MIND, SELF AND SOCIETY IN

MONASTIC TIBETAN BUDDHISM

Study in a Buddhist Monastery

RELS 398.30: This course provides an "immersion" experience of the history, theory and practice of Tibetan Buddhist monasticism in the west. Two weeks of on-line/home study will be followed by one week living the monastic Buddhist life along with the monks and nuns of Gampo Abbey (www.gampoabbey.org) in beautiful Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Our study includes the work of one of the abbey's founders and one of Buddhism's best-loved teachers, Ani Pema Chodron. We will study the history of the tradition including its origins in India and development in Tibet. We will examine the ethical and philosophical underpinning of Buddhist practice including views of compassion, wisdom and the nature of mind. At the abbey, we will follow the schedule of the monastic practice including sitting meditation, walking meditation and shamatha yoga. We will study Buddhist perceptions of ecology and monastic engagement with society. Three credits.

Instructor: Dr. Adéla Sandness (Instructor permission is required to register for this course.)

Tuition: $710 + texts Note: A non-credit option is also available – contact us for details.

June 11 – July 3, 2012

June 11 - 22 – online/home study component (Blackboard Collaborate - students require a head set or microphone and speakers)

June 26 – July 3 – on-site at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, NS Room & Board (Gampo Abbey) is in addition to tuition: $400. Students are responsible for transportation.

For information/registration contact: StFX Continuing & Distance Education mlmacinn@stfx.ca 1-877-867-5561 or (902) 867-5561