Winter 2025 | Awake in the World

Spiritual Friendship for the Long Haul; Through the Lens of the 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas

Sundays | March 23, 30, and April 6
10 - 12 PM Pacific | Online Only
led by Rev. Susan Shannon

Now that I have this great ship, a precious human life, so hard to obtain, I must carry myself and others across the ocean of samsara.
To that end, to listen, reflect, and meditate
Day and night, without distraction, is the practice of a bodhisattva.
(verse 1, 37 Practices, Padmakara trns.)

The Bodhisattva Vow, the vow to be of benefit to all sentient beings, has the potential of ripening in all our every one of us in many ways, at our own timing of awakening. To think of this from an ultimate perspective is a beautiful, aspirational ideal, yet from a relative perspective it can be daunting, especially considering climate change, pandemics, political upheaval and all else we are dealing with in the here and now!

This study and practice course will utilize the solid, simple yet profound teachings of Gyelsay Togmay Sangpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. This text was inspired by Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, so in studying one, we are studying both. We will focus on the many ways we can apply these teachings into our daily practices of ‘self-care for the long-haul’- for ourselves and for all sentient beings. We will discuss how to achieve benefit beyond just helping ourselves and others, to the goal of serving the unfolding and awakening of all sentient beings. This goal is a great example of the goal of becoming a Kalyanamitra - a true spiritual friend - even and especially to those people and situations we have an aversion to.

Fees:
$120 (series fee)
$150 (series fee + support)
$90 (Sukhasiddhi Members)

The deadline to register is Friday, March 21 at 12 PM (Pacific).