The Energizing Factors of Awakening
Part One of Two: Investigation, Energy & Joy

Four Sundays - October 18, 25, and November 1, 8

10:30 am - 12 pm PT
Online via Zoom   https://zoom.us/j/4869062176?pwd=dWtsaXBCVTdGVTFHR3BJSWFVU2VTUT09

A four-week exploration of the Buddha’s map for an awakened life
With Shakthi Ganeshan

The capacity to awaken is already present within us, but requires supportive conditions in order to surface. Wise teachings, trusted companions, and practices help us to recognize and follow what is true.

In the Theravāda tradition, the Buddha outlines seven qualities of mind that, when cultivated together, lead to liberation. 

These are the satta bojjhaṅgā— the seven factors of awakening. These are not abstract ideals. They are living capacities that practitioners have been cultivating and rediscovering for 2,500 years.
This four-week course is the first in a two-part series. We begin with the energizing factors: the qualities that rouse the heart and orient it toward what is real.

What We’ll Explore Together

Mindfulness · Sati
The foundation that runs through all the other factors—present, clear, and steady.

Investigation · Dhammavicaya
The courageous inquiry that allows us to see things as they actually are.

Energy · Vīrya
The effort that arises naturally when we are oriented toward what matters.

Joy · Pīti
Sustained happiness —that comes from meeting truth directly.

Learning Through Women’s Lives

Each week, we will draw on classical teachings, embodied practices, and the living examples of women — past and present — who have enacted these qualities in their lives. We look to women teachers, activists, artists, and ordinary practitioners as inspiration for our own capacity. Their lives can remind us of the presence of these qualities in ourselves and others. Awakening is not a destination reserved for monastics or the spiritually gifted. 

We will examine what it means to work with these qualities as a woman. We will explore how energy and effort can be rooted in joy rather than striving. And we will practice together, week by week, so that these teachings move from concept into embodied experience, into daily life care.

What This Course Includes:

• Four weekly live sessions with Dharma teachings, guided meditation, and discussion
• Short readings and reflections between sessions to support your practice
• A curated thread of women’s voices and stories woven throughout the curriculum
• An intimate sangha container, open to all women who feel called to this inquiry
• A bridge into Part Two, where we will explore the calming and clarifying factors of awakening

Who This Course Is For:

This series welcomes women who are drawn to the depth of the Buddhist teachings want to explore them in a community that honors women's experiences. You may be new to the seven factors, or you may have encountered them before. No prior knowledge of Pāli or Buddhist philosophy is required. A willingness to sit, to inquire, and to be changed is enough.

Continuing on to Part Two
This course is the first half of a complete journey through all Seven Factors of Awakening. Part One, the energizing factors, prepares us to continue into the calming and clarifying factors—tranquility, concentration, and equanimity—which will be explored in Part Two. And each four-week session also stands on its own.
 

Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/4869062176?pwd=dWtsaXBCVTdGVTFHR3BJSWFVU2VTUT09
Meeting ID: 486 906 2176
Passcode: 09JU1G

By phone:
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/advzKQlWaB
Meeting ID: 486 906 2176
Passcode: 560614