Wednesday, September 14, 2011

ACI IX: Ethics with John Stilwell, Tuesdays 7-9pm, beginning Sept 20


Why do ethics matter? What's the point in taking vows; what are they, what do they do? Why do all spiritual traditions emphasize ethics? This course explains the role of Buddhist ethics in achieving enlightenment—why living an ethical life is the secret key to deep meditation, experiencing ultimate reality, and paradise. Every happiness and success stems from ethical living, and we explore methods to train in ethics, keep vows from being damaged, and clean past negativity.


One day vows, lifetime lay vows, freedom vows, along with the three trainings and an outline of novice, intermediate, and fully ordained monastic vows are included based upon the Sutra on Vowed Morality (Vinaya Sutra) by Master Gunaprabha (500 AD), with a commentary from The Essence of the Ocean of Vinaya (Dulwa Gyatsoy Nyingpo) by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419).


John Stilwell is a former director of the Asian Classics Institute (ACI), Godstow Retreat Center, and was General Manger of Land of Medicine Buddha. He is an executive and father who began teaching yoga 20 years ago, and has taught Buddhist sutra and tantra in the tradition of Je Tsongkapa for 15 years with a contemporary perspective highly relevant to daily life. John received transmission of the 18 Courses from Arya Sumati Dharmadhara, Geshe Michael Roach.

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