The new Middle Way Courses (MWC) provide practical guidance for those seeking to awaken or more deeply engage their life’s path. Each 4-class series draws readings from a variety of traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity to reveal the universal nature of the spiritual path.
It is highly recommended to attend these courses in person and to study directly with a qualified Teacher to gain a deeper understanding of the material. Classes consist of meditations and practices utilizing elements from the spiritual texts. The Course Materials are available for download below. Please refer to our Media section for audio and/or video.
The Problem, The Cause, The Goal and The Solution – Course Materials
Beginning Level Course
This four-class course lays out the foundational structure of any authentic spiritual path: recognizing the problems of a non-spiritual life; taking responsibility for one’s own well-being; the possibility of an alternative to a life of suffering and victimhood; and the basics of a coherent and efficient method for reaching the goal of true happiness.
A Flash of Lightening: Generating the Wish to Awaken – Course Materials
Advanced Level Course
The spiritual ideal of living life as a saint or “bodhisattva” pivots on one’s motivation. In these teachings, you’ll review the methods for generating and protecting the “mind of Awakening” or “bodhicitta.” Working from Lama Marut’s new translation of Shantideva’s master work, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, this workshop introduces a 4-class course of our new Middle Way Center program of study.
Mindful Living – Course Materials
Many traditions and sacred texts enumerate the practices that comprise a mindful or meditative lifestyle. In this course Lama Marut uses some of his newest translations to shed light on these practices utilizing elements from the following source texts:
- Buddha’s Mahasatipatthana Sutta
- Kamalashila’s Bhavana Krama
- Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
- Svatmarama’s Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Bondage, Freedom & Interconnection: The 12 Links of Interdependent Arising
Course Materials and 12 Links
Intermediate Level Course
In chapter Twenty-six of Arya Nagarjuna’s Root Verses on the Middle Way: Analysis of the Twelve Links, as we near the end of the text as a whole, the Nagarjuna takes up the important subject of the “twelve links of dependent origination,” the causal chain which in the forward direction ensnares us in samsara and the reversal of which liberates us into nirvana. Having spent twenty-five chapters negating the most cherished beliefs of the Buddhist orthodoxy, it is interesting indeed that Nagarjuna chooses at the end to affirm that we do indeed experience samsara due to these causal links and that nirvana is possible by undoing what we’ve done.
Finding the Heart in the Heart Sutra – Course Materials
Intermediate Level Course
Based on the Heart Sutra and concentrating on the structure of the “five paths” of the spiritual life as well as the relationship between interdependence and emptiness.
