First Saturday of the Month, from 9:30 to Noon
In Person and On Zoom
"Mind is the forerunner of all things," says the Dhammapada. "The triple world is only mind," says the Avatamsaka Sutra. "If the mind is pure, the Buddha-land is pure," says the Vimalakirti. The centrality of mind — knowing it, working with it, and (in the language of the sutras) purifying it — runs through Buddhist practice from the earliest teachings forward.
The Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism took this centrality of mind as its foundational principle — our world, as we experience it, is a construction of mind — and developed from it a detailed map: fifty-one mental factors that arise, combine, and shape moment-to-moment experience. Some are wholesome, some afflictive, some ethically neutral. Learning to recognize them as they happen, in one's own experience, is a practical, hands-on approach to what the sutras call the work of purifying mind.
Over five sessions, Gareth will provide context for the Yogacara tradition — which shaped much of later East Asian Buddhism, including Chan and Zen — and work through the fifty-one factors, including contemporary additions relevant to twenty-first-century life. For each, we'll look at how it shows up, how it affects mind and body, how it hijacks our attention when it does, and what antidotes and practices help restore equanimity. Reference materials are provided as aids for ongoing practice, and each session includes guided meditation alongside teaching and discussion.
This series is a good fit for practitioners with some meditation experience who want to bring more precision and skill to working with their own minds. No prior study of Yogacara or the Abhidharma is required.
Gareth Young is a co-founder and the guiding teacher of Red Clay Sangha. He has maintained a committed meditation practice for over 25 years in the Chan/Zen and Nikaya traditions, and integrates over 10 years of interfaith engagement into his teaching.
Gareth's teaching authorization is in the Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah, Jack Kornfield and Lisa Ernst.
What to expect: Each of the 5 sessions will include a lecture by Gareth, a period such as a guided meditation to bring the teachings into life and practice, and a group discussion.
Location: Red Clay Sangha, 3315 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, and on Zoom
Food: After the session, any who wish to go out for lunch with Gareth can continue the conversation over our food.
Registration: Please register for the class, even if you cannot attend every session. This will help ensure the sufficiency of materials.
Questions or More Information?
Please contact Gareth Young
