing awareness center-stage that we begin to see its true benefit.
During this evening we will look at how meditation supports the other paramitas.
Thursday, August 23, Wisdom That Sees Clearly with Edwin Kelley
Of all the paramitas, wisdom is considered to be the most important. Without wisdom, none of the other five paramitas can be perfected; wisdom is what allows the others to become transcendent qualities rather than ordinary good behavior. Mingyur Rinpoche says, “With regard to the paramitas, wisdom is the element of working for the welfare of others without getting stuck in beliefs and expectations, so that when we perform acts of generosity, for example, we do so without losing sight of our basic nature—the empty clarity of pure awareness. This allows generosity to be applied without the egocentric preoccupation with rewards and results.” (Turning Confusion into Clarity, pp. 223–224)
During this evening we will explore the impact of wisdom on the other qualities and how it makes them transcendent.
About the Speakers
Edwin Kelley attended his first meditation retreat in 1975 and has practiced in both the Theravada and the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He was Executive Director of the Insight Meditation Society from 1996-2003 and has a postgraduate diploma in Buddhist Studies. Edwin is a long-time student of Mingyur Rinpoche. In addition to his work as a senior instructor, he currently serves as co-executive director, and is a board member for Tergar International. Read more…
Myoshin Kelley attended her first meditation retreat in 1975 at the age of 20. Through the ensuing years she has received dharma instructions from several renowned Buddhist meditation teachers in the Theravada, Zen and Vajrayana traditions. She spent 15 years as a meditation teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA USA. Myoshin is a long-time student of Mingyur Rinpoche and a Senior Instructor for Tergar Meditation Community. Read more…
Cost
This public talk series is freely offered by the Tergar community. We are deeply grateful to our community members, who generously offer their time, energy, and financial contributions to make this possible.
Please consider adding a tax-deductible donation to your registration. Your generosity allows us to offer programs like this more widely.
Location
Tergar Minneapolis / St. Paul
Fisk Building
1621 E Hennepin Ave, Suite 210
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Contact
Tergar Meditation Community
Tergar Meditation Community of Minneapolis/St. Paul
612-460-8837
[email protected]
For those interested in digging deeper into the six paramitas, Vajrayana Online will spend four months beginning May 1 with a Six Paramitas course, open to all with an interest in Buddhism. Visit Tergar Learning Community for more information.
Immerse yourself in the topic with Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom in Action, a five-day retreat with Mingyur Rinpoche on the Six Paramitas and the Joy of Living. All are welcome to attend.
Location
Tergar Meditation Center, Minneapolis MN, United States