Fundamentals of Dhamma a 9-month study sangha
The Dhamma is practice with the body that enables the investigation of the mind, and this interrelationship is the subject of many early Buddhist teachings. Knowing the wisdom of the body can help with everything from remembering where you put your keys to unlocking the doors of insight into the nature of phenomena. Yet putting the Dhamma of the body into practice takes persistent effort, and a degree of awareness and structure that we don't often bring to our everyday lives.
This extended course of study is designed to provide the supports for development of an embodied practice. The course provides a framework for engaging with the Dhamma, one that explores and understands the wisdom inherent in the material world. By gathering together a sangha of interested practitioners, a set of suttas that relate to this theme, and opportunities for meaningful in-person retreats and online interactions, this course can help you to shift from thinking about the Dhamma to embodying it.
The Fundamentals of Dhamma course is structured so that participants can have one course activity each week.
The first week of the month is devoted to reviewing the readings (below) and journaling about one's experience of the body as it relates to the theme for the month.
The entire group will gather in a hybrid form - some in person at the vihara in Alexandria and some online via Zoom - on the second Sunday of each month from 8:00 to 9:15 am Eastern US time. Dhammadipa will offer a Dhamma talk and a guided meditation with a bit of time for Q&A.
Participants will also be part of a facilitated small group that will meet once per month at a time of their choosing during the third or fourth week of the month.
Dhammadipa will also offer opportunities for individual practice discussion during the third and fourth weeks of the month.
The course is open to all practitioners with two or more years of experience. Registration is now open. This course is offered by donation. *** NOTE: You must register separately for the residential retreats if you plan to attend. If not, you can listen to recordings of the talks given at the retreats.
“Themes of this course:
> the breath as nourishment and as meditation
> mindfulness of postures and in movement
> joy in the body and the development of concentration, and
> the body as part of the environment.”
June 2025.
Affirming Experience: Meeting Our Inner And Outer Life Just As It Is
Our course begins with a meditation retreat for 8 or 12 days at Sevenoaks in Madison, Virginia, USA. Folks can attend in person or can view recordings of the talks on the DBC YouTube channel. Find details and registration information here.
July 2025.
Our focus this month will be on mindfulness of the body in movement and bodily postures. Based in the Satipatthana, a sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, our exploration continues with the dhamma of activity.
Readings:
Middle Length Discourse 10 through section 1.6 - The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Benefits of Walking Meditation by U Silananda
August 2025.
Our focus this month will be on the body as a collection of five elements. Based in the sutta on the Analysis of the Elements, our exploration continues with the dhamma of the properties of the body.
Readings:
Middle Length Discourse 140 - Analysis of the Elements
Waking Up to Being Participants on the Planet talk and guided meditation by Ayya Santicitta
September 2025.
Our focus this month will be on experience as the interaction of the five aggregates - the body and four aspects of mind. Based on the sutta on the conditioned nature of the aggregates, our exploration continues by studying the ways we perceive ourselves and the world.
Readings:
Connected Discourse 22.81 - At Pārileyya Forest
October 2025.
Our focus this month will be on dying and what it teaches us about living in a human body. Based on the teachings of dependent origination, our exploration continues by considering the meaning of death.
Readings:
Mindfully Facing Disease and Death by Ven. Analayo, Ch. 13 and 14
Dependent Origination commentary by Piyadassi Thera
November 2025.
Our focus this month will be on nourishment and the Middle Way. Based on the sutta on the first turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, our exploration continues by studying moderation and balance in our practice.
Readings:
Connected Discourse 56.11 - Turning the Wheel of the Dhamma
Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays
December 2025.
Our focus this month will be on joy and the development of concentration. Based on the sutta on mindfulness of the body, our exploration continues by attending to the happiness available to us in meditation.
Readings:
Middle Length Discourse 119 - Mindfulness of Body
The Art of Disappearing by Ajahn Brahm, Ch 7 Appreciating the Bliss
January 2026.
Our focus this month will be on the breath as a source of nourishment for the body and mind. Based on the sutta on the 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing, our exploration continues by receiving the nourishment of the breath and exploring how it anchors meditation.
Readings:
Middle Length Discourse 118 - Mindfulness of Breathing
Guided meditations by Ven Analayo on mindfulness of breathing
February 2026.
Our focus this month will be on the six sense realms as doors to experience. Based on the sutta analyzing the sense fields, our exploration continues by linking sense experiences with joy, grief, and equanimity.
Readings:
Middle Length Discourse 137 - Analysis of the 6 Sense Fields
The Mind That Knows Itself - article in Buddhadharma magazine
March 2026.
This month’s gathering will be a 5 day residential retreat…more details TBA