DHARMA FUNDAMENTALS

Three Areas of Focus

Based on conversations with a number of Buddhist masters and scholars, we are developing a course of study that spans three main spheres of dharma: Awareness and Meditation Practice; Wisdom and Philosophy; and Culture. 

Our vision is of graduates who have facility in the basic awareness practices, are able to speak articulately about the fundamental tenets of Buddhism, and appreciate the rich and varied cultural traditions that have held the dharma over the centuries. Our aim is to present the various traditions as fully as possible, not blending them but celebrating the differences and commonalities. Our graduates will understand how these teachings have been incorporated into human experience across tome and space, and how to apply them to their daily lives. 

The next step is to  establish the developmental sequence of each of the following, as well as mapping how they can be woven through the domains of learning according to grade level. 

Awareness & Meditation

• Mindfulness
• Meditation practices from different traditions
• The Noble Eightfold Path 
• Contemplative embodiment
• Contemplative arts 

Wisdom & Philosophy

• The Three Characteristics
• The Eight Worldly Concerns
• Buddhist Logic 
• Cause and Effect/Karma/Dependent Arising
• Buddhist Philosophy
• The Four Noble Truths
• The Six Paramitas
• The Four Immeasurables/Brahmaviharas 
• The Four Seals (sometimes the Three Seals) 
• Buddhist Psychology/Abhidharma

Culture 

• Language – Focusing on languages that support understanding of spiritual texts including Tibetan, Chinese, and Sanskrit.
• Buddhist History 
• Biographies of “Buddhist heroes”
• Lineages