Dharma Deep Dive Spring Series | Course 1

How We Perceive Our World: The Eight Consciousnesses

Dates:
Sundays | April 20, April 27, May 4, May 11, May 18, May 25

Location:
In-person at our new center (7110 Redwood Blvd, Suite B., Novato, CA) or online via Zoom.

Time:
8:30 AM - 11 AM Pacific

Buddhist practice offers a path to freeing the mind from conditioned patterns that obscure its luminous nature. One of the most powerful ways to engage this process is to examine how perception itself unfolds how we experience the world through layers of sensory input, habitual tendencies, and karmic conditioning.

The Eight Consciousnesses provide a nuanced map of perception, revealing how sensory input is filtered through our sense of self, habitual patterns, and accumulated karma. By investigating this dynamic interplay, we begin to see how our constructed sense of self is maintained—and how we can begin to dismantle limiting patterns that obscure direct experience.

This course will explore:

• The structure of perception: How sensory, mental, and karmic consciousnesses interact to form our experience of self and world.

• How habitual patterns are reinforced: The role of the seventh (klesha) consciousness in shaping identity and the eighth (alaya) consciousness as the repository of karmic imprints.

• The path to liberation: How recognizing and deconstructing the process of perception can loosen conditioned tendencies, open space for wisdom, and allow direct experience to emerge.

Course Structure:

• Guided Meditation: Each session begins with calm abiding (shamatha) meditation led by Lama Döndrup, cultivating the stability and clarity needed to examine perception.

• Theoretical Exploration: A deep dive into each consciousness, its function, and its role in shaping our experience.

• Experiential Investigation: Engaging exercises to directly observe perception in real-time and apply these teachings to daily life.

• Collaborative Discussion: A space for participants to share insights, ask questions, and deepen their understanding through dialogue.

This series invites you into a profound inquiry into the nature of perception and mind, offering both insight and direct practice to transform how you experience reality. Open to practitioners of all levels, whether you are new to these teachings or looking to deepen your understanding.

Fee:
$225 course fee
$185 (base)
$175 (Sukhasiddhi member)
$300 (benefactor)

The deadline to register is Saturday, April 18 at 12 PM (Pacific).

**Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is included in the Dharma Training Program as part of the curriculum. If you are already enrolled in DTP, you do not need to register separately for this series. 

**Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is NOT included in the Bodhi Program. If you are enrolled in Bodhi and are interested in this series, you will need to register separately.