Next Course: Sustaining, Not Straying, Enhancing

Shamatha Vipashyana in the Mahamudra Tradition, Part Three
Exploring Tashi Namgyal’s Moonbeams of Mahamudra

11 Tuesdays from January 14th thru Aril 1st, 2026, 7-9:15 pm EST
Based upon the text: Moonbeams of Mahamudra,
By Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, translated by Elizabeth Callahan

This course is the fourth in a series of five courses based on Moonbeams of Mahamudra by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, which is widely recognized as the most thorough and widely celebrated text on the subject. As His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje says in his Preface: “Although…Moonbeams of Mahamudra by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal was composed in the sixteenth century it is still regarded as the definitive guide to Mahamudra, providing the blueprint for the practice itself and also clearly explaining the scriptural authority and logical reasonings that support the practice.”

This third segment presents detailed practical instructions for meditation. First, how to sustain meditation, once recognition of the nature of mind has developed through the three factors of mindfulness, alertness and conscientiousness, and how to sustain meditation in both equipoise and postmeditative attainment. Second, eliminating the four deviation, the three strayings and clearing away hindrances in meditation. Third, enhancing meditation by blending equipoise and postmeditative attainment and bringing all experiences to the path. Fourth, enhancing meditation concluding that the nature of mind is unborn.

Please note that the format of our classes is that of a close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than a presentation with Q&A. If you would like to participate, please register by email to dkolleeny@gmail.com and obtain a copy of the source text. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study, and please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course before you offer any donation.

It is traditional to make some offering for any dharma teachings one receives. You may offer to another teacher or organization or to the facilitator of this course, Derek Kolleeny. For the latter, here are some suggested offerings: transcribing talks; converting texts from PDF to Word to use in sourcebooks; money in the mystical number $108 or $10-15/session ($110-165) or $2500; celery (I love a good stalk!); or whatever you would like to offer. Monetary payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), or zelle (Derek Kolleeny), or google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or mailing a check to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Next Course: Distinguishing Appearance and Essence

Maitreya's Dharma-Dharmata-Vibhanga

12 of the Tuesdays from September 17 - December 17, 20247-9:15 pm Via Zoom
Based on the text Distinguishing Phenomena and their Intrinsic Nature, with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham, translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, supplemented by selected readings provided digitally. 

As its title indicates, the main focus of the Dharmadharmatavibhanga is to clearly delineate the phenomena that comprise our ordinary, unenlightened existence and the intrinsic nature, or dharmatä, of these very same phenomena. In terse, cryptic verses the treatise shows how the mind enters into a state of confusion and how this process can be reversed through a fundamental transformation of the mind. At the root of our confusion, Maitreya explains, is a deeply ingrained tendency to believe that the "external" objects that populate our experience exist independent of our consciousness. 

This reified split between perceiving subject and perceived object sets off a chain reaction of confusion and destructive emotions, a process that perpetuates the cycle of suffering. Inquiring into the nature of this apparently dualistic experience, however, allows us to see that it is, in fact, a false distinction. At the core of Maitreya's message is the insight that this basic error of perception can be reversed by learning to see things as they are, rather than through the distorting lens of dualistic perception.

This text is one of the famous Five Dharmas (texts) of Maitreya. According to tradition, Maitreya dictated these texts to the noble Asanga after the latter had pleaded with Maitreya to explain those sütras which are of definitive meaning. Along with the works of Nägärjuna and other masters of the Middle Way School, the teachings of Maitreya occupy a unique position in Tibetan Buddhism. In all four of Tibet's primary Buddhist lineages, the writings attributed to Maitreya are considered essential reading and are held up as masterpieces of Buddhist literature. 

Countless commentaries have been written on these five texts over the centuries, each presenting a unique perspective and positioning Maitreya's revelatory teachings within a broader context of Buddhist philosophy. In this course we will focus on the commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Mipham Rinpoche, two highly regarded masters associated with the "nonsectarian" Rimé movement in Tibet who are widely respected due to their profundity and clarity, plus the commentary by Vasubhandu and introductory material from Mining Wisdom within Delusion by Karl Brunnholzl (which will be provided digitally). 

