What is our mind? What are the afflictions that obscure our inner potential? Can they be removed? Why do we often struggle with the same mental patterns? How deep and vast is the potential of our mind?

The Journey

The course “Getting to know your mind” focuses on an exploration of the mind to understand what it is, its characteristics, and how can we become more aware of our mental processes and of our mind itself. It also deepens into techniques to diminish mental afflictions, and reflects on the possibility of the continuity of the mind and on karma. It is complemented by references to some current scientific understanding on the mind.

The course gradually unfolds as a journey along different topics:

• Refining attention deepens into stabilizing meditation by presenting obstacles and qualities to cultivate when meditating in calming our minds.

• Introducing the nature of the mind challenges our understanding of what the mind is by presenting the mind and its nature from a Buddhist perspective, with practices to put it under examination by meditating on the nature of mind.

• How the mind is stained explores how, despite the nature of the mind is pure, afflictions arise and obscure us from seeing its deep nature.

• Removing the stains from the mind presents strategies to di- minish the power of afflictions so that we find better well-being and conducive conditions to further explore the mind and its possibilities.

• Exploring the depth, vastness, and continuity of the mind explores the depth and vastness of the mind and continues to challenge us by suggesting an investigation about the possibility of the continuation of mind after this life.

• The continuity of actions presents the notion of karma, how our actions leave an imprint that conditions us, and the role of intention in this process. It concludes with an exploration of the value of this life under these perspectives.

Buddhist Mind Science

This course belongs to the series of courses “Buddhist Mind Science: Activating Your Potential”, that offers practical knowledge and techniques about meditation, the mechanisms of suffering and happiness, how to find inner balance and how to discover and develop our potential as a person. The presentation includes references to scientific research. The different courses in the series can be taken separately. Read more.

Structure

The course will combine theoretical sessions, exercises and meditations. The format will be eminently practical.

Language

The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

Co-Hosting Centers

Centre de meditació Tushita
Land of Joy, UK

See an introduction to the series in the video above

Marina Brucet Vinyals was born in Barcelona, Spain. She has completed a six-year full-time study program Masters Program of Advanced Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy. She studied with great Tibetan lamas such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Jampa Monlam and Khensur Jampa Tegchok, amongst others. She has also completed a one-year individual meditation retreat, amongst others.

She holds a BA and a MA in Biochemistry and a PhD in Molecular Biology in Immunology from the University of Barcelona, where she also performed postdoctoral studies.

Presently, she combines continual development and meditation retreats with teaching meditation and Buddhist philosophy, at both general and specialized levels, with an approach that always takes into account the context and circumstances of Western life.