Life can often seem overwhelming. We all sometimes struggle to keep our heads above water. But what if everyday living could be as interesting as our favorite book or as playful as a joyous dance? It's time to reimagine what's possible and learn the true meaning of 'self-care.' Whether you feel regret about the past, confused about the present, or anxious about the future, you deserve to be more balanced, creative, calm, and free.
We warmly invite you to begin your Dharma College study with the Living program and build a spiritual foundation that will serve you well for the rest of your life. You'll learn new and more effective ways to understand your mind, open your heart, and bring ease to your body and senses. Everyday living will become richer, and you will be more creative and free—less easily thrown off balance by life's up and downs.
It's time to reimagine your life as a unique and fulfilling pathway to wisdom, caring, and inner peace. You can become an artist of living. We promise!
Everyone is welcome no matter what your profession, age, or background. Classes are recorded and you will receive a link to the recordings for your personal use only. Each week, there will be a short lecture followed by experiential practices and large or small-group discussions. 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 dialog with your fellow students. Don't be surprised if they live all over the world!
Overview
So many people today are lonely, frustrated, and out of balance. Whether the cause is personal, financial, political, social or something else, the result is the same: bodies are full of stress; speech is often harsh and reactive; and thoughts are confused—dull and sluggish one moment, excitable and out of control the next. If this sounds familiar, please know that there is a way to transform your way of thinking and feeling; there is a way to become inspired and live a meaningful life. See current Life, Reimagined courses below.
Overview
This course contains an introduction to calmness meditation, the basis for insight into experience. All of us experience periods in which we seem to lose control, almost as if external events require us to respond in various ways. Calmness meditation is a key life skill here, allowing more control and flexibility in our range of responses. This is the subject of the first set of eight half hour classes, entitled ‘Welcome to a calm place’, in which a set of simple three minute daily exercises introduce the state of calm. The second term, ‘making the world’, uses the state of calm as a platform to directly experience how we construct experience, revealing patterns we have learnt from background and education.
Robin Caton (Instructor) holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan and an MFA in creative writing from Saint Mary's College of California. She is an attorney, poet and teacher who has studied Buddhism for many years, both at the Nyingma Institute and under the direction of Founding Head Lama Tarthang Tulku. Her published works include a volume of poetry, The Color of Dusk. Robin was the Director of Dharma College from 2010 to 2017.
Richard Dixey (Instructor) holds a Ph.D. from London University, an M.A. with distinction in the history and philosophy of science from London University, and a B.A. Hons from Oxford. He was director of the Bioelectronic Research Unit at St Bartholomew's hospital in London for fourteen years before founding and becoming the Chief Executive of Phytopharm PLC, a biotechnology company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Richard has been a student of Buddhism since 1972 and has traveled extensively in the Himalayas, India and South East Asia. He is currently an advisor to the Khyentse Foundation.
Elon Goldstein is a Lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Harvard University's Divinity School where he has taught since 2017. Previously he was Assistant Professor of Buddhism, Comparative Religion, and Psychology 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 an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, an M.A. in Education from Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. from Harvard University. In his first career, he 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. For many years, Elon continues to be joyfully devoted as primary parent to his two teenage daughters with whom he and his partner share a lively home filled with pets.
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