Relative Bodhicitta & the Paramitas [Online]

This Mahayana course focuses on relative bodhicitta– the wish to benefit all beings–and explores practices helping us to actualize that wish. 

Relative bodhicitta is our ability to keep our hearts and minds open to suffering without shutting down. It is the development of compassionate intention and activity and includes the practice of the first five paramitas. 

Relative bodhicitta has two aspects:

First is the Aspiration to benefit all beings. This is our reason for practicing. Aspiration is a contemplative meditation, based on imagining that all beings have been our mothers in a past life. Feeling gratitude, we long to repay their kindness. This is the essential basis for equanimity, the practice of not taking sides, which is the ground for how to raise bodhicitta. Meditating on the four Immeasurables, as we did during the previous module could also fall into that category. 

The second is how we practice, the Application of our intention. Application is how we actually engage in practicing bodhicitta, how we put the aspiration into action. It has to do with the paramitas, generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation and with the practice of exchanging self for other (tonglen).

This is the second module in a year of Mahayana studies hosted by Seattle Shambhala Center’s teachers on Zoom. 

Throughout 2025 we’ll cover 5 modules, each are posted and registered for separately but you are encouraged to attend all if possible. 

Module 1 - Maitri & The Four Immeasurables

Module 2 - Relative Bodhicitta & the Paramitas

Module 3 - Emptiness & Absolute Bodhicitta

Module 4 -  Lojong & Compassionate Engagement

Module 5 - Lojong - Make your own Lojong cards + study

About the Teacher:

Alan Ness is a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He has been meditating since the 1970’s. Alan attended a three-month Buddhist seminary 1983 in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He has been trained as a meditation instructor and teacher in the Shambhala tradition. He lives in Wallingford and is an architect.

If you have any questions please reach out to Meli-Tashi Happy [email protected]