This course is designed to give you all the tools you need to develop a practice where you can easily and simply tap into your essential nature and inner bliss.

In this course we’ll discover how the ancient “pure being” practices of Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta (Non-dual) meditations can open us up to the flow of life, quiet our minds, and open our senses, allowing us to gently let go of separation-consciousness (ego), to live and act from a place of true authenticity and freedom. We’ll cover all aspects of the practices, including how to overcome obstacles to this or any sitting meditation practice, how to achieve consistency and discipline, and how to amp up our practice and make it blissful and relaxed. We will debunk common myths and misconceptions about how to effectively practice meditation, and touch upon some of the fundamental teachings of the path of awakening according to the ancient as well as modern wisdom traditions.

This course is for beginners as well as experienced meditators – anyone who has already begun their own practice and would like to go deeper with it (much of what will be covered in this course applies to all types of sitting meditation). The practice offered is not religious, nor do you need to change any spiritual beliefs in order to practice it.

We will hold one session per week, starting Tuesday September 17, 2024, for 6 weeks. Students will be expected to commit to a short, daily practice. Classes will be one hour long, and consist of a lecture/discussion and guided meditations, followed by Q & A.

Douglas Paul Smith is the author of the book, ‘The Infinite Artist,’ and the founder of The House of Flow. Since 1999, Douglas has been a practitioner of Yogic and Buddhist meditation in the traditions of Tibetan Gelugpa, Shambhala, and Soto and Rinzai Zen Buddhism, as well as in Vipassana, Insight methods as taught by Sayadaw U. Pandita. His life’s work has been to explore the Self and to combine sitting meditation with creativity practices, following the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and traditions of creativity found in Zen Buddhism. Douglas is a graduate of Asian Classics Institute Los Angeles, and Shambhala Art International. He has taught meditation and contemplative art-making in the United States in Los Angeles, at Inner Way LA (formerly Asian Classics Institute), and at Three Jewels Buddhist Center in New York City, and Three Jewels in Tucson, Arizona.