Zoom Virtual Event

Every second Friday, 7 to 9pm (CET) from March 12nd to December 31st

The current situation among modern Buddhadharma practitioners was summed up by Roshi Susuki more than 30 years ago as follows: “You are not monks, but you are not lay people either. Asian Buddhist societies have developed with a sharp distinction between ordained monks and lay people. The monks had the opportunity to study and practice full-time, while the laity were largely illiterate and acted as support for the monks. We are different: we do not have as much free time to study and practice as much as the monks, but our education and sophistication create different needs than those of the traditional lay person.

With this in mind, Lama Bruce Newman has developed a study program for beginners and advanced students, training them to benefit in a much deeper way from their personal contact with the great lamas and also to participate in their Dharma center with greater wisdom, knowledge and ability. We recognize and accept the fact that most of us are very busy and active people, but that does not make our need to progress on the spiritual path any less real.

Jewel Ornament of Liberation

The Jewel Ornament of Liberation is a masterpiece of Tibetan Buddhism. For more than eight centuries, this text has provided a complete foundation for the study and practice of Buddhism-from initial entry into the path to the attainment of Buddhahood. It contains teachings on Buddha-nature, finding a spiritual master, impermanence, karma, cultivating bodhicitta, developing the six perfections, the ten bodhisattva-bhumis, Buddhahood, and the activities of a Buddha.

Gampopa (1074-1153 CE), one of the most respected Tibetan Buddhist masters, was the chief disciple of Milarepa. Gampopa’s teachings were said to be “clear as the sun.” The Jewel of Liberation is considered the most significant of his many texts.