We hope to run each of our introductory courses next year over a weekend, so please keep an eye on the website for more information.
Welcome to Heart Advice for Death and Dying is an introductory course that provides practical ways for thinking about and preparing for one’s own and others’ death. It is suitable for anyone—non-Buddhist, beginner student of Buddhism, or senior Buddhist practitioner—interested in thinking about and preparing for death in a deeply personal way. Having completed this course, you will feel much more confident in facing your own death and also in your ability to help and support others as they are dying.
Course Structure
This course is presented as a series of five sessions. Each session consists of
two guided meditations on related topics and two mindfulness practices. These are complemented by and elaborated upon by teachings and meditations by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the course book, Heart Advice for Death and Dying. Each session concludes with some points for reflection intended to encourage a personal reflection and analysis of the topics taught. Additional supplementary materials are provided to help prepare for one’s own and others' death.
Welcome to Buddhist Meditation 101. This is an introductory
course on basic Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It does not assume that those who come for this course know anything at all about meditation or about Buddhism. It does not
assume that those who take this course are even interested in learning more about Buddhism. This course assumes simply that those who come are interested in learning something about meditation and
that Buddhist meditation has appealed to them and has brought them to this course.
This course is presented as a series of five sessions. Each session contains teachings and guided meditations. Each session includes handouts of meditation scripts and suggested questions for
contemplation and discussion are also provided.
Welcome to Buddhism in a Nutshell. This is an introductory
course that provides a general overview of basic Buddhist philosophy and principles for complete beginners and is intended to provide a basis for more extensive study about Buddhism. It does not
assume that those who participate in this course know anything at all about Buddhism or about meditation, but simply that there is an interest in learning something about Buddhism in its various
forms and that a presentation in a Tibetan Mahayana context is appealin
This course is presented as a series of five sessions. Which presents teachings and reflections on each subject covered by the lam-rim text, The Foundation of All Good Qualities, by the great
Tibetan saint, Lama Tsongkhapa. The teachings come from two extraordinary Tibetan Buddhist masters, Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.