After dreaming into it for years, I’m thrilled to be starting an online sutta study group through Spirit Rock. It’s called The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Buddha’s Discourses, and we’re running it as a 5-class series, with a second series following immediately after the first. Here’s the blurb:

The discourses of the Buddha, called suttas, are one of the world’s most majestic collections of spiritual teaching. They record many styles of teaching, from inspiring poetry to psychological guidance, social theory, and philosophical masterpieces that address the deepest human fears, hopes, and potential.

In this study and practice series we dive into the beauty and richness of the Buddha’s teachings, reading texts from the Pāli Canon, the body of ancient texts preserved by Theravāda Buddhist cultures in South and Southeast Asia, in accessible English translations.

You will hear the voice of the Buddha, building his community and laying out a path of practice that leads to liberation from all forms of suffering. You will find advice for the most stubborn challenges in meditation and ordinary life. And you will be invited to realize for yourself the profound liberation he called “the heartwood of the holy life.”

We’ll start with a beginner-friendly orientation to the Pāli Canon, and read 5 gorgeous texts—one each week—that lay out an introduction to Buddhist thought and practice, culminating in the glorious evocation of the Buddha’s first discourse, Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma. We’ll meditate together, discuss the texts, and relate them to the complexities of contemporary life and our own practice challenges.

It’s on Gift Economy (dāna), and both beginners and more experienced practitioners are warmly welcome. You can register and join the class anytime, and watch recordings of previous classes.

Series 1: 5 Thursdays (every other Thursday)
March 4, 18, April 1, 15, 29
1-2:30 p.m. Pacific Time