Opening to the Perfection of Wisdom
Prajñāpāramitā: The Heart of the Great Vehicle
As we cultivate the path of awakening, we bring the principles of the Dharma—known as “perfections” (Pāli: pāramī, Skt: pāramitā)—into engagement with all aspects of our life. All Dharma principles are both practices to develop as we train the heart and mind, and ideals that point to the best of who we can be. From the foundational perfection of dāna, inspired giving, through the ethical and meditative perfections, we train to manifest goodness and generosity of spirit in all our relationships.
The crown perfection is the quality of wisdom (Pāli: pañña, Sanskrit: prajña), which begins with the discipline of investigation, ripens through insight, and matures as transcendent clarity and freedom of heart. The Buddhist tradition known as the Perfection of Wisdom, or Prajñāpāramitā, developed the insight that wisdom is what transforms ordinary humans into Buddhas, and thus recognized Prajñāpāramitā as “The Mother of the Buddhas,” not just a practice and inner quality, but a goddess.
Join us to explore an extraordinary approach to meditation, inquiry, and insight through the early Mahāyāna text The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines, in a series of meditations and video lessons recorded at the Tuesday night Satsang in 2024. Then bring Prajñāpāramitā deeper into your practice with a personal retreat, using the recordings from our Fall 2024 retreat and the beloved short summary text of the Prajñāpāramitā literature known as the Heart of the Teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom, or Heart Sūtra.
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All courses are offered in the Gift Economy model. We use a wide sliding scale, based on self-assessment of your income and ability to offer your resources in a way that supports others with lesser resources to attend. Please support us in working with Gift Economy by engaging sincerely with the process and selecting the highest level you can on the sliding scale. Your generosity directly gifts scholarship support to those who need it, and allows us to share these teachings with everyone who might benefit from them, regardless of access to wealth. Thank you!
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Further scholarships are offered as widely as possible and based on request. Our goal is to not turn anyone away for lack of resources, both for this course and future offerings. Email us here to request a scholarship.
What’s included
A series of 16 meditation and talk recordings, exploring the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) teachings, using the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines as the root text, recorded at the Tuesday Satsang July-October 2024
Recordings from our 5-day fall 2024 retreat, Opening to the Perfection of Wisdom in Ukiah, CA at the Mariposa Institute
Full instruction and audio for chanting the Heart Sūtra in Sanskrit
Links to additional resources for continued study
Lifetime access to the course
“Throughout this retreat I felt as if I was being woven together, inside and out. The clapping of the rain on the yurts stirred into the crackling of the fires in the wood burning stoves, the stillness of morning sittings flowed into movement and teachings as beautifully as the creek growing at the bottom of the canyon. The whole experience fed a stream of curiosity and love for these teachings and practices that have nourished clarity, kindness and connection in and around me. I became beautifully tangled with the forest, the food, the others who I came to love and honor in just a handful of days, and felt seeded with the idea that I’ve always been a part of this tapestry, perhaps for much longer than I can remember.”
— Retreat Participant
Meet your teacher, Dr. Sean Oakes
He/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English ancestry, living on unceded Pomo land in Northern California
Sean teaches Buddhism, Yoga, and somatic practice, focusing on philosophical inquiry, trauma healing, devotion, and social engagement as expressions of the Dharma. He wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance, and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and elsewhere. Read more about…