PRAMANA - TERM 5 - FALL 2016 RESOURCES - ALL AUDIO

Class Materials

Following His Holiness the Dalai Lama's advice, Geshe Wangmo is translating the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Pramāņavarttika.  In accord with the methodology for teaching this ancient text at IBD and the great Tibetan monastic universities, Dharmatkirti's terse verses are embedded into Geshe Wangmo's translation of Gyaltsab (Darma Rinchen) Je's commentary.  Additionally, Geshe Wangmo, having received oral teachings on this text by several contemporary masters, has translated selected portions of those and inserted these explanations into the course text.

The first half of the complete text for this Fall term is posted below.  The remainder of the text needs further editorial review, etc., and will be posted here when finalized.

DOWNLOAD PDF COURSE MATERIALS 

PART 1 -  FALL 2016 TEXT

Class PRAYERS (for before and after teaching) in Tibetan & English.

[NOTE:  If you view this PDF in your WEB BROWSER, the Tibetan Fonts may not display properly.  However, those fonts do display properly in the Downloaded PDF.]

Geshe Wangmo spoke about the class prayers at the beginning of the Spring 2015 Term.  The links to the excerpted recordings of her explanation are here:

• Explanation of Prayers before Teaching 
• Recitation (in Tibetan) of Prayers before Teaching 
• Dedication Prayers (Explanation & Recitation

If you are new to the Pramanavarttika, the resources on this blog can provide background for the studies in this Fifth Term. The first section of the text provides a general introduction.  The Diagrams & Charts provided in the Fall 2014 Term, as well as other class recordings, transcripts or class descriptions provided on the posts listed below hopefully may be of use.

DOWNLOAD CHARTS & MP3 Recordings of Classes of the Fall 2014 Term here.

  See blog posts for Class 1 & Class 2 for an Introduction to the Pramanavarttika

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of Classes for the Spring 2015 Term here.

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of the first 15 Classes of the Spring 2016 Term here.

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of FALL 2016 CLASSES

CLASS ONE - Monday, 19 SEPT 2016:

• 1 Track.

CLASS TWO - Wednesday, SEPT. 21, 2016:

• 1 Track.

CLASS THREE - Friday, SEPT. 22, 2016

• Track 1 -  [Text, p. 157] 
• Demonstrating that [Ishvara] Being the Creator of Everything is Negated by Pramana.  Presentation & discussion of commentary by contemporary master. 
• It is not Correct that Permanent [Ishvara] is a Cause.  Presentation & discussion of commentary by Gyaltsab Je.
• Topics presented and discussed include:
• Continua; How do phenomena exist?  
• How can phenomena made of infinitely divisible parts that are changing in infinitely incremental time be posited?

• Track 2 - Cause & Effect.
• Presentation & discussion of Dharmakirti’s verse:

Just as the entity [of Ishvara] is a cause

At that time he is a non-cause, [It is not feasible 

that] at the very [time] he is, owing to whatever [reason], accepted
  To be a cause, [he] not [be] accepted to be a non-cause.

• Q&A

CLASS FOUR - Monday, SEPT. 26, 2016 - NOTE:  Tracks posted 3/22/2017

Rough DRAFT TRANSCRIPT of Class Four DOWNLOAD.

• Track 1 -  Review:  Impermanence inseparable from Cause & Effect; Q&A

• Track 2 - Buddhist scriptural presentation Refuting Permanent-Omnipotent Creator:  Ishvara cannot be both the Cause & Non-Cause of Rice in a Paddy.

CLASS FIVE - Tuesday, SEPT. 28, 2016 - NOTE:  Track #1 posted 3/22/2017

• Track 1 - Innate Grasping at Permanence Leads to Our Problems:

  • Understanding Reasonings Why a Permanent Creator Cannot Exist Undermines our Misperceptions of Permanence In transient phenomena 
  • Can a Permanent Ishvara Be the Cause & Non-Cause of Rice?
  • A Cause of a Thing Must Hold the Potential to Produce that Thing
  • Many Syllogisms & Absurd Consequences of Faulty Thinking are required in order to Change Innate Misperceptions
  • Being Of One Nature But Different Isolates
  • All Our Experience/Perceptions Depend on Two Types of Minds
  • The Imputed Is Different from & of One Nature with its Basis of Designation — e.g., Self Is of One Nature with Body-Mind & Self Is Not the Body &/or Mind
  • Synonymous Phenomena
  • Parts & Their Part-Possessor
  • Generalities & Instances
  • Applying Those Three Relations to Phenomena:
  • Merely Imputed Phenomena Exist

