Discovering Buddhism: Module 12
Wisdom of Emptiness
with Ven. Amy Miller
Wednesdays, January 25 to March 1, 2023
6:00pm – 7:30pm PT
(Six sessions: January 25, February 1, 8, 15 & 22, and March 1)
In-person or via Zoom / Registration required
(See in-person schedule below)
Optional Practice Day:
Sunday, March 11
1:00 pm - 4:00pm PT
Via Zoom only. Inaccessible road condition.
Join us for our "Wisdom of Emptiness" practice day. All are welcome to participate as we review the teachings and meditations!
Wisdom of Emptiness
with Ven. Amy Miller
Wednesdays, January 25 to March 1, 2023
6:00pm – 7:30pm PT
(Six sessions: January 25, February 1, 8, 15 & 22, and March 1)
In-person or via Zoom / Registration required
(See in-person schedule below)
Optional Practice Day:
Sunday, March 11
1:00 pm - 4:00pm PT
Via Zoom only. Inaccessible road condition.
Join us for our "Wisdom of Emptiness" practice day. All are welcome to participate as we review the teachings and meditations!
Program Description:
Discovering Buddhism Module 12: Wisdom of Emptiness. Co-hosted by Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco, and Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek.
All the 84,000 teachings the Buddha gave were ultimately to help us attain a direct perception of emptiness. That’s how important the profound experience of emptiness is on the path to enlightenment.
In this module of Discovering Buddhism, we will delve into the methods for bringing about the realization of emptiness, which is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment.
We will explore such questions as:
We will also learn how to develop calm abiding (shamata), the ability to remain focused in meditation for long periods of time without distraction, and understand how best to use that to meditate on emptiness. We will also discuss the accumulation of merit and purification of obstacles, which are indispensable for generating realizations.
This is the 12th in a series of 14 modules covering the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment. Students may join at any point in the cycle yet for this module it is helpful to have some background in Buddhism. Discovering Buddhism is designed for students who wish to deepen their understanding of fundamental Buddhist concepts. Each module includes teachings, meditations, readings, assessment questions, and a short half-day practice day.
While there will be an online Zoom presence for this class, consider joining us in person to reconnect with your local Dharma community. We will be hosting three sessions at Tse Chen Ling Center and three sessions at Land of Medicine Buddha with the final 1-4 p.m. practice period at Land of Medicine Buddha.
Tse Chen Ling Gompa — January 25, February 8 and 22
Land of Medicine Buddha Gompa — February 1, 15, and March 1
Practice Session: Land of Medicine Buddha Gompa — March 11, 1-4 p.m.
All the 84,000 teachings the Buddha gave were ultimately to help us attain a direct perception of emptiness. That’s how important the profound experience of emptiness is on the path to enlightenment.
In this module of Discovering Buddhism, we will delve into the methods for bringing about the realization of emptiness, which is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment.
We will explore such questions as:
- What is emptiness?
- What is the relationship between emptiness, liberation, and enlightenment?
- What is the relationship between emptiness and dependent arising?
- What are the different ways to meditate on emptiness?
- How can we realize emptiness?
We will also learn how to develop calm abiding (shamata), the ability to remain focused in meditation for long periods of time without distraction, and understand how best to use that to meditate on emptiness. We will also discuss the accumulation of merit and purification of obstacles, which are indispensable for generating realizations.
This is the 12th in a series of 14 modules covering the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment. Students may join at any point in the cycle yet for this module it is helpful to have some background in Buddhism. Discovering Buddhism is designed for students who wish to deepen their understanding of fundamental Buddhist concepts. Each module includes teachings, meditations, readings, assessment questions, and a short half-day practice day.
While there will be an online Zoom presence for this class, consider joining us in person to reconnect with your local Dharma community. We will be hosting three sessions at Tse Chen Ling Center and three sessions at Land of Medicine Buddha with the final 1-4 p.m. practice period at Land of Medicine Buddha.
Tse Chen Ling Gompa — January 25, February 8 and 22
Land of Medicine Buddha Gompa — February 1, 15, and March 1
Practice Session: Land of Medicine Buddha Gompa — March 11, 1-4 p.m.
