Refraining from Harm, Supporting All of Life
A dynamic 10-week community exploration of ethics in action
Facilitated by Kath Mitchell, Mark Schrader and Chani Grieve
with guest presentations from the Elders of Wangapeka
The current state of our world is a cause of deep concern for many. We see unskilful choices and actions being perpetuated and causing great harm. There is also the pain of meeting our own unskilful habits and responses; yet we all have innate basic goodness. How can we live well with this dynamic tension?
The training precepts, outlined by the Buddha, provide a tried and tested lens through which we can investigate the complexities of our contemporary human life, and come into a more wholesome relationship with all that is.
The precepts can buffer us from life’s challenges, offering us clearer direction and guidance, inviting us to sense life as a creative flow of interdependence.
The precepts are not rigid rules, but guiding principles that support awareness and compassionate response, and form the foundation for genuine spiritual development.
Perhaps we could consider the precepts as “hitching posts” allowing us to rest, to pause, to consider our responses, removing the heat of reactivity that fragments the heart and mind. This creates the base for a peaceful, healthy and transformative life.
At heart the precepts are a training in awareness. They invite question, provoke deeper engagement, contemplation, and offer an increasingly subtle guide to discover what truly matters in life.
This 10-week course invites you to explore the precepts as a living, transformative practice, with the support of collective effort. Using the raw material of our lives - our activities, relationships, and experiences - we will explore ethics in action, and calibrate our inner compass to refrain from harm and to support and uplift all of life.
Registrations for this course are now CLOSED.
Course Format
Dates: Wednesdays, July 2 – September 3, 2025
Time: 6:30–8:00 pm NZT Check your time zone here
Delivery: Predominantly online, with optional local discussion hubs in Motueka, Nelson, and other locations if numbers and interest allow
Cost
Fee: $125 NZD + Dana*
The registration fee covers course costs and a donation to Wangapeka Retreat Centre. Facilitators offer their time freely, following the tradition of Dana* (generosity). Before the course commences, you will be invited to offer Dana - an offering from the heart according to your means - as a gesture of your appreciation and support for the teachings and those who offer it.
NB. If you would like to participate in the course but are experiencing financial hardship, please get in touch with us to discuss possible options.
Who Is This For?
Open to all, especially those with some meditation experience, who have a commitment to ethical living, and who are strongly motivated to train themselves to refrain from harm and support all of life.
No prior affiliation with Wangapeka is required.
Commitment
Registering for this course is a commitment, not a wish.
By registering, you commit to:
Attend all 10 weeks to the best of your ability.
Join live sessions and discussion groups
Engage in personal practice and reflection between sessions
All participants must be able to attend the first sessions July 2nd live, to set the direction for the course and begin as one group.
This course is experiential and participatory. Full engagement benefits both you and the community.
Facilitators :
The course will be hosted and facilitated by Mark Schrader, Kath Mitchell and Chani Grieve. We have also invited the Elders of Wangapeka to contribute to the course through recorded teachings that will be shared as part of the resource material for reflection and contemplation. Having the Elders contribute celebrates the depth of practice and experience, and diversity of perspectives and expressions, that we have in the wider Wangapeka community, to inspire and support participants in their own explorations.
Over the 10 weeks, there will be a mixture of live online sessions/teachings, live or pre-recorded teachings from the Elders, and small discussion group hubs in local areas or online to explore and share our lived experience with the precepts.
Weekly Schedule
July 2 & 9 – Live online sessions with Mark, Kath and Chani
July 16 – Live or recorded Teaching/Presentation
July 23 – Facilitated discussion groups (local or online)
July 30 – Live or recorded Teaching/Presentation
August 6 – Discussion groups
August 13 – Live or recorded Teaching/Presentation
August 20 – Discussion groups
August 27 – Live or recorded Teaching/Presentation
September 3 – Integration & Closing Session
Support & Preparation
We strongly encourage all participants to maintain a regular, daily practice of meditation and contemplation to support you in this exploration.
As with all the teachings of Buddhadharma, studying and practicing the precepts is intended to change us, and change, as we know, is rarely ever easy or comfortable! Throughout the course you will be supported by the facilitators, the course structure, materials and resources, and the community of practitioners. However you should also be prepared to resource yourself with any additional support you might need throughout the course.