Discussion Led by Jeff Schoening
Dates: Wednesdays, Aug 7 and 14
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Sakya Monastery Cultural Hall
Suggested Donation for both talks: Members: $25, Non-Members $35 ($15 Members, $20 Non-Members for just one
session)
Registration suggested: https://conta.cc/2VqA9ls
In Tibetan Buddhism, this brief text is used to explain the conduct and attitude of students toward their lamas. Abby Petty Li translated this text for her Master’s thesis at the University of Washington, and described the text in this way:
In the Fifty Verses on Guru Devotion the student is given guidelines for fostering a confidence in or devotion to the view of the guru as Vajradhara, the embodiment of the abstract ideal of enlightenment. The regulation of the student’s own behavior when around the guru, and the serving and making of offerings are done with an intentionality and an adherence to prescribed patterns that turns daily activities into a religious practice or ritual of which the guru is the focal point.
We will read a translation and discuss the text. The class is appropriate for all Vajrayana practitioners.
Jeffrey Schoening (Upasaka) holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies and is a longtime member and interpreter at Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. Jeff is the author of The Shalistamba Sutra and its Indian Commentaries (Vienna 1995), a two-volume study of teachings on dependent arising. He served as a health care chaplain at Swedish Medical Center and Northwest Kidney Center and is currently a private practice spiritual director.