Connecting with the Early Buddhist texts becomes important at some point along a person's Dharma path. I offer a weekly online sutta class on Fridays from 11am-noon Pacific called In This Very Life.
Knowledge of Pāli is not required; we read English translations. Nor is knowledge of suttas required -- just come and listen, and you'll begin to flow along with the class. We read the texts out loud, discuss them, and contemplate their connection to practice. The class moves at the pace of the discussion.
Please send me email before joining.
Note: I do ask that people in the class (eventually) become independent in being able to locate reliable translations online when simply given a reference, such as "MN 10." We often use Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations available in the books published by Wisdom, and it is also fine to use Bhikkhu Sujato's translations on SuttaCentral.net. We sometimes also use translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu on Dhammatalks.org.
There are tutorials on SuttaCentral about how to look up texts (and how to use the site generally -- it is an excellent resource for both practitioners and scholars). In addition, I periodically co-teach a class for the Sati Center called "Entering the World of the Pāli Canon," which includes valuable information about the Canon in general, and a guided tour of Sutta Central. Here is the latest iteration, which includes video.
I also teach sutta classes for the Sati Center a number of times per year, and occasionally for the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies or other Dharma institutions. These are listed on the Upcoming Teachings page.
May your engagement with these wisdom teachings bear powerful and perhaps surprising fruit in your life.
Knowledge of Pāli is not required; we read English translations. Nor is knowledge of suttas required -- just come and listen, and you'll begin to flow along with the class. We read the texts out loud, discuss them, and contemplate their connection to practice. The class moves at the pace of the discussion.
Please send me email before joining.
Note: I do ask that people in the class (eventually) become independent in being able to locate reliable translations online when simply given a reference, such as "MN 10." We often use Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations available in the books published by Wisdom, and it is also fine to use Bhikkhu Sujato's translations on SuttaCentral.net. We sometimes also use translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu on Dhammatalks.org.
There are tutorials on SuttaCentral about how to look up texts (and how to use the site generally -- it is an excellent resource for both practitioners and scholars). In addition, I periodically co-teach a class for the Sati Center called "Entering the World of the Pāli Canon," which includes valuable information about the Canon in general, and a guided tour of Sutta Central. Here is the latest iteration, which includes video.
I also teach sutta classes for the Sati Center a number of times per year, and occasionally for the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies or other Dharma institutions. These are listed on the Upcoming Teachings page.
May your engagement with these wisdom teachings bear powerful and perhaps surprising fruit in your life.