{"id":16018,"date":"2026-07-18T19:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T23:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/?page_id=16018"},"modified":"2026-07-19T07:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T11:40:44","slug":"buddhism-101-walking-the-bodhisattva-path","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bffct.org\/bff\/buddhism-101-walking-the-bodhisattva-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Buddhism 101: Walking the Bodhisattva Path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Six Paramitas for Everyday Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Six Paramitas are not just ideals. They are the art of living with an awakened heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Sessions | October 25 & November 8 | Live on Zoom | $108<\/strong> \u26a0\ufe0f Enrollment closes October 18, 2026 \u2014 Limited Availability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the challenges of your everyday life \u2014 the difficult relationships, the moments of impatience, the temptation to give up, the restless searching for meaning \u2014 were not obstacles to your spiritual practice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if they were the practice itself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the radical, liberating heart of the Bodhisattva Path \u2014 one of Mahayana Buddhism’s most profound and transformative teachings. And at its center lie six luminous perfections \u2014 the Six Paramitas \u2014 ancient guidelines for living with generosity, integrity, patience, joyful effort, meditative awareness, and wisdom in every moment of every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not on the cushion only. Not in the temple only. But here \u2014 in your kitchen, your workplace, your relationships, and your most difficult moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the path that transforms ordinary life into awakening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT THE COURSE<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Buddhism 101: Walking the Bodhisattva Path \u2014 The Six Paramitas for Everyday Life<\/strong> is a warm, engaging, and deeply accessible two-session live Zoom course exploring one of Mahayana Buddhism’s most beloved and practically powerful teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bodhisattva is not a distant, mythological figure. A Bodhisattva is anyone who has made the courageous aspiration to awaken \u2014 not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of all beings. And the Six Paramitas are the practical, beautiful, day-by-day expression of that aspiration in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing from The Six Paramitas: Perfections of the Bodhisattva Path<\/em> by the revered Chan Master Sheng Yen \u2014 one of the twentieth century’s foremost Buddhist teachers and scholars \u2014 and guided by BFF’s own Rev. G.R. Lewis, M.A., this course brings these timeless teachings off the page and into your actual life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are brand new to Buddhism or a seasoned practitioner looking to deepen your practice, this course meets you exactly where you are. Open to everyone. No prerequisites required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SIX PARAMITAS \u2014 WHAT YOU WILL EXPLORE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over two richly engaging live sessions you will discover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf38 Generosity (Dana)<\/strong> \u2014 the first and most fundamental perfection. The difference between giving with characteristics and giving without \u2014 and why true generosity begins with releasing self-attachment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2696\ufe0f Morality (Sila)<\/strong> \u2014 ethical living not as rigid rule-following but as the natural expression of compassion. The Five Precepts, the Bodhisattva Precepts, and how moral conduct becomes a gift to all beings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf0a Patience (Ksanti)<\/strong> \u2014 perhaps the most immediately practical paramita. The three kinds of patience, the difference between worldly and world-transcending patience, and how wisdom transforms the way we meet conflict, difficulty, and pain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd25 Diligence (Virya)<\/strong> \u2014 the paramita of joyful, sustained effort. How vows strengthen practice, how the Four Proper Exertions keep us on course, and how the Bodhisattva practices diligence not for self-improvement but for the benefit of all<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\uddd8 Meditation (Dhyana)<\/strong> \u2014 far more than sitting on a cushion. The five levels of dhyana, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and how Mahayana meditation extends into every moment of daily life<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc8e Wisdom (Prajna)<\/strong> \u2014 the crown of all six perfections. Why prajna is essential to every other paramita, the difference between general and specific wisdom, and how awakening to the nature of reality transforms everything<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW THIS COURSE IS DIFFERENT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most Buddhist courses teach the Six Paramitas as concepts \u2014 definitions to understand, lists to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This course brings them to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through guided discussion, reflection, and real-life application \u2014 supported by thoughtful Reading Guide assignments and home practice \u2014 you will discover how each paramita speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities of your own everyday experience. Your relationships. Your work. Your moments of frustration, grief, joy, and longing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Six Paramitas are not just ideals to aspire to. They are practical tools \u2014 refined over centuries of lived Buddhist wisdom \u2014 for meeting life with greater clarity, resilience, kindness, and an increasingly open and awakened heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE REQUIRED TEXT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Six Paramitas: Perfections of the Bodhisattva Path<\/strong> by Chan Master Sheng Yen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by the late Venerable Chan Master Sheng Yen \u2014 one of the twentieth century’s foremost Buddhist teachers, scholars, and meditation masters \u2014 this beautifully clear and practical guide explores each of the Six Paramitas in depth, showing how they work together as a complete path of awakening and how they can be practiced meaningfully in the midst of ordinary daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please obtain and begin reading your copy before the first class session on November 8th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Link to Download the free PDF book here]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COURSE REQUIREMENTS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a structured program \u2014 not a casual book club. Students are warmly asked to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n