The Refuge of Dhamma: Exploring the Buddha’s Discourses

About the Refuge of Dhamma Courses

The discourses of the Buddha, called suttas, are one of the world’s most majestic collections of spiritual teaching. They record many styles of teaching, from inspiring poetry to psychological guidance, social theory, and philosophical masterpieces that address the deepest human fears, hopes, and potential. 

In these sutta study courses we dive into the beauty and richness of the Buddha’s teachings, reading texts from the Pāli Canon, the body of ancient texts preserved by Theravāda Buddhist cultures in South and Southeast Asia, in accessible English translations. 

You will hear the voice of the Buddha, building his community and laying out a path of practice that leads to liberation from all forms of suffering. You will find advice for the most stubborn challenges in meditation and ordinary life. And you will be invited to realize for yourself the profound liberation he called “the heartwood of the holy life.” 

This course collects the first two classes in the series, taught live in 2021, beginning with important short discourses that provide a strong foundation for a lifetime of practice, and the Buddha’s first discourse, in which he teaches the Four Noble Truths and begins the lineage of Dharma transmission that still shapes our practice and community. The course continues with two autobiographical discourses describing the Buddha’s early life and practice, and the majestic sutta at the heart of the Long Discourses (Dīgha Nikāya) collection, “The Fruits of the Ascetic Life.” 

Beginners to practice are welcome and may be inspired to hear these teachings that are at the heart of all Buddhist traditions, but some experience in meditation and mindfulness is assumed.

About Sean Oakes, PhD

Sean Oakes, PhD (he/him, queer, Puerto Rican & English ancestry, living on unceded Pomo land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He has studied in Theravāda, Zen, and Vajrāyāna Buddhist lineages, including training as a monk in Burma, and was authorized to teach by Jack Kornfield. Website: SeanFeitOakes.com

About Spirit Rock & Insight Meditation

Spirit Rock is a spiritual training institution in the Insight Meditation tradition grounded in the Buddha’s teachings in the Pāli discourses. Our vision and mission is to bring people to a depth of realization of the Buddha’s path of liberation through direct experience, and to provide practitioners with teachings to manifest wisdom and compassion in all aspects of their lives, for the benefit of all beings. We welcome practitioners of all backgrounds and levels of experience to join communities of learning, support, and connection in our spiritual sanctuary and refuge.

This course is part of Spirit Rock’s new Dharma Institute, which offers in-depth study of the teachings and practices of the Buddha and the Insight Meditation lineage, along with professional trainings and continuing education. 

Spirit Rock was founded in 1986 by a group of Insight Meditation teachers, including Jack Kornfield, who, along with Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, and Jacqueline Schwartz, founded Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA, in 1976. These centers, along with Gaia House (Devon, UK), are among the first centers teaching Insight Meditation (vipassanā) in the West. Read more about the founding of Spirit Rock and IMS in Jack Kornfield’s article “This Fantastic, Unfolding Experiment.” 

Insight Meditation is based in Theravāda (“The Way of the Elders”) Buddhism, as practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), and Thailand, though our teachers carry many different lineages within—and outside—Theravāda. Our primary practices are based in the Mahāsī lineage of Burmese vipassanā and the Thai Forest Saṅgha lineage of Ajahn Chah. Read more aboutour Buddhist Lineage and listen to talks from teachers about the roots of our practice.

Questions?

Visit Help for additional information and guidance. After visiting the Help page, if you still need support with the Online Learning Platform, email OLPsupport@spiritrock.org.