Please Note
This series is currently closed to new students. If you are not currently enrolled but interested in this program please fill out a form by clicking the button below. We will notify you when this series is offered again.
BUDDHISM FROM THE GROUND UP
Buddhism from the Ground Up is a long-term program designed for those who want to go deeper into Buddhist studies and practice.
It begins with the course Exploring Tibetan Buddhism and ends with completing the preliminary practices.
Year one of this three-year program is called EXPLORING TIBETAN BUDDHISM where we will study the text Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche.
The entire program consists of three parts:
Part I: Exploring Tibetan Buddhism Course
Part II: Dedicated Practice
Part III: Ngondro Practice Begins
This is a progressive curriculum, each part building on the one before it. Whoever completes this program will be eligible for doing higher practices under the direction of our Lamas.
“The ngöndro practices are profound and powerful means for effecting a deep purification and transformation, at every level of our being. Not only do they prepare the practitioner for the profound path of Vajrayana and teachings of Dzogchen, but they also lead him or her gradually towards the experience of enlightenment.” –Rigpawiki.org
DETAILS Part I: Exploring Tibetan Buddhism
WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER: A Complete Translation of a Classic Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by Patrul Rinpoche
The text Words of My Perfect Teacher covers a wide range of subjects including karma, taking refuge, mandala, and how to recognize an authentic spiritual teacher. This part of the program is open to those curious about the Buddhist path as well as those who want to follow this program to the end.
PLEASE NOTE:
- If you intend to do the ngondro, you are required to do this part of the program, even if you have studied the text before.
- If you do NOT intend to do the ngondro, you are welcome to study the text for as long as you like. No need to commit to the entire program, but you’ll need to start at the beginning since coming in the middle will be problematic.
- This entire program will be offered again, but not for some years, so if you are at all interested, now would be the time to complete it.
DETAILS PART II: Dedicated Practice
For those of you who are interested in dedicating yourself to the path, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche has given us a practice to do in preparation for doing the ngondro. This preparation is vital for any of the practices we will be doing in the future. We must complete it to do the ngondro, and we must complete the ngondro before we can do any of the more advanced practices.
DETAILS Part III Ngondro Practice
Guru Dewa Chenpo
“The ngöndro practices are profound and powerful means for effecting a deep purification and transformation, at every level of our being. Not only do they prepare the practitioner for the profound path of Vajrayana and teachings of Dzogchen, but they also lead him or her gradually towards the experience of enlightenment.” –Rigpawiki.or
The Preliminary Practices (Ngondro) begin the third year of the Buddhism from the Ground Up program and continue for several years. They are means of purifying and preparing the mind for more advanced practices to come.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said:
When we take our first steps on the Path, we are not yet capable of helping others. To accomplish the good of others, we must first perfect ourselves, by purifying and transforming our minds. This is the aim of what we call the preliminary practices, which establish the foundations of all spiritual progress. You may feel like dispensing with these foundations in order to practice teachings that you think are more profound, but if you do so, you are building a palace on the surface of a frozen lake.” –(Rigpawiki.org)
Ngondro practice is for those who have committed to Buddhism as their path. Participants must have completed the first and second years of the Buddhism from the Ground Up program and pledge to practice at least two hours a day.