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| RESIDENTIAL
PROGRAM: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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Will the Masters Program 2008 be the same as the 1998-2004 program?
The Masters Program 2008 consists of six
years of study that include three one-month lam-rim retreats, followed
by a final nine-month retreat.
Because of the availability of much more resource material, including
translations and transcripts from the previous program, the period
of actual study of the texts has been shortened without any change
in the curriculum.
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What is the main purpose of the Masters Program?
While the Masters Program offers a unique opportunity
for a deep and systematic study of the teachings of Tibetan Mahayana
Buddhism for one's own personal spiritual growth, it was created
by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the FPMT Education Department mainly to
provide the FPMT centers with qualified lay and ordained teachers
of sutra and tantra in the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist Tradition,
particularly as taught by Lama Tsongkhapa. This was the first program
developed by the FPMT to have criteria established by Lama Zopa
Rinpoche together with the FPMT Education Department that reflects
the centers’ need for native teachers who are qualified to
teach, both in terms of their academic knowledge and their exemplary
conduct. This is not to say that the present non-Tibetan teachers
in the FPMT who lack such a certificate are not qualified –
the very fact that they are much requested in the centers shows
that their teachings are based on sound knowledge, good conduct,
and actual meditation experience. The introduction of a certificate
for the students in this program, however, makes it clear to the
centers that the students coming out of the Masters Program who
have not yet established themselves as qualified teachers are in
fact qualified to teach even such difficult and profound subjects
as the Ornament, Middle Way, and Treasury,
as well as to give a detailed presentation of the grounds and paths
of tantra in general and the Guhyasamaja Tantra in particular.
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What are the minimum requirements necessary to qualify to join the
residential program?
The most important qualification is to have a sincere
and strong interest in studying Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism for the
development of one’s own personal spiritual practice, which
may or may not be accompanied by the wish to become a qualified
teacher in this tradition. In addition, it is also necessary to
have some basis in the teachings on the Stages of the Path (lam-rim),
preferably obtained by actually attending courses with a qualified
teacher such as the annual month-long lam-rim course held at Kopan
Monastery in Nepal (often referred to as “the Kopan course”
or "the November course"), Discovering Buddhism, and the
Basic Program. To study the Grounds and Paths of Tantra it is necessary
to have received a highest yoga tantra initiation (this will be
conferred at the beginning of this subject), and to study the Guhyasamaja
Tantra it is necessary to have recieved the Guhyasamaja initiation
(this will likely be conferred at some point during the program).
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If one were planning to join the Masters Program 2008, what would
be the ideal way to prepare for it?
It would be extremely helpful to have a basic familiarity
with the teachings on lam-rim (the stages of the path to enlightenment),
as well as some study of Tenets (drub-ta), Awarenesses
and Knowers (lo-rig), and Signs and Reasonings (ta-rig).
Ideally, one should have completed one or more of the other FPMT
standard education programs – Discovering Buddhism, The Foundation
of Buddhist Thought, or the Basic Program. However, any systematic
presentation of these texts is sufficient.
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In which languages is the Masters Program taught?
The Masters Program main classes are taught in
Tibetan, with serial translation into English over loudspeakers
and into Italian over radio. Separate review classes and discussion
groups are held in English and Italian.
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Is the program all-year round?
There is a two-month break in the summer and a
one-month break during the Christmas-New Year period. Although student
rates remain in effect for Masters Program students during the Christmas
break, there are no special rates for students during the summer
months. This allows the Institute to rent out the students’
rooms during the summer break, which in turn enables the Institute
to offer the student rate for the rest of the year.
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Is it necessary to be ordained to join the Masters Program residential
course?
Not at all! This program is equally available and
suited to lay and ordained people. In fact when this program was
originally designed, Lama Zopa Rinpoche specifically mentioned the
fact that it would help fill the need for lay teachers in the FPMT
centers and would also allow the FPMT sangha to spend more time
living in a monastic setting, studying, and meditating prior to
becoming teachers.
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Are students from other Buddhist traditions welcome to participate
in the Masters Program?
Of course! On the other hand, it is important to
understand that the Masters Program is based on the study programs
of traditional Tibetan Gelug monastic universities and therefore
the presentation of the material accords with the written and oral
commentaries of masters in this tradition. Therefore, if one is
not already familiar with this school of thought, one may experience
some initial difficulties due to the use of unfamiliar terms and
concepts, however with a little bit of effort this difficulty is
soon overcome.
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Is it necessary to be a disciple of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and to intend
to work for the FPMT at the end of the program?
While neither of these is necessary, prospective
students should recognize that this is a program designed by the
founder of the FPMT, Lama Thubten Yeshe; supported by the spiritual
director of the FPMT, Lama Zopa Rinpoche; organized by the FPMT
Education Department; and located at an FPMT center! Therefore,
there is a strong presence of the FPMT in the entire program and
it is highly encouraged that students who complete the program contribute
some time to working for the FPMT Dharma centers upon graduation.
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Is it possible to study a subject without having studied the previous
subjects?