• Track 2 - Text: pp.140-142:

• We Create Our Own Reality with our Conceptual Minds
• Pervasion & No Pervasion - Correct & Faulty Logical Reasoning
• Syllogism Structure & Function:   
• A is B because it is C
•  Positive & Negative Concomitance
•  Causes as ‘Assistants’
•  Backwards Causes & Effects
• Repetition in Dharma Practice

CLASS SIX - Friday, SEPT. 30, 2016

• Track 1.

 

No Classes were held during H.H. Dalai Lama Teachings, October 3-5.

CLASS SEVEN - Friday, OCT 7, 2016 - Review and Q&A of H.H. Dalai Lama Teachings.  [Recording will be Uploaded when it is available]

CLASS EIGHT - Monday, OCT. 10, 2016 - NOTE:  Tracks posted 3/24/2017

Rough DRAFT TRANSCRIPT of CLASS EIGHT DOWNLOAD.

• Track 1 -  Review.
  
• Track 2 -  Continue text, p. 143: How a Consciousness is Generated. Direct & Indirect Causes of Results.
  
• Track 3 - Assertion re Three Conditions (རྐྱེན་གསུམ་ - rkyen gsum) Necessary for any Sense Consciousness to Arise:
• observed object condition (དམིགས་རྐྱེན་ - dmigs rkyen)  
• empowering condition (བདག་རྐྱེན་ -  bdag rkyen) 
• immediately preceding condition (དེ་མ་ཐག་རྐྱེན་ - de ma thag rkyen)  

CLASS NINE - Wednesday, OCT. 12, 2016 - NOTE:  Tracks posted 3/30/2017

Rough DRAFT TRANSCRIPT of CLASS NINE DOWNLOAD.

• Track 1 -  Review:  How does Consciousness Arise?  What cause must always be present?  Dependence & Causation & Imputation.
• Track 2 -  Q&A.  Disposing [of the Idea that our Objections Apply] Equally to Us  - Section of text completed - pp. 145-6.

CLASS TEN - Friday, OCT. 14, 2016.

• 1 Track -  Review: p. 147 - Questions for Study.  cont. text:
  • "Establishing that the One Who Directly Cognizes the Mode of Existence, the Way They Abide, of All [Objects of Knowledge} Is an Omniscient One".
  • "Refuting [the Idea that Ishvara] who Knows How to Make All Objects of Knowledge Is an Omniscient One."

CLASS ELEVEN - Monday, OCT. 17, 2016.

• Track 1 - Responses to Questions regarding relationships between the Three Conditions required for direct perception {Observed object condition, empowering [sense power] condition & immediately Three Conditions/Factors of causation.
• Track 2 - Q&A
• Track 3 - Responding to Challenge that if a creator god is untenable, so is an Omniscient Buddha.  
• Why Buddhists contest the reasoning, “because it says so in scripture” & rely on logical proofs for assertions.  
• Why “because it says so in scripture” cannot be a valid reason for asserting  Buddha is Omniscient.

CLASS TWELVE - Wednesday, OCT. 19, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS THIRTEEN - Friday, OCT. 21, 2016.

• 1 Track.  Meaning of “Omniscience”. 
• Opponent: If Buddhahood were possible, you couldn’t realize that Omniscient mind exists unless you are already a Buddha.  
• Buddhist response to Debate re Omniscience.

CLASS FOURTEEN - Monday, OCT. 19, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS FIFTEEN - Thursday, OCT. 27, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS SIXTEEN - Friday, OCT. 28, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS SEVENTEEN - Monday, OCT 31, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS EIGHTEEN - Wednesday, NOV. 2, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS NINETEEN - Thursday, NOV. 4, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS TWENTY - Monday. NOV. 7, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS TWENTY-ONE - Wednesday. NOV. 9, 2016.

• 1 Track.

CLASS TWENTY-TWO - Friday, NOV. 11, 2016.

• 1 Track.  Past & Future Lives

CLASS TWENTY-THREE - Monday, NOV. 14, 2016.

