Sutta Study Fall ’24/Winter ’25

Reading The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha

An Online Sutta Study Course with Philip Jones

Meeting Monthly on Nov. 20, Dec. 18, 2024, and Jan. 15, Mar. 19, 2025; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Central Time

Registration is open, closes Nov. 10.

Fees

Actual Cost: $35; Minimum: $20; Supporter: $45; Sponsor: $85

Click here for our pricing policy.

If you need financial assistance, please see our scholarship policy before registering.


Would you like to ground your practice in the discourses (suttas) of  the Buddha that have guided people to live with greater happiness, peace, and harmony for over 2500 years? Are you interested in being instructed, inspired, and touched by the Buddha’s wisdom, humor, and similes?

Through the practice of sutta study, individually and in a group, we will build our understanding so that it can guide our practice. We will also gain skill and confidence in our own ability to read and understand the Early Buddhist discourses.

In this course we will continue reading the collection called the Majjhima-nikāya in the English translation, The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi. Continuing our progression through this collection, during this course we will begin with discourse 51, Kandaraka-sutta (To Kandaraka).

This open-ended course will be divided into several semesters each year. Each month we will first read one or two selected suttas on our own, then one evening we’ll gather together on Zoom to read and discuss those suttas.

None of the fees paid to Mid America Dharma go to the teacher for offering the teachings. The “welcome to the course” message that you receive after completing your registration will contain information from the teacher about ways of offering dana for the teachings.

Registration is limited to 24 participants per semester.


To register: please read The Course Requirements & Details. You will be able to register at the bottom of that page.

For more information email us or call Phil Jones at 573-673-6713

Upcoming  Activities

2024

Reading The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha
An Online Sutta Study Course
with Philip Jones
Meeting Monthly: Nov. 20, Dec. 18, 2024
and Jan. 15, Mar. 19, 2025
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Central Time
Registration is open, closes Nov. 10, 2024

2025

2025 Awakening Joy Course: 10 Steps to a Happier Life
Affiliate Event
Online with James Baraz
Meeting Times: see the course description
Registration is open

Connecting Heart and Mind
an Online Retreat
with James Baraz
January 17-19
Registration is open, closes January, 13, 2025

Cultivating a Wise Heart
A Residential Retreat
with Annie Nugent
March 6 -11
Mercy Center, St Louis
Registration Opens: December 15, 2024

Deepening Your Practice: A Retreat for Experienced Meditators
A Residential Retreat
with David Chernikoff
July 28 - August 3, 2025
Creighton University Retreat Center, Griswold, IA
Registration Opens: April 13, 2025

Mindfulness in Everyday Life
An Online Householder Retreat 
with Robert Brumet
and Joe McCormack
September 7, 9, 11 & 13, 2025
Registration opens June 7, 2025

The Happiness of a Well-trained Mind
A Residential Retreat
with Bridget Rolens
October 30 - November 2
Mercy Center St Louis
Registration Opens: July 15, 2025

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