Course Summary
First Semester – Preliminaries 1 & 2
- Precious Human Life – Leisures – Explication & Practice
- Precious Human Life – Opportunities – Explication & Practice
- Impermanence – The External World – Explication & Practice
- Impermanence – Inner Beings – Explication & Practice
- History – The Nyingma Lineage (The Old School Lineage)
Second Semester – Foundations in Practice
- Loving Kindness – Explication & Practice
- Compassion – Explication & Practice
- Joy – Explication & Practice
- Altruism & The Awakening Mind – Explication & Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Marpa Kagyu
Third Semester – Calm Abiding Meditation
- The Necessity of Meditative Concentration – Explication & Practice
- Identifying Meditative Concentration – Explication & Practice
- Adopting the Causes of Calm Abiding – Explication & Practice
- The Stages of Calm Abiding – Explication & Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Shangpa Kagyu
Fourth Semester – Actual Practice
- The Process of the Practice – Explication & Practice
- Abiding with a Focal Support – Explication & Practice
- Abiding Without a Focus – Explication & Practice
- Abiding Within the Essential Nature – Explication & Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Zhijé and Chö
Fifth Semester – Analytical Meditation
- Ascertaining the Apprehended Objects – Explication
- Ascertaining the Apprehended Objects – Practice
- Ascertaining the Apprehending Mind – Explication
- Ascertaining the Apprehending Mind – Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Jordruk
Sixth Semester – Ultimate Analysis
- Ascertaining the Remedy Itself – Explication
- Ascertaining the Remedy – Practice
- The Manner of Abiding in Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation in Union – Explication
- The Manner of Abiding in Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation in Union – Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Dorjé Sumgyi Nyendrub
Seventh Semester – Analytical Investigation
- Ascertaining the Apprehended Objects – Explication
- Ascertaining the Apprehended Objects – Practice
- Ascertaining the Apprehending Mind – Explication
- Ascertaining the Apprehending Mind – Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Jordruk
Eighth Semester – Integration and Completion
- Ascertaining the Remedy Itself – Explication
- Ascertaining the Remedy – Practice
- The Manner of Abiding in Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation in Union – Explication
- The Manner of Abiding in Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation in Union – Practice
- History – The Eight Practice Lineages – Dorjé Sumgyi Nyendrub
First Semester – Precious Human Life & Impermanence
Module 1: Precious Human Life – Leisures – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the unique freedom and potential they possess as human beings – a freedom and potential that other types of beings do not possess. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
To foster appreciation for students’ current freedom and potential to lead a meaningful life – by succeeding in their dharma aims and other major endeavours.
To encourage students in further study and meditation practice.
To reduce attachment to this life.
To instil confidence.
Course Components
The course is comprised of two main units:
- Explication of:
- The eight states without freedom
- The sixteen states without freedom
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – explanation of a section of text – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b | 3×20 |
Module 2: Precious Human Life – Opportunities – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the unique opportunities they possess that allow them to practice dharma successfully – opportunities both derived from themselves and from others. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
To foster an appreciation of the students’ current opportunities to study and practice the dharma and succeed in other major undertakings.
To encourage students in further study and meditation practice.
To reduce attachment to this life.
To instil confidence.
Course Components
The course is comprised of two main units:
- Explication of:
- The five personal opportunities
- The five opportunities provided by others
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – explanation of a section of text – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b | 3×20 |
Module 3: Impermanence – The External World – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the grosser levels of impermanence – of the universe, our world, the seasons and so forth. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
To foster the understanding that students’ current opportunities to study and practice Buddhism cannot last and should be capitalised on while present.
To reduce attachment to this life.
To inculcate a broader and more realistic understanding of reality.
To encourage further study and meditation practice.
Course Components
The course is comprised of two main units:
- Explication of:
- The impermanence of the world
- The impermanence of the seasons
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – explanation of a section of text – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b | 3×20 |
Module 4: Impermanence – Inner Beings – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the more subtle levels of impermanence that relate to living beings – the approach of death, the dying process and what happens to us beyond death. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
To foster the understanding that students’ current opportunities to study and practice Buddhism cannot last and should be capitalised on while present.
To reduce attachment to this life.
To inculcate a broader and more realistic understanding of reality.
To encourage students in further study and meditation practice.
Course Components
The course is comprised of two main units:
- Explication of:
- The many who have died
- The many causes of death
- How it will be at the time of death
- How it will be after one dies
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – explanation of a section of text – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d | 3×20 |
Module 5: History – The Eight Practice Lineages – 1. The Nyingma Lineage (The Old School Lineage)
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students explore the origins of Buddhism and track its initial spread and propagation from India to Tibet in the 6th century BC. Students learn how the Buddha’s teachings became established as The Nyingma (Old School) canon and identify its leading early masters. Comparative research will draw from various texts, including The Words of My Perfect Teacher, The Blue Annals, and The Treasury of Knowledge.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
To understand how Buddhism first spread to Tibet and became established.
