Buddhist Philosophy Course: The Preliminaries-Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand

Buddhist Philosophy: The Preliminaries- Liberation in the Palm of your Hand Thursdays from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. October 25-December 6, 2018 Course Objective Kushok Lobsang Dhamchoe hopes this course (and the ensuing series of related Thursday night courses) will provide students with what they need to achieve their own personal goals, whether that be to develop a calmer mind by taming emotions, to deepen true compassion, and/or to firmly place your feet on the path to enlightenment. Kushok wishes to guide new and current students through the Preliminaries, Preparatory Rites, and the Foundations of the Path. This is the first of a series of courses that Kushok will teach on the Lamrim from the text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand – A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment by Pabongka Rinpoche. For those students who wish to continue through the series, these three topics will provide a foundation for understanding Pabgongka’s further teachings on the Small, Medium and Great Scope. Course Description This is the first of a series of courses that Kushok will teach on the Lamrim from the text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand – A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment by Pabongka Rinpoche. In his 24 day discourse, Pabongka condensed both Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment and Tsong Khapa’s masterwork The Great Stages of the Path to Enlightenment to brilliantly illuminate their core teachings that trace back to Shakyamuni Buddha in an unbroken lineage. For that reason, this text is considered one of the 18 great Jangjub Lamrim texts of the Gelugpa lineage. Course Material A syllabus will be provided and will outline weekly topics and readings. Please note – there will be homework on occasion. Students are encouraged to bring their own texts to each class. Liberation in the Palm of your Hand-A Concise Discourse on the Path to Enlightenment by Pabongka Rinpoche, edited by Trijang Rinpoche (New Revised Edition 2006). Texts and ebooks are available on line at FPMT or Amazon, and we have a few texts available in our library. Your cost is $80 for this seven week course. We have chairs and cushions available for seating. Please bring a pen and notebook, the text, and whatever else you need to be comfortable. No course prerequisites After class, you are welcome to enjoy Chai tea and explore our wonderful selection of books for sale at our bookstore.