Discovering Buddhism at Langri Tangpa Centre

Discovering Buddhism

Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness.

The core of the Langri Tangpa Centre program is this in-depth three year course. This program is not designed just as an academic study of Buddhism but is intended to change a person’s life. More than just intellectual study, the Discovering Buddhism course creates a community of students who grow together supporting each other in their practice and understanding.

The Discovering Buddhism course is made up of 14 modules of study and retreat covering the Buddhist path in a systematic way. Each module is completed over two months of weekly classes. This gives you time to study, practice and integrate each new subject at a comfortable pace, building a comprehensive base of knowledge and skills.

Ease into the course with catch-up classes on the previous units From Theory to Practice: Integrating Discovering Buddhism on Tuesday mornings from 17 March (10.30 am) and repeated on Wednesday evenings from 18 March (7 pm).

You can join this three-year course at the beginning of any module. You don’t have to wait until module one to become part of the program! People often join once they have completed several of the beginner’s Buddhism courses. You can also do the Discovering Buddhism modules at other FPMT centres throughout Australia, including our sister centre, Chenrezig Institute, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

The day classes are beginning a new cycle with Module 1: Mind and Its Potential on Tuesday mornings from 28 April, 2020 (10.30 am).

The evening classes are continuing with Module 10: How to Develop Bodhicitta on Wednesday evenings from 29 April, 2020 (7 pm).

We hold this course is held during both day and evening time slots:

Tuesday mornings (10.30 am – 12 pm)
Wednesday evenings (7 pm – 8.30 pm)

Courses generally run for 8 weeks of weekly teachings, plus a review, a DVD on the topic, and the associated integration activities between each course. Please check the calendar for information on which module we are up to.

This course is best suited to the committed beginner, or people who has already completed a beginner’s Buddhism course or two. If you are unsure whether you are ready for Discovering Buddhism, we invite you to come along and sit in on a class to see if it suits you.

The Fourteen Modules

1. Mind and Its Potential

Examine the mind and how it creates happiness and suffering. Learn to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes to develop a positive and joyous mind.

2. How to Meditate

Explore the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit, how to set up a meditation session, different meditation techniques, and how to deal with obstacles to meditation.

3. Presenting the Path

Get an overview of the entire Tibetan Buddhist path to awakening. Study the life story of the Buddha and discover a unique system for putting Buddhist philosophy into practice – the lamrim, or graduated path to enlightenment.

4. The Spiritual Teacher

Investigate the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for a teacher, the qualities of teacher and student, and how to relate to a teacher.

5. Death and Rebirth

Explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live our lives. Learn to fulfill your purpose in life, resolve conflicts, and develop the skills to help yourself and others at death.

6. All About Karma

Learn the essential facts about the law of actions and their results. Explore ways to deal with life more effectively and take control of your future.

7. Refuge in the Three Jewels

Find out what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha – and the essential practices of refuge. Learn about the advantage of taking lay vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual growth.

8. Establishing a Daily Practice

Assemble the tools you need to develop a successful daily practice and find out the elements necessary to generate realisations. Get some tips for making every action you do meaningful.

9. Samsara and Nirvana

Investigate what “samsara” is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what “nirvana” is and how to achieve it. Learn how to be free from suffering and gain practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.

10. How to Develop Bodhicitta

Discover practices that develop our innate qualities of compassion. Learn to apply these techniques to generate bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment, known as the very heart of Buddha’s teachings.

11. Transforming Problems

Learn the disadvantages of selfishness and the advantages of cherishing others. Learn to employ the special techniques of mind training (lojong) to transform problems into happiness.

12. Wisdom of Emptiness

Learn how to develop calm abiding (shamatha), the ability to remain focused in meditation for as long periods as you want without distraction. Try different ways of meditating on emptiness, the lack of true existence of the self and all phenomena, the realisation of which is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment.

13. Introduction to Tantra

Learn what tantra is, how it works, and why it is a powerful form of practice. Get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn to practice simple kriya tantric methods. Learn how to integrate tantra with lamrim meditation to obtain the best results.

14. Special Integration Experiences

By undertaking intensive practices of purification and a two-week lam-rim retreat, you prepare your mind in the best way to realise the path to enlightenment. Purification practices include: 100,000 prostrations, 3-month Vajrasattva retreat, and Nyung-ne. This is a great way to seal the blessings of this program!

Catch-up Classes and recordings from previous courses in this series held at Langri Tangpa Centre are uploaded to our website and are available to LTC Members and Online Friends.

Youtube Videos produced by the FPMT for each module include an introduction from Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves, teachings from various lamas, and informal conversations with western students.

Chenrezig Institute in the sunshine coast hinterland is our FPMT sister centre. They offer Discovering Buddhism as a weekend course one month, followed by a weekend retreat the following month. Life is hectic, so if you cannot make it to our weekly classes, this is an alternative option to completing the program.

Online Learning Centre Discovering Buddhism is also available as a correspondence course from the FPMT, where the second module, How to Meditate, is offered as free course.

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