It is possible to join the Masters Program for
the study of any one or more subjects without having studied the
previous subjects. In fact, new students are accepted at the beginning
of each subject. To assist the new residential students, supplementary
classes with an “older student” will beheld, when necessary,
in order to explain terms and concepts that had been covered in
the previous subjects.
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Is it possible to participate in the Masters Program without seeking
the completion certificates in the individual subjects and the final
certificate?
It is possible to join the program for one’s
own personal spiritual development without intending to become a
teacher of the Masters Program subjects, however, all full-time
residential students are expected to attend classes regularly and
to write the exams, which are intended to stimulate an in-depth
review and study of the material covered in the previous months.
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Is there financial assistance for full-time students or
the possibility of doing some service for the Institute in return
for a discount on accommodation fees?
Although there is no financial assistance available
to students from the FPMT Education Department as there was for
the previous Masters Program, the Institute offers a work-study
program for students who have financial difficulties. While
students must be able to support themselves financially for at least
the first six months of the program, after that they can apply to
join the work-study program at the beginning of the next semester.
Those who have shown that they would be able to handle the added
burden of contributing 13 hours a week of volunteer work to the
Institute and are accepted into the program will receive a reduction
of half the cost of accommodation in a dormitory (note that
this reduction cannot be put toward the cost of a single or double
room). While work-study students must be flexible
in terms of the schedule and type of work they are willing to do,
their responsibilities will not interfere with attendance at all
classes and meditations that are an integral part of the Masters
Program.
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Is there an opportunity to learn Tibetan during the Masters Program?
Since an understanding of Tibetan is a great aid
to one's studies but it is difficult to learn Tibetan while studying
the demanding subjects of the Masters Program, a three-month intensive
Tibetan Studies Program was held at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute from
mid-September to mid-December 2007, prior to the Masters Program
2008. This Tibetan language course was specifically designed to
provide a firm foundation in scriptural Tibetan so that future Masters
Program students, by continuing their study during the actual program,
could quickly reach a high level of proficiency.
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Is a professional counselor available to help students with personal
difficulties?
While it may appear unlikely that Dharma students
would need the help of a professional counselor, it has been noted
that many people face a difficult period of adjustment when they
first join the Masters Program. The reasons for this include the
difficulties involved with adjusting to losing one's previous identity,
which for most adults is related to a successful career, one's social
position, one's role in the family, etc.; giving up the independence
and privacy associated with having one's own home and car; having
little extra financial means to spend on travel, entertainment,
and the like; finding oneself in a country where one does not speak
the language; loneliness caused by being distant from family and
friends, etc., etc. While students can receive personal guidance
and advice from the resident geshe, a professional counselor will
also be at hand, if necessary, to help students both in group encounters
and as individuals.
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Is it possible to participate in the program by correspondence?
The Masters Program 2008 is also offered as an
on-line distance learning program.
It makes use of modern educational formats including weekly videos
of review classes, audio recordings of daily teachings, video recordings
of a weekly review class with the teaching assistant, forums, chats,
on-line quizzes, Mind-Mapping tools, Power Point presentations,
and more. In addition, the
vast amount of material already produced by the Masters Program
1998 remains available for personal study, although it is to be
noted that this will gradually be revised and improved during the
Masters Program 2008.
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How many students participated in the Masters Program 1998?
The Masters Program began in January 1998 with 35 full-time residential
students. Over the course of the program a small number of students
left for varying personal reasons, while new students joined the
program for the study of each subject. In this way, the number of
students varied from about 32 to 40 full-time students for the study
of each subject. 22 students completed the entire seven-year program
while another 29 completed one or more subjects.
 These
students came from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Japan, Israel, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland,
England, Wales, Canada, and the United States, with the largest
number from Italy followed by the USA. They
also came to the program from every type of background imaginable.
Some were university graduates, some had higher degrees, some had
high school diplomas, some came from the sports world, some had
had managerial positions in large firms, some had been teachers,
some had been health professionals, some were already monks and
nuns, some had been Buddhists for a long time, some had just met
the Dharma a year earlier… Their ages ranged from the early
twenties into the sixties. The group was composed of a fairly even
number of men and women.
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What did the students who graduated from the Masters Program 1998
do?
A substantial number of the students who completed
the entire seven-year program and received the final Masters Program
Certificate are acting as teachers, teaching assistants, and translators
in the FPMT centers.
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What does a typical day during the Masters Program look like?
On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays there are
review classes at 3:30 PM and teachings at 5:30 PM. This leaves
the mornings and early afternoons free for personal practice and
individual study. On Wednesdays there are two teaching sessions
as well as a meditation session, therefore there are no review classes.
On Fridays there are teachings in the morning and review classes
in the afternoon. There are no evening teachings on Fridays as preparations
and cleaning need to be done for weekend courses which usually begin
at 9:00 PM. Students meet half an hour prior to the first class
of the day to recite the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa together and
do some recitations of the migtsema prayer. The three regular pujas
that take place each month are most often scheduled at 9:00 PM unless
they fall on a Friday or Sunday, in which case they are generally
scheduled at 6:00 PM.
