Wisdom Chapter of Madhyamakavatara

with Tubten Pende

Sunday, 11:15am - 12:45pm
February 21, 2016
March 20
April 17
May 15
June 19
July 17
August 21
September 18
October 16
November 20
​December 11
The Madhyamakavatara was composed by the 7th century Indian scholar, Chandrakirti, as a supplement and commentary to the seminal treatise, the Mulamadhyamakakarika by the 2nd century Indian scholar, Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna was predicted by the Buddha to be an authority on the Buddha’s view of ultimate reality that later generations could rely on after the Buddha’s passing. The special guru to Tsong Khapa, Manjushri, advised Tsong Khapa to rely on Chandrakirti to correctly understand Nagarjuna. Consequently, within Tsong Khapa’s tradition, the Madhyamakavatara is one of the five core curriculum texts of the Geshe Program in the great Gelug monasteries.

We have the opportunity to study the same text these Tibetan masters studied to gain the correct understanding of the liberating view of emptiness. This course will focus on the Chapter of the Perfection of Wisdom that deals directly with the subject of emptiness.
Tubten Pende is a practicing Buddhist since 1972 when he was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism in India. Pende was included in the first wave of the FPMT’s Western Buddhist teachers. He was the coordinator of the Geshe Studies Program at Manjushri Institute, England; spiritual program coordinator, director, and later resident teacher at Nalanda Monastery, France; and an FPMT International Office Education Services program developer of the Masters Program at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy. He is interested in the effective application of Buddhist theory and practice in the daily life of ordinary people.
This lecture series by Tubten Pende is presented in a course format.  We offer two options for attending, a distance learning track with onsite option and an onsite track.
Distance Learning Track with Onsite Option
Sign up for a unit of four classes ($100).  This format is suitable both for local students and remote students.

Benefits:
  • Attend the lectures in person at the center, and/or
  • Listen to the recordings online
  • Audio and video recordings available within days after each lecture
  • Root text available as a PDF file
  • Access to online discussion forum
  • Study at your own pace.  The recordings and the discussion forum will remain available online after the conclusion of the lecture series.
Onsite Track
Pay per class ($20), or save by signing up for a unit of four classes ($70).  This format is only suitable for local students.

Benefits:
  • ​​Attend the lectures in person at the center​
  • Receive a printed copy of the root text
Registration for Distance Learning Track with Onsite Option
Enroll in unit 1 (four classes February – May 2016):
Enroll in unit 2 (four classes June – September 2016):
Enroll in unit 3 (three classes October – December 2016):
Everyone is welcome!

Your generous donations are essential for the continuation of programs like this. No one turned away due to lack of funds. Please contact us to make arrangements.