The Six Perfections:
The Bodhisattva Path of Awakening

Class at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville
Wednesday nights, September 29 - November 3 • 7:00-8:30 pm
Fireside Room (in the main building)

According to Mahayana Buddhism, awakened mind naturally manifests in our experience as the Six Perfections: generosity, ethics, patience, effort, meditation and wisdom. Practicing the perfections as path puts us in touch with our own humanity, which gives us compassion for others, allowing wisdom to arise naturally.

Join Rita Frizzell as we explore one of the perfections each week:

• Sept. 29 -- Introduction & Generosity: The practice of giving fully without attachment
• Oct. 6 -- Ethics: The practices of nonharming and benefitting others
• Oct. 13 -- Patience: The practice of developing ease with whatever arises
• Oct. 20 -- Joyful effort: The practice of persevering with joy
• Oct. 27 -- Meditation: The practice of cultivating attention
• Nov. 3 -- Wisdom: The practice of recognizing the open, interdependent nature
  of oneself and all phenomena

If you want to come for dinner, join us at 6:00 in the social area near the sanctuary. $7 for dinner, no reservations required. No cost for class. Childcare provided.

Location: 1808 Woodmont Blvd near the intersection of Woodmont and Hillsboro in the Green Hills area of Nashville. The entrance is on the rear side of the church, near the top of the hill (on the northwest side). To get to the Fireside Room, enter the door on the left and continue down the hall and to the right. For questions, call Rita at 615-463-2374.

This class is offered as part of the Adult Religious Education program of First Unitarian Universalist Church Nashville.

Class Resources

Download pdfs here:

Class Handout with Opening and Closing Practice

Teaching notes:

Class One: Generosity (click to download class notes pdf)

Class Two: Ethics (click to download class notes pdf)

• Resource for Class Two: Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, by B. Alan Wallace, featured on our Recommendations page.
• For more information on karma and ethics, listen to Ken McLeod's free podcast retreat, "Awakening from Belief."

Class Three: Patience (click to download class notes pdf)

• You can access Ken McLeod describing the five-step practice of bare awareness in abbreviated form here: http://umquotes.blogspot.com/2010/06/five-step-practice.html
• The full retreat, Releasing Emotional Reactions, was life-changing for me, and is here:
  http://www.unfetteredmind.org/audio/podretreat.php?code=RER#here
• My notes from Ken's class on the Five-Step practice can be accessed here:
  http://luminous-mind.blogspot.com/2010/02/releasing-emotional-reactions-method.html
• Or you can access his podcasts by searching "Unfettered Mind" through iTunes.

Class Four: Joyful Effort (click to download class notes pdf)

• The full retreat, Releasing Emotional Reactions, includes the taking and sending method (See RER04 and RER05): http://www.unfetteredmind.org/audio/podretreat.php?code=RER#here
• My notes from Ken's class on the taking and sending practice can be accessed here:
  http://luminous-mind.blogspot.com/2010/03/releasing-emotional-reactions-method_18.html

 

For more books on Buddhism, visit our Recommendations page.