Calgary IMS Book Club

Welcome all Dharma book lovers!

Meetings:

Our book club meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdy evenings of each month on Zoom from 7:00 - 8:30. We have chosen a book that will take us through fall and winter. This is a free event, the only cost being the book itself. However, this time the book is also free!
Please note: You can register at any time via the e-mail link, below. The fall session is underway. After a break over the holidays in December, the winter session will begin January 18, 2024.

The Book:

The book we will be reading and discussing is Pārami, Ways to Cross Life’s Floods, written by Ajahn Succitto.

Pārami – ‘perfections,’ or transcendent virtues – are daily life practices that give the mind a firm ground in Dhamma. Comprising simple qualities like patience, generosity and truthfulness, they can be skilfully applied to the ‘flash-points’ in the day in order to steer the mind out of samsaric currents and on towards peace, clarity and nibbāna.

A way of talking about transcendence, liberation or however you conceive of a spiritual path, is to use the metaphor of ‘crossing the floods.’ Interest in deep change gets triggered by the feeling of being swept along by events; by the sense of being overwhelmed by, and even going under, a tide of worries, duties, and pressures. That’s the ‘floods.’ And crossing them is about coming through all that to find some firm ground. It takes some work, some skill, but we can do it. This book offers some guidelines, and themes for practice that can get us fit for the task

Where to find the book:

The book is only available on-line and is free. It can be found and downloaded here: Pāramī

Format: This is a peer-led group, with Calgary IMS providing the Zoom space, technical support and administration. At the first meeting, we will ask for volunteers from the group to take turns hosting an evening through offering topics for discussion and helping to guide the meeting.

How to register: Please send an email to bookclub@calgaryims.org indicating your interest in joining the book club and to be added to mailing list for zoom link.

Questions? e-mail bookclub@calgaryims.org.