The new year offers an opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we want to become.

In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a meditation practice known as Future Refuge, in which we visualize our future enlightened self, a version of ourselves who has fully developed qualities such as wisdom, compassion and clarity. In this lineage, these qualities are understood to already exist within us, and the practice is less about becoming someone new and more about peeling away the layers that prevent us from embodying them. By repeatedly meditating on this figure, we begin to familiarize ourselves with these qualities and gradually embody their way of thinking and being.

On January 3, Natasha will lead a 60-minute Dharma talk, guided meditation and journaling practice exploring Future Refuge and its role in the path. Together, we'll examine the principles behind the practice, experience it through meditation and discuss how to work with it both on and off the cushion.

This workshop will continue for the following four Sundays as a series exploring the Four Arya Truths, one of the foundational teachings of Buddhism. Each class will focus on one of the Four Truths: suffering, its causes, its cessation and the path toward freedom. Through meditation, teaching and contemplation, students will explore these ideas not simply as philosophy, but as practical tools for understanding the mechanics of their own minds and experiences.

Together, these five sessions offer a progression from envisioning our potential through Future Refuge to understanding the obstacles that obscure it and cultivating the clarity and steadiness needed to move toward freedom.

All levels are welcome. Students are encouraged to bring a journal and something to write with, come with questions and wear comfortable clothing suitable for sitting in meditation.