The Flower Garland (Avatamsaka or Huayan) Sutra provides a comprehensive and mind-altering dive into the Dharma. Its emphasis on interdependence, celebration of the sensual world, and diverse methods of liberation has a profound impact on East Asian and Western Buddhisms and provides inspiration for what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “engaged Buddhism”.

In this class we will use dialogue, teachings, meditations, and ritual engagement with the text to bring forth the joyfulness and energy of the Bodhisattva path — the vow to liberate all beings from suffering. We will deepen our ability to read, enjoy, and be inspired by classic Buddhist literature and to bring its teachings into our daily lives. 

Together, we will explore:

• Multiple modes of reading Buddhist text: as ritual, as a meditative practice, to understand content, and to locate gems
• Relationship of Flower Garland to earlier Buddhist traditions, later ones, and contemporary practice and culture
• Relationship of the sutra to contemporary ecological movements, and movements for liberation from systemic harms: feminism, Black liberation, queer liberation, and the like

Throughout this course, you will develop:

• a deeper awareness of interdependence
• a deeper awareness of diversity of practices, needs, and teachers
• a deeper daily engagement with practices to bring forth the above
• a deeper knowledge of the differences and commonalities in a broad sweep of Buddhist traditions

This class is open to all and is especially suitable for students with an established Buddhist practice. Join us as we learn to live more deeply from awareness of interdependence and cultivate an ability to be in relationship with all things in a way that is beneficial to all beings.