(In Person Only) Lecture & Meditation: The Way of the Bodhisattva

A lecture and meditation for anyone to attend. Beginners welcome!

Schedule:
1 - 1:50 pm: Lecture / Q&A
10 min. Break
2 - 3 pm: Meditation

Lecture Topic: Introduction to the Way of the Bodhisattva

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
―Shantideva

Compassion and generosity are the hallmarks of the most elevated souls, fully manifested within beings like Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Moses, and all the prophets. The amazing fact is that such beings were once like us: filled with greed, envy, resentment, and all of the psychological contaminations and defects that make us suffer. What is also empowering is that we have the potential to become like these enlightened masters, whom in the east are known as bodhisattvas: "the essence or incarnation of wisdom," the latter word indicating Prajna in Sanskrit, or "vis-dom: the power of vision / perception." The equivalent Hebrew term is Chokmah חָכמָה, signifying Christ in the mystical Kabbalah.

The essence of genuine spirituality is kindness, selfless service, and comprehension of the root nature of all existence: the unsurpassed wisdom of emptiness, Prajna, Śūnyatā, or uncreated light of the Kabbalists, denominated in Gnostic terms as Khristos, Christ. Christ is not a human person, but the intense, primordial root energy of boundless compassion for suffering beings trapped within cyclic or manifested existence. This divine force, the emptiness of enlightened cognizance, sustains all of the universe and sacrifices itself by entering within those practitioners who are properly cultivated and prepared through the great perfections or paramitas, the trainings, principles, or qualities of awakened consciousness within Tibetan Buddhism.

Learn about the path of enlightenment through a gnostic exegesis of Shantideva's seminal Mahayana text, The Way of the Bodhisattva, and how the enlightened mind / heart of wisdom, bodhichitta, can be developed within the practitioner of any denomination, religion, or tradition.

Location and Directions

828 Davis St, Suite 5 (Lower Level)
Evanston, IL 60201

There is paid parking across the street in the Sherman Plaza Parking Garage with cheap hourly rates ($6 for 3 to 5 hours).

The 201 and 213 Buses stop across the street at Davis St. and Benson Ave. You can also take the 93, 201, 208, 213, or 250 Bus to Davis and Maple, walking a block East on Davis until reaching our location across from Benson Ave.

The Davis Purple Line stop is half a block away. When arriving, go South on Benson Ave straight ahead to our location on Davis St.

There is also the Davis St. / Evanston Metra Station, whereby you can walk South on Maple and East on Davis.

When you arrive, enter through the front. Go down to the lower level via the stairs to the left or the elevator to the right. We are located in Suite 5.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you!