How can I fathom the depths

Of the goodness of this jewel of the mind,

The panacea that relieves the world of pain

And is the source of all joy?

—Shantideva, A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life

The meditative tradition for developing an Awakened Heart, Equalising and Exchanging Self for Others, begins with “the equality of self and others”—recognising that others have a life to live and in that life, they want happiness and not suffering, just like ourselves. It then goes on to examine “the disadvantages of self-centeredness and the advantages of other-centeredness”—seeing that we’re never more miserable than when we’re completely caught up in ourselves alone and never more fulfilled than when we’re genuinely concerned with others. It then goes on to “the actual exchange of self for others”—reversing our habitual attitude of self-importance with an attitude that places that importance upon others. Finally, it uses the imaginative technique of “taking and giving”—compassionately taking upon ourselves the sufferings of others and lovingly giving away our happiness to them. All of which leads to an awakening of our hearts—the determination to become the best possible person we can be—a Buddha—for the sake of all others.

There is no more noble thought, no greater meaning, and purpose that we can bring to our lives than to awaken our hearts. If we sincerely want to help others and, indeed, ourselves, there is no more far-reaching method than this.

Everyone is welcome.

Dates: Saturdays, March 21st and May 23rd

Time: 10am – 4pm

Please BYO Lunch or a plate to share

Cost: By donation  (Recommended donation $50, but no set amount)

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Jampa Jaffe has been teaching Buddhism for over 20 years. American by birth, he was a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for 17 years and studied for over 14 years in India at the Tibetan Library of Works and Archives and the Buddhist School of Dialectics. He spent one year in Thailand, studying and meditating in the Theravada tradition, and in 2005 completed a solitary one-year retreat in Spain. He has been the resident teacher at Buddha House, South Australia and the teaching assistant in the first FPMT Masters Program for Buddhist Studies in Italy.