This is a self-study course that features recorded teachings from Gen Don Handrick. The two live Q&A sessions on November 10th and December 8th will take place via Zoom from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT.
Course Information
To progress on the path to enlightenment the motivation of bodhichitta alone is not enough; we need to learn especially how to keep the bodhisattva vows well, and an investigation into them is beneficial whether one has formally taken them or not. In this module, we will discuss the importance of vows, their purpose and benefit, and how to take and renew them. We will then proceed to examine the elements involved in avoiding each of the eighteen root downfalls as well as the forty-six secondary transgressions, coming to appreciate how living in the bodhisattva vows provides a unique guide for engaging in the six perfections of a bodhisattva in daily life.
Once registered, students will be provided with the link to the recordings, the Zoom link to the two live online Q&A sessions with Gen Don, and the link to the Shantideva website (password will be included) where they can find all of the materials to accompany the teachings.
Instructions
Study and review the material at your own pace in two parts:
About the Teacher
Gen (Tibetan for "elder") Don Handrick is a touring teacher for the FPMT, sharing the Dharma with centers and study groups in North America and other parts of the world, both in-person and online. He connected with Tibetan Buddhism in 1993 through the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
In 1996 he commenced formal study at Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist STudies, the FPMT center in San Francisco. In 1998, he entered the FPMT's Masters Program of Buddhist Studies in Sutra and Tantra, a full-time seven-year residential study program in Tuscany, Italy taught by Geshe Jampa Gyatso. After the completion of his studies, Gen Don moved to Northern New Mexico in 2005 and began teaching for the FPMT.
In 2015, he had the honor of being selected by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to lead the renowned November Course, a one-month teaching and meditation retreat held annually at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Gen Don has received teachings from many esteemed lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ribur Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche and Khensur Jampa Tegchok.
Students appreciate his humber, compassionate demeanor and his capacity to explain profound ideas with precision, contemporary examples and humor.
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We look forward to having you join this course.
Sincerely,
Your friends at Thubten Kunga Ling