What the Buddha Taught Class 3: The Three Trainings: Meditation, Wisdom and Conduct

YEAR-LONG BUDDHIST STUDY PROGRAM

What the Buddha Taught:

A Year of Studying the Core Teachings of Buddhism

Class #3

The Three Trainings: Meditation, Wisdom and Conduct

Traditionally, Buddhist training falls into three categories, Shila (conduct or discipline), Samadhi (meditation), and Prajna (wisdom or insight). The way that reality can be recognized (Prajna) is by having a calm, clear and stable mind (Samadhi) which has at its basis a mind that is free from remorse because it is not adding to the suffering of the world in any way (Shila).

Shila (conduct) refers to simplifying our lives, not burdening ourselves with unhelpful activities. Conduct here is about caring for ourselves and those around us, basically, not causing harm.

Samadhi (meditation) is the actual practice through which we make friends with ourselves and engage directly with our experience, beyond our habitual patterns.

Prajna (insight) is the power that develops through our practice that enables us to transcend confusion and neurosis, and to know the reality of our minds and our world.

In this one-day program we will look closely at the Fourth Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path in terms of these three trainings.

Jude Robison has been a student in the Shambhala tradition since 1980. In addition to her activity as a meditation instructor and teacher, she serves on the Central Governance Circle of the Shambhala Center. She was a co-director of Karmê Chöling Meditation Center in Vermont from 1991-1996 and received an MFA in Book Arts from the University of the Arts in 2003. In addition to traditional dharma, she enjoys exploring the dharma of making books, dancing and walking in the woods.