Format: Please note that the format of our classes is that of a close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than a presentation with Q&A. If you would like to participate, please let Derek know by email at dkolleeny@gmail.com and obtain a copy of the source text.

First Timers: If you are new to the Rime Shedra please send Derek a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study, and please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course before you offer any donation.

Offering: Please note that we receive scholarship funding so please join us regardless of any offering. If you do wish to make an offering, here are some suggested ones: praise; blame; transcribing talks; converting texts from PDF to Word; money in the mystical number $108 or $10-15/session ($120-180) or $2500; celery (I love a good stalk!); or whatever you would like to offer. Monetary payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), or zelle (Derek Kolleeny), or google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or mailing things to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. 

Next Course: Introduction to Unique Mahamudra

Introduction to Unique Mahamudra
Shamatha Vipashyana in the Mahamudra Tradition Part Two
Exploring Tashi Namgyal’s Moonbeams of Mahamudra

7 Tuesdays from May 21 thru July 9, 2024, 7-9:15 pm EST
Based upon the text: Moonbeams of Mahamudra,
By Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, translated by Elizabeth Callahan

In celebration of Rime Shedra NYC’s 20th year we are focusing on the main system for the practice of shamatha and vipashyana in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, which is most eloquently elaborated in the vajrayana buddhism tradition called Mahamudra. This course is the second in a series of four courses based on Moonbeams of Mahamudra by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, which is widely recognized as the most thorough and widely celebrated text on the subject. His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje says in his Preface to the Translation: “Although…Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal was composed in the sixteenth century it is still regarded as the definitive guide to mahāmudrā, providing the blueprint for the practice itself and also clearly explaining the scriptural authority and logical reasonings that support the practice.”

This course will include the meaning and exceptional qualities of Mahamudra; the varieties of Mahamudra systems; the practices that are traditionally completed in preparation for Mahamudra, known as the uncommon preliminaries; and the aspects and stages of Mahamudra Shamatha. We will conclude with an exploration of the presentation of sutrayana vipashyana by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in comparison to that presented by Tashi Namgyal in Segment One of this series.

The format of our classes is that of a close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than a presentation with Q&A. If you would like to participate, please let Derek know by email at dkolleeny@gmail.com and obtain a copy of the source text.

If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study, and please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course before you offer any donation. Here are some suggested offerings: $0, the mystical number $108; $10-15/session ($70-105); fresh carrots; or whatever you would like to offer. Payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), or zelle (Derek Kolleeny), or google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com); or mailing things to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Next Course: How to Really Know What Is

The Skills of Logical Reasoning & Meditation

Rime Shedra Foundation Course #103
10 Tuesdays, May 2 to July 18, 2023 (Omitting June 27 and July 4)

Text: Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics Volume Two:
The Mind, Conceived & Introduced by HH The Dalai Lama, compiled by The
Compendium Compilation Committee, with material by John Dunne and edited
by Thupten Jinpa, Wisdom Publications, 2020

The focus of this course will be on how logical reasoning and meditation are used to dispel wrong views about reality which are created by conceptual artifice. The preliminary text for the study of reasoning in the traditional Shedra context is The Classification of Reasons, or Tarik, in Tibetan. The source text for the practice of meditation in Rime Shedra NYC is Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation in Three Parts.

The Classification of Reasons presents the characteristics and varieties of logical reasoning which are used to clearly understand the nature of the world and our experience of it in order to accomplish valid conceptual understanding. This framework is represented in the shedra curriculum by Dharmakirti’s fifth century text, the Commentary on Valid Cognition or Pramanavartikka, which is a commentary on Dignaga’s seven texts on logical reasoning.

