Gampopa Center, located at 424 Fourth Street in Annapolis, will offer a new series of Tuesday night Buddhist philosophy classes beginning June 9 at 7:00 PM.
Stephen Cimino will lead an exploration and group discussion of the Tibetan Buddhist text “What Makes You Not a Buddhist” by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. This series of classes serves as an introduction to the concepts and ideas that are central to Buddhist practice.
There are so many ideas, misconceptions, and beliefs as to what Buddhism is. On the surface, the common perception is that Buddhists meditate a lot and are peaceful people. Beyond this general view, not much else is known. “What Makes You Not a Buddhist” looks directly at these general perceptions and cuts through them to reveal what constitutes the essence of Buddhism. Rinpoche does this in his own unique, very direct, and often humorous style.
One of the notable things about Buddhism is its ability to adapt itself to a variety of cultural settings and to the ever-changing world of humanity. Many of the classes at Gampopa Center have involved the study of traditional, classic Buddhist texts that were written some time ago by great masters. “What Makes You Not a Buddhist” offers a fresh, modern perspective and expression of Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Rinpoche was born and raised in Bhutan and taught by great masters who were thoroughly grounded in the ageless traditional teachings from several ancient lineages. He spent numerous years traveling the world and became a noted film maker and author.
Stephen Cimino has been studying Buddhism since the early 1970’s, practicing meditation, and receiving teachings from a number of meditation masters over the years. He has been studying Dharma with Lama Phurbu Tashi Rinpoche since he arrived in Annapolis several years ago and has traveled to Tibet and Nepal with him visiting numerous power places and sacred sites.
Gampopa Center is intent on cultivating the Buddha Dharma in the Annapolis area through offering a wide variety of classes centering on meditation, practice and ritual, and the study of Buddhist philosophy.
Members of the community are encouraged join in on Tuesday evenings, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at Gampopa Center if they are interested in exploring the Dharma through reading and discussing this very interesting and modern text. For more information, visit http://www.gampopacenter.com/ or email [email protected].
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