Sacred Mountain Sangha (SMS) Home Study Practice-Study Programme 2011

  


The next course SMS6 begins April 2012


See below for details of SMS6, or click here to download

copy of the brochure



The intention of this program:

To support the study and practice of Dharma and meditation. This course will suit those who place contemplative practice as central to their life. 

The course provides material through weekly send outs via email and a SMS face book group.

It is recommended, though not necessary, that participants do the course with a friend or a group who can meet regularly

The program explores:

•    Buddhist philosophy and practice.
•    Meditation practice.
•    Significant Theravada and Mahayana Sutras
•    Dharma, the personal self and society.

It also:

•    Provides a link between the retreat experience and practice in daily life.
•    Supports the growth of Sangha within local communities
•    Supports those who wish to start their own sitting groups

The course offers:

  • Dharma talks
  • Chanting and mantra resources
  • Texts which support the course
  • A face book group for discussion
You will need:
  • Access to the internet for downloads

Further support suggestions:
  • That you encourage nearby friends or practitioners to join a group with you
  • Keep a journal to write quotes from texts, insights from talks & contemplations from your  weekly process.
  • Sit daily, for a length of time you can succeed at, depending on your schedule.
  • Designate a regular sitting space.

Course Curriculum:

Module One
•    Cultivating positive mind states.
•    Refuge
•    Meditation practice
•    Mindfulness

Module Two
•    Wisdom and Insight
•    View & Karma
•    3 Characteristics
•    4 Noble Truths
•    Nirvana and the Non-Dual

Module Three
•    Emptiness
•    Compassion
•    Bodhisattva Ideal
•    Pure Land and Chan Buddhism
•    The Dharma, the personal self and society.

Course Commitment

•    To undertake a daily sitting practice.
•    To read one Sutra or contemplative reading weekly
•    To listen to one Dharma talk a week
•    To work with weekly inquiry exercises
•    If working with co-participants, to meet in a group from time to time

Course Tutors

Kittisaro: Originally from the US, graduated from Princeton as a Rhodes Scholar, he is a Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, spending 15 years as a monk in the Forest Sangha of Ajahn Chah. Kittisaro has also practised for 25 years Pure Land and Chan drawing from the lineage of the Chinese master Master Hua.

Thanissara: Originally from London, she is a Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, spending 12 years as a nun in the Forest school of Ajahn Chah. She has an MA in Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy from the Karuna Institute and Middlesex University UK.

Kittisaro and Thanissara have taught retreats internationally for 25 years.

Cost

While the course is run on Dana ( free will generosity) in accordance with the Buddhist tradition, we ask participants consider an appropriate gift for each module, according to their means. Making a financial contribution energizes motivation to commit fully to the course.This generates a whole hearted engagement which tends towards more positive results. Entering this course creates a two way exchange between participants and teachers. The spirit of offering from both sides is mutually supportive and helps establish a positive connection. Making a financial contribution also greatly supports Dharmagiri which enables us to continue offering our Dharma services through the hosting of retreats, our outreach programs and our online courses.


Making a Dana Offering for the Course



dana for SMS study-practice program


To read further: Guidelines for Offering Dana.To make a donation: Making a Donation.


To Apply

Please respond to the below questions in a way that is authentic to your experience.

1.    What is your previous experience of meditation and Buddhist practice?
2.    What is your experience with other spiritual and contemplative traditions?
3.    Why would you like to do this course?
4.    Do you foresee any difficulties in fulfilling its requirements?
5.    What aspects of Buddhist practice do you find either supportive or challenging?
6.    Are you able to form a group or join with a co-participant to follow the course with?
7.    Where do you currently live? (in case there are others signed up nearby.)

Please send your application to sms.dharmagiri@gmail.com





From Previous Participants

“This course helped me gain a more in-depth & intimate understanding of the Dharma,
much needed and desired.”

“The material of this course is such a blessing and is a wonderful support for study and practice
 long after the course itself.”

“The course was very helpful. It gave me a deeper and broader understanding of Buddhism
both as a worldwide religion and as a personal practice.”

“I feel deeply grateful for the enormously rich, profound and complete teachings.
 If I truly know even a tenth in this life time, I’ll be extremely fortunate.”

“The course provided a sense of structure and direction, it has been life changing.”