What is samsara and why are we stuck in it? What is nirvana and how can we achieve it? Develop the wish to be free from suffering and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.

All living creatures know suffering—this is the Buddha’s first noble truth. And many of us also know how ordinary pain can grow into extraordinary suffering due to the power of our minds. In Buddhism, these negative states of mind that lead to suffering are called delusions. They are a primary cause for our remaining stuck in samsara—the cycle of endless rebirths that ordinarily propels one’s mind toward more suffering. The good news is that complete liberation from the suffering of an afflictive mind (nirvana) is entirely possible.

Discover how we can move out of a state of inevitable suffering to one of pure and irreversible peace. Find out how to develop your own determination to be completely free from suffering (renunciation), and get empowered with practical tools for dealing with disturbing emotions up to the point of elimination.

UNIT 8: Samsara and Nirvana
This in-depth course is suitable for both the committed beginner and more established students. Discovering Buddhism is the core program of LTC, and usually takes about three years to complete. Students may join at any point in the cycle. Come along for a couple of classes and see how the course suits you.

Topics in the Course:
– Four Noble Truths (understanding suffering, its cause, that there is the possibility of complete peace, and the path out of suffering)
– Three higher Trainings for liberation
– Understanding the nature and causes of the universal sufferings of birth, sickness, aging, and death
– Removing the root causes of suffering (delusion and karma)
– The sufferings unique to human existence and how to overcome them
– Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

Presented by:

“Samsara, or cyclic existence, does not refer to our land or our house or our things. Samsara refers to the mental afflictions and the negative thoughts that bind us to this tiresome cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.”

Yangsi Rinpoche