From Afflictions to Perfections

A game with a difference, sharing our study and experiences on the path to enlightenment. Connect with fellow students, enjoy insights and laughter!

Invented and right here at LTC by Miffi – who printed and laminated every single card – this is a highly enjoyable way to integrate your Buddhist study and connect deeply with your Dharma buddies. We share stories of our own experiences, successes, and challenges along the Dharma path.

Loosely based on Monopoly, this Buddhist game is played with unique lamrim cards that demonstrate how we can overcome negative mental factors, and how tenacious we have to be to develop our positive qualities! But unlike Monopoly, this game does not encourage you to become a real-estate mogul, but a fully enlightened buddha for the benefit of all!

We play in small groups, often in pairs so we can help each other. the game unfolds at a leisurely and enjoyable pace, with the aim to collect positive cards and discard negative ones as ‘true cessations’. There are various instruction cards to pick up, asking for examples from your own life, study or experience. There is a also booklet cheat-sheet with all the cards for your fellows players to give you hints and help!

Participants try to collect unique Buddhist cards and qualities to help us progress along the path. The deck is made up of 108 cards detailing the Six Perfections, 11 positive mental factors, 6 root delusions and 20 secondary afflictions, the Four Immeasurables, and other wild cards such as ‘bodhicitta’ and ‘guru devotion’.

Facilitated by FPMT registered teacher:

Integrating your study:
This game forms part of our Discovering Buddhism assessment. Rather than public exams or debates, we try to encourage non-confrontational (and highly enjoyable) ways to integrate Dharma study with lived experience.

“What’s the point of listening, listening, listening to teachings, collecting words, but then not integrating what you’ve heard with your mind or gaining realizations? You have to integrate into experience whatever you understand. If you realize the teachings beyond words, you’ll really be able to solve your inner problems.”

– Lama Thubten Yeshe

“The whole thing, so many practices, all come down to live the daily life with bodhicitta motivation to put all the effort in that whatever you do. This way your life doesn’t get wasted and it becomes full of joy and happiness, with no regrets later, especially when you die and you can die with a smile outside and a smile in the heart.“

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche