Dharma Deep Dive | Course One
Nine Stages of Shamatha: Cultivating Stability in an Uncertain World + 21 Praises of Tara Practice
Sundays | October 18, 25 & November 1, 8, 15, 22
In-person at Wisdom River Meditation Center or Online via Zoom.
Led by Lama Döndrup Drolma
8:30 - 10:15 AM Pacific (Teaching)
10:15 - 11:15 AM Pacific (Tara Puja) - details below
We are living in a time of profound uncertainty and change. Amid political and social polarization, conflict, environmental instability, and the many pressures of our personal lives, it can be difficult to remain grounded and present. We may find ourselves pulled into reactivity, overwhelmed by what is happening around us, or simply carried along by the habitual momentum of our own minds.
Shamatha, or calm abiding, offers a way of cultivating the stability that allows us to meet our experience differently. Through practice, we learn to rest more steadily in the present moment, without being continually carried away by thoughts, emotions, and circumstances. This growing stability and equanimity creates the space to remember our deepest intentions and to respond to our lives and our world with greater wisdom and compassion.
The traditional teachings on the Nine Stages of Shamatha provide a detailed map of how this capacity develops. They describe the gradual stabilization of attention, the obstacles we encounter along the way, and the methods that help us work skillfully with distraction, dullness, agitation, and other challenges. Rather than serving simply as markers of accomplishment, the nine stages can help us understand our experience in meditation and recognize how to nurture greater stability, clarity, and ease.
For experienced practitioners as well, the continued cultivation of shamatha remains essential. The stability and clarity developed through shamatha provide an indispensable foundation for practices such as Mahamudra and the Creation and Completion Stages, allowing us to engage these practices more deeply and become increasingly receptive to their transformative potential.
Over six weeks, Lama Döndrup will guide participants through the Nine Stages of Shamatha, along with the factors that impede and support the development of calm abiding. Through teachings, meditation, reflection, and discussion, we will explore how this ancient map can support both a deepening meditation practice and our capacity to remain grounded, awake, and responsive amid the complexities of our lives and our world.
There are no prerequisites.
Fees:
$240 course fee
$200 (base)
$180 (Sukhasiddhi member)
$300 (benefactor)
The deadline to register is Saturday, October 17 at 12 PM (Pacific).
**Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is included in the Dharma Training Program as part of the curriculum. If you are already enrolled in DTP, you do not need to register separately for this series. **Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is NOT included in the Bodhi Program. If you are enrolled in Bodhi and are interested in this series, you will need to register separately.
Twenty-One Praises of Tārā Puja
Sundays | October 18, 25 & November 1, 8, 15, 22
10:15 - 11:15 AM Pacific
Lama Döndrup will be leading a Tara practice as part of the course on Karma. You are welcome to join for the practice only. Sign up below for the practice that begins at 10:15 am for one hour.
Please join us for a community puja of the Twenty-One Praises of Tārā, a traditional chant honoring Tārā as the swift liberator who responds to the needs of the world with wisdom and compassion.
Through the power of collective prayer and praise, we connect with Tārā’s enlightened activity of cultivating courage, clearing obstacles, and strengthening the compassionate heart while generating shared aspirations that support one another and help the wider world remember that clarity, care, and courageous compassion remain available, even in the midst of difficulty.
This gathering is offered in connection with Lama Döndrup Drolma’s Twenty-One Praises of Tārā article series appearing in Lion’s Roar. All are welcome.
Fees: