Friday, April 29, 2011

Class 8 - Bodhicitta - Aspirational & Engaging

Download PDF's of Draft TRANSCRIPT, HANDOUTS and MP3 Tracks from the 8th class of 2011 held on Friday, April 29:

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

Class TRANSCRIPT - DRAFT.

2011 Handout 6 - BODHICITTA, Category by way of Being Bodhicitta

2011 Handout 7 - Differences between Svatantrika-Madhyamika and Prasangika Madhymaika Tenets (re Vows, Engaging Bodhicitta and Paths.

DOWNLOAD MP3 TRACKS:

Track 1 - Introductory review.

Track 2 - Handout 6 Catetory by way of Being (Bodhicitta): Aspirational Bodhicitta & Engaging Bodhicitta:
  • Definitions and their Aspects.
  • Main Mind & Mental Factors.
Track 3 - Conjoined Minds & Directly Conjoined Minds.
  • Compassion Enhances Wisdom because Compassion is in Accord with Reality.
  • Can Two Mental Consciousneses be Active at the same time?
  • Requirements for Engaging Bodhicitta.
  • Distinguishing Engaging Bodhicitta of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Track 4 - Aspirational Bodhicitta:
  • Definition
  • Aspects of Definition
  • "Giving Up Bodhicitta"
  • Distinctions between Aspirational and Engaging Bodhicitta.
  • Q&A
Track 5 - What are Vows?
  • Middle Way Autonomy (Madhyamika-Svatantrika) Yogic Practitioner (Yogacara) School Tenets and the Perfection of Wisdom course.
  • Vows - Different assertions by Middle Way Consequentitalists (Madyaika-Prasangika) and Middle Way Autonomy-Yogacara. [Handout 7]

If any of the LINKS don't work, please leave a COMMENT or notify us by E-Mail.  Thank you.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Geshe Kelsang Wangmo - Graduation Day




For the Guinness World Record Book: Ven. Kelsang Wangmo is First Woman to Receive Geshe diploma (conferred by Tibetan Buddhist institution).



His Holiness the Dalai Lama authorized the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies (IBD) to award Rime Geshe degrees in 2009.


The first ceremony to confer the degree took place 27 April 2011 at The College for Higher Tibetan Studies (a newer branch college of IBD with a large campus located in Sarah village, Dharamsala township, Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India).



Our teacher, Ven. Kelsang Wangmo, and her classmates who completed the requirements for the degree in 2010, were the first to receive this Geshe degree.

 
The degree is entitled Rime Geshe [i.e., Non-Sectarian Geshe] because the curriculum includes study with Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu masters of their respective presentations  of philosophy.  In addition to the normal Geshe curriculum study of the Five Great Canonical Texts, Geshe Wangmo and her classmates  studied tantra for two years at IBD.  Those who receive the Rime Geshe have completed exhaustive annual examinations comparable to those now  administered at the three great Geluk monastic universities in south India, and submitted Tibetan dissertations. 

IBD and The College for Higher Tibetan Studies conferred degrees upon students of all their programs at the graduation.  IBD presented diplomas for Masters of Buddhist Philosophy to the class members (including a nun from Taiwan) who had successfully completed the curriculum through the Madhyamika course:



For those of you in Dharamsala, we will be arranging a 'tea party' to afford you the traditional opportunity to celebrate/pay respects/offer khata scarfs in the near future. Some of us were able to attend the graduation:







In the 1990's, IBD began teaching the Geshe curriculum to a class of nuns from Jamyang Chosling Nunnery, which caters to nuns from Himalyan regions outside of Tibet (primarily located in modern India). This was one of the earliest programs to teach the advanced Buddhist philosophy to nuns in India. For many long years, the nun students lived in shacks without basic amenities. A few of those pioneering nuns are celebrating with Geshe Wangmo! A few years ago, a modern nunnery was inaugurated in the Kangra Valley with its own teachers and geshe program and it has attracted nuns from Nepal and the west.

More photos on earlier post and on flickr.

GESHE Kelsang Wangmo!

