Instructor: Kyohei Mikawa, PhD

Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles

Office Hour: By appointment (kyohei.mikawa@gmail.com)

This course is open to anyone who is interested in learning basic Buddhist ideas.

Course Objectives:

• To be familiar with basic Buddhist ideas such as “impermanence”, “interdependence”, “suffering”, “four noble truths”, “eightfold path”, “compassion”, and “emptiness.”
• To start testing your knowledge about these basic Buddhist ideas through practicing them in your everyday life in a guided manner.
• To clarify your further steps of spiritual learning and practice at the end of the course.

Prerequisite: Fill out a registration form available on RKLABuddhistcenter.org. The form requires you to write 1) your goal of taking this course; and 2) why achieving that goal is important to you.

Course Length: Each class session is composed of 25 minutes presentation followed by 5 minutes of self-work and 30 minutes of discussion.

The course structure:

1. After you submit a registration form, you will receive a response from RKLA regarding what you wrote in the form. The response will help you see a roadmap of how your learning in the course can help you achieve your specific goals.
2. After you receive the RKLA’s response, you will start taking weekly classes. After taking two courses, you will have a reflective conversation (45 minutes) with the instructor. The purpose of reflection is to review how your learning is going vis-a-vis the goal of your taking this course. (We all want you to fulfill your spiritual goals!)
3. With the reflective conversation in mind, you will finish taking the rest of the third and fourth sessions.
4. After taking these sessions, you submit a short essay to express: 1) The most important take-away from the course; 2) how much you achieve your goal of taking the course; and 3) what are still missing in your spiritual life. The deadline is within a week from the sixth session.
5. After you submit a final essay (up to 500 words) to the instructor, you will receive a comment from him about further steps for your learning and practice of Buddhism.

Class Roadmap

Week 0   Course registration; receiving a response from RKLA

Week 1   Session 1

Wisdom & Compassion: How to End Suffering by “Emptiness” Technique

Week 2   Session 2

Four Noble Truths: When You Desire Anything, What Are You Really Desiring?

Week 3   Reflective Conversation with Instructor (45 min)

Week 4   Session 3

Eightfold Path: Transform Your Habit to Transform Your Life

Week 5   Session 4

The Heart of Life: Art of Compassionate Listening

Week 6   Submitting a final essay/ Receiving comments from the instructor for your further steps