• 1 Track.  Past & Future Lives / Reincarnation

CLASS TWENTY-FOUR - Wednesday, NOV. 16, 2016.

• 1 Track.  Past & Future Lives / Reincarnation

CLASS TWENTY-FIVE - Friday, NOV. 18, 2016.

• 1 Track.

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

PRAMANA - TERM 5 - FALL 2016 ANNOUNCEMENT

In accordance with the suggestion of H.H. Dalai Lama to our teacher, Geshe Kelsang Wangmo, in May 2014, the Advanced Buddhist Philosophy in English program of the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical studies [in Fall 2014] began offering a course on the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Commentary on [Dignaga's] Compendium of Valid Cognition (Skt. Pramāņavarttika; ཚད་མ་རྣམ་འགྲེལ་).

The multi-year Perfection of Wisdom course (based on Maitreya's Ornament for Clear Realizations (Abhisamayalamkara) that began several years ago is on hiatus and will resume upon completion of this course.

  FALL 2016 Term

The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD)

McLeod Ganj near the Main Temple Complex

Advanced Buddhist Philosophy Course

Chapter Two of Dharmakirti’s - Commentary [on 

Dignaga's Compendium of] Valid Cognition (Pramanavarttika)

Monday, 19 SEPTEMBER – Friday, 18 NOVEMBER 2016

Teacher: Ven. Kelsang Wangmo
Weekly Schedule:  Monday, Wednesday & Friday
4:00-6:00 PM – Mon & Fri / 4:00-5:30 PM – Wed
Location:  IBD Prayer Hall - Main Temple Complex
[Go through Main Temple Gate/Upstairs on right]
Fee:  350 Rupees per month
(All proceeds sponsor IBD students’ living expenses)

Course Topics:  One of the main topics of this term is the reasoning proofs for Past & Future Lives presented in the Second Chapter of the Commentary on [Dignaga’s Compendium of] Valid Cognition (Pramanavarttika) by Dharmakirti.  The topics from Chapter Two that were covered during the prior four terms [Fall 2014 thru Spring 2016] will be briefly reviewed.

Course Text & Methodology:  The text for this Fall term has not been completed.  It will be distributed in class and posted here.

The Text handouts are translated from Tibetan by Ven. Wangmo and serve as the text for every class.  This text includes a translation of the commentary on Dharmakirti’s Second Chapter by Gyaltsab Je (a chief disciple of Je Tsongkhapa), Elucidation of the Path to Liberation, which embeds the Pramanavarttika in its commentary.  Additionally, Geshe Wangmo translates relevant commentaries by contemporary masters which follow each passage from Gyaltsab Je.

Using the curriculum of the great Tibetan monastic universities that is taught at IBD, this advanced philosophy course presents Dharmakirti’s logical proofs of the validity of the basis, path and fruit of liberation and omniscient enlightenment.  Students will have opportunities to discuss and debate the subject matter in class.

Course Teacher:  Ven. Kelsang Wangmo (a Western nun) was awarded a Geshe degree from IBD for successful completion of the 17-year curriculum studies.

Students:  The challenging course material is aimed at earnest students of Buddhist philosophy.  If you wish to check out the classes, you are welcome to visit before you enroll.  Should you be unable to attend the entire Fall 2015 course, you may be able to continue by downloading audio files of the classes depending upon the frailties of the Blogger:  ibd-buddhist.blogspot.com.

PRAMANA - TERM 4 - Spring 2016 Recordings & Resources

Class Materials

Following H.H. the Dalai Lama's advice, Geshe Wangmo is translating the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Pramāņavarttika.  In accord with the methodology for teaching this ancient text at IBD and the great Tibetan monastic universities, Dharmatkirti's terse verses are embedded into Geshe Wangmo's translation of Gyaltsab (Darma Rinchen) Je's commentary.  Additionally, Geshe Wangmo, having received oral teachings on this text by several contemporary masters, has translated selected portions of those and inserted these explanations into the course text.

The complete text for this Spring Term is included in the Fall 2016 TEXT - PART 1.  Due to Technical Difficulties the text used during this Spring term is not posted yet. There may be some inconvenience imposed on those who listen to the MP3s posted here while reading the Fall 2016 Text - Part 1 on those occasions when the page numbering has slight variation or further editing is included.  It should be kept in mind, that the entire text is subject to further editorial review and change - since this text is a Work-in-Progress.

