Discovering Buddhism
Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness.
- What is Discovering Buddhism?
- Discovering Buddhism at Root Institute
- Discovering Buddhism Subject Areas
- Discovering Buddhism Requirements
- More Information and Questions
What is Discovering Buddhism?
Discovering Buddhism is a beginner-level programme in Buddhist philosophy and practice, with the aim to give you a solid footing in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. By engaging in this programme, you will gain an experiential taste of the Buddha’s teachings, meditation retreat experience, and the skills you need to make your life most meaningful. Discovering Buddhism is designed not only as an academic study of Buddhism, but is intended to change your life. The DB Program is currently being offered in more than 40 FPMT centres around the world, including Root Institute. It can also be completed in your own home as a correspondence course.
Assembled under the guidance and advice of FPMT’s Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Discovering Buddhism consists of 14 courses (“subject areas”) covering all the major topics of Buddhism. Within each subject area, you will attend lectures, engage in meditations relevant to those lectures, read texts and teaching transcripts, and do short (1-3 day) retreats. The final subject area, “Special Integration Experiences”, includes longer retreats and other experiences required for graduation. Upon successful completion of all 14 subject areas you will receive a Discovering Buddhism Completion Certificate.
Discovering Buddhism at Root Institute
Each winter Root Institute will offer several of the 14 subject areas. Please see below for this winter’s schedule. You are welcome to join one or more of these. In the future you can complete the other subject areas at Root Institute or in other FPMT Centres, or through the “Discovering Buddhism At Home” correspondence course. Note: The subject areas do have a suggested order, but they are not required to be completed in this particular order.
All students attending Root Institute 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, and other activities (specific to the particular course) to deepen your understanding and experience of the course material. Root Institute will provide you with support in these extra opportunities and will issue you a Discovering Buddhism Completion Card for all subject area requirements which you successful complete here.
If you wish to earn a Discovering Buddhism Completion Card for your Root Institute course, please Contact Root Institute’s Spiritual Programme Coordinator to register.
Discovering Buddhism Subject Areas
Please visit this website peridically for updates. New courses will be added and existing course dates are subject to change
Subject Area 1: Mind and Its Potential
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Examine what is “mind”, it’s nature and function, and how it affects our experience of happiness and suffering. Come explore the differentiation between mind and brain, mind as the creator of our experiences, and the implications of possessing a mind that has no beginning and no end. In addition, learn methods to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes and create a positive and joyous mind.
Subject Area 2: How to Meditate
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Basic meditation techniques. Learn the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit properly, how to set up a meditation session, the different types of meditation techniques one may employ, and how to recognize and deal with obstacles to meditation.
Subject Area 3: Presenting the Path
- All of the 10-day “The Path to Freedom: Introduction to Buddhism” courses meet the teaching and retreat requirements for Subject Area 3.
- Shorter “The Path to Freedom: Introduction to Buddhism” courses meet only the teaching requirements for Subject Area 3.
- 6 - 15 January 2008: “Realising the Path: 3rd Annual Lam Rim Meditation Retreat” meets the retreat requirement for Subject Area 3 (but does NOT include the required lecture topics)
Get an overview of the entire Tibetan Buddhist path to awakening. Hear about the life story of the Buddha and study the basic teachings of Buddhism. Discover the unique system for putting Buddhist philosophy into practice contained in the lam-rim, or “graduated path to enlightenment”.
Subject Area 4: The Spiritual Teacher
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Take the time to investigate the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for a teacher, the qualities of a teacher, the qualities of a student, and how to relate to a teacher for greatest benefit in one’s spiritual life. Consider the challenges we face when thinking of entering into a “guru-disciple” relationship and learn how to overcome these skilfully.
Subject Area 5: Death and Rebirth
- 14 - 22 December 2007, Making Friends with Death: Preparing Now for Life's Ultimate Transition with Ven. Amy Miller (meets the teaching and retreat requirements for Subject Area 5)
Explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live our lives. Be guided in skilful reflection on the meaning of death and what to expect at the death-time. In this way, fulfil your purpose in life, resolve conflicts, and develop the skills to help both yourself and others at the time of death. Eventually, through Buddhist practice, one can overcome death altogether.
Subject Area 6: All About Karma
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Learn the essential facts about the law of cause and effect and generate a clear understanding about how karma works. Discover effective tools to accumulate merit – the cause of happiness and success – and purify mistaken actions done in the past. In addition, explore ways to become adept at dealing with life most effectively and thereby take control of your future.
Subject Area 7: Refuge in the Three Jewels
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Get informed about what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), and the essential practices of refuge. Find out more about the advantage of taking lay vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual path.
Subject Area 8: Establishing a Daily Practice
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Assemble the tools you need to develop a successful daily practice. Using Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s A DAILY MEDITATION PRACTICE as a guide, become familiar with the elements necessary to generate realizations in the mind. Also, receive some tips for making every action of the day meaningful.
Subject Area 9: Samsara and Nirvana
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Investigate what “samsara” is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what “nirvana” is and how to achieve it. Develop the determination to be free from suffering and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.
Subject Area 10: How to Develop Bodhicitta
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Come discover the clear meditation instruction available in Tibetan Buddhism that enables us to develop our innate qualities of loving kindness and compassion. Become skilled at applying these techniques to generate the mind of bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others, known to be the heart of Buddha’s teachings.
Subject Area 11: Transforming Problems
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Consider well the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others more than ourselves. Get inspired to “exchange yourself with others”, and then be guided in how to employ the special techniques of mind training or “lojong” as a means to transform problems into happiness and learn to like problems as much as ice cream!
Subject Area 12: Wisdom of Emptiness
Dates to be confirmed for winter 2007-8
The realization of emptiness is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment. Take this opportunity to enhance your ability to bring about this realization. Learn how to develop calm abiding and different methods to use in meditation on emptiness. Practice accumulation of merit and purification of obstacles – indispensable for generating realizations within the mind.
Subject Area 13: Introduction to Tantra
Not currently scheduled for winter 2007-8
Learn the definition of tantra, how tantra works and why it is a powerful form of practice. Get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn how to practice simple Kriya tantric methods. In addition, find out how to integrate the practices of tantra with lam-rim meditation for optimal results.
Subject Area 14: Special Integration Experiences
- 20 - 27 January, a series of three Nyung Nay Retreats with Ven. Thubten Dondrub and Ven. Amy Miller
By undertaking intensive practices of purification and a minimum two-week lam-rim residential retreat, prepare your mind in the best possible way to gain realizations on the path to enlightenment. Purification practices include: 100,000 prostrations, three-month Vajrasattva retreat, and Nyung Ne Retreat. This is a great way to seal the blessings of this programme. Several FPMT Centres in India/Nepal (including Root Institute) offer the various Module 14 retreats either as group retreats or can provide support for your own individual retreat.
Discovering Buddhism Requirements
For each Subject Area there are:
- 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 alone
- required reading
- suggested reading
- suggested “integration experiences”
The following is a list of required reading, suggested reading and required “integration experiences” for the subject areas being offered this winter at Root Institute. All of the following books are available in Root Institute’s library.
Subject Area 3:
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 above Root Institute Subject Area 3 courses and retreats)
- 2-day meditation retreat (will be included only in the 10-day courses and the January Lam Rim Retreat; not included in the short courses)
- memorize one short (one-page) Lam Rim prayer
Subject Area 5:
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 above Root Institute course)
More Information and Questions
For more information about the Discovering Buddhism Program in general please visit www.fpmt.org/education/dbdescription.asp
Questions about Discovering Buddhism at Root Institute? Please Contact Root Institute’s Programme Coordinator
