The Cornerstones of Awakening
Cultivating an awakened heart
It is said in Buddhism that one must balance study and practice in order to advance on the Bodhisattva Path. In this four-session audio series Susan Shannon takes a deeper dive into the opportunities for expanding our practice by utilizing the tools offered to us in these main tenets of Buddhist teachings, all core to Shantideva’s teachings:
- The King of Prayers, aka Seven Branch Prayer
- The Six Perfections (paramitas)—generosity, ethical self-discipline, patience, joyful perseverance, meditation and wisdom
- The Four Immeasurables (Brahma Viharas): equanimity, compassion, loving-kindness and sympathetic joy
Susan explains each one of these, and how they are activated through the engagement of body, speech, and mind into specific spiritual practices.
Together these teachings cultivate the causes and conditions that lead to fruition of an Awakened Heart, for the betterment of all sentient beings.
These four two-hour sessions are audio recordings.
Your Instructor
Susan Shannon, M. Div. is a seeker, teacher, earth and animal steward, and devotee of the heart. She has worked in the fields of Emotional Literacy and Restorative Justice for over 20 years, incorporating over 45 years of Buddhist practice and study from the Tibetan tradition. She’s worked with various diverse populations all her life including inmates, Tibetan refugees, the homeless, the differently-abled, at-risk youth, and has served as the Buddhist Chaplain to the men in San Quentin State Prison and Death Row. She currently resides in the San Juan Islands where she writes, provides spiritual coaching and tends her land.