Gavin Flood

Wise Studies

Over five lectures, Gavin Flood, professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty at Campion Hall at Oxford University, gives an overview of the history, theory and practice of Tantra. He explores aspects from the Śaiva Siddhānta tradition to the Non-Saiddhāntika, to Buddhist tantra. He gives an overview of the many developments in thought, cosmologies and the varied and fascinating practices that have emerged over the centuries. • Session 1 – Tantra in history, an overview • Session 2 – The Śaiva Siddhānta tradition, rituals, cosmology, initiation and liberation • Session 3 – The Non-Saiddhāntika traditions including the path of purity and the path of power • Session 4 – Tantric Śaiva views of the self, the porous self & the gnostic self, Tantric meditation • Session 5 – Buddhist Tantra – Vajrayāna and the influence of Śaivism best tantra books tantric yoga christopher wallis books shakti hindu god tantric texts kriyas yoga books techniques body tantra definition osho philosophy meditation sex shiva shakti yoga best books on kashmir shaivism

The historical context, the Saiva Siddhanta, Kashmir Saivism and the Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism)

Tantra: Theory and Practice with Professor Gavin Flood

Sarah Shaw

This lecture series with Sarah Shaw looks at several texts in the Pali Canon from the Dīgha Nikāya, the “collection of long discourses”. Sarah explores the Buddha’s teachings on subjects including meditation, ethics, meditative states and conditionality. This series is an excellent foundation for understanding the underpinnings of all Buddhist philosophy. The discourses are set within narratives of the Buddha’s life. These texts have varied genres designed to have different effects. They range from prescriptive ways to apply the practice, to evocative imagery that symbolises the teaching, to ethical recommendations about how to act in the world. This course explains the context and background of these timeless teachings. Session 1: Sarah gives an overview of the course. She offers a historical and cultural background for the early suttas and discusses some of the key teachings in Buddhist philosophy including the four noble truths and the eightfold path. Session 2: Samaññaphala-Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life – Through the story of King Ajātasattu’s visit to see the Buddha we are introduced to the stages of meditative absorption, the jhānas. Session 3: Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna-Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness – Sarah covers the four foundations of mindfulness in this, one of the most famous, important and most widely studied texts in the Pali Canon. Session 4: The Mahāsamāya-Sutta, a very popular ceremonial text, and the Mahāsudassana-Sutta, a visualization of the ‘palace’ in the ‘city’ of the mind, ruled by a great king, the Buddha in an earlier life as Bodhisattva. Session 5: The Sangīti-Sutta – Sariputta, one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, gives a talk listing the principles of the Buddha’s teaching. Session 6: The Sigālovāda-Sutta – The Buddha instructs a young man on how to live an ethical life. Session 7: The Mahānidāna-Sutta – The Great Causes Discourse – In this session Sarah explains this key text on the principle of dependent origination. tipitaka in english tipitaka book pali canon sutta pitaka tripitaka buddhist holy book buddhist philosophy essential readings buddhist teachings book

The Dīgha Nikāya, the collection of long discourses

The Early Teachings of the Buddha with Sarah Shaw

Bee Scherer

This course introduces key concepts of Indian Buddhist thought. Over 5 lectures Bee explains the fundamental themes and problems of Buddhist Philosophy; from the early Buddhist teachings on ‘suffering’, ‘karma’ and ‘No-Self’, to the later scholasticism and the famous schools of thought around ‘emptiness’ and ‘mind-only’. Each chapter introduces another layer of Buddhist philosophical development and depth. The course forms a very clear and intriguing introduction to the wealth of Buddhist thought. Session One: Introduction – Buddhism as religion, philosophy or psychology? Modernism and Buddhist thought; the Buddha and the Four Noble Truths Session Two: Understanding the Four Noble Truths – unsatisfactoriness, afflicting emotions, nirvana and the eightfold Path Session Three: Buddhist psychology of no-self – heaps of grasping, dependent arising and cause & effect (karma) Session Four: Buddhist ontology. Scholasticism and reality (Abhidharma); perfection of wisdom and emptiness (Madhyamaka) Session Five: Buddhist metaphysics. Mind and Buddha-Nature. is buddhism a religion or a philosophy of life what is buddhism religion or philosophy what is buddhism religion all about philosophy of buddha buddhist philosophy religion psychology ethics buddhist ontology metaphysics psychology no self four noble truths eightfold path karma abhidharma

Introducing the key concepts of Indian Buddhist thought

Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy with Bee Scherer

Graham Burns

In this 5 lecture series Graham Burns gives a broad overview of the Upanishads, explaining the history and culture in which they arose. He takes you through several themes that are explored in some of the more prominent Upanishads. He illuminates important concepts that begin to form the foundation of much of Indian thought. Graham presents this lecture series in a clear, intelligent way that is sure to make the wisdom of the Upanishads accessible for anyone interested in learning more about the foundations of Indian philosophy. Session 1: Introduction to the Upanishads & their historical background Session 2: Key ideas found throughout the Upanishads Session 3: Exploring the narratives found throughout the texts Session 4: Stories of Atman or the Self Session 5: Philosophical interpretations the upanishads by eknath easwaran hindu scriptures vedic texts hindu philosophy hindu atman brahman meaning ego soul self the upanishads kindle veda vedas in english self actualization know thy true self eternal path

Neti, neti; the Search for the Ultimate Principle in the Vedic Upanisads

The Upanishads: Stories of the Self with Graham Burns

Angela Voss

Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus In these two lectures about Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510) and the meaning behind two of his best loved paintings, Angela introduces you to the esoteric worldview which flourished in the early centuries CE in cultural centres such as Alexandria in Egypt, and was reborn in Renaissance Europe. In fifteenth century Florence, a group of intellectuals centred around the great Platonic philosopher Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) instigated a revival of what was then called ‘the ancient wisdom’, now often referred to as the Western esoteric tradition, or the Perennial Wisdom. divine feminine energy the divine feminine book platonic philosophy who is the greek goddess of love art history textbook book Europe for college paintings masterpieces renaissance famous artist birth of venus primavera meaning translation

Wise Studies

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