Hosted by: Ngakpa International & the Buddhist Studies Institute
Explore the path of Vajrayana and Great Perfection (Dzogchen)
Please note you MUST register and meet pre-requirements in the link posted below before you are able to attend. HERE IS THE LINK: https://ngakpa.org/vajrayana-training/
Online classes, meeting twice a month, students will discover how to understand the pivotal principles of Tibetan Buddhism, make sense of empowerments, and go deep into understanding oneself, one’s own world, and how to make better sense of one’s own mind.
Vajrayana Training is offered in modules. The courses are non-sequential and can be taken in any order.
The Classes generally include a 30-minute lecture by Pema Khandro followed by 30-minutes discussion.
-fuel your inspiration
-discover your hidden depths
-immerse yourself in dharma
-connect with other Buddhists
-cut through fictions to see yourself as you really are
-understanding your mind and emotions
-gain support for ongoing practice and study
-clarify the meaning of esoteric Buddhist philosophy, terms and rituals
-engage Buddhist philosophy to grapple with the issue of teacher student relationships in Vajrayana
-leave behind the maze of information and have a direct encounter with the heart of Buddhism
What is Vajrayana?
Vajrayana is a Buddhist path for utilizing our life experiences as the fuel for the path. Vajrayana is a system of practices to cultivate a wakeful clear presence and connect with goodness in ourselves and others.
In Vajrayana ordinary life experiences become the focal point for our training. Vajrayana refers to a path of “transformation” of these experiences. It is the transformation of thinking, experiencing emotions, embodied experience, visualization, identity, moments of crisis, dreaming and dying into opportunities for connecting with intrinsic wisdom.
The view of the world in Vajrayana is that innate wisdom and potential for awakening is always present. Through Vajrayana meditation practices and Buddhist philosophy, we train to see the world with a “pure view,” an openness to connect with what is good, uplifted, the positive potential. Simultaneously, it is a training to wakefully address subconscious material, habitual neurosis and conditioned scripts within the framework of Buddhist resources for training the mind.
The term “Vajrayana” is used in the Nyingma lineage to refer to Buddhist Tantra and Great Perfection teachings (Dzogchen). The latter refers to a class of Buddhist teachings that have been practiced by non-monastic, non-celibate practitioners, yogis, tantrics and lay people who lived dynamic lives. Vajrayana includes philosophy, visualization, mind training, body-mind yogas, meditation practices and rituals.
Vajrayana, like all of Tibetan Buddhism, emphasizes the importance of relationships. The relationship between the teacher and student, between the student and the lineage history, between the community of people who practice and between the student and their world. These relationships present a complex and dynamic landscape through which the lived meaning of the teachings can be explored. Therefore a personal connection with others who teach and practice Vajrayana is an important ingredient. No book or class can substitute for that. However those experiences can be supported by a strong foundation in Vajrayana views, history and the context of the practices. The Vajrayana Training is offered to provide a foundation and a ground to encounter Vajrayana with understanding, to meet its teachers, adherents, rituals and practices with a sense of their purpose and context.
To learn more and register: https://ngakpa.org/vajrayana-training/