DSCN7580DSCN7581DSCN7581 - Version 2DSCN7584DSCN7585DSCN7585 - Version 2
2: Kelsang Wangmo, mother & friendDSCN7587DSCN7588DSCN75907: Jamyang Choling nuns with Geshe Kelsang WangmoDSCN7579
DSCN7592DSCN7591DSCN7593DSCN7594DSCN7597DSCN7599
DSCN7596DSCN7600DSCN7603DSCN7606DSCN76083: Receiving Rime Geshe award
Rime Geshe Ceremony, a set on Flickr.
Our Gen-la has become the first female Geshe-la!! She received a Geshe Rime Geshe diploma (equivalent to a Ph.D. in Buddhist Philosophy) conferred by IBD at graduation ceremonies held on its big campus in the Kangra Valley, Wednesday, 27 April 2011.

Hopefully, this weekend I will post video of the speech which Geshe Wangmo was invited to make at the graduation ceremony (in Tibetan and English).

Monday, April 18, 2011

Class 7 - Mahayana Paths, Conjoined minds, Concomitant ...

Download PDF's of Draft TRANSCRIPT, HANDOUTS and MP3 Tracks from the 7th class of 2011 held on Monday, April 18:

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

Class TRANSCRIPT - DRAFT.

CHART 3 - FIVE BODHISATTVA PATHS.
2011 Handout 5 - Definition and Divisions of Bodhicitta/Mind Generation.
2011 Handout 6 - BODHICITTA, Category by way of Being Bodhicitta

DOWNLOAD MP3 TRACKS:

Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7

Topics addressed in class:
  • Five Bodhisattva Paths (Entryways, Intellectually Acquired Afflictions)
  • Conventional Bodhicitta
  • Ultimate Bodhicitta
    • Meanings of Free from Duality; Final Mode of Existence
    • Realizing Emptiness Conceptually and Directly
  • Comparison of Ultimate and Conventional Bodhicitta:
    • Focal Object / Referent Object
    • Buddha Kayas
  • Category by way of Being (Bodhicitta):
    • Aspirational Bodhicitta
    • Engaging Bodhicitta
  • Meaning of minds that are Conjoined, Directly Conjoined and Concomitant
Next class - Friday, April 29.

If any of the LINKS don't work, please leave a COMMENT or notify us by E-Mail.  Thank you.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Class 6 - Bodhicitta - Meaning/Branches/Mind

Download PDF's of Draft (partial) TRANSCRIPT and HANDOUTS and MP3 Tracks from the 6th class of 2011 held on Friday, April 16:

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

Class TRANSCRIPT (DRAFT/partial).
2011 Handout 4 - Chap. 1 - Ornament for Clear Realization: BODHICITTA
2011 Handout 5 - BODHICITTA, cont.


DOWNLOAD MP3 TRACKS:

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

Track 5

Track 6

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Class 5 - Bodhicitta - Mind & Mental Factors - MP3's-Handouts

Download PDF's of Handouts, and MP3 Tracks from the 5th class of 2011 held on Wednesday, April 13 below.  The MP3 Tracks are divided to ease both downloading and listening.

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

2011 Handout 4 - Chap. 1 - Ornament for Clear Realization: BODHICITTA - Revised from posting on April 11.
2011 Handout 5 - BODHICITTA, cont.
2011 Handout 6 - BODHICITTA, cont.

2011 Chart 2 - Subdivisions of the Two Higher Tenets

DOWNLOAD MP3 Tracks:

Track 1 - Review Material Covered in 4th Class - Monday, 2011 April 11 – Handout 3
Bodhicitta Etymology  - [Handout 3]
  • Present Subject Matter of this and future classes from Handout 4: 
  • First three verses from First Chapter of the Ornament for Clear Realizations along with brief introduction to their meaning.
  • Literal translation of the Definition of Bodhicitta:   A special mental main mind (mental consciousness that is a main mind) which is the entry way to the Mahayana path and is concomitant with its assistant aspiration that focuses on complete enlightenment for the benefit of others.
Track 2 - Presentation of MIND in Buddhism
  • General Description of All Minds
  • Two Different Kinds of Minds: 
    • Sense Consciousness & Mental Consciousness. 
Track 3 - Main Mind & Mental Factors
  • Five Omni-Present Mental Factors 
  • Mental Factor of Aspiration in a Mind of Bodhicitta
  • Concomitant Mind & Mental Factors
Track 4 - Definition of Bodhicitta unpacked
  • Aspirational Mental Factor of Bodhicitta
  • Meaning of Bodhicitta’s Definition Explanation
  • Q&A
Track 5 - Manifest & Dormant Minds
              Minds of Wisdom & Bodhicitta Conjoined

Track 6 - Two Branches of Bodhicitta:
  1. Branch: Aspiration for Others Benefit - aspiration for others’ enlightenment precedes
  2. Branch of Aspiration for Own Benefit - to attain Enlightenment for the benefit of all others.
  • Are Buddhas sentient beings?
  • Realistically recognizing force our engrained selfishness
Track 7 - Enlightenment is Exemplified by the Dharmakaya & Rupakaya
  • Q&A

Monday, April 11, 2011

2011 Class 4 - Abhisamayalamkara - Perfection of Wisdom

Below, download PDF's of Handouts, Class Notes [will be posted SOON], and MP3 Tracks from the fourth class of 2011 held on Monday, April 11 below.  The MP3 Tracks are divided to ease both downloading and listening.

