Buddhism: Choedzong

The Basics of Mahayana Buddhism for Westerners

This study program focuses on a down-to-earth application, and imparts a sound knowledge of Mahayana Buddhism. H. E. Dagyab Kyabgön Rinpoche, the spiritual director of Tibet House, attaches great importance of passing on Buddhist teachings in a way that makes them practical and relevant for the daily life of us “Westerners”. In his opinion teachings should make sense and be helpful when integrated in our daily life.

The program is suitable for beginners and advanced students of Buddhism, and also for non-Buddhists.

During the first year the world of Tibetan Buddhism is being introduced, including appropriate instructions for meditations on each subject taught.

In the course of the second year we will make use of all the experiences and the knowledge gained so far to achieve an overview of Buddhist philosophy and to explore its possible integration into our daily life.

In the third year we will dare to jump right into the heart of Buddhism: we will turn our attention to the profound subject of “Shunyata”, emptiness, and the meditation on emptiness.

As we, Western people, are often absent-minded, every teaching unit should also include meditative parts. They can help to make our mind calmer and enable us to better digest what we study.

To consolidate such studies in their mind the participants will be given, at each teaching weekend, subjects to work on and to contemplate at home. A daily practice time of 20 minutes is recommended.

In this part Lam-Rim - the graded path to enlightenment – will be studied and meditated on. Lam-Rim is a structured compilation of subjects and meditations dealing with the life of human beings from a Tibetan-Buddhist point of view.

"The mind directs everything". In the second part of the study program we will be focusing on the perception and creation of thoughts from a Buddhist point of view. "If the mind is understood, everything else will be understood, too".

How does perception work? How are thoughts arising? What is the mind? How can I influence and clear up my own perception and emotions by understanding how they function?

In addition to the above-mentioned, we will deal with "Lojong" (Tib.), the Mahayana mind training. Closely linked with Lojong is Bodhicitta, the so-called mind of enlightenment or the striving for enlightenment for the sake of all beings. We will look into how Bodhicitta can be developed, how we can feel it and put it into practice later on.

What is emptiness? What isn’t emptiness? How can I meditate on emptiness? What are the different views on it? This sublime subject will be examined during the third year of our study program. There will be theoretical explanations as well as practical instructions on meditation to allow a "taste" of emptiness.

Geshe Nawang Thapke is our permanent guest-teacher in Tibet House. Born in 1968 in Indian exile he entered Sera Monastery at the age of nine. After 16 years of intensive studies he passed his Geshe Tsogrampa Exams (PhD for Buddhist philosophy). Then he studied at the Gyuto Tantric Faculty and the Tibetan High School in Sarnath. In 1999 he accepted an invitation to Germany.

Various texts on every subject are available in German. A list of recommended books will be handed out in time. All the teachings will be recorded on CD and made available to all the participants.

Start of 3rd year: October 18, 2008
End of 3rd year: July 2009
Enrolment is binding for one year at a time.

At the end of each year of study a five-day retreat will be organized in a peaceful country setting.

575.-/ 790.- EUR (members/ non-members) a year. An installment plan is possible at 65.- / 90.- EUR (members / non-members) per teaching unit. A reduction is possible on written request.

Those interested who didn’t take part in the second year can still enter the third year of the program. A basic knowledge of Lam-Rim is recommended to profit from the teachings. For any queries please contact our office.

The dates:

3rd year 2008 / 2009

18th / 19th Oct, 2008
15th / 16th Nov, 2008
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17th / 18th Jan, 2009
14th / 15th Feb, 2009
14th / 15th Mar, 2009
18th / 19th Apr, 2009
16th / 17th May, 2009
20th / 21st Jun, 2009
18th / 19th Jul, 2009

Application on a PDF Form