.: Membership .: Cours Dates .: Newsletter .: Photo Gallery .: Location .: Accomodation & Fees .: Donations .: Volunteers .: Essential Education Italiano :: Buddhist St. :: Teachers   .: Founders .:  Resident .: Visiting Study Programs   .: Masters Program .:  Basic Program .: Discovering Buddhism Dharma Courses   .:  Modular .:  Various .:  Retreats .:  Special Events .:  Course Dates .:  On-line teachings .:  Cerimonies & Pujas   Study Programs - Discovering Buddhism The FPMT Discovering Buddhism course is a two-year certificate program in entry-level Buddhist philosophy and practice. The aim of this program is to give participants a solid footing in the theory and practice of Mahayana Buddhism. By engaging in this program, participants will receive an experiential taste of the Buddha's teachings and some retreat experience, and will acquire the skills they need to make their lives as meaningful as possible. The Institute’s first Discovering Buddhism course is currently being conducted in Italian. The course commenced in January 2003 and will conclude in early 2005. Each module of the course, focusing on a specific subject, consists of one weekend of teachings and a brief examination on the preceding subject (for students wanting to obtain certification from the FPMT). Although each module can serve as a valuable experience in itself, it is recommended that one attends the entire program if possible in order to deepen one’s understanding and to maintain the continuity that allows one to follow more advanced study courses, such as the Basic Program or Masters Program, if one wishes. Each module is taught by an experienced non-Tibetan Dharma student/practitioner. The teachers of the first course were selected from among students in the ILTK Masters Program 1998-2004. These teachers, both lay and ordained, come from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, allowing course participants to engage the material with the help of teachers who are closer to their experience and cultural understanding than might be the case with Tibetan teachers. For more detailed information on Discovering Buddhism at the Institute, see www.allascoperta.it or write to the coordinator at nanni@allascoperta.it . Discovering Buddhism is currently being taught at many FPMT centers. The FPMT also offers "Discovering Buddhism at Home," a correspondence program in English. Please contact the FPMT Education Department for more information.