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Study
Programs - Basic Program |
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"In
order to preserve the entire teachings of
the Buddha, we need centers with established
study programs to preserve not only the words
but also the experience, and produce qualified
teachers with a deep understanding of Buddha’s
extensive teachings so that we can continuously
benefit other sentient beings."
The FPMT Basic
Program of Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra
at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa is:
 A
two and a half-year full-time Buddhist
studies program based on the sutra and
tantra texts traditionally studied in
the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug tradition.
- Envisioned by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to
meet the needs of students throughout
the FPMT for post-introductory level study,
and developed with the collaboration of
the resident geshes in the FPMT centers
and the FPMT Education Department.
- Devised for "old" and new
Dharma students alike who are ready to
commit themselves to in-depth study and
practice, and are perhaps thinking to
go on to more advanced studies such as
the Masters Program or the traditional
Geshe Studies Programs at Tibetan monastic
universities.
- Based on an integrated approach that
incorporates study with the opportunity
to discuss and meditate on what one has
learned.
- Structured around a daily schedule
of teachings, review classes, and discussion
groups alternated with regularly-scheduled
meditation retreats.
- Concluded by a two-month review of
all nine subjects as preparation for the
final comprehensive exam, followed by
a three-month lam-rim retreat.
- An opportunity for Dharma students
to become qualified teachers certified
by the FPMT based on their academic understanding,
meditation experience, and exemplary behavior.
- Taught by fully-qualified Tibetan teachers
assisted by experienced Western staff.
- An accessible and realistic way for
both ordained and lay Buddhists to gain
an in-depth understanding of the Dharma
while living in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.
As a full-time residential program, the Basic
Program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute also
provides an outstanding alternative to the
way in which this program is mostly taught
at other FPMT centers, i.e. as a series of
teachings given on weekends or evenings and
over a five-year period. The more concentrated
approach of a two and a half-year residential
Basic Program will give students the opportunity
to study and meditate on these texts in much
greater depth and with a continuity that other
teaching situations are not able to offer.
This in turn means that certified students
will graduate from this full-time program
with a level of education that will enable
them to act as qualified teachers and teaching
assistants in FPMT centers.
Also offered as a home study program, the
Basic Program is a unique opportunity to broaden
one's knowledge of the Dharma with the purpose
of integrating it into one's everyday life,
so as to become a better human being. |
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