New Treatise on Enlightened Society Discussion Group

sakyong2The first of the series of discussion group meetings, focused on the teachings in the Sakyong’s Treatise on Enlightened Society, was held on Sunday, January 8. The goal of the series is to apply these teachings to the challenges and opportunities we face in light of the current political situation.

  • The discussions will happen at 12:30 on Sundays into the foreseeable future.
  • We will read one section of the book aloud at the beginning of each session, as an inspiration for discussion.
  • Anyone can pop in on any group gathering, no need to attend them all. We will keep people posted by blog on what section we covered/will cover in the next meeting, and on the gist of the discussion from each group.
  • The meetings will be short, about an hour.


Sunday, January 8th Meeting Notes

  • We covered the Preface of the Treatise in our first meeting, and will read the first section of the Statement, pages 7-15 next week.
  • In addition to the specific themes from the readings, people are encouraged to bring up whatever they wish from their experience. For example, Kerstin suggested that we bring in examples of “good news” to share, such as positive responses people have experienced or created or heard about to the challenges at hand. Paula suggested that we bring in examples of experiences of gratitude. Phyllis appreciated that we can actually celebrate society’s enlightened nature, and move forward with that kind of a positive outlook, rather than falling into despair or anger.
  • We acknowledged our need to be repeatedly reminded of the view. We also acknowledged our need for each other as reminders, encouragement and support.
  • Our meeting this Sunday was very short, but I think that all of us felt a lift from it.

Please consider joining us! If you have questions, contact Charlotte Brodie at [email protected].