Category: Robert Thurman
Special Announcement: The Stages of the Path with Robert Thurman
Sunday, April 10th at 7:00 pm, Robert Thurman returns to the Sacred Stream Center for a talk on Lam Rim, the three principle aspects of the path to enlightenment based on Atiśa’s 11th-century root text and Je Tsongkahpa’s The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Dr. Thurman has a deep understanding of this text and will share his insights covering topics that include the preciousness of human life, the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, and the intention of the bodhisattva. We hope you will join us for this every special evening.
Article: Driving with Bob: One Short Day on Tour with Robert Thurman
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Venus was rising in the eastern sky as we headed south for the next event where Robert Thurman was presenting a paper. This was to be the third major lecture he would deliver within thirty-six hours, and Bob was full of energy, settling into his computer to finalize the notes for this lecture.
As I drove, dawn illuminated the hills and valleys. The clouds on the horizon echoed their undulations. There were no other cars on the road. I had never been to the old mansion where the conference was taking place, and I was a little worried about my navigational skills.
Special Announcement: Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman Teaching Together at Menla
Robert Thurman and Isa Gucciardi will be co-teaching three fantastic workshops together starting this fall at Menla Center for Health and Happiness. Menla is nestled in a magical mountain valley, surrounded by thousands of acres of Catskills forest preserve in upstate New York. It has a Conference Center, Yoga Studio, Healing Center and Spa, as well as a variety of comfortable accommodations, plus gourmet vegetarian cuisine from the onsite organic garden. Join these two inspiring teachers in this beautiful healing setting.
Article: Reflections on Menla, September 2014
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Menla means Medicine Buddha in Tibetan, but I think the esoteric translation must be “magic.” Menla Mountain Retreat Center, located in the Catskill Mountains in New York, is a place unto itself. You arrive at Menla Mountain via a narrow road, which has turned off another small road. A sign at the turn off says “Dead End.” Perhaps not coincidentally, you are actually entering a crater created several million years ago, when a meteorite filled with all types of unearthly metals crashed into the site. The magnetic field, which still exists there today, is palpable, and it does a good job of interrupting all types of modern communication systems.
Article: The Future of Buddhism in the West
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Arnold Toynbee, the noted British historian, remarked that the most important event for the West in the twentieth century was to be its encounter with Buddhism. We in the West are still in the early days of this encounter and there are still many facets of this encounter that have yet to be worked out or made evident. Yet, by examining the challenges that have arisen in this encounter, we may be able to discern the trajectory of the future of Buddhism in the West.