Weekly Reading & Contemplation Program

Just as a bird needs two wings to fly, authentic Dharma practice requires both study and direct experience. Each Sunday morning provides a bit of both: we begin with Om Ah Hung compassion meditation, then explore profound teachings through guided reading and discussion.

When we understand the Buddhist view and Buddhist workings of the mind, we see that there is a clear distinction between the positive parts of me and what they would refer to as my neurotic, unhappy state of mind, which is a source of my own pain, and therefore the source of my problems with others.

The key thing that the Buddha is saying is that what goes on in our minds is the key factor in determining happiness and suffering. This is a massive point, because it’s not what we believe. I believe you are the cause of my happiness, and you are the cause of my suffering, and what my mother did, and what my father did, and what happened at school, and all these external events.

But the Buddha says, “No. It’s what goes on in your mind.” Those external things play a role, of course they do, but the key thing is what goes on in the mind. But knowing what goes on in our mind is not an easy job. Often, we don’t even notice it until it’s vomiting out the mouth! We don’t even notice we’re depressed until we can’t get out of bed one morning. We don’t pay attention until it’s too late. Our emotions are the tip of the iceberg. They’re informed by elaborate conceptual stories deep in the bones of our being. We need to have some space to start to listen to those, to have some form of inner inspection. This takes immense courage. These stories are so deep down, they’re literally unconscious, so we have to go to that level.

From interview-with Robina Courtin