This is the third in a series of three foundational courses in the progressive curriculum of Rime Shedra NYC. The first foundational course focused on the Buddhist view of the phenomenal, objective world. Additionally, it established a standard method for analyzing our experience through a clear conceptual and linguistic framework. The second foundational course focused on Pramana or valid cognition, presenting the Buddhist view of the mind, our subjective world, and covered the variations in cognitive experience as well as the varieties of mental factors that accompany every cognitive experience. This third course builds upon material presented in the prior two courses; however, one need not have attended those courses to attend this one.

The class format is that of close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than presentation and Q&A. If you would like to participate, please let Derek know by email at dkolleeny@gmail.com and obtain a copy of the source text. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study and before you offer any donation, please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course. Here are some suggested offerings: $200; $10-15/session (i.e. $100-150); the mystical number $108; or whatever you would like to offer. Payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), zelle (Derek Kolleeny), google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com), or by check to Derek Kolleeny at 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Next Course: Knowing the Nature of the Mind

Knowing the Nature of the Mind
The Classifications of Mind and Logical Reasonings
Rime Shedra Foundation Course 102
13 Tuesdays, January 10 to April 18, 2023

Source Text: Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics Volume Two: The Mind, Conceived & Introduced by HH The Dalai Lama, compiled by The Compendium Compilation Committee, with material by John Dunne and edited by Thupten Jinpa, Wisdom Publications, 2020

The focus of this course will be on the Buddhist view of the nature and characteristics of the mind and the mental world it creates, as well as how logical reasoning is used to dispel wrong views about reality created by the conceptual artifice. The two preliminary texts for the study of these topics are The Classification of Mental States, or Lorik in Tibetan and The Classification of Reasons, or Tarik, in Tibetan, both of which are encapsulated into the source text for this course, Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics Volume Two: The Mind. 

The Classifications of Mental States presents the nature of cognition, its types and characteristics, and precise descriptions of the basic cognitive states –mental factors or formations – with which we are all only vaguely familiar. The Classification of Reasons presents the characteristics and varieties of logical reasoning which are used to clearly understand the nature of the world and our (usually incorrect) experience of it. Together, these two texts provide the foundation for the deeper study of Pramana, or Valid Cognition, which is encapsulated in the core shedra text composed by Dharmakirti in the fifth century, Pramanavartikka.

This is the second in a series of three foundational courses in the progressive curriculum of Rime Shedra NYC. This course builds upon material presented in the prior course, however, one need not have attended the first course to attend this one.  The first course focused on Abhidharma and presented the Buddhist view of the phenomenal, objective world as well as establishing a standard method for analyzing our experience, as well as a clear conceptual framework and linguistic pattern.  

The class format is that of close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than presentation and Q&A. If you would like to participate, please let Derek know by email at dkolleeny@gmail.com and obtain a copy of the source text. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study and before you offer any donation, please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course.  Here are some Suggested offerings: $200; $10-15/session (i.e. $130-195); the mystical number $108; your favorite number; your favorite car; or whatever you would like to offer. Payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), zelle (Derek Kolleeny), google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com), or by check to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. 

Next Course: Knowing the Nature of the Objective World

Knowing the Nature of the Objective World
The Ground of Wisdom is Clearly Knowing What Is
Rime Shedra Foundation Course 101
14 Tuesdays, September 13 to December 20, 2022

Source Text: Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics Volume One: The Physical World, Conceived and Introduced by HH The Dalai Lama, Edited by Thupten Jinpa, and compiled by The Compendium Compilation Committee, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2017

In the traditional Tibetan Shedra curriculum, one begins with a series of introductory primers on the topics presented in each of the five core texts of the shedra curriculum. We will study these primers for the entire first year of a new three-year progressive curriculum focused on Tibetan Madhyamaka. We will study the key texts of that in years two and three.

This first text provides an entry into the deeper study of Abhidharma, encapsulated in the shedra curriculum as the Abhidharmakosha by Vasubandhu, and is called The Collected Topics, or Dudra in Tibetan. Without understanding the material presented in this introductory text it is very hard to really understand the meaning of the Madhyamaka texts.