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Is there a group daily meditation practice?
Following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice, there is one
session of lam-rim meditation a week.
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Are there cooking facilities available to students?
There are no cooking facilities in the single rooms, however
some students do set themselves up with a steamer and a fridge in
order to make some extra or special food for themselves. There are
several fridges located behind that wooden houses that are shared
by the students in the nearby houses. There is a small kitchen in
the main building where students can do some cooking, but it is
not particularly well organized.
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Can students choose to prepare their own meals rather than eat the
food provided by the Institute?
Three meals a day are included in the monthly fees for room
and board and there is NO reduction in costs for students who prefer
to make their own meals. Therefore, although there is a small kitchen
in the main building that students can use, those with particular
dietary needs are best off looking for a place to stay outside the
Institute.
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Are there laundry facilities available?
Washing machines are available but there are no dryers as
the Tuscan climate generally allows for clothes to dry outside (there
are clothes lines for hanging clothing to dry). Students are expected
to pay for each load of washing and to provide their own washing
detergent, softners, etc.
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Does the Institute supply sheets, bedding, and towels?
The Institute does provide sheets, blankets, and towels,
which are washed by a professional laundry service, but students
might want to bring their own bedspread in order to make their room
a bit more personal and homey.
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Is there somewhere to store personal belongings during the Christmas
and summer breaks or do students have to take all their belongings
away with them at that time?
Each of the single rooms in the wood cabins has overhead
storage space where belongings can be packed up and left during
vacation periods. Although the dormitories do not have storage space,
the Institute has a couple of railcar containers and closets where
things can be stored temporarily.
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Is there wireless Internet connection available?
Although the Institute has a wireless internet connection,
it is still in the early stages and is not yet entirely stable.
To supplement this service there is a central point with internet
connection via a satellite LAN connection. Two desktop computers
and two lines for laptop computers are available.
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What kind of telephone access is there for students to make personal
calls?
There is only one phone line available from which local calls
and calls to 800 numbers can be made using calling cards (for example,
a €5 Edi Card gives 175 minutes to USA and Canada).
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What other expenses (aside from travel, personal clothing, toiletries,
etc. and the monthly and annual fees stipulated on the web site)
should students take into account when working out a provisional
budget?
It has been noted that many students like to buy books related
to the subjects being studied, rather than depend on the limited
number of library copies. Group book orders are organized several
times a year from the Buddhist book distributor Wisdom Books, which
is located in England. When books are ordered as a group, Wisdom
Books give as much as a 35% reduction on most books, which covers
the cost of shipping and still gives a bit of a reduction on the
cost of the book.
Students who would like to have the Tibetan texts of the subject
being studied must pay the cost of the book plus postage or the
cost of photocopying it.
It should be kept in mind that the cost of visas constantly increases
and the procedure for applying for them constantly changes (becoming
ever more complicated!). While applying for a visa used to involve
two trips to the immigration office in Pisa, it now also requires
trips to the fingerprinting office, the tax office for a fiscal
code, the health board for a medical assistance card, etc. Due to
this, in addition to the actual permit cost for the residency permit,
the Institute adds an extra charge to cover the secretarial and
transportation costs.
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What should students bring with them?
Students should bring:
- a teller or debit card (this being more useful than a credit card)
- an international driving license (this is necessary to drive in
Italy)
- a computer (if you are in the habit of using a computer regularly
otherwise there are two desktop computers available for internet
access)
- an alarm clock (particularly necessary during retreats)
- a flashlight (while the paths around the Institute are fairly
well lit, a flashlight is necessary in order to avoid stepping on
the many snails that appear when it is wet)
- statues and images to create a personal altar and images, as well
as photos from home, to decorate one’s room
- raingear – an umbrella or raincoat – as well as shoes
or boots that don't slip on wet gravel paths and stone steps
- an electric kettle to make a hot drink in your room
- a mug for yourself and perhaps another one for a visitor
- the books you plan (or hope!) to read during the Masters Program
- videos (both Dharma and non-Dharma) to watch and share with other
students
- an MP3 player in order to listen to missed teachings or to re-listen
to teachings (the recordings of the daily teachings will be made
available on the MP website and students can download them onto
their MP3 player or memory stick)
- pens, notebooks, highlighters are necessary but can also be bought
locally
- a shawl can be useful in the gompa (there are always students
who suffer from the windows being closed and others who suffer from
them being open!)
- meditation cushions for personal use in your room (both large
and small cushions for use in classes are provided by the Institute)
- comfy clothes for sitting in the cross-legged position
- layered clothing as the temperature tends to drop after sunset
even in the summer
- your favorite mosquito spray as Italian mosquitoes tend to have
teeth!
- a good sunscreen as the Tuscan sun is quite strong
- a bicycle or good walking shoes to get some exercise in the hills
around the Institute
- a yoga mat if you like to do yoga
- a massage table if you would like to make some extra money by
providing other students with a relaxing massage after a day in
the cross-legged position
In short, keep in mind that you will be living in Italy for up to
six years and need to stay happy and feel at home!
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