FPMT Basic Program at Tse Chen Ling
The FPMT Basic Program (BP) is a twelve-subject course of study designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It provides a practice-oriented transmission of the Buddhadharma to committed students ready to progress to in-depth study and practice.
Some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most treasured texts form the heart of the Basic Program;
Je Tsongkhapa’s Middle Length Lamrim; Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara; the Heart Sutra; Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen’s Tenets; Maitreya’s Ornament for Clear Realization and Tathagata Essence; the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, and other texts guide the practitioner through a comprehensive study of sutra and tantra.
The program’s comprehensive curriculum greatly enhances students’ Dharma understanding, establishing a sound basis for ongoing study, practice, retreat, and service.
In the past, Tse Chen Ling’s Resident Teacher Emeritus, Geshe Ngawang Dakpa of Sera Jey Monastic University, taught the entire Basic Program between 1999 and 2007. Through Geshe Dakpa’s precious teachings, many students were able to connect with the topics of the Basic Program in great detail from an authoritative lineage master. Since completing Tse Chen Ling’s first cycle of the Basic Program, we have been committed to finding an opportunity to offer Basic Program courses for new students.
Starting in January 2020, Tse Chen Ling will begin offering courses in the FPMT Basic Program taught by a variety of qualified teachers. In addition, Tse Chen Ling will be offering these courses so that students can attend at in person or access the courses in real-time via a Zoom live stream allowing students to attend remotely from anywhere in the world. Students attending remotely will have the ability to ask questions to the teacher in real-time during the live stream broadcast. Students attending in person and remotely will have unlimited exclusive access to the archived videos via Zoom for ongoing study reference.
Some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most treasured texts form the heart of the Basic Program;
Je Tsongkhapa’s Middle Length Lamrim; Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara; the Heart Sutra; Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen’s Tenets; Maitreya’s Ornament for Clear Realization and Tathagata Essence; the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, and other texts guide the practitioner through a comprehensive study of sutra and tantra.
The program’s comprehensive curriculum greatly enhances students’ Dharma understanding, establishing a sound basis for ongoing study, practice, retreat, and service.
In the past, Tse Chen Ling’s Resident Teacher Emeritus, Geshe Ngawang Dakpa of Sera Jey Monastic University, taught the entire Basic Program between 1999 and 2007. Through Geshe Dakpa’s precious teachings, many students were able to connect with the topics of the Basic Program in great detail from an authoritative lineage master. Since completing Tse Chen Ling’s first cycle of the Basic Program, we have been committed to finding an opportunity to offer Basic Program courses for new students.
Starting in January 2020, Tse Chen Ling will begin offering courses in the FPMT Basic Program taught by a variety of qualified teachers. In addition, Tse Chen Ling will be offering these courses so that students can attend at in person or access the courses in real-time via a Zoom live stream allowing students to attend remotely from anywhere in the world. Students attending remotely will have the ability to ask questions to the teacher in real-time during the live stream broadcast. Students attending in person and remotely will have unlimited exclusive access to the archived videos via Zoom for ongoing study reference.
The Basic Program Subjects
The Basic Program curriculum was designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to ensure that students who want to study beyond the foundational level will gain a profound knowledge of the key aspects of the entire Buddhist path.
Basic Program study includes:
§ Stages of the Path: the stages of the path to enlightenment of beings of low, middling, and great capacity
§ Heart Sutra: emptiness and the phenomena qualified by it
§ Mahayana Mind Training: Wheel of Sharp Weapons: the law of actions and results, or karma, and the states of mind that shape our future experiences
§ Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds: the six perfections—generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdom—and how to practice them in everyday life
§ Mind and Cognition: the way the mind knows phenomena and the mental factors that constitute the basis of our daily experience
§ Tenets: the philosophical systems, or tenets, of the four main schools of ancient Buddhist thought
§ Ornament for Clear Realizations and Seventy Topics: the 173 aspects of the omniscient mind and the practices that enable to achieve them
§ The Tathagta Essence: the buddha lineage or tathagata essence that exists within every sentient being
§ Grounds and Paths of Secret Mantra; Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth; and a Highest Yoga Tantra Commentary: the four classes of tantra with emphasis on the generation and completion stages of highest yoga tantra
“Learning Dharma means less ignorance and more wisdom. It means more light in your life, no darkness in your mind. It means you have more freedom in your life to achieve liberation from samsara and great enlightenment. The more you understand Dharma, the more you can benefit others.” –Lama Zopa Rinpoche
The Basic Program curriculum was designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to ensure that students who want to study beyond the foundational level will gain a profound knowledge of the key aspects of the entire Buddhist path.
Basic Program study includes:
§ Stages of the Path: the stages of the path to enlightenment of beings of low, middling, and great capacity
§ Heart Sutra: emptiness and the phenomena qualified by it
§ Mahayana Mind Training: Wheel of Sharp Weapons: the law of actions and results, or karma, and the states of mind that shape our future experiences
§ Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds: the six perfections—generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdom—and how to practice them in everyday life
§ Mind and Cognition: the way the mind knows phenomena and the mental factors that constitute the basis of our daily experience
§ Tenets: the philosophical systems, or tenets, of the four main schools of ancient Buddhist thought
§ Ornament for Clear Realizations and Seventy Topics: the 173 aspects of the omniscient mind and the practices that enable to achieve them
§ The Tathagta Essence: the buddha lineage or tathagata essence that exists within every sentient being
§ Grounds and Paths of Secret Mantra; Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth; and a Highest Yoga Tantra Commentary: the four classes of tantra with emphasis on the generation and completion stages of highest yoga tantra
“Learning Dharma means less ignorance and more wisdom. It means more light in your life, no darkness in your mind. It means you have more freedom in your life to achieve liberation from samsara and great enlightenment. The more you understand Dharma, the more you can benefit others.” –Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Current FPMT Basic Program programs being offered at Tse Chen Ling:
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Future Basic Program Classes
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