YEARLONG BUDDHIST STUDIES, COURSE 5
WARRIOR IN THE WORLD:
THE PATH OF COMPLETE ENGAGEMENT
with Ethan Nichtern & Teaching Team
Tuesdays, November 7th – December 12th, 2023
from 7:00pm – 9:00pm ET
At a time when society feels increasingly fragmented, and the paradigms of the past no longer seem to be serving us, the ancient teachings of Buddhism offer profound insights into both personal and societal transformation.
In this new six-week online course, Senior Buddhist teacher Ethan Nichtern, along with Maho Kawachi, Heather Shaw, and Lou Sharma, will examine the path of the "Warrior in the World," an archetype that embodies the synthesis of spiritual depth with active societal engagement. This warrior is not defined by combat or aggression but by courage, compassion, and a commitment to engage directly with the world's complexities and challenges.
Through talks, guided practice, and breakout rooms, we will explore topics such as:
- The intersections of Buddhism and Western psychology
- Deepening connection through dharma art and contemplative creativity.
- Buddhism and economics.
- Bridging spiritual practice with political action and collective ethics.
- Addressing racial justice with Buddhist perspectives.
- Buddhism and environmentalism
- Using our practice to drive social change.
- and more
ABOUT ETHAN
Ethan Nichtern is a Senior Buddhist teacher, author, and lecturer. For the past 19 years, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around New York City, North America and Europe, along with working with students privately.
He was formerly on the part-time faculty at Eugene Lang College at New School University and has lectured at Brown, Wesleyan, Yale, NYU, FIT, Antioch and other universities, and as well at many other meditation/yoga centers and conferences around the country and world.
Ethan is the author of the acclaimed book The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path and his most recent book, The Dharma of The Princess Bride: What The Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships. He is also the author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence, and the Novella/poetry collection, Your Emoticons Won’t Save You.
He founded and served as executive director (2007-11) of the Interdependence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to secular Buddhist practice and transformational activism and arts.
Ethan primarily studied in Shambhala and Tibetan traditions, as well as Theravadan and Soto Zen Buddhism. Ethan is an avid yoga practitioner. He served as Shastri, or Senior Teacher-In-Residence, for the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York from 2010-18.
In 2018, Ethan launched his podcast, The Road Home, available on iTunes and Stitcher.
Ethan has been featured on CNN, NPR, ABC/Yahoo News, The New York Times, Vogue.com, Business Insider, Nautilus, and Vice to discuss Buddhism and meditation in the 21st Century. His articles have been featured on The Huffington Post, Beliefnet, Shambhala Sun, Tricycle Magazine, BuddhaDharma Magazine, and Reality Sandwich as well as other online publications.
WARRIOR IN THE WORLD
TEACHING TEAM
MAHO KAWACHI
Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Maho first encountered meditation and Buddhism in downtown Manhattan in 2000. She became an avid practitioner in 2008 and has over a decade of experience, practice, training, and certification credentials including completion of the Interdependence Project Teachers Training, Mindful Meditation Teachers Certified Program, and Mindful Mentor Training. She has trained with and under many influential teachers, including Ethan Nichtern, Jack Kornfield, and Tara Brach, and was fortunate to meet with HH the Dalai Lama in 2017.
HEATHER SHAW
Since 1998, Heather has been a student of yoga and meditation, steeped in the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Western psychotherapy and neuroscience. Embodied practice is at the root of her offerings, which are influenced by her unique background in dance/choreography, combined with nearly two decades of yoga teaching experience, all underpinned by dedicated scholarship in both dharmic philosophy and contemplative psychotherapy. Heather received certification as a meditation instructor through Dharma Moon/Tibet House, as well as the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science.
LOU SHARMA
Lou Sharma has practiced meditation for over a decade, and has studied Dharma within Tibetan Buddhist traditions since 2016. In 2021, she completed Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. Lou is interested in the ways mindfulness can empower more compassionate cultures of work, inspired by 10+ years of experience as a corporate researcher and brand strategist.