The focus of this text is the universe of knowables, knowable objects, that which can be known. The approach is systematic and starts with the various types of knowable objects in terms of their ontological entity. This includes the various types of matter, minds or consciousnesses and the accompanying mental states or mental factors. This also includes what are mysteriously called “non-associated formations” – an odd assortment of topics featuring what one might call the powers operative in our world. Next is the study of the various ways that objects interact with each other, primarily as causes or effects, and the various conditions supporting these. And lastly, is the way that objects are ascertained by subjects, that is, by the mind of a person. This section describes in a practical way how our conceptual mind builds the world we live in.

When I was first introduced to this text it completely changed the way I understand the dharma. I felt like I finally understood the notion of dharmas, which is the foundation for all subsequent aspects of the path, from conduct to meditation to wisdom. I am happy to be sharing this material with you.

This course will be the beginning of the first progressive curriculum in the history of Rime Shedra NYC. For the past 18 years, through over 50 courses, we have explored many texts and topics within the five core subjects of the Shedra curriculum, including those root texts which are available in English translation. We have travelled from topic to topic touching upon each of the five within a two-year cycle, but without a progression from introductory to advanced. At this time we are introducing a progressive Rime Shedra curriculum which will continue for the next few years, focusing upon the key texts on the Middle Way View.

I hope you will join us for this!

The course will be facilitated by Derek Kolleeny. The class format is that of close reading with commentary and discussion, rather than presentation and Q&A. If you would like to participate, please let Derek know by email at dkolleeny@gmail.com, and buy a copy of the source text. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study and before you offer any donation, please attend a few classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course.

Suggested offering: $10-15/session (i.e. $140-210); the mystical number $108; your favorite number; or whatever you would like to offer. Payment options include sending funds to Derek via venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), zelle (Derek Kolleeny), google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com), or by check to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Chögyam Trungpa Institute Digital Library

For the latest on the Chögyam Trungpa Institute Digital Library plans & the recent book publication, you can view and subscribe to the Chögyam Trungpa Institute Newsletter here.

Next Course: Mipham, Emptiness, and Buddha Nature

Mipham, Emptiness & Buddha-Nature

The Lion of Speech and the Lion’s Roar

A Rime Shedra NYC Course

Eight Tuesdays, May 4 to June 29, 2021, 7-9:15 pm

Omitting May 11, 2021; Online via Zoom

In this course we will read through most of the recently published book, The Lion of Speech: The Life of Mipham Rinpoche by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, trs. By the Padmakara Translation Committee. In addition to the wonderful life story of Mipham by Khyentse Rinpoche, this book also includes excerpts from Mipham’s writings on madhyamaka and his famous text on Buddha Nature, Lion’s Roar Discourse on Buddha Nature. In addition, we will also study Mipham’s Lion’s Roar of Other Emptiness. These two texts form Mipham’s presentation of the essence of the Buddha’s third turning of the wheel of dharma which presents Buddha Nature and the ultimate understanding of the true nature of reality, as being “empty of other.”

Please purchase the book ASAP so you can read along with us. Additionally, we will read publicly available version of the Lion’s Roar of Other Emptiness. The course will be led by Derek Kolleeny. If you would like to participate, please email: dkolleeny@gmail.com. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study.

Suggested offering: whatever you would like ($108 is always an auspicious number). Payment options include sending funds to Brent Kite via paypal at elekeik@gmail.com or via google pay at elekeik@gmail.com; or directly to Derek via paypal (dkolleeny@gmail.com), google-pay (dkolleeny@gmail.com); venmo (@Derek-kolleeny), zelle (Derek Kolleeny) or by check to Derek Kolleeny, 32 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Resting in the Nature of the Mind

The Next RimeShedra.NYC on-line course will begin April 21 (running through June 30) on Zoom.

At any time, and especially in difficult times like the present, it is helpful to turn to classics that clearly present the complete path to liberation as a gradual progression, thereby serving as a genuine guide for our practice and study. Gyalwa Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Rest, and especially its first volume, Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind, is one of the greatest expositions of the gradual teachings in the Tibetan Tradition. We are fortunate that this text is now available in a superb English translation.

