***This course will occur virtually via Zoom***
The Zoom link will be provided via the registration confirmation email that you receive after registration is complete
Please reach out to for any Zoom or registration issues.
Many of you have heard about bodhisattvas, perhaps from visiting the Asian Art Museum or from pop songs. The idea of being one of these compassionate heroes probably sounds like a good thing to you, but the question is how do we become that? How do we get from being an ordinary person to being a bodhisattva?
Being a bodhisattva is contingent upon developing a certain attitude, called bodhichitta (literally ‘awakening mind’; correctly spelled: bodhicitta). Bodhichitta is the attitude of wanting to be a buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. It becomes the driving force behind all our Dharma practice, in the Mahayana tradition.
This Discovering BUDDHISM course is about how to develop bodhichitta and how to act like a bodhisattva.
Topics covered include:
- the importance of bodhichitta in our lives and in our Dharma practice
- the step-by-step method for developing this bodhisattva attitude, which is based on compassion
- bodhisattva vows – how to take them and how to keep them
- the conduct of a bodhisattva – how to act like a bodhisattva
Each module of Discovering Buddhism includes an experiential element in the form of a Saturday practice day or a weekend retreat. [More details to come.]
We recommend joining Discovering Buddhism courses at the start of any given module. The entire Discovering Buddhism (e.g., Lam Rim) cycle of teachings repeats roughly every two years, similar to the manner in which Lam Rim is studied at all Gelug monasteries.
About the FPMT Discovering Buddhism Program
Over 2,500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha gained direct insight into the nature of reality; perfected the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and power; and then revealed the path to enlightenment to his disciples. In the 11th century, Atisha Dipamkara, an Indian master who was very influential in Tibet, organized the Buddha’s extensive teachings in the form of a graduated path to enlightenment (Lam Rim) to clarify how an individual practitioner should best put them into practice. The Lam Rim tradition was further systematized and elaborated upon by many holy beings of Tibet, including the great philosopher and practitioner Lama Tsongkhapa, and these teachings have continued to be passed from teacher to student up to this present day. Thus, when Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche began to transmit these teachings to their disciples in the 1970s, they came from a deeply experiential tradition of study and practice. This tradition is the core of Discovering Buddhism, a fourteen-module program that gives students a solid foundation in the teachings and practice of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Among all FPMT education programs, Discovering Buddhism, in particular, is presented in the context of “FPMT Wisdom Culture.”
Discovering Buddhism Certification
FPMT certification is available for those who complete all the components of the course. The completion certificate confirms the satisfaction of having accomplished a comprehensive engagement with the path to enlightenment and is symbolic of your commitment to spiritual awakening. This module will allow those working toward the FPMT Discovering Buddhism Certificate to qualify for completion of this module. The Certificate program allows those who complete all 14 modules and the final retreat to apply for consideration to join the FPMT Teacher List as qualified to teach Discovering Buddhism-level courses at the 164 centers of the FPMT.
About the Instructor
Venerable Steve Carlier (Thubten Sherab) was born in the UK, and has been studying Buddhism since 1977. He first met Lama Yeshe, the founder of the FPMT, and Lama Zopa, its current head, in 1978. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk by Lama Zopa in 1979 and received full ordination from Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche the following year. He studied for eleven years at Nalanda Monastery in France, and from 1993 to 2004 was one of only a handful of Westerners who have followed the Nalanda (India) tradition of studies at Sera Monastery in India. Since 1978 he has been a student of the revered late abbot emeritus of Sera Je monastery, Geshe Jampa Tegchog. Eventually he came to serve as this great master’s interpreter. He is currently at Land of Medicine Buddha, teaching Discovering Buddhism and the Basic Program.
Benefits of Becoming a Friend of LMB
There are many benefits to becoming a Friend of LMB – discounts at our bookstore, special dedication prayers in our daily Medicine Buddha puja, and, at $50/month or more, FREE attendance in our Discovering Buddhism, Basic Program, and Guided Contemplation courses. Consider becoming a Friend of LMB today!
| Date(s): | June 9, 16, 23, 30 and July 7 |
| Times: | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm |
| Instructor/Leader: | Ven. Steve Carlier |
| Type of event: | |
| Number of sessions: | 5 |
| Level: | Beginner; Discovering Buddhism |
| Participation: | Regular Attendance Recommended |
| Location: | Online Via Zoom |
| iCal Link: | iCal |
| Add to Google Calendar: |  |
Registration and Donations for Discovering Buddhism – Module 10- Developing Bodhichitta
Online registration is now closed for this event.