The Second Turning of The Wheel
The Bodhisattva Path
Start Date: Aug 19, 2019
Throughout The Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, you’ll explore the purpose of compassion-based meditation practices and the Buddhist philosophies behind them.
Week 1: Introduction to the Mahāyāna & the Second Turning of the Wheel
Get an overview of the various elements of the Mahāyāna, or “Great Vehicle;” Understand how to develop the mind of enlightenment; Identify the rich diversity of the Buddha’s teachings
Week 2: The Development of Wisdom & the Emergence of the Middle Way
Examine the teachings of selflessness; Discover the main themes of the Perfection of Wisdom Discourses; Realize how the “Middle Way” emerged in India, Tibet, and East Asia
Week 3: The Bodhisattva Vow & the Six Perfections
Recognize the remarkable commitment to help all beings attain enlightenment; Discern the qualities integral to taking compassionate, skillful action; Comprehend the necessity of patience
Week 4: The Cultivation of Compassion in Meditation & Post-Meditation
Perceive why lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity factor into all Buddhist meditation practices; Contemplate the distinctive Mahāyāna practice called tonglen
Week 5: Ultimate Bodhicitta
Dive more fully into the Middle Way with an introduction to analytical meditation; Continue to expand your knowledge of selflessness; Reflect on the Buddhist view of interconnectedness
Week 6: The Spread of the Perfection of Wisdom & Madhyamaka Teachings
Consider how the Perfection of Wisdom Discourses and the Middle Way teachings influenced the rise of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the East Asian schools of Buddhism
Your Instructor
D. Phillip Stanley gained his Ph.D in Religious Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism from the University of Virginia. He is also Dean of Academic Affairs and authorized teacher of Nitartha Institute, devoted to translating the entire Tibetan monastic college curriculum of the Kagyu tradition into English and to training and authorizing Western teachers of that curriculum. He is a recipient of a Fulbright-Hays scholarship. D. Phillip is the author of Primer of Classical Literary Tibetan, which is used in language classes at Naropa, and he does Tibetan textual translation for Nitartha Institute courses.