A NINE-MONTH ONLINE COURSE OFFERED THROUGH ZOOM
The Contemporary Mindfulness Movement has decontextualized and appropriated Buddhist teachings, reducing mindfulness to simply “bare attention” while jettisoning the ethical heart of the practice to the point where the military is using mindfulness to make more efficient killers. In this nine-month course of study and practice, you will learn about the ethical guidelines for living thoughtfully, compassionately, and generously in the world for the cultivation of greater peace and justice for all.
The Five Precepts are not "commandments" but guidelines to spark personal and social inquiry into our actions and the effects they have in and on the world.
The Five Precepts are not "commandments" but guidelines to spark personal and social inquiry into our actions and the effects they have in and on the world.
The course runs for nine calendar months, meeting as a group every fourth Sunday of the month starting JANUARY 2022. This means it will run from JANUARY 23rd, 2022 to SEPTEMBER 25th, 2022
We will be meeting at NOON and ending by 2 PM TUCSON TIME and each session will be recorded for later playback if you miss a session.
Additionally, every three months there will be individual consultations with me included in the course tuition. If you wish to meet between these consultations, that is also possible on a dana basis. Click here more information about the practice of dana.
We will be meeting at NOON and ending by 2 PM TUCSON TIME and each session will be recorded for later playback if you miss a session.
Additionally, every three months there will be individual consultations with me included in the course tuition. If you wish to meet between these consultations, that is also possible on a dana basis. Click here more information about the practice of dana.
Required Reading: As there is a wide spectrum of interpretation among various Buddhist communities, we use several books in order to compare and widen our view of the teachings. Previous students have been struck by the differences, even to the point of contradiction, between the authors which has opened up a more expansive and non-dogmatic understanding of the precepts.
The Mind of Clover by Robert Aitken
Being Upright by Reb Anderson
The Heart of Being by John Daido Loori
Waking Up To What You Do by Diane Eshin Rizzetto
Additionally, I will occasionally send pdfs of essays from other teachers of various traditions commenting on the precepts.
The Mind of Clover by Robert Aitken
Being Upright by Reb Anderson
The Heart of Being by John Daido Loori
Waking Up To What You Do by Diane Eshin Rizzetto
Additionally, I will occasionally send pdfs of essays from other teachers of various traditions commenting on the precepts.
Assignments: Each month there will be reading assignments along with question/prompts for contemplation that you are asked to write about in your practice journal and which will be the basis for our monthly group discussions.
Optional: At the conclusion of this course of study and practice, you will have the opportunity to formally “take precepts” if you wish. There is no obligation nor expectation to do so, but if you desire to, the option will be made available. What that will entail and how we’ll do it will be discussed during the course. Ideally, if conditions allow, it would be in person as part of a retreat, but it is also possible that it can be done online.
Tuition: This course is offered on a sliding scale and on an honor system. Please offer what you can afford. Tuition includes nine monthly group meetings and three individual consultations. It does not include any fees for precept certificates and possible retreat fees. Additional consultations are offered on a dana basis.
Sliding Fee: $360 - $650. No one turned away for financial reasons. Contact me directly if you are sincere in wishing to participate. Tuition can be paid in installments upon request.
TO REGISTER: Payment can be made via Pay Pal. After hitting "SEND" input your payment and please note that you are registering for RIGHT ACTION.
NOTE: LIMITED SPACES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE; DO NOT DELAY IN REGISTERING
Sliding Fee: $360 - $650. No one turned away for financial reasons. Contact me directly if you are sincere in wishing to participate. Tuition can be paid in installments upon request.
TO REGISTER: Payment can be made via Pay Pal. After hitting "SEND" input your payment and please note that you are registering for RIGHT ACTION.
