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Discovering Buddhism at
Tushita Meditation Centre
General Guidelines
Every year Tushita offers several
of the 14 modules. Please see below for this year’s schedule. You are
welcome to join one or more of these. In the future you can complete the
other modules at Tushita or in other FPMT Centres or through the “Discovering
Buddhism At Home”
correspondence course.
All students attending
Tushita courses are expected to attend all lectures, meditations and discussion
groups of the course. Students not
wishing to earn Discovering Buddhism Completion Cards are not
required to do anything more. Those students who do wish to earn Discovering Buddhism
Completion Cards will have the extra opportunities of required reading,
participation in an oral exam with your course teacher at the end of the course
(or later on if you stay in the area), and other activities (specific to the
particular course) to deepen your understanding and experience of the course
material. Tushita will provide you with support in these extra
opportunities and will issue you a Discovering Buddhism Completion Card for all
module requirements which you successful complete here.
Please note that all
Discovering Buddhism videos (the video for each module is 30 minutes long) are
available in our library, and you can watch them during library hours in our
cozy reading room.
If you wish to earn a
Discovering Buddhism Completion Card for your Tushita course, please Contact Tushita’s
Spiritual Programme Coordinator (SPC) to register.
The 14 Discovering
Buddhism Modules
Please visit this website periodically for updates. New courses will be added and
existing course dates are subject to change.
1: Mind and Its Potential
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Examine the mind and how it creates happiness and suffering. Learn to
transform destructive thoughts and attitudes to create a positive and
joyous mind!
2: How to Meditate
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Learn the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit, how to set
up a meditation session, different meditation techniques, and how to
deal with obstacles to meditation
3: Presenting the Path
All of the 10-day “Introduction to Buddhism” courses meet the requirements for this module!
For more information & course dates visit: Introduction
to Buddhism.
Get an overview of the entire Tibetan Buddhist path to awakening. Study
the life story of the Buddha and discover a unique system for putting
Buddhist philosophy into practice – the Lam-Rim, or "graduated
path to enlightenment.
4: The Spiritual Teacher
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Investigate the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for
a teacher, the qualities of teacher and student, and how to relate to a
teacher for greatest benefit.
5: Death and Rebirth
March 7 – 15, 2008 : Making Friends with
Death: Preparing Now for Life's Ultimate Transition with Ven. Amy
Miller (meets the requirements for this module)
Explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live
our lives. Learn to fulfill your purpose in life, resolve conflicts,
and develop the skills to help yourself and others at death.
For more information visit: Making Friends with Death.
6: All About Karma
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Learn the essential facts about the law of cause and effect. Explore
ways to deal with life most effectively and take control of your future!
7: Refuge in the Three Jewels
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Find out what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels and the
essential practices of refuge. Learn about the advantage of taking lay
vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual growth
8: Establishing a Daily Practice
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Assemble the tools you need to develop a successful daily practice and
find out the elements necessary to generate realizations. Get some tips
for making every action meaningful.
9: Samsara and Nirvana
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Investigate what "samsara" is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what
"nirvana" is and how to achieve it. Learn how to be free from suffering
and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and eliminate
disturbing emotions forever.
10: How to Develop Bodhicitta
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Discover practices that develop our innate qualities of compassion.
Learn to apply these techniques to generate the mind of bodhichitta,
known as the very heart of Buddha's teachings.
11: Transforming Problems
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Learn the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of
cherishing others. Learn to employ the special techniques of mind
training (lojong) to transform problems into happiness.
12: Wisdom of Emptiness
Not currently scheduled for 2008
The realization of emptiness is crucial for the attainment of
liberation and enlightenment. Learn to develop calm abiding and
different methods of meditation on emptiness.
13: Introduction to Tantra
Not currently scheduled for 2008
Learn what tantra is, how it works, and why it is a powerful form of
practice. Get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn
to practice simple Kriya tantric methods. Learn to integrate tantra
with lam-rim meditation for optimal results.
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. 14: Special Integration Experiences
- June 3 – 19, 2008: A series of eight Nyung Nay Retreats with
Ven. Amy Miller.
(for more information please visit: Nyung Nays)
- Mid June – mid September 2009 : 3-month Vajrasattva retreat.
(for more information please visit: Vajrasattva)
- Tushita also provides support for your own individual retreat.
(for more information please visit: personal retreat)
By undertaking intensive practices of purification and a two-week
lam-rim retreat, you prepare your mind in the best way to realize the
path to enlightenment. Purification practices include: 100,000
prostrations, 3-month Vajrasattva retreat, and Nyung Nä. This is a
great way to seal the blessings of this program!
Discovering Buddhism Requirements
Requirements for all modules:
• required lecture topics (taught by the course teacher)
• required “integration
experiences”, including required meditations and retreat days
(led by the course teacher) AND additional practices completed by the
student individually.
• required reading
• suggested reading
• suggested “integration experiences”
The following is a list of required reading, suggested reading and
required “integration experiences” for the modules being
offered this year at Tushita. All of the following books are
available in Tushita’s library.
Module 3 Requirements:
Required reading
• Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by
Pabongka Rinpoche (1997 gold edition p. 25–125 or 2006 blue
edition p. 9-100).
• Wisdom Energy by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche (140 pages total)
• Essence of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama
Thubten Yeshe, available through Lama Yeshe Wisdom
Archive--www.lamayeshe.com (80 pages
total).
• approximately 20 pages of unpublished
teachings by Geshe Sopa, Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
(available only through Discovering Buddhism
Program).
Suggested reading
• Spiritual Friends: Meditations by Monks and Nuns of the International Mahayana Institute.
• The Path to Enlightenment, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
• Virtue and Reality, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
• The Principle Teachings of Buddhism, Je Tsong Khapa.
• The Way to Freedom, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
• Awakening the Mind, by Geshe Wangchen.
Required integration experiences:
• meditations on
renunciation, bodhicitta and emptiness (will be included in all of the
Introduction to Buddhism courses at Tushita).
• 2-day meditation retreat (will be
included in all of the Introduction to Buddhism courses at Tushita).
• memorize one short (one-page) Lam Rim prayer.
Module 5 Requirements:
Required reading
• Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by
Pabongka Rinpoche (1997 gold edition p. 332–93 or 2006 blue
edition p. 294-321)
• Advice on Dying and Living a Better Life, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
• approximately 70 pages of unpublished
teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Rabten, Lama Thubten
Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche
(available only through Discovering Buddhism Program).
Suggested reading
• Spiritual Friends: Meditations by Monks and Nuns of the International Mahayana Institute.
• Death, Intermeditate State, and Reibth, by Lati Rinpoche and Jeffrey Hopkins.
• Reincarnation, the Boy Lama, by Vickie Mackenzie.
• Reborn in the West, by Vicki MacKenzie.
• The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment Vol 1, by Tsong Khapa p 143-160.
Required integration experiences:
• meditations on death and
impermanence, and a 2-day meditation retreat (all will be included in
the “Making Friends with Death”
course at Tushita).
MAY ALL BEINGS
BE HAPPY!
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