Discovering Buddhism

Certification / Required Integration Experiences

Completion Certificate is issued by the FPMT when a student has tracked and completed the requirements for all fourteen modules. For each of the first 13 modules each student should attend all lectures (sessions missed can be made up by listening to a tape or as the teacher advises), do all required readings, do at least one meditation session for each of the required meditations, and complete the assigned retreats or other items listed as required” for each subject area. As this is an on-line course, the teacher will send each student an exam or other method to assess the student’s understanding of course material. Students desiring certification should start planning and working on the requirements in DB 14 as soon as possible.

Students who have no interest in receiving a final completion certificate do not have to complete all the requirements for each subject area.

DB 14: Special Integration Experiences (Summary)
Two-week Kopan-style lamrim course/retreat
100,000 long Vajrasattva mantras as a preliminary practice
100,000 prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas as a preliminary practice
3 Nyung Ne Retreats – do, know how to do, be able to lead others to do

Examine what is “mind,” its nature and function, and how it affects our experience of happiness and suffering. Come explore the differentiation between mind and brain, mind as the creator of our experiences, and the implications of possessing a mind that has no beginning and no end. In addition, learn methods to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes and create a positive and joyous mind.

Basic meditation techniques. Learn the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit properly, how to set up a meditation session, the different types of meditation techniques one may employ, and how to recognize and deal with obstacles to meditation.

Get an overview of the entire Tibetan Buddhist path to awakening. Hear about the life story of the Buddha and study the basic teachings of Buddhism. Discover the unique system for putting Buddhist philosophy into practice contained in the lam-rim, or “graduated path to enlightenment.”

Take the time to investigate the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for a teacher, the qualities of a teacher, the qualities of a student, and how to relate to a teacher for greatest benefit in one’s spiritual life. Consider the challenges we face when thinking of entering into a “guru-disciple” relationship and learn how to overcome these skillfully.

Explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live our lives. Be guided in skillful
reflection on the meaning of death and what to expect at the death-time. In this way, fulfill your purpose in
life, resolve conflicts, and develop the skills to help both yourself and others at the time of death. Eventually, through Buddhist practice, one can overcome death altogether.

Learn the essential facts about the law of cause and effect and generate a clear understanding about how
karma works. Discover effective tools to accumulate merit – the cause of happiness and success – and purify mistaken actions done in the past. In addition, explore ways to become adept at dealing with life most effectively and thereby take control of your future.

Get informed about what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), and the essential practices of refuge. Find out more about the advantage of taking lay vows and their role in
enhancing our spiritual growth.

Assemble the tools you need to develop a successful daily practice. Using Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s A DAILY MEDITATION PRACTICE as a guide, become familiar with the elements necessary to generate realizations
in the mind. Also, receive some tips for making every action of the day meaningful.

Investigate what “samsara” is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what “nirvana” is and how to achieve
it. Develop the determination to be free from suffering and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.

Come discover the clear meditation instruction available in Tibetan Buddhism that enables us to develop our innate qualities of loving kindness and compassion. Become skilled at applying these techniques to generate the mind of bodhichitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others, known to be the heart of Buddha’s teachings.

Consider well the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others more than ourselves. Get inspired to “exchange yourself with others,” and then be guided in how to employ the special techniques of mind training or “lo-jong” as a means to transform problems into happiness and learn to like problems as much as ice cream!

The realization of emptiness is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment. Take this
opportunity to enhance your ability to bring about this realization. Learn how to develop calm abiding and
different methods to use in meditation on emptiness. Practice accumulation of merit and purification of
obstacles – indispensable for generating realizations within the mind.

By undertaking intensive practices of purification and a minimum two-week lam-rim residential retreat,
prepare your mind in the best possible way to gain realizations on the path to enlightenment. Purification
practices include: 100,000 prostrations, 3-month Vajrasattva retreat, and Nyung Nä. This is a great way
to seal the blessings of this program.