STANDARD FPMT EDUCATION PROGRAMS

In order to provide education in Buddhist Studies at different levels to suit the needs of various students, the FPMT currently offers several standard program modules. Additional information on these education programs and other projects of the FPMT can be found on the FPMT Education Department web site.


Discovering Buddhism, an introductory program
Discovering Buddhism 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 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 most meaningful. The FPMT also offers "Discovering Buddhism at Home," a correspondence program in English. Discovering Buddhism is currently being taught at many FPMT centers. Please contact the FPMT Education Department for more information.

Discovering Buddhism at Home, an FPMT correspondence program
The Discovering Buddhism at Home program is a 14 module correspondence course with a new module released every eight weeks. Students can choose to pursue a certificate of completion for each module by participating in retreats, meditations, reading translations and texts, and listening to lectures. This program is not designed as an academic study of Buddhism but is intended to change a person's life.


The Foundation of Buddhist Thought, created by Geshe Tashi Tsering of London's Jamyang Center
This two-year certificate course can be taken as a campus course taught by Geshe Tashi in centers within Europe or as a correspondence course. The correspondence course is in English and consists of six modules: (1) The Four Noble Truths, (2) The Two Truths, (3) Buddhist Psychology and Epistemology, (4) The Mind of Enlightenment (Bodhicitta), (5) Emptiness According to the Prasangika Madhyamika School, and (6) An Overview of Tantric Paths and Grounds. Each module includes twelve hours of teachings, fifty pages of accompanying text written by Geshe Tashi, daily practice, reading and written assignments, a 2,000 word essay, and a two-hour exam. Students study from home, listening to teachings on CD or cassette. E-mail discussion groups led by course graduates and supervised by Geshe Tashi foster exchange and understanding amongst students.





Basic Program, an integrated program of Buddhist studies suitable for a contemporary setting
Devised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the Spiritual Director of the FPMT, the Basic Program is a comprehensive, practice-oriented transmission of the Buddha-Dharma that will be of interest to committed students who wish to progress beyond introductory-level study and practice. This certificate program, usually five years in length, begins with the study of Lama Tzong Khapa's masterwork on the lam-rim, the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, after which the student proceeds to study eight other essential Buddhist philosophical texts, including the Heart Sutra, four classics of the Indian Mahayana tradition, ancillary Tibetan treatises on mind and tenets, and an introductory-level teaching on tantra. The curriculum is taught by geshes or non-Tibetan teachers and is supported by meditation practice, discussion, and examinations in order to ensure that participants develop an accurate, working understanding of the Dharma as a sound basis for daily practice, meditation retreat, and further study. A final comprehensive exam and a three-month lam-rim retreat conclude this course of studies. A number of FPMT centers worldwide currently offer the Basic Program on either a residential or non-residential basis. Lama Tzong Khapa Institute offers the Basic Program as an integrated two and a half-year residential study program from January 2005 through June 2007, between the completion of the first Masters Program and the commencement of the next one in January 2008.

Basic Program Home Study
The Basic Program Home Study series offers those who cannot attend the Basic Program in a center the option to study the subjects at home and, if interested, qualify for the Basic Program Home Study Completion Certificate.



Masters Program, an advanced program of study and practice
The Masters Program is an intensive full-time certificate program of Buddhist studies of sutra and tantra based at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy. This program, which is inspired by the geshe studies programs of traditional Gelugpa monasteries, is offered to provide serious students of Lama Tsongkhapa's tradition greater depth of study and to train non-Tibetan teachers of Buddhism. Teachings and texts are translated from Tibetan into both English and Italian. Students are required to have at least one year of lam-rim study and practice before entering the Masters Program, with either Discovering Buddhism, the Basic Program, or any systematic course of study offered by another organization being an ideal foundation. The first Masters Program concluded in December 2004, after which the students did a nine-month retreat. The second program, January 2008 to December 2012, includes six years of study and a one-year retreat.

Masters Program Correspondence Course
All the study material developed during the Masters Program 1998-2004 is available on CD-ROM. In addition, the Masters Program 2008 is offered as an On-line Home Study Program in parallel with the residential program.