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

2011 Handout 1 - Perfection of Wisdom
2011 Handout 2 - Introduction to Ornament text
2011 Handout 3 - Chapter 1 - Ornament for Clear Realization
2011 Handout 4- Chap. 1 - Ornament for Clear Realization: BODHICITTA
2011 Chart 1 - DIFFERENT VEHICLES - Trainees, Goals, Wisdoms, Results
Very ROUGH DRAFT of CLASS NOTES - To be POSTED soon.

DOWNLOAD MP3 Tracks:

Track 1 *.
Track 2 *.
Track 3 *.
Track 4 *.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

2011 Class 2 - Abhisamayalamkara - Perfection of Wisdom - 4/13 UPDATE

On Wednesday, April 6, Gen Kelsang Wangmo continued reviewing the background of the Perfection of Wisdom course for the benefit of the many new students and to refresh the recollections of the long-term class members by explaining the subjects highlighted in Handout 1. She then explained Handout 2 - which contains the English translation of the opening of the Ornament for Clear Realizations together with some of the Tibetan.

You can download PDF's of Handouts used in this class, Class Notes, and MP3 Tracks from this class below. The Class Notes are a very rough DRAFT offered for 'what they're worth' to aid students of the course. The Notes are typed in class and corrected - but are definitely not a 'transcript' of the class. The MP3 Tracks are divided to ease both downloading and listening.

DOWNLOAD PDF's:

2011 Handout 1 - Perfection of Wisdom
2011 Handout 2 - Introduction to Ornament text
2011 Chart 1 - DIFFERENT VEHICLES - Trainees, Goals, Wisdoms, Results
Very ROUGH DRAFT of CLASS NOTES - NOW POSTED for DOWNLOAD.

DOWNLOAD MP3 Tracks:

Maitreya's Ornament for Clear Realizations - Abhisamayalamkara (Skt.) - “Key to Unlock” the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras

Track 1 -  Part One - Introduction to the Ornament for Clear Realizations:

English:  Ornament for Clear Realizations.
Sanskrit: Abisamaya-alamkara
Tibetan:  མངོན་རྟོགས་རྒྱན།Pོ﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽n s, including China  Pོ﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽﷽n s, including China   - Ngoen Tog Gyen (Ngoen = clear, Tog = realization, Gyen = ornament) .

  • Distinguishing:  KNOWING, BELIEVING, REALIZING.
    •   FAITH in Buddhism
    •       Two Kinds of Faith:  
      • Faith based on Reasoning 
      • Blind faith (2 Types of Blind Faith) - Not in accord with Buddhism
    •     Three-Fold Categorization of Faith: 
      • Lucid Faith, Wishing Faith, Believing Faith.
      •   E.g., Faith in Reincarnation.  
      • Believing Faith [faith based on reasoning] & Blind Faith
  •    Realization
Track 2 -  Preface & Table of Contents for the Ornament.  [Handout 1]

Perfection of Wisdom Sutras explicitly teach Wisdom of Emptiness and implicitly (or in a hidden fashion) teach the Meditational Paths leading to Enlightenment.

Although the Ornament is commentary on all the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, its structure follows "Three Principal Sutra Sources".

