Foundation Programme - In-Depth Study
Saturdays 1.30 – 5.30pm (around
35 weeks per year)
This is a unique opportunity!
Come and enjoy extensive Dharma teachings on this structured
and in-depth study programme guided by Gen Pagpa, our resident
teacher. Foundation
Programme (FP) classes consist of a guided meditation,
prayers and detailed teachings with plenty of discussion in order
to gain deep experience of the text being studied. Students of
this programme discover a swift development in their understanding
of Dharma and confidence to apply the teachings in their daily
lives.
We
have recently started with the wonderful text Universal
Compassion (it is still possible to enrol!) by
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This inspiring book reveals
deeply transforming yet practical methods to enable a powerful
opening of the heart, the source of all true happiness. Studying
this text and receiving guidance from a qualified teacher gives
us a great opportunity to deepen our knowledge and understanding
of the spiritual path to enlightenment.
You are welcome to attend a class day in order to sample the Foundation
Programme before deciding to enrol.
For more details please ask Gen Pagpa or contact Rob Lengfeld at
the Centre.
Class costs: R50 per week or free if you are a Centre member.
In his introduction to the Foundation Programme, Geshe-la says:
"We may have received some teachings or read some books
on Buddhism and find them relatively easy to understand and accept,
but we find it difficult to integrate this advice into our daily
lives. We cannot use it to solve our daily problems. At the moment,
when we study the Buddha's teachings, our mind remains passive,
like someone watching television; it does not engage in the subject
or mix with it. Therefore, our daily life and our Dharma remain
completely separate and unrelated. Why is this? It is because we
are not studying systematically according to a specially designed
programme. If we pick at Dharma randomly we shall never gain deep
and stable experience."