Brought to You By Senior Students of Lama Marut
To honor their Teacher’s commitment to help us all become better for others, The Classical Texts and Authentic Practices curriculum will now be taught by senior students of Lama Marut.
What You Can Expect
A successful spiritual practice, like a well-built house, requires a good foundation upon which subsequent layers are built. Using the Buddhist model of the “steps on the path to Awakening” (lam rim) we’ll review all the stages of a comprehensive spiritual practice, from the beginning phases to full Enlightenment.
Topics include: “The Three Phases of a Complete Practice,” “Cultivating Proper Motivation,” “The Wish to Awaken,” “Meditative Concentration, Skillful Means, and the Development of Wisdom,” “Conceptual and Non-Conceptual Forms of Meditation,” and “Moving Into Tantra.”
Benefits of the Course:
- Build a complete and systematic course of personal spiritual development and integrate it into daily life
- Identify missing or deficient areas of your training and practice
- Learn how to cultivate the “Wish for Awakening”
- Understand the relationship between meditative concentration and wisdom
- Train in deep conceptual and non-conceptual meditations on ultimate reality
Based on Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Awakening (Bodhipathapradipah).
Senior Teacher
Dima Yepishin
Dima has spent the last decade deeply exploring Tibetan Buddhism, Vipassana Meditation and Authentic Movement, but he is most inspired by fellow seekers and the opportunity to explore deeper levels of connection and openness. Dima has been facilitating meditation and Buddhism classes at Inner Way LA since 2014 and has been serving as the center's president since 2015.
About the Series
It's not too late to join the whole two-year study. All sessions are recorded for you to visit again and again. Register Here.
Taught by senior students of Lama Marut, the CLASSICAL TEXTS AND AUTHENTIC PRACTICES curriculum offers a progressively unfolding, comprehensive course of study in the wisdom and practical application of Eastern spirituality as it pertains to modern life. Based on Lama Marut’s original translations and relevant, applicable interpretations of the Sanskrit classics of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Yogic traditions, these courses cover a wide range of teachings and practices from an inclusive, comparative, and non-sectarian point of view. They are designed to provide an in-depth, systematic, and coherent foundation and overall framework for any serious spiritual practitioner -- from beginners to experienced teachers, regardless of one’s religious affiliation or the lack thereof.
Each course consists of six weekly interactive online classes, including lecture and discussion as well as guided meditations led by the course facilitator. Each class also includes an easily applicable and effective practice designed to integrate the teachings into daily life. You'll have an opportunity to discuss, interact, and share your thoughts, reactions, and experiences of the material covered.
The curriculum as a whole is comprised of twelve courses to be taught over two years. When taken together, these stand-alone courses constitute an extensive course of study in the classical scriptures and principal practices of Eastern spirituality. Participants are, however, welcome to register for any one, several, or all of these interrelated yet self-contained course offerings. Recorded content is available for each module upon completion -- it's never too late to sign up!
Lama Marut (a.k.a. Dr. Brian K. Smith) had been immersed in the Sanskrit classics of Eastern spirituality for over forty-five years until his recent passing in October 2019. He held a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion and taught for twenty-five years in the academic world before retiring in 2004. For the past twenty years he offered classes, mentored students, and led spiritual retreats for practitioners around the world. In addition to his academic books, he was the author of the popular and award-winning book, A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life and of Be Nobody (both published by Beyond Words). The CLASSICAL TEXTS AND AUTHENTIC PRACTICES represents the culmination of a lifetime’s study and spiritual practice.