Discovering Buddhism Material
Discovering Buddhism Materials
- Introduction for Students
- Mind and Its Potential – Readings
- How to Mediate – Readings
- Presenting the Path – Readings
- The Spiritual Teacher – Readings
- Death and Rebirth - Readings
- All About Karma – Readings
- Refuge in the Three Jewels – Readings
- Establishing a Daily Practice – Readings
- Samsara & Nirvana – Readings
- How to Develop Bodhichitta – Readings
- Transforming Problems – Readings
- Wisdom of Emptiness – Readings
- Introduction to Tantra – Readings
- Required Reading
- Completion Card for All Subject Areas
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
How to Develop Bodhichitta
March 5 - April 23, 2018 with Don Brown
About this Module handout
link to Video for first class
Homework 1 handout and link to How to Generate Bodhichitta by Ribur Rinpoche
Lam Rim prayer Three Principle Aspects translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche (different translation by Thupten Jinpa)
Homework 2 Homework 3 Homework 4 Bodhichitta Twelve Steps Combined Practice
Samsara and Nirvana
January 8 - February 5, 2018 with Stephanie Smith
The Twelve Links of Dependent Arising by Geshe Tashi Tsering
Click here for the interactive Wheel of Life
Establishing a Daily Practice
November 6 - December 18 with Hemant Pandya
Link the reading for Making Life Meaningful by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Link to the FPMT store where you can purchase a CD or mp3 download of Daily Prayers, including 35 Buddhas
Death and Rebirth
September 25 - October 23 with Robbie Watkins
Homework:
- Homework 1 Homework 2 Homework 3
- Homework 4 - Finish readings, Get familiar with the Death Dissolution Meditation, Meditate 5 times focused on death dissolution
Meditations:
- 9 Point Death Meditation
- Meditation: Dissolution of the Body At Death Joan Halifax Roshi
- DEATH AND DYING IN THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST TRADITION Compiled by: Ven. Pende Hawter
The Spiritual Teacher
July 2017 with Don Brown
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
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.
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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
How to Meditate
Nov 2016 - Dec 2016 with Shankha Mitra
Completion Card (with FPMT requirements)
The Mind and its Potential
Sept 2016 - October 2016 with Robbie Watkins
Completion Card (with FPMT requirements)