In this course, we will begin with the first volume of the Trilogy, which includes the root text and commentary. This text is suitable for practitioners at any level, with an interest in study of the Buddhist classics. This course will be open and accessible to those new to the Rime Shedra NYC, and for new and continuing students it will be an opportunity to encounter the wisdom of a revered teacher. We will proceed through the text using the style of close reading as a means to deepen our understanding and enhance our practice.

If you would like to participate in this course, please email derek@rimeshedra.nyc, and obtain a copy of the book, Finding Rest in the Nature of Mind: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume One by Longchenpa, translated by Padmakara Translation Committee. If you are new to the Rime Shedra, please provide a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study.

RimeShedra.NYC is Now On-Line

The Rime Shedra of NYC is now fully available to anyone, no matter where you are. You’ve always been able to read the course materials and listen to recordings of classes after the fact. But now, due to New York’s shelter in place order, classes are being conducted on-line using Zoom. This means that anyone with a link can join and participate in classes, regardless of where you are.

You can get Zoom for almost every desktop, laptop, or mobile platform here:

<https://zoom.us/download>

You can contact Derek Kolleeny for the Zoom link to the class here:

derek@rimeshedra.nyc

And if you miss the live broadcast of any class, you can subscribe to the class podcast through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, TuneIn, or directly from the site. Please see here for the links to subscribe:

<https://www.rimeshedra.nyc/rimeshedranyc-podcast>

If you have any questions or problems, please let us know.

Rime Shedra NYC

Next Course: Empty When Full

Empty When Full: An Introduction to the Middle Way

(But is it Full When Empty?)

A Rime Shedra NYC Course on the Profound View of the Middle Way

11 of the Tuesdays from January 14 to March 31, 2020 from 7:00-9:15 pm

(Omitting February 11, 2020)

At The Lithuanian Alliance of America, 307 West 30th Street, NY, NY

Suggested offering: $165 for the series or $15/class on a drop-in basis

In this course, we will focus on the core text for the Madhyamaka traditions in India and Tibet—the Madhyamakavatara, or The Introduction to the Middle Way, and in particular on its sixth chapter on the paramita of wisdom. To do this, we will study a number of commentarial presentations from the Tibetan tradition, primarily the following:

1. Introduction to the Middle Way by Chandrakirti, Chapter Six, Far Gone

2. Introduction by Wulstan Fletcher to The Introduction to the Middle Way

3. Introduction by Wulstan Fletcher to The Adornment of the Middle Way

4. “Middle from Beginning to End” from The Center of the Sunlit Sky by Karl Brunnholzl

5. The Key to the Middle Way by H.H. the Dalai Lama

6. Appearing Yet Empty: The Middle Way View of Shunyata by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.

To participate in the course, please express your interest to Derek Kolleeny at dkolleeny@gmail.com and let him know if you are interested in purchasing a hard copy of the sourcebook, at cost (probably $20). Classes are recorded so you can catch up on any you miss and placed www.rimeshedra.nyc, along with handouts.

Classes are held at 307 West 30th Street, NY, NY 1001, on the third floor (this is a walkup). #307 West 30th Street, NY, NY 10001 is between 8th and 9th Avenues, but is closer to 8th and is a block away from Penn Station. The building is owned by The Lithuanian Alliance of America (which is written on the building). If the gate is closed push the right side of the gate forward to open (you may have to lift the long bar that sometimes is in the down position and holds it in place). Press the second buzzer from the top, the one labeled “Third Floor.” Go up two flights of stairs. When you enter please take off your shoes. If you sit on a cushion and can bring one, please do; otherwise, no problem, there are chairs and some funky cushions there.

