The image of the Buddha’s “Approach from the Middle” is likely the most famous metaphor of his Teaching. It is seen variously as the path between two extremes, the eightfold path itself, occasionally as a broad and beaten track, and sometimes the blurry trail of compromise.
This program offers a closer look at the astonishingly different faces of this metaphor, beginning with the Pāli discourses and a glance at Nāgārjuna. It focuses on tracing some of its varied interpretations and sketches an invigorating vision of a “middle teaching” and its corresponding “middle practice.” Each day will include two daily study-blocks with lectures, reading, and exploration in small groups, framed by meditation in sitting, walking, and noble silence.
