Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Reading and Understanding the Suttas–Part I (w/ Jay Ford) The suttas of the Pali Canon are the closest thing we have to the historical Buddha’s actual words. While it is certainly helpful to listen, read, and follow the wide range of contemporary teachers available to us, how remarkable is it that we have such easy access to these almost 2500-year-old texts that trace back to the source of this extraordinary tradition? Reading these texts offers a means to connect with the Buddha’s teachings while cultivating deeper insight, wisdom, and understanding. They also serve as a source of inspiration, curiosity, and awe. This week and next, Jay Ford will introduce the Sutta Pitaka collection, including its overall structure, important elements of its content, and principles to keep in mind as we read discourses from this timeless corpus. Along the way, we’ll also read several short suttas as a way of putting these principles into practice.

Schedule (Tues., May 6) 6:30-6:35: Announcements 6:35-7:05: Sitting Meditation 7:05-8:00: Reading and Understanding the Suttas–Part I (Jay Ford)

Upcoming Schedule
May 13: How to Read a Sutta–Pt. II (Jay Ford)
May 20: On the Paramitas (Perfections) (Joanna Kelly)
May 27: Mindfulness in Nature (Marc Farrow)
June 3: The Nyingmapa Order of Tibetan Buddhism (Pam Harrod)
June 10: Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory & Buddhism–An Introduction (Vann McCoy)
June 17: The Five Hindrances (Kris Grapes)
June 24: Ahyashanti (Jim Garrido)