About the Course

Whether you’ve studied Buddhism extensively or are just beginning your exploration, if you’ve ever wondered, “What, exactly, is Buddhism all about?” then this is the course for you! In this four-week course, senior teacher Arawana Hayashi presents the core teachings of Buddhism in a way that is clear, direct, and applicable to our daily lives.

You will learn the foundational teachings common to all Buddhist traditions, including:

• The path of “individual liberation”: how we can be free from fear and suffering.
• The Buddha’s famous “Four Noble Truths”: the truth of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to contentment and freedom.
• The meditation practice of mindfulness and awareness.
• How to be a “dharmic person” through an exploration of the traditional Buddhist teachings of egolessness, impermanence, gentleness, and peace.

You will leave this course feeling a deep understanding of the core Buddhist path, teachings, and the meditation practice, and how this can have a profound impact on your daily life.

This four-week course includes recorded talks, readings, contemplations, and an open discussion forum.

Readings for the course are taken from some of the following texts by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche:

• The Myth of Freedom
• Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
• Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
• Meditation in Action

This course is self-paced and you may view the recorded talks at your convenience. The recommended schedule is to view one talk each week and complete the associated readings and exercises in the module. There are 4 talks.

How Much Time Does it Take?

Most participants spend 1 to 2 hours per week on the course. The talks average 45 minutes in length. Allow yourself time to do the readings, meditation practices and other assignments. It’s a good idea to schedule the time on your calendar as you would for a face-to-face class

About the Teacher

Arawana Hayashi is a dancer, choreographer and teacher, trained in both Japanese and Western art forms. She is also a senior teacher of meditation in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. From her career’s inception, her work as an artist and meditation practitioner has been intertwined with innovations in community building and education. Since the 1970s her focus has been on using non-verbal collaborative improvisation methods to increase personal presence and group performance. Arawana is a founding member of the Presencing Institute (www.presencing.com) and the ALIA Institute, now the Authentic Leadership Center at Naropa Univeristy in Boulder, Colorado.

Registration Options

The Patron rate of $149 supports our efforts to connect teachers and learners through online programs. In particular, it helps us offer the generosity policy to those in need

Generosity Policy. We want to make the teachings available to all and will work with you to ensure your participation. See the “Pay what you can afford” option when you register.

Click here for our Refund Policy.