Dharma Sunday (6/22) - The Incarcerating Self - Buddhadasa’s “The Prison of Life,” Part 1 (Online)

Live Online! 

10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET

In this two-part class, participants will be invited to study and reflect on a short teaching by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu entitled “The Prison of Life” (free download: https://www.suanmokkh.org/books/16).

Just as prisons are rationalized as necessary containment for those whose criminal convictions make them untrustworthy or undeserving of freedom, we rationalize our self-created imprisonment as a necessary means of avoiding unforgivable mistakes on our spiritual journey. Buddhadasa asks us to look at the prisons we make for ourselves out of desire for purity and goodness, our instincts, and even our teachers. This is a subtle and challenging inquiry, but necessary when your discipline brings you to a frustrated and joyless state. Kyira, also known as Acharya Abhaya, will offer contemplative and meditative tools to support engaging with the text, developed with the insight of all that she has learned about prison journeys in her years as a correctional chaplain.

For more on Buddhadasa Bhikkhu: https://www.suanmokkh.org/buddhadasa, and https://tricycle.org/magazine/passing-buddhadasa/.

Participants will be provided with worksheets and ideas for engagement during the week between classes.

Natural Dharma Fellowship’s Dharma Sundays are donation-based gatherings open to all, offering a wide range of topics. Led by highly trained NDF Dharma and guest teachers, these live, interactive sessions include guided meditation, teachings, and time for questions and discussion. Please join us to settle into the support of sangha and the joy of practicing together.

Zoom link —The Zoom meeting link will be emailed separately two days before the session or following registration if closer to the event time. Please put this address in your Contacts to ensure you receive our emails: register@naturaldharma.org. If you haven’t received the link, please first check your spam folder and then contact the email above by the prior Saturday or zoomsupport@natualdharma.org the morning of the session if you still need assistance. 

Closed captioning is available on all online retreats and teachings.

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