Deepen your study and practice of meditation by joining a Foundation Program study class.
Monday Online Zoom Meeting
7-9pm
Joyful Path of Good Fortune
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s Joyful Path of Good Fortune is a clear and comprehensive explanation of the entire path to enlightenment. We all have the potential for self-transformation, and a limitless capacity for the growth of good qualities, but to fulfill this potential we need to know what to do along every stage of our spiritual journey. With this book, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso offers us step-by-step guidance on the meditation practices that will lead us to lasting inner peace and happiness. With extraordinary clarity, he presents all Buddha’s teachings in the order in which they are to be practiced, enriching his explanation with stories and illuminating analogies. This is a perfect guidebook to the Buddhist path.
Foundation Program Teacher
David Hoffner
How does it work?
The secret of the Foundation Program’s success lies in the manageable commitment made by the student and in the clear structure of study. Students sign up to study one book or part of a book and agree to attend every class, learn the material, and type up a summary if they miss a class. Regular attendance is very important. This ongoing, committed aspect of the class creates a real sense of community and helps nourish and support the spiritual life of everyone in the class. If for a suitable reason a student is not able to attend the class in person, he or she agrees to catch up by listening to a podcast of the class.
Generally, students take turns putting up the shrine offerings and setting up the meditation room on the day of their class. In this way they learn about the rituals associated with Buddhist practice. Each FP class at KMC-LI is assigned a rotation of duties to help keep the meditation center clean and orderly. This also helps build a sense of community and responsibility so that everyone feels like they are contributing to the success of the center.
What happens at a class?
The teacher then reads the assigned selection from the book while giving commentary to the text. The students then divide into pairs to discuss the material. The teacher and students conclude by deciding what to meditate on in the next class and how to practice during the coming week.
What books are studied?
1. The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, based on the commentary Joyful Path of Good Fortune
2. Training the Mind, based on the commentaries Universal Compassion and The New Eight Steps to Happiness
3. The Heart Sutra, based on the commentary The New Heart of Wisdom
4. Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, based on the commentary Meaningful to Behold
5. Types of Mind, based on the commentary How to Understand the Mind