Why do we often feel dissatisfied? Is it possible to overcome it? What are the fundamental practices that lead to freedom from suffering and its causes? Could ethical values, awareness, and wisdom contribute to a fundamental state of well-being and freedom from suffering? How? Is it possible to fully unlock our potential?

The Journey

The course “Fundamental trainings to cultivate lasting happiness” is an introduction to the fundamental practices that Buddhism offers to cultivate the paths that lead to freedom from suffering and its causes. It concludes by presenting the possibility of awakening, the maximum expression of our potential. It is complemented by references to current scientific understanding on why is it that we feel unsatisfied, ethics, the development of attention, and wisdom.

The course gradually unfolds as a journey along different topics:

The possibility of liberation explores how afflictions cloud the mind, causing suffering and preventing well-being; and how by liberating ourselves from them we can free ourselves from suffering and unlock our potential for happiness and well-being.

• Inner satisfaction explores what struggles are we facing right now that keep us dissatisfied, and some mechanisms of dissatisfaction and satisfaction. We learn to cultivate inner satisfaction and contentment.
• Cultivating ethics presents the importance of ethics in life and how it is a fundamental training in the path of liberation from suffering. We explore how to strengthen our ethical values in life.
• Cultivating concentration presents the importance of being able to focus our attention and how concentration is a fundamental training in the path of liberation from suffering. We explore how to cultivate concentration in life.
• Cultivating wisdom presents the importance of wisdom in life and how it is a fundamental training in the path of liberation from suffering. We explore how to start cultivating wisdom in life.
• Expanding it to others expands the knowledge acquired so far about ourselves towards others, and explores the possibility of making room in our hearts and minds for all sentient beings and to develop them at their fullest, achieving full awakening with the highest aspiration of wishing to benefit all beings.Buddhist Mind Science

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
Shantideva Center, USA

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.

Hans Burghardt holds a BA and a MA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, where he spent seven years doing research. Since 2002, he meditates and is a student of great Buddhist masters including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Lama Jampa Monlam, Khensur Jampa Tegchok amongst others. He has completed the Masters Program of Advanced Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (Italy) and has completed a one-year individual meditation retreat. He currently teaches meditation and Buddhism at Tushita Meditation Center Spain and other FPMT centers, and is co-founder and coordinator of the Initiative for an Emotional, Ethical, and Social Education, that promotes the establishment of Emory University’s SEE Learning in Spain.