Foundations of Buddhist Thought
The Awakening Mind
~ Bodhichitta ~
September 7th 2022 – May 2023
September 7th 2022 – May 2023
The foundation of Buddhist study is based on the understanding of Mind. In this course we will be reading Geshe Tashi Tserings fourth text The Awakening Mind. This text encapsulate the fundamentals of the tradition, Bodhichitta, often translated as “great compassion,” is the gem at the heart of Buddhism. From this altruistic desire to serve others, all other Buddhist practices naturally flow, therefore, this state of mind is one Buddhists should understand and cultivate. In The Awakening Mind, Geshe Tashi Tsering leads us through the two main methods to develop bodhichitta that have been developed by the great Indian and Tibetan Buddhists over the centuries: the seven points of cause and effect, and equalizing and exchanging the self with others.
This is the fourth release from Geshe Tashi’s Foundation of Buddhist Thought series, which individually and collectively represent an excellent introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. These unique and friendly books are based on the curriculum of a popular course of the same name, developed by Geshe Tashi himself.
Geshe Tashi’s presentations combine rigor and comprehensiveness with lucidity and accessibility, never divorced from the basic humanity and warmth of his personality. In Geshe Tashi, we encounter the new generation of Tibetan monk-scholars teaching in the West who are following in the footsteps of such revered and groundbreaking teachers as Geshe Wangyal and Geshe Sopa.
*Upon successful completion of this course, if students desire, they will receive a certificate of completion from Vidya Method.
Over the course of many years Bryson has diligently worked to create a curriculum based on the traditional Tibetan monastic education system but suitable for a non-monastic audience. He has completed course work both inside Tibetan monasteries and privately with teachers from different lineages, including his root teacher Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche and Geshe Tashi Tsering.