Sangha Nights in April: The Life and Teachings of the Buddha, Part 3

Practicing Dharma and Meditation in Community, Wednesdays, 7pm to 9pm, in person

In April we continue our three month series based on the book by Vishvapani: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One, available as a hard copy, audio or ebook.

We encourage you to read/listen to the relevant chapter each week, but the series is fully accessible to drop-ins and non-readers: we’ll start each evening with a short recap of the story and key themes so people can easily follow and take part.April 1: Practice Night

April 8: Week 8

• • • Chapter 8: Crisis
      Challenges from within and without – conflict, misunderstanding, Devadatta, and the fragility of any spiritual community – and how he responds.

April 15: Week 9

• • • Chapter 9: The Final Journey
      The Buddha’s last journey, final teachings and death, and what it means for a tradition when the historical teacher is no longer physically present.

April 22: Week 10

• • • Chapter 10: Gautama’s Legacy
      Relics, councils, early schools, Mahayana and Vajrayana, Ashoka’s “Dharma empire,” and the many forms of Buddhism today – from Thai forests and Zen temples to Dalit conversions and Californian meditation apps. We end by returning to a few key images of Gautama (prince, forest meditator, wandering teacher, old man on his last journey) as touchstones for our own practice now.

April 29: Buddha Day (May1)

In Person

Everyone is welcome to Sangha Night