General information
Classes & courses
Retreats
Study programs
Special courses
The Foundation Program
The Foundation Program is for those who wish to deepen their understanding and experience of Buddhism through systematic study and practice. FP students make a commitment to attend classes and one group meditation per week.
Daytime Foundation Program
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am - Noon
The daytime FP class is currently studying the Intermediate Scope in Joyful Path of Good Fortune.
Joyful Path of Good Fortune
This book explains how to follow the stages of the path to enlightenment through the study and practice of Lamrim. Atisha’s teachings on Lamrim form the basis of the Kadampa daily meditation practice and of all other practices, both Sutra and Tantra. Through studying and contemplating this book we can learn how to strengthen our good qualities such as love and compassion, control our undesirable states of mind, and develop the faith and wisdom to attain a strong spiritual practice.
Evening Foundation Program
Sundays and Wednesdays, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
On the evening FP, we are currently studying Eight Steps to Happiness by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The teacher is Gen Khedrub, the Resident Teacher at the center.
Eight Steps to Happiness
This inspiring book reveals essential methods for developing universal love and compassion, the source of true happiness for both self and others.
It gives a detailed and practical commentary to eight beautiful verses that comprise one of Buddhism’s best-loved and most enduring teachings, Eight Verses of Training the Mind. Composed by the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Langri Tangpa, this short poem shows how we can transform all life’s difficulties into valuable spiritual insights.
Joining FP
If you have the wish to join Foundation Program and would like to learn more, please contact Noreen Flack at the Temple, (206) 526-9565.
About the Program
The purpose of the Foundation Program is to provide a systematic presentation of particular subjects of Mahayana Buddhism to enable practitioners to deepen their knowledge and experience of Buddhism.
The Program comprises the following five subjects based on Buddha's Sutra teachings and the corresponding commentaries by
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso:
1. The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, based on the commentary Joyful Path of Good Fortune
2. Training the Mind, based on the commentaries Universal Compassion and Eight Steps To Happiness
3. The Heart Sutra, based on the commentary Heart of Wisdom
4. Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, based on the commentary Meaningful to Behold
5. Types of Mind, based on the commentary Understanding the Mind