Working Through Our
Mental Afflictions in Today's World:
A Buddhist & Psychotherapeutic approach to Attachment, Aversion & Ignorance
with Dr. Pilar Jennings
Fridays, Oct 9 & 16, 7–8:30pm EDT
IN-PERSON & ONLINE
Note: Registration will be available soon.
In this two-part class, psychoanalyst and Buddhist teacher, Dr. Pilar Jennings will explore the foundational Buddhist teaching on mental afflictions that interfere with our shared wish for well-being. With efforts to understand the particular struggles so many are facing at this moment in history, together we’ll examine the spiritual and psychological nature of attachment, aversion and ignorance and how it manifests in our changing conditions. Themes will include the difference between needed interpersonal attachment, and the demand for control that is elusive for us all. We will also examine the role of anger as a common response to suffering, thinking through the Buddha’s teachings on anger and contemporary psychological insights that illuminate its frequent pitfalls. Lastly, we’ll examine the nature of ignorance in Buddhist psychology as a way to illuminate the nature of selfhood. In this discussion, we will think through the process of developing needed self cohesion, while simultaneously softening a sense of separate selfhood.
This course is open to all, and will be helpful to both meditators and clinicians interested in the clinical applications of Buddhist psychology.
Important Note
This is an in-person and online event. For online, the events will be administered using Zoom.
After registering, the system automatically sends a confirmation email (if opted in) and/or a receipt email that contains the Zoom meeting link and/or other instructions. Some email domains like Yahoo, AOL are rejecting the auto emails. If you don’t immediately receive the system email(s) or you have any other questions, please contact us at registration@shantidevanyc.org.
Registration
Suggested: $20 per session
Other offering options: free, $5, $10, $30
Shantideva Center may publish recorded sessions in the public domain (e.g., on YouTube). By registering for this event, you are agreeing to give your consent to this process. Please be conscious of any personal information you share. Recordings are typically made to spotlight only on the teacher or facilitator so participants are usually not visible.
Time zone: US Eastern Daylight Time (GMT/UTC-4)
For questions regarding registration, please email registration@shantidevanyc.org for assistance.
Recordings
Available soon.
About the Facilitator
Dr. Pilar Jennings is a psychoanalyst based in New York City with a focus on the clinical applications of Buddhist meditation practice. She has been working with patients and their families in private practice and through the Harlem Family Institute since 2000. Dr. Jennings has been a Buddhist practitioner for the past 40 years and is a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism in the Sakya lineage. She is a Visiting Lecturer at Union Theological Seminary; Columbia University; and a faculty member of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science. Her most recent publication is To Heal a Wounded Heart (Shambhala 2017), a psychoanalytic memoir about her entry into clinical work.
