Study Programs
Meditation and Buddhism Study Programs
- From Transform Your Life |
By training in meditation we create an inner space and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. Gradually we develop mental equilibrium, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unbalanced mind that oscillates between the extremes of excitement and despondency…In this way we shall come to experience permanent inner peace. The General ProgramThe General Program (GP) provides a basic introduction to Buddhist teachings and meditation that is suitable for beginners. Through these classes we can learn how to use Buddha's advice in our daily lives to solve our problems and find the peace and happiness we seek. General Program also includes advanced teachings and practices from both Sutra and Tantra. |
The Foundation Program(For the more serious student) Sundays 9 am - 1 pmThe Foundation Program (FP) is a unique structured study program that enables us to gain deeper understanding and experience of Buddhist teachings and to develop a regular meditation practice. It is ideal for those who have a general understanding of Buddhism but who wish to learn more. We meet once a week during term times and have regular term breaks and a longer break in the summer. Students are requested to enroll for a section of the text and commit to attend all the classes. Through regular teachings and meditation, systematic study and group discussion the Foundation Program offers deep support for your spiritual life. In essence it is the same training followed by spiritual practitioners in an unbroken lineage dating back to Buddha Shakyamuni. Its special quality is that we can gain authentic experience without abandoning our modern lifestyle. By studying on this program we will gain great confidence in meditation - from basic techniques for overcoming our everyday problems, to practices leading to unsurpassed happiness and permanent inner peace. |
Foundation Program TextsThe Foundation Program (FP) offers the opportunity to engage in a systematic study of five of Geshe Kelsang's books in great depth. The books are commentaries to Je Tsongkhapa's writings and contain the very essence of Buddha's teachings. A student on FP can study one or all of the five books, with the entire program taking four years to complete. |
Joyful Path of Good Fortune, a commentary to Atisha's Lamrim text The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. By studying Joyful Path. we gain the ability to put all Buddha's teachings of both Sutra and Tantra into practice. We can easily make progress and complete the stages of the path to the supreme happiness of enlightenment. From a practical point of view Lamrim is the main body of Buddha's teachings, and the other teachings are like the limbs. |
| Universal Compassion, a commentary to Bodhisattva Chekhawa's Training the Mind in Seven Points. By studying Universal Compassion we gain the ability to integrate Buddha's teachings into our daily lives and solve all our human problems. |
| Heart of Wisdom, a commentary to the Heart Sutra. Through studying the Heart of Wisdom we gain a realization of the ultimate nature of reality. By gaining this realization we can eliminate the ignorance of self-grasping which is the root of all our suffering. |
| Meaningful to Behold, a commentary to Venerable Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. When we study Meaningful to Behold we learn how to transform our daily activities into the Bodhisattva's way of life, thereby making every moment of our human life meaningful. |
| Understanding the Mind, a detailed explanation of the mind based on the works of Buddhist scholars Dharmakirti and Dignaga. By studying Understanding the Mind we understand the relationship between our mind and its external objects. If we understand that objects depend upon the subjective mind, we can change the way objects appear to us by changing our own mind. Gradually we shall gain the ability to control our mind and in this way solve all our problems. |