Discovering Buddhism Material

Discovering Buddhism Materials

The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training

  • The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training by Thubten Zopa – Part 1
  • The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training by Thubten Zopa – Part 2
  • The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training by Thubten Zopa – Part 3
  • The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training by Thubten Zopa – Part 4

The Spiritual Teacher

July 2017 with Don Brown

Click here for the handout

Other reading: Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship by Alexander Berzin

Refuge in the Three Jewels

May 2017 - June 2017 with Shanka Mitra

Handout

Reading through May 15 (class 3) - First article in DB readings, pages 352 - 357 in Liberation, next section in Liberation, and all pages in Wish-Fulfilling Golden Sun

Next Readings: Continue with DB readings, continue with Liberation

Meditations: Analytical Meditation on Refuge, Meditate on the four reasons why the Buddha is the perfect guide

Test

All About Karma

March 2017 - April 2017 with Stephanie Smith

Meditation Assignments:

  • Week 1 - Meditation on the Disadvantages of Nonvirtuous Action (Refer to hour 1 minute 20 of this video for instruction)
  • Week 2 - For a few days, meditate on how you ended up at the Kadampa Center for the first time. What are all the interdependent, related reasons? For a few days, do a review meditation on the ten non-virtues and the ten virtues.
  • Week 3 - Repeat the previous meditations.
  • Week 4 - Meditation on a place you know well, one that has changed over time and focus on present, past, and future. (Refer to minute 11 of this video for instruction). How does this relate to karma?

Other Assignments and Resources:

  • Think about how karma is dynamic. Play around with that and see if you can experience something in your life where you have a different experience because of how you are thinking differently, especially in a situation that tends to test your peace of mind. Practice entering the situation with a different mindset.
  • When you are in a store, make a mental offering of all the food -- to family, to people who never see anything like this, and also to all the enlightening beings. (The wish you have creates karma.)
  • Think about something to bring for the altar for the practice day such as a flower, fruit, or candle.
  • Think about tools to use in different situations. In a specific instance, is it more helpful to think about equanimity, karma, purification, compassion, emptiness etc.

Reading Assignments

  • Week 1 - start Karma Readings, and complete at least the first article
  • Week 2 - Continue the readings from Week 1. Next week in class we will discuss the book for this module -- The Wheel of Life: or The Meaning of Life: Buddhist Perspectives of Cause and Effect by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (note that the title changed between editions, but the subtitle is the same)
  • Week 3 - Continue readings. Other required reading for this module: Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun (pp. 76-83) and Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, 1997 gold edition (pp. 430-70) or 2006 blue edition (pp. 386-423)

Presenting the Path

January 2017 - February 2017 with Don Brown

Meditation Assignments:

  • Week 1 - Read "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" followed by General Meditation
  • Week 2 -  Read "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" followed by Meditation on Renunciation
  • Week 3 -  Read "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" followed by Meditation on Renunciation (Try reading part of the prayer, meditating on the sections on Renunciation, then completing the prayer)
  • Week 4 - Read "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" followed by Meditation on Bodhicitta

Reading Assignments:

  • Presenting the Path – Readings
  • "The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" in Essence of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Thubten Yeshe available as a pdf on the FPMT website

Presenting the Path Prayers - The Foundation of All Good Qualities and The Three Principles of the Path