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Building on the practices developed in both the Satipatthāna Meditation and Mindfulness of Breathing programs offered by BCBS, Brahmavihāras and Emptiness offers eight weeks of focused study and practice guided by the teachings of renowned scholar and monastic, Bhikkhu Anālayo.
We are delighted to offer New Participant and Returning Participant Cohorts for the Brahmavihāras and Emptiness program. If this will be your first time taking the BCBS Brahmavihāras and Emptiness program, please select the New Participant Application. If you have completed the BCBS Brahmavihāras and Emptiness program in the past, please select the Returning Participant Application. All small groups will include both new and returning participants.
January 17 - March 13, 2027
September 28 - December 1, 2026
8 weeks
10-12 hours per week
Choose the $500–$700 rate that works for your budget. Learn more about program fees, teacher dāna, and financial assistance.
Intensive
1) Having an established mindfulness practice
2) Having either earned a certificate of completion from our Online Immersive Program, Mindfulness of Breathing, with Bhikkhu Anālayo at BCBS or another center.
• Video lectures
• Audio guided meditations
• Reading assignments
• Sutta study
• Discussion forums
• Review questions
• Weekly 90 minute live small group meetings, including:
• Break-out practice and sutta study discussions
• Moderated weekly written discussion forums
Brahmavihāras and Emptiness is an eight-week, in-depth study of two meditation practices. The first is brahmavihāra meditation, or the cultivation of kindness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity. The second is the gradual entry into emptiness as described in the Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (Cūḷasuññata-sutta, MN 121) and its Chinese parallel. Both of these modes of practice are related to progress to awakening. The course builds on the meditative skills developed in the Satipatthāna Meditation and Mindfulness of Breathing practices.
Each week students will engage with recorded guided meditations and video lectures by Bhikkhu Anālayo, complete reading assignments from Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation, attend the 90-minute weekly group meeting, and contribute to a written online forum.
Timeline:
Applications Open:
September 28, 2026
Applications Close:
December 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance or Waitlist:
December 7, 2026
Registration Period:
December 7, 2026 – January 4, 2027
Orientation Week:
January 10, 2027
Program Dates:
January 17 – March 13, 2027
| Pre-Course | Welcome Module, Orientation, and Access to Week 1 (Brahmavihāra 1) |
| Week 1 | Brahmavihāra 1 |
| Week 2 | Brahmavihāra 2 |
| Week 3 | Emptiness 1 |
| Week 4 | Emptiness 2 |
| Week 5 | Emptiness 3 |
| Week 6 | Emptiness 4 |
| Week 7 | Emptiness 4 |
| Week 8 | Conclusion |
This program requires considerable commitment from participants and is not a self-study program. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings as well as completion of writing prompts and program assessments. The required time commitment is roughly 10-12* hours per week.
Weekly individual participation includes:
*Participants are strongly encouraged to read Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation in advance of the program (later referring back to the book as a reference/refresher for each weekly topic). Otherwise, participants should anticipate an additional 2-3 hours per week for reading during the program.
**The small group meeting is the only program component that happens at a fixed time, and meetings will occur on the same day/time each week.
Click here to view the Small Group Meeting Times. Applicants will select their available times on the application. Attendance is mandatory.
Applications Open:
September 28, 2026
Applications Close:
December 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance or Waitlist:
December 7, 2026
Registration Period:
December 7, 2026 – January 4, 2027
Orientation Week:
January 10, 2027
Program Dates:
January 17 – March 13, 2027
BCBS offers pricing options to make our programs financially accessible. Please choose the highest rate that works within your budget:
Benefactor: Covers the full cost of the program and includes a tax-deductible contribution to support others.
Actual Cost: Covers the full cost of the program.
Supported: Our most subsidized rate.
All rates provide the same program experience, and subsidized rates require no application or explanation. These lower rates are made possible by the generosity of our community.
Information about Teacher Dāna and additional financial assistance is available in the tabs below.
Program fees do not include compensation for the teachers. In keeping with the tradition of freely offering the Buddhadharma, the teachers are offering this course in a spirit of generosity. Participants have an opportunity to join in this practice of generosity by offering dāna in support of the teacher. Many BCBS teachers have chosen to rely entirely on dāna for their livelihood, both as a practice and as an expression of the Buddhist tradition.
We are committed to making this program accessible to all. Financial assistance is available to offset the program fee if needed. When invited to register, you can select financial assistance of 30%, 40%, or 50% off the Supported tier ($500). If you require financial assistance greater than 50%, please email us, and we will try to accommodate your request.
We are committed to providing a spiritual home and resources for all on the path to awakening. We also aim to offer a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive learning and practice environment for everyone, whatever their age, race, ethnicity, sex (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, body type, disability, religion, or political viewpoint. We recognize this is ongoing work and invite you to reach out to us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org if you have suggestions about how we can more fully embody our aspirations.
We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away. If you cancel before the program starts, you are eligible for a full refund minus a $100 administrative fee. Registration fees are nonrefundable after the program starts.
Bhikkhu Anālayo is a scholar-monk and the author of numerous books on meditation and early Buddhism, such as Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide. He is a Faculty Member at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, having retired from being a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg. Bhikkhu Anālayo’s main area of academic research is early Buddhism, with a special interest in the topics of meditation and women in Buddhism. At the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, he regularly participates in online programs and undertakes research into meditation-related themes.
Bhikkhu Anālayo’s teachings for this program are offered through video lectures, guided meditations, and readings. There will be no direct interaction with Bhikkhu Anālayo.
