What the Buddha Taught Class 9: The Six Paramitas

 

 "I think everything that we need to improve our world, our society and our humanity is in the six paramitas. This is an approach based on wishing to help not only myself, but all of us together. The attitude is not "I and you," but "me and we."   Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

 

How can our practice help us be of benefit, especially in this time of extreme challenges? The Six Paramitas: Generosity, Discipline, Patience, Exertion, Meditation, & Wisdom are the central practices of the Mahayana Buddhist path. They are guidelines for using our everyday life as a basis for becoming more awake to what is needed for the well-being of ourselves, our communities, and our planet.

 

During this one-day class we will explore the six paramitas, finding our inspiration and recognizing our resistance. We will practice the paramitas through meditation, contemplation and discussion.

 

Elaine Yuen is an educator, chaplain and researcher. She has been a student and teacher in the Shambhala community since the early 1970’s, and has been a Philadelphian since 1980. Between 2012 and 2020 she was a professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where she taught courses on pastoral caregiving (chaplaincy), contemplative education and Buddhist studies. Elaine is deeply interested in how we shape our social interactions with caring and authentic presence. She continues to explore the interfaces between Buddhism, meditation, creativity, and contemplative caregiving. Her website on Contemplative Chaplaincy can be found at elaineyuen.com.