Sharpham Study Programme
THE JOINT GAIA HOUSE/SHARPHAM PROGRAMME
The joint Gaia House/Sharpham programme offers a rich selection
of weekends from study weekends taught by Dr John Peacock,
Director of Sharpham Centre for Buddhist Studdies, to weekends
exploring the interrelationship of meditation and other disciplines.
These courses will not be in silence, allowing on-going interaction
between participants, but meditation will form a key part of the
weekend.
For information and bookings please contact:
The Administrator, Sharpham Centre, Ashprington,
Totnes, Devon, TQ9 7UT
Telephone: 01803 732542 or
Email: college@sharpham-trust.org
THE STRUCTURE AND LIMITS OF EXPERIENCE – SELF IDENTITY AND CONTINUITY
23 – 25 March 2007 – John Peacock
What is the nature of the world and how are we to know it? How
is “self” implicated in the creation of what is known? According
to the early texts, worldly experience is structured according to
“name and form”. How are these to be understood and in what
way are they related to our cognitive process? We will examine
these and many other related questions concerning the nature of
self, cognition and reality.
SEEING WITHOUT THE DUST IN OUR EYES
20 – 22 April 2007 – Molly Swan
This is an invitation to open to each moment, to life, with
freshness. The calmness and clarity that arise with meditation can
bring a bright awareness and a gentle hand to the creative spirit
and concentration to the meditation. The intention is not to
develop specific skills as an artist, or to “be” an artist or a
meditator, but instead to open one’s heart to the present moment,
allowing clarity and creativity to be revealed and experienced. In
the silence of our time together there will be periods of sitting and
walking meditation with instruction, drawing as a mindfulness
practice, discussion and guidance.
FREEDOM, EMPTINESS AND CARING: EXPLORATIONS OF THE BODHICHARYAVATARA
18 – 20 May 2007 – John Peacock and Jenny Wilks
Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara is considered to be one of the most important practice texts of Mahayana Buddhism, in that it details the career of the bodhisattva in terms of six perfections – generosity, morality, patience, vigour, meditation and understanding. Whilst it would be impossible to deal with the whole of this text within a single weekend we will, however, examine it for its profound insights on the nature of freedom, caring and emptiness.
DREAMING THE DAKINI
Saturday 16 June 2007 – Kim Clancy
The Dakini is the feminine principle in Tibetan Buddhism - and she teaches with her body. She represents all that is strong, creative and transgressive in the feminine spirit. In this workshop for women, we will combine meditation, writing and artwork, to dream the Dakini within us and give her expression. Movement sessions will be led by Sue Krzowski, a long standing practitioner of meditation and movement.
DO WE KNOW HOW TO BE GOOD ? :
BUDDHIST ETHICS FOR CONTEMPORARY LIFE
20 – 22 July 2007 – John Peacock
Ethics is fundamental to the Buddhist way of life yet can we be taught goodness, or is an understanding of the good something an individual is born with? This question lies at the very centre of the questioning that we will engage in over the course of this weekend. However, we will not examine it as an abstract issue, but as something vitally important to the way in which we live our lives in the contemporary world. We will therefore examine a range of dilemmas that confront us in our dayto- day existence; issues concerning sexuality, truth, violence, environmentalism, and economics.
WRITING TO RECONNECT – SUMMONING THE SELF
Saturday 13th October 2007 – Kim Clancy
Buddhism, together with other spiritual traditions, radically
questions our sense of 'self'. Psychological approaches tend to
argue for a strong sense of self. Combining meditation and
writing, silence and discussion, we will ask: what is this self or
selves, this insistent sense of 'I', how did it get here and what are
the most creative ways to engage with it?
Kim Clancy has studied and practiced Buddhism since 1990. She
has a PhD in Literature and has taught creative writing since the
early eighties.
BUDDHISM AND INDIAN CIVILISATION:
Landscapes of Desire;
Buddhist Thought and the Paradox of Desire
23rd – 25th November 2007 – John Peacock
There is a paradox that lies at the very heart of Buddhist thought and practice. The paradox is that we are enjoined to eradicate desire but that we also need to‘desire’ to be free of desire. Simply, we desire to end desire. During this weekend we will examine desire in all of its manifestations, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’, that are articulated in the early texts of Buddhism in an attempt to understand what exactly we are trying to liberate ourselves from.
