Buddha means "one who is awake" and awakening or enlightenment is understood as the goal and essence of Buddhist practice. What is this awakening, and how has our understanding and expression of it changed as Buddhism and Zen practice has taken root in modern Western life?
In this program we will look at the many ways Buddhism has been transformed in the process of coming to the West, most notably the move away from a practice whose goal is nirvana, as defined by the extinction of self and the cessation of the cycle of karma and rebirth, to a practice focused on human flourishing (eudaemonia) in the midst of daily life.
How have attachment, personal commitments, family, love and loss been reformulated in this transition from East to West? To what extent does the monastic life remain the epitome or ideal of practice? What do we now expect enlightenment to look like and how would it change our life?
