The Practice of Mahayana Buddhism with Choden and Alan Hughes

Step by step teaching and practice of the key elements of the Mahayana Buddhist path

This course is a continuation of the Practice of Buddhism course which began in 2024, and this second year will conclude with a retreat in March 2026 which can be attended online via zoom or in person at Samye Ling. The cost of the course is £630.00 which can be paid for in six monthly instalments.

Anyone can register for this course – both new people and those who have undertaken the first year.

In the first year we have focused on Hinayana Buddhism, which were the original teachings of the Buddha. In this second year we will focus on Mahayana Buddhism, which is described as the ‘second turning of the wheel of Dharma’. It began in the first century BCE though it traces its origins to the teachings of the Buddha. By the 9^th century CE it had become the dominant form of Buddhism in Central and East Asia. It is also the basis of the Vajrayana teachings found in Tibetan Buddhism.

At the heart of Mahayana is the principle of Bodhicitta, or the awakening mind or heart that is the force that takes one to Enlightenment. The two main aspects of bodhicitta are Emptiness and Compassion. The one who practices bodhicitta is known as a ‘bodhisattva’. He or she is a spiritual hero who delays their own enlightenment so that he can bring all living beings to Buddhahood.  They see the emptiness of all phenomena – they see how life is like a dream – but they respond to the suffering of beings caught up in the dream with compassion. Mahayana combines the wisdom of emptiness with the tender heart of compassion as a powerful force of awakening.

Like we did for the first year of the Buddhist Course, it will be a structured, step by step teaching on the basic principles and practices of Buddhism. It will be taught in the experiential style characteristic of the Mindfulness Association. There will be teachings followed by guided practice and the opportunity for sharing on how the teachings and practice land.

The course will be delivered by way of twice monthly online teaching sessions for 90mins each starting in May 2025 and culminating in a retreat (with an online option) at Samye Ling in March 2026. The first online session each month will be a teaching session, which will focus on a particular topic with teachings and guided practices around this. The second online session of the month, generally two weeks after the teaching session, will be a practice session revisiting the same topic with an opportunity for sharing and feedback on your practice.

The teaching topics will include:

• Relative and Ultimate Truth
  • Emptiness and Compassion
• Bodhisattva principle
• Life stories of great Bodhisattvas
• Bodhicitta
• Aspiration Bodhicitta – 4 Immeasurable Qualities
  • 4 Immeasurables: Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity
• Application Bodhicitta – 6 Paramitas (Perfections)
  • 6 Paramitas: Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Joyful enthusiasm, Meditation and Wisdom

Tutors: Choden and Alan Hughes

DATES FOR ONLINE TEACHING AND PRACTICE SESSIONS:

Dates for 2025/2026 online teaching sessions: Wednesdays from 19.00-20.30pm:

Wednesday 14th May, Wednesday 18th June, Wednesday 16th July, Wednesday 20th August, Wednesday 17th September, Wednesday 15th October, Wednesday 19th November, Wednesday 17th December 2025, Wednesday 14th January and Wednesday 18th February 2026.

Dates for the 2025/2026 online practice sessions: Wednesdays from 19.00-20.30pm

Wednesday 28th May, Wednesday 3rd July, Wednesday 30th July, Wednesday 3rd September, Wednesday 1st October, Wednesday 29th October, Wednesday 3rd December 2025 (final three sessions for 2026 to be confirmed)

The retreat will be taught at Samye Ling/Online from Tuesday 17th March – Sunday 22nd March 2026. The retreat will begin at 19.00pm on Wednesday 17th March and finish’s at 15.00pm on Sunday 22nd March 2026.

If attending in person please book your accommodation and meals for the weekend directly with Samye Ling by emailing bookings@samyeling.org. They will need to know the dates that you would like to stay, what room you would like (please click here to see the room types and prices), your name, and the name of the second person if you are booking a twin room, your address, phone number and preferred email address for the booking. No room bookings can currently be made via the Samye Ling website. We will notify participants when Samye Ling is taking accommodation bookings for 2026.