About
Phil Stanley is a faculty member at Naropa University who researches Buddhist psychology, particularly the Abhidharma tradition through Vasubandhu's Treasury of Higher Knowledge and Indian and Tibetan commentaries. His work examines how afflicted mental states and conceptual projections lead to harmful actions and consequences, and how these can be transformed through contemplative inquiry. Stanley also investigates connections between personal mental afflictions and wider social systems of prejudice and oppression. He has published on integrating wisdom, mindfulness, and ethics in secular contexts.
Teaching focus
Phil Stanley's teaching focus, drawn from the source profile, sits in the Tibetan and Mahayana traditions. Several threads come up: direct inquiry into how clinging and aversion arise; dharma applied to social and collective suffering;. On talks, the style is closer to thinking-along than presenting. Phil Stanley works with whatever shows up in the room rather than reading from notes, which is part of why these talks land as conversational instead of scripted. Short pauses, longer sits, and questions that come back to direct experience are usual. The bigger move Phil Stanley keeps making is back toward attention itself: what's happening, how it's being held, and what gets in the way. That keeps the teaching close to practice rather than drifting into commentary about practice. For talks, schedules, and longer essays, the affiliated organization's page is where the live material lives. Phil Stanley's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on. Phil Stanley's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on. Phil Stanley's sessions tend to keep returning to the body, to breath, and to the felt quality of attention as the steady ground that the rest rests on.
Background
Phil Stanley teaches in the Tibetan and Mahayana traditions. The teaching home is Naropa University. From the teacher's own profile: My current, primary area of research is focused on Buddhist psychology, particularly, on one hand, how we give rise to painful afflicted mental states that lead to harmful actions and painful consequences, and, on the other hand, how we can transform these afflicted mental states, actions, and consequences so that we experience a sense of well-being and develop skill in acting skillfully and beneficially with others. This research is based on Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Higher Knowledge ( Abhidharmako?a) and its Indian and Tibetan commentaries and the epistemological tradition of Dignaga and Dharmakirti. The Buddhist tradition describes the deep connection between one’s affective mental states and one’s conceptual world view, and how one’s interpretive projections onto oneself and the world lead to such harmful results. Since such afflicted mental states and interpretive projections are actively entwined with prejudices and systems of oppression, my research contributes to an understanding of the interconnection between the personal afflicted level of experience and wider social systems of prejudice and oppression, while also providing methods of contemplative inquiry to work with and reverse these at the personal level, which can in turn contribute to changes on the societal level. My most recent publication is an article called “Applied Buddhism: The Three Trainings and The Benefit of Integrating Wisdom (Prajñ?) with Mindfulness and Ethics in Secular Contexts” that is scheduled to be published this December 2022 in the Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies, number 17. In the Tibetan stream, Phil Stanley's teaching draws on analytical reflection and stabilizing meditation, with attention to bodhicitta, the relationship with a teacher, and the slow integration of insight across daily life. Phil Stanley's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Phil Stanley's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Phil Stanley's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography. Phil Stanley's page on OMP collects the publicly available bio, the listed affiliations, and any talks tracked through the source archive, and is meant as a directory entry rather than an authorized biography.
Lineage
Phil Stanley teaches as a lay teacher in the Tibetan and Mahayana traditions. The institutional home, per the source listing, is Naropa University, and that's where most of the public teaching schedule and any retreat offerings will be posted. Tibetan teaching authority depends on the named root teacher and the school (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug). The source listing is where any specific authorization or empowerment information will be stated.
What to expect
On a class or retreat with Phil Stanley, the basic shape is short instruction, longer sittings, and some Q&A. The container is shaped by Naropa University, so format details, fees, and access policies follow that organization's norms. Expect plenty of silence, less talking-at-you than you might think, and an emphasis on letting the practice do its work rather than chasing experiences. For exact dates, registration, and any sliding-scale or scholarship information, There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice. There's usually a short Q&A window and, on retreats, optional teacher interviews where students can bring specific questions about their practice.
