This course over eight weeks on The Place of Imagination, Beauty, and Ritual in the Spiritual Life was provided by Padmavajri from the Brighton Buddhist Centre.
Padmavajri says: “I led two groups on this. The course was aimed at any Mitras and it turned out I had a group of experienced Mitras, and a group of newer Mitras (one or two years old)... The two groups here loved it, enjoyed it, were challenged by it, and also were helped to understand ritual and the arts much more.”
The material for each week includes:
- a short list of learning objectives for the teacher;
- a handout with questions for reflection (it may be best to give these to the participants in advance, and encourage them to prepare for the week);
- a handout with suggestions for practice during the following week and references for further reading.
Overview over the Course
Week 1: Emotional Energy and Spiritual Aspiration
Week 2: Faith and Non-faith
Week 3: The Psychology of the Spiritual Life
Week 4: The Life and Death of the Imagination
Week 5: Beauty and the Hierarchy of Art
Week 6: The Dharma in Poetry
Week 7: The Psychology of Ritual
Week 8: Approaching the Sevenfold Puja