DOWNLOAD PDF COURSE MATERIALS 

Class PRAYERS (for before and after teaching) in Tibetan & English.  [See Class One, below, for more information about the Class PRAYERS.]

[NOTE:  If you view this PDF in your WEB BROWSER, the Tibetan Fonts may not display properly.  However, those fonts do display properly in the Downloaded PDF.]

DOWNLOAD PDFs & MP3 Recordings from Earlier Terms

DOWNLOAD Diagrams & Charts; Class Notes & MP3 Recordings of Fall 2014 Term here.

  See blog posts for Class 1 & Class 2 for an Introduction to the Pramanavarttika

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of 23 Classes [with brief description of material covered in each class] for the Spring 2015 Term from this Blog Post.

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of the first 15 Classes of the Spring 2016 Term here.

DOWNLOAD Spring 2016 CLASS NOTES

The Text discussed in each Class appears either in the Body of the transcript,

when Geshe-la reads it out loud, or in Footnotes to her discussion.

• DRAFT Transcript of CLASS 3 (April 22, 2016)

DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of SPRING 2016 CLASSES

CLASS ONE - Monday, APRIL 18, 2016 - Introductory Review:

• Geshe Wangmo spoke about the class prayers at the beginning of the Spring 2015 Term.

 The links to the excerpted recordings of her explanation:

Explanation of Prayers before Teaching 

Recitation (in Tibetan) of Prayers before Teaching 

Dedication Prayers (Explanation & Recitation)

• MP3 Recordings of CLASS ONE:  Track 1, Track 2 & Track 3.

CLASS TWO - Wednesday, APRIL 20, 2016

• MP3 Recordings of CLASS TWO:  Track 1 & Track 2

CLASS THREE - Friday, APRIL 22, 2016

• DRAFT NOTES - PDF

• Track 1 - Are Environmental-External Phenomena Truths of Suffering & In the Nature of Suffering - Discussion/debate:  Eight Worldly Concerns; Why are Non-Sentient Phenomena in the nature of suffering? Are Buddhas? Bodies Truths of Suffering? Afflictions & Suffering.  Root of Suffering & Four Attributes of Truth of Suffering.  
• REVIEW - Buddhist Views regarding a Creator God; One is One?s Own Protector; Enemy & Witness; Can God be Permanent or Self-Arisen?  Meaning of "Being Self-Arisen.

• Track 2 - Can a Creator God be Permanent?
• A God that is Permanent could not perceive things.
• What if God is Permanent but God?s Mind is Impermanent.
• Collective Karma & Creation of the Environmental Universe

• Track 3 - Refuting [the Idea that a Creator God] is:
•  Permanent:  Our consciousness defines us.
• Impermanent
• Self-Arisen.

CLASS FOUR - Monday, APRIL 25, 2016: 

• 1 Track.

CLASS FIVE - Wednesday, APRIL 27, 2016:

• 1 Track.

CLASS SIX - Friday, APRIL 29, 2016:

• 1 Track.

CLASS SEVEN - Monday, MAY 2, 2016:

• 1 Track

CLASS EIGHT - Wednesday, MAY 4, 2016:

• Track 1 - Permanence
• Track 2 - "Alternatively, it leaves doubt".  Alternatively, if [the opponent’s syllogisms] were merely to establish that [abodes, bodies, and enjoyments] are preceded by another creator, it would follow that the pervasion was not ascertained, because since God would not be ascertained, the pervasion would leave doubt."

CLASS NINE - Friday, MAY 6, 2016:

• Track 1.
• Track 2:  Was God created by himself (his own awareness) or by someone else? Distinguishing Causes. Direct and Indirect Causes, Substantial Causes, Cooperative conditions. Q&A/Discussion.  'One with the Guru' - Will we 'all become One'?

Announcement:   Class Schedule Changes.  

In order accommodate those who wish to attend teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche at:

Tushita on May 11 and at Sherab Ling Friday:

Wednesday - May 11 - Class 11:  TIME is changed to 2:00-3:30 PM.
Friday - May 13 - Class 12: Topic - Review, Discussion/Debate & Q&A; 

No new text material will be introduced.  

