Newsletter 01 v7.pages - MBSR

Bodhi Institute
N
E
W
S
L
E
T
T
E
R
September
2015
WELCOME TO BODHI INSTITUTE
Bodhi Institute is a new educational venture which has been designed to provide indepth courses in the study and practice of early Buddhism – that is, the teachings of the
Buddha before they became codified into the doctrines of any Buddhist school.
The programme offered by Bodhi Institute is intended for students who are committed
to the practice of meditation and familiar with basic Buddhist ethical, psychological
and philosophical concepts. The Institute is open to Buddhists and non-Buddhists
alike.
Our core curriculum comprises a two-year
programme for committed practitioners, a
two-year programme in the newly emerging
field of secular Dharma, and a two-year
programme to support healthcare and other
professionals who use mindfulness-based
interventions in their work.
In addition, we offer a number of free-standing
modular courses that focus on gaining a deeper understanding of early Buddhist
thought through the study of classical Pali texts and Buddhist psychology.
While making use of modern critical scholarship, the goals of Bodhi Institute are not
purely academic. We seek to provide a contemplative education that inspires students
to realize the ethical and philosophical values of the Dharma in the context of this day
and age.
Core faculty are Stephen Batchelor, Christina Feldman, John Peacock and Akincano
Weber, all of whom are well known international Buddhist teachers. Other faculty at
Bodhi Institute in 2016 will be Bhikkhu Anālayo, Letizia Baglioni, Martine Batchelor,
Chris Cullen, Renate Seifarth, Maura Sills, Ajahn Sucitto, and Jenny Wilks.
Our courses will take place at a number of venues in the United Kingdom (including
Gaia House and Sharpham House) as well as at locations in Germany, Italy and
Switzerland.
On 30th October 2015, Bodhi Institute core faculty members Stephen Batchelor, John
Peacock and Akincano Weber will hold a discussion at Friends House, Euston, hosted
by London Insight, on the theme Early Buddhism: Theory and Practice.
They will also be available to answer any questions you have about the Institute and
our vision. We hope to stream part of this event live through our website. For more
information go to this London Insight web page.
2016 PROGRAMME
¶ TWO-YEAR COURSES
Committed Practitioners’ Programme (£2560)
6 modules and 2 retreats over two years
2016 dates: 5–10 March; 10–15 June; 2–9 September; 21–26 October
with the core faculty
Secular Dharma Programme (£2480)
4 modules and 2 retreats over two years
2016 dates: 17–21 February; 16–23 July; 2–6
November
with Stephen Batchelor, Martine Batchelor,
Letizia Baglioni and Jenny Wilks
Mindfulness Teachers’ Development
Programme (£917 and £733 per module)
4 modules over two years
2016 dates: 4–9 February; 3–7 October
with Christina Feldman, John Peacock,
Akincano Weber and Chris Cullen
¶ MODULAR COURSES
IN ENGLISH
13–20 March • Mindfulness in the
Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (£595)
with Anālayo Bhikkhu (Sharpham, Devon)
Bodhi Institute Newsletter • September 2015 • 2
7–12 August • The Knowing Citta: Mind, Obscuration and Understanding (£425)
with Maura Sills and Akincano Weber (Karuna Institute, Devon)
12–16 September • Creative Formations (saṅkhāra) (£340)
with Ajahn Sucitto (Karuna Institute, Devon)
14–18 November • The Aṭṭhakavagga (£340)
with John Peacock (Sharpham, Devon)
IN GERMAN
11–15 May • Budddhistische Psychologie 1 – Verkehrtheiten und die Befreiung des
Herzens
with Akincano Weber (Waldhaus am Laacher See, Eifel, D) (€305)
12–16 May • Säkularer Dharma: eine Einführung (€160–330)
with Stephen Batchelor and Renate Seifarth (Dresden, D)
in collaboration with the Sati Verein
IN ITALIAN
17–21 March • Introduzione al buddhismo delle origini (€275)
with Stephen Batchelor and Letizia Baglioni (Bologna, I)
BOOKING
To apply to join a Bodhi Institute course, click on the course title in the programme
above which will take you to our website. There you will find the admission criteria,
further details on the courses and teachers as well as course dates and venues. To
book, simply follow the instructions.
CORE FACULTY
Stephen Batchelor is a Buddhist teacher and writer, known for his
secular approach to Buddhism. A former Buddhist monk in the
Tibetan and Sŏn traditions, he is the translator and author of several
books including Buddhism without Beliefs and Confession of a
Buddhist Atheist. His next book After Buddhism will be published by
Yale in 2015.
Christina Feldman has been teaching insight meditation retreats
internationally since 1976. She is a co-founder of Gaia House and a
guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre,
Massachusetts. An author of several books, she teaches Buddhist
Bodhi Institute Newsletter • September 2015 • 3
psychology for teachers of mindfulness-based applications in England, Belgium and
the Netherlands.
Dr. John Peacock is both an academic and Buddhist practitioner. A
former monk in the Tibetan and Theravada traditions, he is currently
Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and teaches on the
Master of Studies programme in MBCT at Oxford University. He has
been leading meditation retreats for 25 years.
Akincano Weber is a Swiss Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist. A
former monk, he has practiced for 20 years in European and Thai
Forest monasteries. He is currently guiding teacher of Atammaya
Cologne, is part of the MBSR-Institute Freiburg and teaches meditation
and Buddhist psychology in Europe and overseas.
HOW CAN I HELP?
As a fledgling institution, we are entirely dependent on the generosity of donors to
enable us to operate. We have established a Development Fund to support the
evolution of Bodhi Institute and a Bursary Fund to enable students who are unable to
afford the full cost of the courses to attend. Bursaries will become available in 2017.
MORE INFORMATION
You will find further information about our vision and our activities at www.bodhiinstitute.org. Resources on the website include
comprehensive reading lists on early
Buddhism as well as a selection of articles,
audio talks and videos by the core faculty and
others.
To receive newsletters and other information
from Bodhi Institute, sign up to our mailing list.
If you have any questions, write to
administrator Aline Petit by email at
[email protected].
Please share this newsletter with people you
know who might be interested in the work of
Bodhi Institute.
Bodhi Institute Newsletter • September 2015 • 4