This course will develop our knowledge of dependent arising as a way of looking through which we can understand our lives.

A way of understanding

Sometimes we make a distinction between the practical and the intellectual. In the case of dependent arising, there is not a strict division between these two—actually we tend to forget that ideas change lives. And the Buddha is presenting us with a big idea.

Contemplation and reflection

The Buddha says that understanding begins with absorbing the teachings and reflecting on the teachings. Then we learn to explore our experience in light of the teaching, moment to moment. The last development of understanding is to embody what we know in every area of our lives.