Monday - May 16 - Class 13 DATE is CHANGED.  Class 13 will be held on Tuesday, May 17.

CLASS TEN - Monday, MAY 9, 2016:

• Track 1 - Introductory Pep Talk for New Topic:  Our self-grasping is contradictory, creates difficulties. The logical reasoning of Syllogisms focuses on revealing Contradictions.  Having concluded its analysis of the predicate, Gyaltsab Je's text introduces something new.
• What makes a Syllogism Incorrect? <p. 103> "Unless one analyzes the predicate, it is impossible to apply the fault of being all three types of wrong syllogism simultaneously to one syllogism."
• Three types of Wrong Syllogism:  Syllogisms of: (1) Contradiction, (2) Non-Establishment & (3) Non-Ascertainment are logically faulty as they do not satisfy the three modes of a correct syllogism.
• Track 2 -Presentation of Three Modes of a Correct Syllogism (as background for understanding Wrong Syllogisms): 
• Forward Pervasions; Counter Pervasions; Reverse Pervasions; Property of the Subject; and Illustrations/Basis, Relationships.
• Background for understanding Relationship between the Predicate and the Reason/Sign - 
• Correct Sign pervades the Predicate (whatever is the Reason is necessarily the Predicate); and 
• it is always in relation to a person who realizes that pervasion in connection with a basis [example, illustration] (e.g., to understand the pervasion, ‘whatever is product is necessarily impermanent’, an illustration/basis is necessary for understanding.
• Wrong Syllogisms of Non-Establishment [for the Respondent] - do not satisfy the first mode of a correct syllogism, i.e., the property of the subject, since the respondent realizes the thesis before the syllogism is posited; e.g., when the predicate and the reason are the same.
• Q&A
• Syllogisms of Contradiction [for the Respondent who believes a contradictory thesis].  Whatever satisfies the reason of the syllogism necessarily contradicts the predicate because whatever satisfies the reason necessarily does not satisfy the predicate.
• Two main ways the Pervasion of a syllogism is Flawed:   
• Whatever satisfies the reason does not necessarily satisfy the predicate [e.g., whoever is a human being is not necessarily a man; not necessarily not a man; and not necessarily a woman]; or 
• Whatever satisfies the reason necessarily does not satisfy the predicate.  [E.g., whoever is a woman is necessarily not a man; whatever is a table is necessarily not a person], i.e., things that are totally contradictory so there is nothing that is both.

CLASS ELEVEN - Wednesday, MAY 11, 2016:

• 1 Track

CLASS TWELVE - Friday, MAY 13, 2016:

• Track 1 - Question & Answer, Review, Discussion

CLASS THIRTEEN - Tuesday, MAY 17, 2016:

• Track 1 -  Review:  Predicates given in 3 Syllogisms supporting Creating God IIshvara.  
• 3-part Reason one Syllogism gives in support of Ishvara.  Continue examining one of the three reasons for why the environment, etc., is created by god:  
• "the environment (1) performs certain actions; (2) has specific shape; (3) performs function, i.e., produces certain results."

• Track 2 - Continue Examining fallacies of 2d Reason, Having a Specific Shape.

CLASS FOURTEEN - Wednesday, MAY 18, 2016:

• Track 1 - Review/Summary of material presented in Class 13.  Q/A “If I hate or love one person, it is wrong . . .”
• Track 2 - Presentation of: <p. 108> ”Determined by the presence or absence of blessings .  . . established the way a shape, etc., that which is inferred from that is reasonable" <p. 110> Explanation of logical absurdity of syllogism’s illustration - cause of a vase, a potter; causes of the environment, karma of beings.  The shape can be applied in both cases, just being similar and not different, it is not reasonable to infer from this the creation by God, like fire from a grey substance." . . . an example of non-ascertainment.  
• Q&A
• Announcement  
• WEDNESDAY [May 25] class is MOVED to TUESDAY [MAY 24]; i.e., classes will be held on Monday, Tuesday & Friday.  Geshe Wangmo will be interpreting at Tushita for Yangten Rinpoche, who will lead an all day Chenrezig Retreat (5:00 AM - 5:00 PM) on May 25th.  If you wish to attend the Retreat, contact Tushita & go to Toshiba web here: Retreat Details. 