Upcoming Dathüns at Other Centers

At Lerab Ling: March 14 to April 12, 2020

At Dorje Denma Ling: November 1 to December 1, 2020

Next Course: Insight Into Emptiness

Insight into Emptiness

A Rime Shedra NYC Course on the Profound View of the Middle Way

12 of the Tuesdays from September 17 to December 17, 2019, 7:00-9:15 pm

At The Lithuanian Alliance of America, 307 West 30th Street, NY, NY

Suggested offering: $144 for the series or $15/class on a drop-in basis

This course will be an in-depth exploration of the Middle Way view of the nature of reality as presented in the Tibetan Prasangika tradition. We will focus primarily on the method of the Geluk tradition as presentation in the fine book Insight into Emptiness by Khensur Rinpoche Jampa Tegchok. However, we will supplement this with handouts and other selected readings provided in both digital and hard copy.

This book presents the essential concepts to facilitate our investigation into how things actually exist. When learning about the nature of reality, we will encounter some technical vocabulary as well as concepts that are new to us. The philosophical terms are explained, and a glossary can be found at the end of the book. Key concepts are unpacked in a clear manner. Thus, this book is an excellent, in-depth introduction to the topic of emptiness that will help prepare the reader for the study of the great Indian and Tibetan works. This clear explanation also includes instructions on how to reflect and meditate on emptiness.

The nature of reality is not easy to understand and realize. So this book is not a ”one-read” book, where we receive some useful information and go on to something else afterward. The topic of emptiness entails great effort in study and contemplation, and thus rereading this book will enable us to derive more and more benefit. Each time we read the material, new understandings will develop in our mind, even though the words are the same.

To participate in the course, please purchase a copy of the book on your own and express your interest to Derek Kolleeny. Classes are recorded so you can catch up on any you miss and placed on this Web site.

Classes are held at 307 West 30th Street, NY, NY 1001, on the third floor (this is a walkup). #307 West 30th Street, NY, NY 10001 is between 8th and 9th Avenues, but is closer to 8th and is a block away from Penn Station. The building is owned by The Lithuanian Alliance of America (which is written on the building). If the gate is closed push the right side of the gate forward to open (you may have to lift the long bar that sometimes is in the down position and holds it in place). Press the second buzzer from the top, the one labeled “Third Floor.” Go up two flights of stairs. When you enter please take off your shoes. If you sit on a cushion and can bring one, please do; otherwise, no problem, there are chairs and some funky cushions there.

Next Course: The Progressive Stages of Contemplation on Emptiness

The Progressive Stages of Contemplation on Emptiness: Nyingma and Geluk Presentations of the Major Buddhist Philosophical Systems

An Advanced Buddhist Studies/Rime Shedra NYC Course

Ten Tuesdays from May 15 to July 17, 2018, from 7-9:15 pm

Shambhala Meditation Center of New York

Register here

Meant as the prequel to the theme of the progressive stages of meditation on emptiness, i.e. reality, this course will explore the view and context that supplement that scheme. While for some this material might be viewed as the Nyquil of Buddhist topics, for those “in the know,” this is the very essence of what we bring into our practice of vipashyana meditation. As the Buddha says in the Lankavatara Sutra: “My dharma has two modes, advice and tenets. To children I speak advice and to yogis, tenets.”

The stages of this progression are mapped out into the four schools of Buddhist thought, however, instead of viewing these as literal historically distinct schools, the Tibetan tradition is famous for understanding these as stages that all of us go through in developing our understanding of reality, from naïve realism to subtle essencelessness. This way of viewing the progressive stages provides the foundation for the path of study and practice in our tradition.

In keeping with our characteristically Rime style, in this course we will study presentations of these stages from both the Nyingma and Geluk traditions. For the Nyingma, we will explore Mipham’s Summary of Philosophical Systems, translated by along with commentary by Herbert V. Guenther in his Buddhist Philosophy in Theory and Practice. For the Geluk tradition, we will explore Konchok Jigmey Wangpo’s summary presentation of Jamyang Shepa’s Great Stages of the View in Cutting Through Appearances translated along with commentary by Geshe Lhundup Sopa and Jeffrey Hopkins. Additionally, we will study the extremely helpful introductory contextual material in Buddhist Philosophy by Daniel Cozort and Craig Preston.

Readings will be provided in a sourcebook, available for free as a pdf or in hard copy at cost.