Introducing Parallax Spiritual Book Club
A READING COMMUNITY FOR STUDYING MYSTICAL, NON DUAL, AND TANTRIC TEXTS
HOSTED BY ANDREW SWEENY
Starts January 9th 8pm CET on Zoom
RSVP HERE
VISION
In our Sunday night meetings we will survey texts from mystical, tantric, and non dual traditions—east and west. We will have both an experimental class and a ‘lectio divina’ reading group, while aiming to develop a non-sectarian community of learners interested in the ‘hidden traditions’.
We will begin by discussing the 9 Yana system of The Nyingma Lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism, while studying theistic and non-theistic views. We will then move to western mystical traditions with reference to the first books of Genesis, Carl Jung’s ‘Answer to Job’, and Meister Eckhart. Finally, we will move east to the Indian Tantric and Advaita masters including Nisargadatta Maharaj and Ramakrishna; and then far east to Zen and Taoism. Finally, we will look at some of the great crazy wisdom masters of the 20th Century, beginning with George Gurdjieff, to controversial 20th Century masters like Chogyam Trungpa and Osho.
The class will not be academic in spirit but rather aims to create an open community of dialogue with these texts. It will include some basic meditation and inquiry, have the occasional special guests, and there will be breakout rooms for discussion. It is open for anybody who is interested in deep meditation, contemplative traditions, and non-ordinary views of existence.
OUTLINE
Part 1: The view: theism and non-theism, sutra and tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism
Part 2: Mysticism east and west—apophatic theology and the left hand paths
Part 3: Hindu Tantra: Ramakrishna, Nisargadatta Maharaj
Part 4: Zen and Taoism
Part 5: Gurdjieff and the 4th Way
Part 6: Modern Crazy Wisdom: Chogyam Trungpa, Osho
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Free with a suggested donation of 25 Euros: Donations
Reading the books prior to the sessions is strongly recommended
BOOKS WE WILL STUDY (subject to change)
T.K. An Opening Lotus of Wisdom: Topics in Vajrayana, Vol. I
David Chaim Smith: The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis
Consciousness and the Absolute: The Final Talks of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
Trungpa, Chogyam: Transcending Madness
Gurdjieff: A Biography : The Anatomy of a Myth
The Reality of Being: The Fourth Way of Gurdjieff - De Salzmann, Jeanne