CLASS FIFTEEN - Friday, MAY 20, 2016:

• 1 Track - Review:  
• Announce & Explain:  Change in text translation:  Ishvara will henceforth replace "Creator God".
• Review. Q&A.
• 2 Track -  re Syllogism Reasons of "specific shape” & of "mere shape".
• "Rebounding Argument".
• Q&A.
• <p. 113> Presentation.
•  General Q&A.

CLASS SIXTEEN - Monday, MAY 23, 2016:

• Track 1 - Review: Rebounding Argument.  ‘Rebounding Argument” translates the meaning of the Tibetan term, the literal translation into English of which is:  “Flawed Refutation of the Same Result”.
• Examine incorrect syllogisms in order to understand what a correct syllogism is.  
• Eliminate [the objection of a] Rebounding Argument.
• Three types of non-Buddhist Indian philosophers who revered Ishvara as creator God:  Samkhyas, Vaisheshikas and the Naiyayikas.  
• Examine how a Samkhya argument (the result of something must exist at the time of the cause) reflects our own innate misunderstanding of the relationship between current behavior and future results.

• Track 2 - Analyze the “Akshipada" follower’s argument that the Naiyayika reason “arisen through effort” is a Flawed Refutation/Rebounding Argument.

CLASSES SEVENTEEN [Tuesday, MAY 24, 2016] thru 

TWENTY-THREE [Wednesday, JUNE 8, 2016]

remain to be posted.

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

PRAMANA - TERM 4 - Spring 2016 ANNOUNCEMENT

In accordance with the suggestion of H.H. Dalai Lama to our teacher, Geshe Kelsang Wangmo, in May 2014, the Advanced Buddhist Philosophy in English program of the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical studies is offering a course on the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Commentary on [Dignaga's] Compendium of Valid Cognition (Skt. Pramāņavarttika; ཚད་མ་རྣམ་འགྲེལ་).

The multi-year Perfection of Wisdom course (based on Maitreya's Ornament for Clear Realizations (Abhisamayalamkara) that began several years ago is on hiatus and will resume upon completion of this course.

SPRING 2016 Term

The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD)

McLeod Ganj near the Main Temple Complex

Advanced Buddhist Philosophy Course
Dharmakirti’s Valid Cognition Commentary (Pramanavarttika), Chapter 2

Monday, 18 APRIL – Monday, 13 JUNE 2016

Teacher: Ven. Kelsang Wangmo
Weekly Schedule:  Monday, Wednesday & Friday
4:00-6:00 PM – Mon & Fri / 4:00-5:30 PM – Wed
Location:  IBD Prayer Hall - Main Temple Complex
[Go through Main Temple Gate/Upstairs on right]
Fee:  350 Rupees per month
(All proceeds sponsor IBD students’ living expenses)

Course Topics:  This Spring 2016 term continues the study of the Second Chapter of Pramanavarttika, a Commentary on {Dignaga’s Compendium of} Valid Cognition by Dharmakirti.  The material covered during the Fall 2014 and the Spring & Fall 2015 Terms will be reviewed briefly.

Course Text & Methodology:  The text for this Spring term has not been completed.  It will be posted here when it is available.

The Text handouts are translated from Tibetan by Ven. Wangmo and serve as the text for every class.  This text includes a translation of the commentary on Dharmakirti’s Second Chapter by Gyaltsab Je (a chief disciple of Je Tsongkhapa), Elucidation of the Path to Liberation, which embeds the Pramanavarttika in its commentary.  Additionally, Geshe Wangmo translates relevant commentaries by contemporary masters which follow each passage from Gyaltsab Je.

Using the curriculum of the great Tibetan monastic universities that is taught at IBD, this advanced philosophy course presents Dharmakirti’s logical proofs of the validity of the basis, path and fruit of liberation and omniscient enlightenment.  Students will have opportunities to discuss and debate the subject matter in class.

Course Teacher:  Ven. Kelsang Wangmo (a Western nun) was awarded a Geshe degree from IBD for successful completion of the 17-year curriculum studies.

Students:  The challenging course material is aimed at earnest students of Buddhist philosophy.  If you wish to check out the classes, you are welcome to visit before you enroll.  Should you be unable to attend the entire Fall 2015 course, you may be able to continue by downloading audio files of the classes:  ibd-buddhist.blogspot.com.