Last month we shot a new Lion’s Roar online course with the dharma teacher Gaylon Ferguson, all about the universal takeaways from the famed Buddhist text, The Way of Awakening, by Shantideva. The course is called Awakening the Boundless Heart: How to Be a Bodhisattva in Our Times.
It was an honor to work and spend time with Gaylon, so we wanted to make sure folks got a chance to learn more about him, in his own words. In this short Q&A with Lion Roar’s Rod Meade Sperry, Gaylon shares the story of his journey — from a working farm in East Texas to a Vermont Buddhist commune to, decades later, his life as a deeply appreciated dharma teacher, professor, and author. He reflects on his decades-long relationship with Shantideva’s text (he’s been studying it since the early 1970s, and it still surprises him), his love of music, common misconceptions about Buddhism, and more.
Enrollment is now open for Awakening the Boundless Heart. In the course, Gaylon takes you through five guided modules on bodhicitta, mindfulness-awareness, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and wisdom — all drawn from Shantideva’s timeless text and made deeply relevant for the challenges of modern life.
The course includes more than five hours of teachings and guided practices, along with reflection exercises and a live mini-retreat. It’s designed to help you understand these teachings and begin bringing them into your daily life in a grounded, practical way.