Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation Practice      

Professor Rafael Espericueta

This course will provide a brief introduction to the basic principles of Buddhist philosophy, and their realization through meditative practices. The particular point of view is that of Zen,
but the course will also explore the concepts of perennial philosophy manifested though various religious traditions in various times and places. 

This course can be taken entirely online, or as a 6-week class meeting on Monday evenings at Bakersfield College starting on January 31.

On the first day of class a simple basic form of meditation will be introduced, and we'll end each class with a short meditation period. Each week the class will examine a particular
mystic tradition, considered from the Zen/perennial-philosophic non-dual perspective.                                               

Course Topic Outline  ( by week )  

1 -  Perennial Philosophy, Zen, and Taoism

2 -  Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism) and Advaita Vedanta

3 -  Qabalah, Alchemy, and the Western Mystery Traditions

4 -  Sufism and Christian Mysticism

5 -  Shamanic Traditions, and also Compassionate Communication (as taught by Marshall Rosenberg)

6 -  Science and Mysticism, including the "new" physics, as well as the neuroscience of meditation as revealed by modern brain imaging techniques.

The course will include actual meditation instruction and practice.  We will not just study about meditation, we’ll also practice it!

*  You are also welcome to join us for Zen-style meditation at our home on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings, from 8:30am to 9:30am.  
     For more information, please visit our homepage:    http://shimmeringvoid.org
 

Getting started:  Once you sign up for the class, you'll receive your username and password to access the course website (linked to below). 
                             If you don't receive this info, please email me at resperic@bc.cc.ca.us .

To sign up for the course, go to this page:   http://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/levaninstitute/classList.asp#philosophy

You can then sign up for one of the courses (lecture course or purely online course).

( The fee for either course is $40 )
 

Course Website:  http://shimmeringvoid.org/meditation/Buddhist%20Philosophy%20and%20Meditation%20Practice.pdf