To gain confidence in the reliability of this transmission of teachings that stem from the Buddha.
To appreciate the current opportunity to study and practice these longstanding teachings.
Course Components
The course is comprised of four units:
- Origins of Buddhism in India
- Initial spread to Tibet
- The work of Guru Rinpoche
- Establishment of the Nyingma canon
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Teachings
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a, b, c, d | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a, b, c, d | 3×20 |
Second Semester – Karma & The Faults of Cyclic Existence
Module 1: Causality of Non-Virtue – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the causality of non-virtue – how it is our own negative actions that bring about our experience of suffering. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
- To foster caution and mindfulness with regard to the student’s actions of body, speech and mind.
- To encourage acceptance of current difficulties and suffering.
- To reduce attachment to future lives in cyclic existence.
Course Components
- Explication of the ten non-virtues
- Progressive contemplation on the ten non-virtues
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a | 3×20 |
Module 2: Causality of Virtue – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the causality of virtue – how it is our own positive actions that bring about our experience of happiness and, ultimately, liberation and omniscience. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
- To foster caution and mindfulness with regard to the student’s actions of body, speech and mind.
- To increase enthusiasm for all virtuous activities and those of studying and practising the dharma in particular.
- To reduce attachment to future lives in cyclic existence.
Course Components
- Explication of the ten virtues
- Progressive contemplation on the ten virtues
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a | 3×20 |
Module 3: The Faults of Cyclic Existence in General – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the faults of cyclic existence (samsara) in general terms – the sufferings unique to the various types of beings with whom we share our world. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
- To increase motivation to attain liberation from cyclic existence and ultimate omniscience.
- To inculcate a broader and more realistic understanding of reality.
- To encourage further study and meditation practice.
- To reduce attachment to future lives in cyclic existence.
Course Components
- Explication of the sufferings of:
- Hell beings
- Deprived spirits
- Animals
- Demigods
- Gods
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d, a-e | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d, a-e | 3×20 |
Module 4: The Faults of Cyclic Existence for Humans in Particular – Explication & Practice
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students are guided through contemplation of the faults of cyclic existence experienced by us humans in particular – birth, ageing, sickness, death and so forth. Each contemplation is first explained and then practised in sequential progression, following the relevant sections of The Torch for the Definitive Meaning and The Precious Ornament of Liberation.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
- To increase motivation to attain liberation from cyclic existence and ultimate omniscience.
- To inculcate a broader and more realistic understanding of reality.
- To encourage further study and meditation practice.
- To reduce attachment to future lives in cyclic existence.
Course Components
- Explication of the sufferings of:
- Birth, ageing, sickness and death
- Searching and failing to acquire what we lack
- Struggling to protect what we have
- Parting from what we love
- Encountering the undesirable
- Progressive contemplation on these
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Dharma teachings
- Meditation sessions
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – explanation of a section of text – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d, a-e | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d, a-e | 3×20 |
Module 5: History – The Eight Practice Lineages – 2. The Kadam Lineage (Oral Instruction Lineage)
Code No.: XXX
Credit Hr: 3
Contact Hr: 48
Full Mark: 100
Course Description
Students track the progression of Buddhism in Tibet – the context of the development of the earliest of the New School traditions, The Kadam Lineage (Oral Instruction Lineage), and identify its leading masters. Comparative research will draw from various texts, including The Words of My Perfect Teacher, The Blue Annals, and The Treasury of Knowledge.
Course Objectives
The specific objectives of this course are:
- To understand how the earliest of the new schools developed and became established.
- To gain confidence in the reliability of this transmission of teachings that stem from the Buddha.
- To appreciate the current opportunity to study and practice these longstanding teachings.
Course Components
- Inviting Lord Atisa to Tibet
- The translator Lochen Rinchen Zangpo
- The Mind Training (lojong) tradition
Teaching and Evaluation Procedures
- Teachings
- Oral examination
- Written examination
Evaluation Procedures
Internal Evaluation: 40% of the total grade
- Attendance – 5
- Conduct – 10
- Oral examination – 25
Final Examination: 60% of the total grade
Group A: Long Comprehensive Question = 60 Marks or
Group B: Short Condensed Questions = 60 Marks
Question Grid
| S.N. | Questions | Units | No. of Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Comprehensive Question | a, b, c | 1×60 |
| 2 | Short Condensed Questions | a, b, c | 3×20 |