Foundation Program is designed for those who wish to deepen their understanding and experience of Kadampa Buddhism through a systematic study of six texts by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Joining a structured study program of Buddha’s teachings brings great benefits: developing a good heart, improving wisdom, and enhancing cherishing of others all come from going deeper into study and meditation practice. Read more about the texts studied and benefits on our website.
Foundation Program is taught by experienced buddhist practitioners.
*Enrollment and regular attendance are required, but you may attend two classes before committing. For more information or to try a class, please contact Linda Mae, at education@meditateinseattle.org
The monthly membership cost for the program is $80 and allows many discounts on other courses at the temple.
Teacher: Nick Birdsall
Book: Meaningful to Behold
Days: Class meets twice a week - Sundays and Wednesdays
Time: 6:30-8:00pm
Cost: Level 2 Monthly Supporter
Nick Birdsall is an experienced practitioner of Kadampa Buddhism. Having met these teachings in 1993 in his native England, he has received many teachings directly from Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Nick presents Buddha’s teachings and meditations with clarity and warmth and is appreciated for his sincerity and ability to help anyone apply Buddhist insights and meditations to their busy working and family lives.
There are three reasons why we need to study and practice the teachings of Buddha - to develop our wisdom, to cultivate a good heart and to maintain a peaceful state of mind.
Our Founder, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, specially designed the Foundation Program to provide a systematic presentation of particular subjects of Mahayana Buddhism to enable practitioners to deepen their knowledge and experience of the spiritual path.
By studying on this program we shall gain confidence in our meditation practice – from basic techniques for overcoming our everyday problems to practices leading to heartfelt happiness and lasting inner peace.
In this way, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of Buddha’s teachings, maintain a daily meditation practice that is effective and focused, and make genuine spiritual progress.
Learn five essential topics of Buddhism in Foundation Program. These subjects and practices form the foundation for effectively integrating Buddhist meditation practice with our daily life. They are:
Joyful Path of Good Fortune – We gain the ability to put all Buddha’s teachings of both Sutra and Tantra into practice. We can easily make progress on and complete the stages of the path to the supreme happiness of enlightenment. From a practical point of view, the Stages of the Path, or Lamrim, is the main body of Buddha’s teachings, and the other teachings are like its limbs.
Universal Compassion and The New Eight Steps to Happiness – We gain the ability to integrate Buddha’s teachings into our daily life and solve all our human problems, especially learning how to transform adverse conditions in to the path to enlightenment.
The New Heart of Wisdom – We gain a realization of the ultimate nature of reality, emptiness. By gaining this realization we can eliminate the ignorance of self-grasping that is the root of all our suffering.
Meaningful to Behold – We transform our daily activities into the Bodhisattva’s way of life of the six perfections, thereby making every moment of our human life meaningful.
How to Understand the Mind – We understand the relationship between our mind and its external objects. If we understand that objects depend upon the subjective mind we can change the way objects appear to us by changing our own mind. Gradually we shall gain the ability to control our mind and in this way solve all our problems.
Kadampa Meditation Center Washington is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Member of the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union.