"Table of Contents" - Ornament's Eight Chapters - in English & Tibetan
  • The Ornament has eight chapters.  Each of those chapters explains one clear realization.  The Eight Clear Realizations are:
1.   Exalted Knower of Aspects (Omniscient Mind of a Buddha) - རྣམ་མཁྱེན། - Nam khyen (Nam=aspect, khyen=exalted knower)
2.   Knower of Paths - ལམ་ཤེས།་་- ་Lam she (Lam=path, she= knower)
3.   Knower of Bases - གཞི་ཤེས། - Zhi she ( Zhi=basis, she=basis)
4.   Application in Complete Aspects - རྣམ་རྫོགས་སྦྱོར་བ། - Nam dzog Jor wa  (Nam=aspect, dzog=complete, Jor wa=application, preparation, exertion)
5.  Peak Application - རྩེ་མོའི་སྦྱོར་བ། - Tse moi Jor wa  (Tsemoi=peak,  Jor wa=application)
6.   Serial Application - མཐར་གྱིས་སྦྱོར་བ། - Thar gyi Jor wa  (Thar gyi= Serial , Jor wa=application)
7.   Application in a Single Instant - སྐད་ཅིག་སྦྱོར་བ།  - Kae cig Jor wa  (Kae cig=single instant, Jor wa=application)
8.   Resultant Dharmakaya (Truth Body) - འབྲས་བུ་ཆོས་སྐུ། - Dre bu Choe ku  (Dre bu=result, Choe ku=dharmakaya).

  • Seventy Topics explain/illustrate or characterize the Eight Clear Realizations.
Seventy Topics - Tibetan: - དོན་བདུན་བཅུ།  -  Doen Dun chu (Doen = topic, meaning, object, Dun ch = seventy).
    • For example, the first Clear Realization, the Exalted Knower of Aspects is characterized by Ten Topics or Ten Dharmas.*  Therefore, Each Chapter of the Ornament explains its subject Clear Realization by way of:
1st Chapter - Exalted Knower of Aspects - ten [10] topics.
2nd Chapter - Knower of Paths - eleven [11] topics.
3rd Chapter - Knower of Bases - nine [9] topics.
4th Chapter - Application in Complete Aspects - eleven [11] topics.
5th Chapter - Peak Application - eight [8] topics.
6th Chapter - Serial Application - thirteen [13] topics.
7th Chapter - Application in a Single Instant - four [4] topics.
8th Chapter - Resultant Dharmakaya - four [4] topics.

In total, the Ornament expounds Seventy Topics which is why it is said that the Ornament explains the implicit or hidden meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras by way of Eight Clear Realizations and Seventy Topics.

*Subject of this year’s course is a continuation from 2010 of the Ten Topics presented in the First Chapter on the Exalted Knower of Aspects, i.e., the Omniscient Mind of a Buddha

Track 3Handout 2Text beginning Ornament for Clear Realizations.
  • Complete Title of the Ornament in Sanskrit, Tibetan & English:
    • "In Sanskrit:  Abhisamaya-alamkara-nama-prajnaparamita-upadesha-shastra-karika
    •  In Tibetan: She rab kyi Pha rol du chin pai Men ngag gi Ten choe Ngoen bar Tog pai Gyen zhe ja wai Tshig Leur je pa"

 ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་དུ་ཕྱིན་པའི་མན་ངག་གི་བསྟན་བཅོས་མངོན་པར་རྟོགས་པའི་རྒྱན་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་ཚིག་ལེའུར་བྱས་པ།    
    • Meaning of the words in Sanskrit: abhisamaya = clear realization; alamkara = ornament; nama = called; prajnaparamita = perfection of wisdom; upadesha = quintessential instructions; shastra = treatise; karika = verses [and chapters].
    • Meaning of the words in Tibetan:    
ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་དུ་ཕྱིན་པ་  - She rab kyi Pha rol du chin pa = perfection of wisdom:
མན་ངག་ - Men ngag = quintessential instruction.  གི -  gi = genitive.   
བསྟན་བཅོས་ - Ten choe = treatise.
  མངོན་པར་རྟོགས་པའི་རྒྱན་ - Ngoen bar Tog pai Gyen = ornament for clear realizations. 
ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་ - zhe ja wai = called. 
ཚིག་ལེའུར་བྱས་པ། - Tshig Leur je pa = verses and chapters.
    • Full title of the Ornament in English:  "The Verses and Chapters of the So-Called 'Ornament for Clear Realization', a quintessential instruction treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom" 
  • Three Reasons for beginning the Ornament with the Sanskrit title
  • Meaning of the Tibetan Translator's Homage - "I bow down to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas."
Track 4Ornament's Homage by Maitreya.
  • Purpose/Meaning of "Homage" in Buddhism. 
  • Meaning of Maitreya's Homage to the Three Wisdom Mothers
"I prostrate to the Mother of Buddhas and of the groups of Hearers and Bodhisattvas, Who through the knower of bases leads Hearers seeking pacification to complete peace; Who through the knower of paths causes those helping migrators to achieve the aims of the world; And who, through possession of which (exalted knower of aspects), the Subduers set forth the varieties having all aspects." [1]
  • Three types of wisdom:   Mother of all Arya beings is Wisdom because wisdom gives rise to attaining the two goals: Self-Liberation and Full Enlightenment.
  • Suffering Nature of Samsara.  - Chart 1 - Different Vehicles
  • three kinds of wisdom:
    • Knower of Bases
    • Knower of Paths
    • Exalted Knower of All Aspects 
(Revised April 13, 2011)