NOTE: LIMITED SPACES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE; DO NOT DELAY IN REGISTERING
Schedule:
JANUARY 23rd: Orientation/Intro to Sila
FEBRUARY 27th: “The Nature of the Precepts”
MARCH 27th: “Lack” and “Entering the Way”
APRIL 24th: First Precept: "Reverence For Life/Avoiding Harm”
MAY 22nd: Second Precept: “Practicing Generosity/Not Taking What Is Not Freely Offered”
JUNE 26th: Third Precept: “Honoring Sexuality/Not Abusing Sexuality”
JULY 24th: Fourth Precept: “Right Speech/Not Using Speech Harmfully”
AUGUST 28th: Fifth Precept: “Maintaining Clarity of Mind/Not Intoxicating the Mind”
SEPTEMBER 25th: “Ethics As Practice” and “Going For Refuge"
TESTIMONIALS:
"Studying the precepts with Poep Sa marked a turning point in my practice. I appreciated studying the perspectives of different teachers and reflecting on my day-to-day interactions. The sangha with which we studied also became transformed, as what was ideal became more an impetus for daily choices. I learned ways in which I equivocate when right action presents itself. This is so very relevant." --- Sanpa Samantha Sims
"Studying the Precepts with such a knowledgeable teacher in a cohort format was a wonderful opportunity to receive foundational instruction and practice. Highly recommend to anyone curious about this practice."
--- Chingu Jason Cummings
"After about a year of hearing Poep Sa Frank Jude’s Dharma talks in Sangha, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the Buddhist Precepts. I found the readings and topics at the heart of every choice I made and ultimately a litmus test for my point of view. I discovered that these precepts were not commandments, but a guiding light with ‘not doing harm’ at the core. I found them relevant to daily questions and issues personally and worldly and appreciated the readings well selected for a wide perspective. The precepts became a wonderful topic for great contemplation and discussion. Diving into the precepts with the guidance of Frank Jude opened my heart to life. Grateful also to my personal Dharma name that continues to guide me, Gabyeoun, a Korean name with multiple meanings: light as in ‘brightness’ and ‘lightness’ (lighten up)." --- Gabyeoun Sally Weber
Poep Sa Frank Jude Boccio takes a human approach in teaching the Buddhist precepts and their key elements. He balances that with deep intellectual knowledge of the Dharma, allowing him to support each precept with the appropriate background, words of the Buddha, and subsequent teachings from more than two millennia of Buddhism.
--- Shraddha Hilda Oropeza, Owner of Mindful Yoga Studio
JANUARY 23rd: Orientation/Intro to Sila
FEBRUARY 27th: “The Nature of the Precepts”
MARCH 27th: “Lack” and “Entering the Way”
APRIL 24th: First Precept: "Reverence For Life/Avoiding Harm”
MAY 22nd: Second Precept: “Practicing Generosity/Not Taking What Is Not Freely Offered”
JUNE 26th: Third Precept: “Honoring Sexuality/Not Abusing Sexuality”
JULY 24th: Fourth Precept: “Right Speech/Not Using Speech Harmfully”
AUGUST 28th: Fifth Precept: “Maintaining Clarity of Mind/Not Intoxicating the Mind”
SEPTEMBER 25th: “Ethics As Practice” and “Going For Refuge"
TESTIMONIALS:
"Studying the precepts with Poep Sa marked a turning point in my practice. I appreciated studying the perspectives of different teachers and reflecting on my day-to-day interactions. The sangha with which we studied also became transformed, as what was ideal became more an impetus for daily choices. I learned ways in which I equivocate when right action presents itself. This is so very relevant." --- Sanpa Samantha Sims
"Studying the Precepts with such a knowledgeable teacher in a cohort format was a wonderful opportunity to receive foundational instruction and practice. Highly recommend to anyone curious about this practice."
--- Chingu Jason Cummings
"After about a year of hearing Poep Sa Frank Jude’s Dharma talks in Sangha, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the Buddhist Precepts. I found the readings and topics at the heart of every choice I made and ultimately a litmus test for my point of view. I discovered that these precepts were not commandments, but a guiding light with ‘not doing harm’ at the core. I found them relevant to daily questions and issues personally and worldly and appreciated the readings well selected for a wide perspective. The precepts became a wonderful topic for great contemplation and discussion. Diving into the precepts with the guidance of Frank Jude opened my heart to life. Grateful also to my personal Dharma name that continues to guide me, Gabyeoun, a Korean name with multiple meanings: light as in ‘brightness’ and ‘lightness’ (lighten up)." --- Gabyeoun Sally Weber
Poep Sa Frank Jude Boccio takes a human approach in teaching the Buddhist precepts and their key elements. He balances that with deep intellectual knowledge of the Dharma, allowing him to support each precept with the appropriate background, words of the Buddha, and subsequent teachings from more than two millennia of Buddhism.
--- Shraddha Hilda Oropeza, Owner of Mindful Yoga Studio
