5 Thursdays, May 22 – June 19
4-5:30pm Pacific
New York Insight, online

What does it mean to be free as we move through the world? The Buddha described freedom as the natural consequence of understanding all the experiences of embodied life in terms of how they affect our hearts. We crave reliable safety, pleasure, and connection but instead find life unsatisfying, fleeting, and even our sense of self unstable. These three “marks” can be seen in anything we bring our attention to.

This 5-week course is the third in a series of practice and study courses aimed to build a strong foundation for Theravāda Buddhist training (the first two are available as on-demand courses, but are not a required prerequisite). We will explore a set of teachings on how to understand the world, looking at the core analytical lists of the marks, defilements, aggregates, and sense bases. The heart of this study is the practice of applied mindfulness, where we bring persistent, loving attention to the world as we experience it, with the aim to see how it works and be free of its snares. You do not have to have taken the other courses in the series to take this one, and beginners are welcome.

We will read original texts from the Pāli Canon as the source of our meditation instructions, and weave in supporting material from contemporary neuroscience and psychology. Each week we will meditate together, read passages from the discourses, and support each other in building or deepening a daily meditation practice. You will come away with deepened skill in Buddhist mindfulness, and a framework for bringing the discernment of spiritual inquiry into every part of your life.