    Monday, April 04, 2011

    2011 Class 1 - Abhisamayalamkara - Perfection of Wisdom

    On Monday, April 4, Gen Kelsang Wangmo began teaching the Spring 2011 semester of the multi-year Perfection of Wisdom Studies course offered by the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies' English Language Program in Advanced Buddhist Philosophy in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala.

    You can download PDF's of Class Handout and Notes as well as MP3 Tracks of this class below.  The Class Notes are very rough DRAFT offered for 'what they're worth' to aid students of the course.  The MP3 Tracks are divided to ease both downloading and listening.

    DOWNLOAD PDF's:

    2011 Handout 1 - Perfection of Wisdom
    Very ROUGH DRAFT of CLASS NOTES

    DOWNLOAD MP3 Tracks:

    Track 1Advice re:  Study of Buddhist Philosophy.

    Buddha's advice to be applied in the study & practice of the Tibetan / Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism:
    Like gold that is acquired upon being scorched, cut and rubbed, 
    my word is to be adopted by monastics and scholars 
    upon analyzing it well, not out of respect for me.” 
    • Hearing, Contemplating & Meditation - Three Steps of Buddhist Practice
    • Study is for Practice - not for intellectual 'mind games'
         Extensive Study is Extremely Important: 
         Precious Human Rebirth – Right here in Dharamasala
         What does Extensive Study mean?  Learning / Practices the Buddhist Paths

    Track 2What is a Path?
    Bodhisattvas should practice all Paths -- 
    whatever is the Path of a Shravaka (Hearer)
    a Pratyeka-buddha (Solitary Realizer) or a Buddha -- 
    and should know all Paths.  They should also perform the deeds 
    of these Paths and bring all of them to completion.”  
    Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Eighteen Thousand Verses.
    • Practice What You Study.
    • Reasons – False or Correct – guide all our emotions and actions.
    • Nothing is more difficult to accomplish than Changing the Mind -
    •    Buddhist Goals are Not Achieved in just One Life Time.
    • Study provides practitioners self-sufficiency – meaningful Reliance on the Lama.
    • As Era of Degeneracy of Buddha Dharma Deepens – Buddhist practitioners have increasing personal responsibility for its contemporary preservation.
    Track 3 - Perfection of Wisdom - ཕར་ཕྱིན་  - Handout 1
    • Monastic Curriculum studies Five Great Canonical Texts:
      •   Prajnaparamita - Skt. = Perfection of Wisdom =  ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་པ་རོལ་དུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ - abbrv. - ཕར་ཕྱིན་ Phar Chin. Studies the Implicit meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, i.e., study of the different meditational paths that lead to Enlightenment. 
      •  Madhyamika - Skt. = Middle Way = དབུ་མ་ - Uma. Explicit meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, study of the Middle Way - Emptiness.
      • Pramanavartica - Skt. = Epistemology = ཚད་མ་རྣམ་འགྲེལ། - Tshe ma nam drel = Commentary on Valid Cognition.  Study of logic.
      • Abidharma - Skt. = Phenomenology = ཆོས་མངོན་པ་མཛོད། - choe ngoen pa Dzoe = Treasury of Higher Knowledge.
      • Vinaya - Skt. = Discipline = འདུལ་བ། - duel wa.  Study of monastic discipline.
    • Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma
      Track 4 -
    • Perfection of Wisdom Sutras:
      • Implicit & Explicit Meanings
      • as taught Tibetan Monastic Curriculum
    •  Ornament for Clear Realizations by Maitreya - is key to understanding the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.

    Friday, April 01, 2011

    2011 Classes Resume

    Class resumes on Monday, 04 April 2011.  This first 'semester' will run through early July.  Topics from the First Chapter of the Ornament of Clear Realization by Maitreya that will be addressed include: Bodhicitta, the Two Truths and the Four Noble Truths.