This course will focus on cultivation of the five jhāna factors — directed attention, sustained attention, joy, happiness, and one-pointed attention. These factors develop in the natural course of concentration.
The jhāna factors overpower hindrances, develop powerful mental skills, strengthen the stability of mind, and enhance deep happiness as the mind prepares for jhāna absorption. This course is suitable for students with previous mindfulness-based meditation experience.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This online course includes six learning modules with:
- recorded lectures
- reading assignments
- sutta study
- guided meditations
- peer led discussion forums
- optional online video meetings with Shaila Catherine
- online video meetings are recorded as audio files
Daily meditation practice is strongly encouraged. Optional live conference calls are scheduled at various times to accommodate students in different time zones.
PREREQUISITE FOR ENROLLMENT
Participants are expected to have an established mindfulness-based meditation practice. Please refer to the FAQ tab for more information. This course on Cultivating the Jhāna Factors is part of our Concentration Series. Newcomers to Bodhi Courses are welcome to join this Jhāna Factors course, and it will serve as a prerequisite for the later topics in the Concentration Series that stipulate a prerequisite of previous participation.
MORE INFORMATION
Please see the FAQs tab for more information.
For questions regarding registration, please contact: bcregistration
Required Text
Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm and Clarity
by Shaila Catherine
Wisdom Publications, 2008
Recommended Text
Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhāna and Vipassanā
by Shaila Catherine
Wisdom Publications, 2011
Yes, there is a prerequisite for participation in this course. Participants are expected to have an established mindfulness-based meditation practice.
The course is entirely online, and includes recorded lectures and guided meditation instructions, readings, sutta study, discussion forums, a library of resources, and optional live audio or video conferences with Shaila Catherine.
Bodhi Courses is planned and designed for people with busy schedules and every-day demands. The self-paced learning modules offer flexibility for completing assignments. Internet access is needed, but if you have a mobile device or internet access while traveling, your participation can continue without interruption. Audio talks are streamed, not downloadable.
Yes, both. Shaila Catherine will offer several opportunities for optional live audio conferences. These sessions are optional and open to all class participants, and recordings are later made available within the course. These large group conference calls may include reflections on the lesson topic, questions and answers about applying course topics to your meditation practice, or the study of a sutta. Practical questions and comments related to meditation and the course materials are invited. However, Shaila is not available outside these large group calls for individual inquiries or practice guidance.
Students will also interact through the written discussion forums. Shaila reviews the written forums to draw out themes for the audio conferences, but she will rarely add a post directly. The written forums are intended to be a space for peer-to-peer discussions; they are moderated by a team of wise, skilled discussion leaders who help guide the forum discussions toward in-depth and practical explorations of the course themes.
A computer with dependable internet access and a browser, and standard (freely available) software for listening to audio files and viewing PDF documents.
A mobile app for Moodle courseware is also available for those who prefer to access the course via a mobile device.
No. The course is hosted on Moodle, which is courseware widely used by schools, universities, and various learning programs worldwide. Moodle is compatible with both PC and Mac. Moodle is browser-based, requiring no downloads or installations. For mobile devices, the Moodle moblie app is available for (free) download.
Optional live audio or video conferences with Shaila Catherine may be accessed by either computer or phone. Details will be provided in the course.
The registration fee covers participation in the course, but does not include books. Additional donations (dana) for the teacher is welcome and encouraged.
Donations may be offered through our Teacher Support Page.
Registration fees are non-refundable. In the case of cancellations that occur at least 14 days prior to the course start date, Bodhi Courses will credit the amount above half the low end of the sliding scale towards a future course. Voucher credits expire in one year.
Contact: bcregistration
The assignments will likely require about 3 hours per week, depending on your level of interest and inquiry. Each learning module will span 7-14 days, and during that designated period, you may work at your own pace. Daily meditation practice is strongly encouraged.
The sliding scale registration fee is the only payment made to Bodhi Courses. In addition you will need to purchase the required course book(s) from your favorite book supplier or borrow from a library.
Our lectures and guided meditations are streamed, not downloadable. Depending upon the service contract with your internet provider you may incur data charges to listen to the lectures.
We design our recorded lectures, guided meditations, and conference calls to function within the context of a structured course, and therefore we do not make them available for downloading or use outside the course. We envision this to be a classroom experience that is limited in time to the specified course period. We do not offer permanent access or personal possession of the talks, guided meditations, or recordings.
We do, however, provide the following support for enrolled participants: during each 2-3 month course period, the completed course modules remain available and students can review material from earlier modules throughout the duration of the course. We also keep our courses available for a few weeks after the closing date. The number of weeks varies and depends upon how much time our volunteers need to prepare for the next Bodhi Course. Usually the material is available for 3-4 weeks after the course ends, and we announce the final date within the course. This extension offers extra time for students to review the material or catch up if they fell behind. After this period for review, the material will no longer be available and access to the course will be denied.
This course is recommended for students with previous meditation experience. Specific skills are not required, but it would be most useful for students with an already established mindfulness-based meditation practice.
The learning goals for this course are:
- Participants will learn to recognize the characteristics of each jhāna factor, and deepen their understanding of how each factor functions.
- Participants will identify and nurture the jhāna factors in meditation and also in daily activities.
- Participants will work with the jhāna factors in the context of right view, recognize the role of renunciation and letting go, and understand how these factors support concentration and liberating insight.
The lectures, readings, Try This! exercises, discussion forums, and conference calls are all aimed at revealing the significance of the jhāna factors in the development of mind.
Yes. Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm and Clarity (Wisdom Publications, 2008) by Shaila Catherine is required reading for this course. You will need a personal copy.
There will be sutta readings from the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Wisdom Publications), and also from the Connnected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Wisdom Publications). You may use personal copies of these texts if you wish, or alternatively, you may choose to rely on the copies provided within the course modules. Registration fee does not include books.
COST: TBD Sliding Scale
WATCH THE VIDEO INTRO
MEET THE TEACHER
Shaila Catherine
Shaila Catherine
