Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Where we gather to focus on a single discourse or thematic collection from the Sutta Piṭaka (new selection every two weeks)
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retrofuturist
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Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

Please post:

* Ideas on how to better operate the study group here
* Your interest in volunteering to lead an upcoming session
* Sutta or texts to study
* Any other comments and ideas

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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retrofuturist
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

We've also had a request for a Basic Course to run parallel to the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta Course, for newcomers to Theravada Buddhism.

If anyone has any ideas for content or syllabus, please let us know here.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Ben
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by Ben »

Hi Retro

For a basic intro to Theravada, there are a couple of texts that I always recommend:

-- The Noble Eightfold Path The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... toend.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-- Buddhism in a Nutsell by Narada Mahathera:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... shell.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kind regards

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
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Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Another good intro is the classic, shorter text The Word of the Buddha which is online is several places.

http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/wo ... wobtoc.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Tex
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by Tex »

I found the study guides at accesstoinsight.org very helpful in the beginning, could we use some of those?

The 4 Noble Truths: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/truths.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Eightfold Path: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... toend.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kamma: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/kamma.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Stream Entry: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/stream.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brahma-vihara: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el006.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

10 perfections: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/stud ... tions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"To reach beyond fear and danger we must sharpen and widen our vision. We have to pierce through the deceptions that lull us into a comfortable complacency, to take a straight look down into the depths of our existence, without turning away uneasily or running after distractions." -- Bhikkhu Bodhi

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." -- Heraclitus
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Lazy_eye
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by Lazy_eye »

Perhaps the session leader each week could start off the discussion with some questions for us to consider, a peg or two to hang the discussion on.
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mikenz66
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by mikenz66 »

Lazy_eye wrote:Perhaps the session leader each week could start off the discussion with some questions for us to consider, a peg or two to hang the discussion on.
Good idea. There are questions in this book if we can't come up with original ones:
Pressing out Pure Honey, by Sharda Rogell
PDF here: http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/publications.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mike
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bodom
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by bodom »

mikenz66 wrote:
Lazy_eye wrote:Perhaps the session leader each week could start off the discussion with some questions for us to consider, a peg or two to hang the discussion on.
Good idea. There are questions in this book if we can't come up with original ones:
Pressing out Pure Honey, by Sharda Rogell
PDF here: http://www.dharma.org/bcbs/Pages/publications.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mike
Great book! Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote the foreward to it so you know its legit. :twothumbsup:

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

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phil
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by phil »

Hi all

I would propose not locking the threads after a week - they would become inactive naturally enough without locking them, and these suttas are so deep and important that it is a bit of a shame in my opinion if one can't return with new questions/insights about them. Sure, a new thread is always possible, but since the sutta is posted in full, these threads would be great ongoing resources for discussion. Just my opinion and I'm very happy to work with the way you have it set up currently. :smile:

Metta,

Phil
Kammalakkhano , bhikkhave, bālo, kammalakkhano pandito, apadānasobhanī paññāti
(The fool is characterized by his/her actions/the wise one is characterized by his/her actions/Wisdom shines forth in behaviour.)
(AN 3.2 Lakkhana Sutta)
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retrofuturist
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Phil,

Thanks for your suggestion.

This seems like a good as any time to mention that jcsuperstar is now looking after the Study Group and as such he has a degree of ownership to make changes to the schedule and the way the Study Group is managed.

That said, I'll explain the reasons why discussion topics are currently closed at the end of seven days...

The main reason they're closed is so that the Study Group remains focused on a single discussion item at a time, just like a real Study Group or Book Club. If all topics were left open, it would be little different to any other sub-forum, and the older topics would get replies and bump themselves up over the top of the current ones... meaning the sequence of threads could get out of whack and the 'current' topic could get lost amongst the others.

I made sure in the closure post for the first few weeks that it was clear people could continue discussing certain aspects of interest elsewhere, so they could see the closure wasn't in any way an attempt to stifle discussion. This still remains the case now, even if there is no formal closure post.

:reading:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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phil
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by phil »

Hi Retro

That's fine with me. :smile:

metta,

phil
Kammalakkhano , bhikkhave, bālo, kammalakkhano pandito, apadānasobhanī paññāti
(The fool is characterized by his/her actions/the wise one is characterized by his/her actions/Wisdom shines forth in behaviour.)
(AN 3.2 Lakkhana Sutta)
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by jcsuperstar »

one thing i think i would be up for is if you guys/gals have a sutta youre really interested in us going through, then make a sugestion. i know some suttas are more popular than others and people might like to take a look at them as a group, and also maybe you have a sutta you think is often overlooked and would like to see it worked through?

the only caveat here is make sure either its avaiable online or you want to type it up


also unrelated to this study group maybe it would be :quote: neat :quote: to take a look at the heart and diamond sutras from a purely theravada POV relating them back to the pali canon? this would have to be done a bit more delicately as some will feel toes may get stepped on and i dont want to start some us vs them thing. but i think if the dalai lama can write a book on the gospels surely we can talk about a couple short sutras....
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi JC,

Could we continue for a while with the selection from Bhikkhu Bodhi's sequence that we started with? We are slowly heading towards the liberation teachings...

Metta
Mike
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by jcsuperstar »

mikenz66 wrote:Hi JC,

Could we continue for a while with the selection from Bhikkhu Bodhi's sequence that we started with? We are slowly heading towards the liberation teachings...

Metta
Mike
thats the plan to just stick to the guide. i just offered the other just in case.... :anjali:
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
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retrofuturist
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Re: Suggestions, Comments and Feedback for the Study Group

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings JC, Mike, all,

It could be possible to run the two in parallel... there's nothing saying we can't have a weekly MN session run concurrently alongside a few "Mahayana Sutras from a Theravadin perspective" sessions or suttas by request etc.. There was talk early on about doing a parallel Beginners Class but this never got off the ground due to lack of demand and the lack of a ready-made syllabus.

I'll leave it for JC to decide.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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