Week 1: Questioning the
Self-image
Week 2: Seeing through Our
Limiting Stories
Week 3: Releasing the Burden
of the Past
Week 4: Flexibility of
Emotions and Awareness
Week 5: Playfulness in
Transforming the Story of "Me"
Week 6: Toward an Open and
Free Identity
Week 7: Review Class of
Previous Practices
Chances are that you
have told yourself the story of your life so often that you may have lost the
ability to understand yourself in any other way. ‘I’ am featured in the ‘story
of me’ and firmly believe that my story is real. But is this a story that we
would choose if we had the freedom to do so? Or are we stuck, constricted by
patterns of mind we currently do not control? Could we go entirely beyond
relying upon stories about ourselves to a far more satisfying, creative, and
playful type of freedom? In this course, we will investigate how our minds spin
stories about our self, the "I" and the "me." We will trace
the limiting effects of those stories and learn methods to see through and beyond
them. We need not be fettered by how we imagine our past. We can contact a
present-centered way of being that is full of positive possibilities! No prerequisites; open to all.
Testimonials
" This class is so soothing and healing! I've
already registered for the next one...I use the recording during the week just
to go to the place that Elon provides. This is a class that feels like a gift. "
Robin W.
" I've been waiting decades to get to this
material.... and the fact that it is in English makes it a lot more accessible.
Gratitude to Rinpoche and everyone who made this happen! "
Robert D.
" Slow, relaxed delivery perfectly complements the
material. Very pleasing balance between
practices and concepts. "
Curt C.
Classes meet online
for one and one-half hours each week for seven weeks, with the seventh class
meeting being a review of the practices introduced throughout. Classes are
recorded and you will have access to the recordings for your personal use only.
Each week, there will be short presentations along with experiential practices
and discussion. Weekly handouts will provide inspirational readings and the
instructions you need to continue your experiential learning at home. An online
chat room gives you the optional ability to meet and dialogue with your fellow
students.
Elon Goldstein is Lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Harvard University's Divinity School where he has taught since 2017 and is Lecturer in Religious Studies at Brandeis University. Previously he was Assistant Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Religion at the University of South Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Buddhism and South Asian Religions with training in reading Sanskrit and Tibetan texts. Additionally, he has a master’s from Harvard Divinity School, a master’s in Education from Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. from Harvard University. In his first career, Elon taught literature and history in California public schools. Elon has been a student of Buddhism since 1988 and a student of Venerable Tarthang Tulku's teachings since 1992. Elon takes joy in parenting his two daughters with whom he and his wife share a vibrant home filled with pets.
Simon Cook has a Geography Degree from Southampton University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Oxford University. He taught English Language to adults for many years, in the UK and Europe, and has taught Tibetan refugees in India. Simon did the Nine-month Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga Program at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley in 1986/87. He works for the charity Age UK, helping older people. He teaches Kum Nye at a local therapy center.
