In search of the pleasant life: Buddhism and Epicureanism

Reset
  • Sep 19

    Sunday Sep 19, 2027 - Sunday Oct 10, 2027

     (Start time Sun 16:00 BST - End time Sun 18:00 BST)
    Online
    Bernat Font, John Peacock
    The price includes a fee for the teachers, no additional dana will be requested.
    Register
    Session information
    Sessions
    Session 1
    Sun 19 Sep 16:00 BST - Sun 19 Sep 18:00 BST
    Online
    Session 2
    Sun 26 Sep 16:00 BST - Sun 26 Sep 18:00 BST
    Online
    Session 3
    Sun 03 Oct 16:00 BST - Sun 03 Oct 18:00 BST
    Online
    Session 4
    Sun 10 Oct 16:00 BST - Sun 10 Oct 18:00 BST
    Online
Description

Price options:

Basic rate: £115

Standard rate: £135

Supporter rate: £155

Theme:

In popular imagination, the Buddha and the Greek philosopher Epicurus couldn’t be further apart: where the Buddha focused on suffering, Epicurus pursued pleasure as the ultimate goal. And yet, the Buddha’s teaching was primarily about the cessation of suffering, and both he and Epicurus considered the lack of pain as a type of pleasure. Nirvana, said the Buddha, is the highest pleasure (nibbānam paramam sukham).

2026 saw the publication of Bernat’s academic monograph Early Buddhist Hedonism: The role of spiritual pleasure in the Pali discourses, where he suggests that we see the Buddha as a hedonist too—a ‘refined hedonist’. John wrote an afterword for the book, making connections with Epicureanism. In this course, John & Bernat will further elaborate on those connections, similarities as well as differences. What did each thinker—the Buddha and Epicurus—understand to be ’a pleasant life’? Can a fruitful dialogue between these two traditions of practical philosophy yield a path of practice that’s both pleasurable and liberating?

Praise for our Teachers: 

What students say about Bernat: 

“This course changed my meditation practice substantially. More useful than most retreats” — Participant from online course ‘The Dharma of Pleasure’ 2025

“I was very happy with Bernat as our teacher. He is very accessible and friendly and relatable.” — Participant from online course ‘The Dharma of Pleasure’ 2025

“Bernat has a wonderful grasp of the dharma and a very clear way of teaching as well as a lovely presence.” — Participant from online course ‘Feeling Your Way to Liberation’ 2024

What students say about John:

“The scholarship, life experience, curiosity, and warmth that John offered made this class extraordinarily rewarding for me, in terms of both theory and practice. The discussions during the breakout sessions made for a true sense of community.” 
— previous course participant with John

“I’m so grateful for John’s thorough and insightful teachings. He is a wonderful teacher who has a way of weaving complex ideas into a relatable lesson.”
 —previous course participant with John

 

Event Details

Schedule: 

4 consecutive Sunday afternoons from 4-6pm BST time (TBC) on September 19,26 and October 3,10. 

Recordings:

Recordings will be shared after each session.

Suitability:

For experienced practitioners.

 Cost:

  • The price includes a fee for the teachers, no additional dana will be requested. 
  • If you are unable to afford the our standard course rate, please contact us here. We will make sure that no one is turned away because of lack of funds.

Teachers:


JOHN PEACOCK is both an academic and a Buddhist practitioner of nearly fifty years. Trained initially in the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition in India, he subsequently spent time in Sri Lanka studying Theravada. After doing a doctorate in philosophy, he taught Buddhist and Western philosophy and then Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol. He went on to be Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, co-direct the Master of Studies programme in MBCT(Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) at Oxford University, and teach Buddhist psychology on the same course.  John is now retired from academia and continues to teach meditation, as he has done for more than thirty-five years.

BERNAT FONT teaches with a combination of scholarly rigour, everyday examples, and a playful sensibility. He met the Dharma at a very early age, and has been mainly influenced by Stephen Batchelor, Sayadaw U Tejaniya & the Thai Forest tradition. A founder of Espai Sati in Barcelona, he has a PhD in Buddhist Studies, translates Pali texts into Catalan and Spanish, and is also a jazz pianist.