Buddhism and the Gradual Path to Spiritual Awakening

A five-week minicourse conducted by Joshua Schapiro, Ph.D., Fordham University, NY
Thursdays, Sept. 18 and 25; Oct. 9, 16, and 23
7:00 p.m. EST via Zoom

This series of presentations will introduce participants to provocative Buddhist ideas about suffering and the release from suffering. We will explore strategies for how to quiet the mind and how to generate lasting knowledge about the nature of dissatisfaction. We will also encounter Buddhist stories that dramatize the journey to awakening.

Do you need to become a monk in order to end suffering? Is suffering our fault? Who gets liberated from suffering, if anyone? What is the nature of awakening from suffering? Why would Buddhist communities trust the historical Buddha’s answers to these questions?

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE: If you register for the first session of this five-week minicourse presentation, you are automatically registered for all five sessions within the course and will receive a link 24 hours before each session starts. You do not have to attend all sessions.

If you register for any session after the first, you are automatically registered for that session and the remaining sessions within the course. You will receive the link to join each session 24 hours before each session starts. You do not have to attend all sessions.

Registration is free.

REGISTER

Joshua Schapiro, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in the Department of Theology at Fordham University. He teaches a range of courses on Asian religions, including classes on Buddhism, Hinduism, Tibetan religion, Chinese religion, Japanese religion, and Meditation. His classes incorporate reflections on themes including ethical responsibility, literary rhetoric, aesthetics, spiritual knowledge, religious imagination, and American identity.