Workshop on Dependent Origination

Dependent origination or Paticcasamupada has been called the heart and the essence of Buddha’s teaching. It is the detailed description of the cause of suffering (the Second Truth of the Noble One) and the practical means to understanding suffering’s end. On the night of his awakening, the Buddha came to see how nothing arises and passes away of itself but only in dependence on multiple causes and conditions unfolding in rapid and complex relationship. It is a system of comprehending the ways in which we pattern delusional behavior moment-to-moment and bind ourselves to samsara. To understand dependent origination is to understand how causes and conditions shape our view and lead to unwholesome actions of body, speech and mind. To understand dependent origination is to have the means to behave differently—to choose freedom (nirvana).

In this workshop facilitated by Kendo, we’ll explore the 12 links of Dependent Origination and the ways in which they synergistically co-create a misperception we call “myself”. We’ll look at the links individually and then as a system in which we are constantly tangled up to deleterious (mostly) effect. As well, we will look at how the understanding of dependent origination offers us a way out of that tangle.

Limited to 20 in-person participants and online. There is no charge for the workshop, however donations to Bread Loaf Zen Community are gratefully welcomed.

Please register here.