Dates: Mondays, Aug 24 – Oct 5

The Bodhisattva path asks practitioners to cultivate boundless compassion while maintaining ethical discipline—but what happens when these seem to conflict?

This course explores how Mahayana Buddhism approaches ethical complexity: situations where multiple values compete, where compassion appears to challenge precepts, or where there is no obviously correct answer.

By the end of the course participants will:

– Understand how Mahayana ethical reasoning differs from purely rule-based systems
– Develop frameworks for approaching ethical complexity rather than seeking simple answers
– Explore the relationship between motivation, consequences, wisdom, and precepts
– Become more comfortable holding uncertainty while maintaining ethical commitment
– Learn practical tools for applying Buddhist ethics in contemporary life

The bodhisattva path does not ask us to wait for simpler circumstances, it asks us to learn how to practice within the complexity of the world as it is.

No prior study of Buddhist ethics required.