About Ven. Amy Miller
Venerable Amy Miller was ordained as a Buddhist nun in June 2000 by the great Tibetan master, Ven. Choden Rinpoche, and has been teaching extensively since 1992. Her teaching style emphasizes a practical approach to integrating Buddhist philosophy into everyday life. She is happy to help people connect with meditation and mindfulness in an effort to gain a refreshing perspective on normally stressful living. Amy’s courses and retreats focus on establishing and maintaining a meditation and mindfulness practice, death and dying, overcoming anxiety and depression, battling addiction, dealing with self-esteem issues, and cultivating compassion and loving kindness. She is also often involved in leading a variety of retreats.
From 1992-1995, Ven. Amy managed Tse Chen Ling Center. She then served as Director of Vajrapani Institute, also in California, from 1995-2004. From 1998-2002, she was also the Manager of the Lawudo Retreat Fund (which supports the center in which the sacred cave of Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche is located) in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. In 2004, after resigning as Director, Ven. Amy completed a seven-month solitary retreat at Vajrapani. For most of 2005 and 2006, she organized international teaching tours for and traveled with the esteemed Tibetan Buddhist master, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche until Rinpoche’s death in 2006. Ven. Amy then became a touring teacher for the FPMT (the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition). From 2008-2014, Ven. Amy was Director of Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont.
Ven. Amy is the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell – and a contributor to Living in the Path, a series of online courses produced by FPMT. Her teaching schedule and other information can be found at www.AmyMiller.com.
Venerable Amy Miller was ordained as a Buddhist nun in June 2000 by the great Tibetan master, Ven. Choden Rinpoche, and has been teaching extensively since 1992. Her teaching style emphasizes a practical approach to integrating Buddhist philosophy into everyday life. She is happy to help people connect with meditation and mindfulness in an effort to gain a refreshing perspective on normally stressful living. Amy’s courses and retreats focus on establishing and maintaining a meditation and mindfulness practice, death and dying, overcoming anxiety and depression, battling addiction, dealing with self-esteem issues, and cultivating compassion and loving kindness. She is also often involved in leading a variety of retreats.
From 1992-1995, Ven. Amy managed Tse Chen Ling Center. She then served as Director of Vajrapani Institute, also in California, from 1995-2004. From 1998-2002, she was also the Manager of the Lawudo Retreat Fund (which supports the center in which the sacred cave of Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche is located) in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. In 2004, after resigning as Director, Ven. Amy completed a seven-month solitary retreat at Vajrapani. For most of 2005 and 2006, she organized international teaching tours for and traveled with the esteemed Tibetan Buddhist master, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche until Rinpoche’s death in 2006. Ven. Amy then became a touring teacher for the FPMT (the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition). From 2008-2014, Ven. Amy was Director of Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont.
Ven. Amy is the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell – and a contributor to Living in the Path, a series of online courses produced by FPMT. Her teaching schedule and other information can be found at www.AmyMiller.com.
Registration:
We offer all Dharma teachings and center events on a “dana” basis. This means we’re grateful for your generosity but there is no required cost to attend and no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Suggested donation amounts are provided, and we welcome you to offer what you can to help us sustain our programming and make the dharma and events like this possible. And of course, teachings are always freely offered to ordained nuns and monks.
If you're not donating at this time but would like to attend, please email [email protected].
"Wisdom of Emptiness" is Module 12 in the FPMT Discovering Buddhism Program. More information about Discovering Buddhism can be found here.
We offer all Dharma teachings and center events on a “dana” basis. This means we’re grateful for your generosity but there is no required cost to attend and no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Suggested donation amounts are provided, and we welcome you to offer what you can to help us sustain our programming and make the dharma and events like this possible. And of course, teachings are always freely offered to ordained nuns and monks.
If you're not donating at this time but would like to attend, please email [email protected].
"Wisdom of Emptiness" is Module 12 in the FPMT Discovering Buddhism Program. More information about Discovering Buddhism can be found here.