Course Details:
13 February 2024
20 February 2024
27 February 2024
5 March 2024
Early Buddhism refers to the teachings of the historical Buddha and his disciples as found in the Early Buddhist Texts (EBTs). This literature has been preserved for over 2600 years and is regarded as the most authentic historical teachings of Buddhism. However, many people have never read these original texts, relying on secondary sources instead.
Join this four-part series with Bhante Akaliko for a clear and concise introduction to the EBTs. Discover how reading the words of the Buddha will make us more informed practitioners and inspire us on the spiritual path.
This talks will be held in person at the Library only. Please register if you wish to attend.
Talk 1: Falling in Love with Early Buddhist Texts 13/2/2024
Bhante Akaliko introduces the Sutta Pitaka, the collection of historical teachings of the Buddha and his disciples. Learn about this enormous body of literature and the process of its transmission; from oral recitation to palm leaf manuscripts and modern day translations.
Discover why reading these texts is the closest thing to hearing the Buddha’s actual words and how reading them will transform your spiritual practice.
Talk 2: Imagery in the Early Buddhist Texts 20/2/2024
The earliest teachings of the Buddha were spoken, not written down. To assist listeners’ understanding and memorisation, the Buddha employed a rich repertoire of similes to convey complex concepts in simple everyday terms.
Join Bhante Akaliko to explore the highly visual world of the Early Buddhist Texts, with imagery that is profound, meaningful and relatable even today.
Talk 3: The Wise and the Weird: People of the Early Buddhist Texts 27/2/2024
Meet the wonderful cast of characters found in the suttas. These historical figures help bring the Buddha’s teachings to life through his interactions with a wide array of people, all with very different personalities, life experiences and spiritual needs.
Join Bhante Akaliko for a fascinating romp through the Early Buddhist Texts and discover a vibrant world of clever queens, dogmatic ascetics, crazed mass murderers and benevolent merchants.
Talk 4 Meditation in the Early Buddhist Texts 5/3/2024
The Buddha taught over forty different meditation subjects, including methods that use external objects, visualisation, recollection, and the breath. Today’s spiritual landscape offers a confusing array of meditation teachers and techniques but how do these compare to the types of meditation we find in the Early Buddhist Texts?
Join Bhante Akaliko to discover the meditations taught by the Buddha to help liberate us from suffering.
Teacher profile
Akaliko Bhikkhu is an Australian monk in the Theravada forest tradition. He is the spiritual director of Little Dust and founder of Rainbodhi LGBTQIA+ Buddhist Community. Bhante Akaliko is also the spiritual advisor of Central West Buddhists and a chaplain at Western Sydney University. He sits on the boards of the Buddhist Council of NSW and the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils.
Bhante Akaliko went forth as a monastic in 2016 and received full ordination with Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana monastery in 2017. He lived for several years with Bhante Sujato at the Monastery at the End of the World in Sydney and now lives as a wandering monk, looking for a place to settle and shake off the dust.
Useful Links:
Website: https://littledust.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/akalikobhikkhu
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BhanteAkalikoBhikkhu
All Sessions are by Donation (Dana) to the Buddhist Library. All donations to the Buddhist Library of $2 and over are tax deductible.
Dana is the traditional practice of generosity, the extending of one’s goodwill, which is fundamental to Buddhism and other spiritual traditions. The dana you give is shared equally with the teacher and the Buddhist Library. This helps to maintain the Library and supports the teacher so that they may offer more teachings on the Dhamma in the future. It is up to each person to determine the amount of dana they’d like to offer. We understand that this is a difficult time financially for many, and people will give what they can. An appropriate dana can’t be prescribed but requires sensitivity to its intent and to the individual’s own situation, as well as awareness of the cost of organising events and supporting teachers who spread the Dhamma.