FAQ about Basic Program Homestudy

If I want to study the FPMT education programs by way of homestudy, do I have to start with Discovering Buddhism ?

Do I have to register at a center to participate in Basic Program homestudy?

Why isn't there just one teacher for the FPMT BP Homestudy?

How does the FPMT BP Homestudy differ from BP Homestudy provided by specific centers?

Can I study by combining  BP Homestudy subjects from a particular center with FPMT BP Homestudy?

Is it necessary to do all subjects or can I just do one or two?

Do I get a certificate when I have passed the test for a subject?

How is the assessment done in case of homestudy?

What is the purpose of the 'honor system', and how does it work?

Where do I find a list of the texts studied in the Basic Program?

Do I need to buy the translations of the texts and other books?

Why are there tests and a final exam?

What are the requirements for the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate?

Is the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate different from the general Basic Program Completion Certificate?

What are the five lay-vows mentioned by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Basic Program Practice & Conduct Info sheet?

Will there be an on-line forum as with Discovering Buddhism at Home?

Do you provide help for BP homestudy by means of tutors, as The Foundation of Buddhist Thought does?

Is there more to the Basic Program than just study and tests?

I heard of something called dharma etiquette. Does this have anything to do with studying the Basic Program?

Do I need initiation into Buddhism? At what point if at all?

Is Basic Program Homestudy only offered in English?

Are there any provisions to study Tibetan alongside the Basic Program Homestudy?

What does the BP Homestudy cost?

Why are the different subjects offered in DVD and audio and not just in one format?

The Basic Program as offered in centers seems to be a five-year program. How long will it take me to do the program as Homestudy? How many hours per week do I need?

If I want to study the FPMT education programs by way of homestudy, do I have to start with Discovering Buddhism ?
It depends on your familiarity with this tradition of Buddhism. If you are new to Tibetan Buddhism it would be best to do the more accessible Discovering Buddhism at Home first. The Basic Program is a more traditional, in-depth study based on Tibetan and Indian texts. You need familiarity both with the tradition and with independent study, practice and retreat to be able to experience benefit from your BP studies.

Do I have to register at a center to participate in Basic Program homestudy?
No. You can simply order the packages (hard copy) or the access keys (for the BP Online subjects offered at the Online Learning Center) at The Foundation Store.

Why isn't there just one teacher for the FPMT BP Homestudy?
FPMT BP homestudy is aimed at students worldwide who do not have a connection with a particular center or any one teacher. For these students we feel it is most beneficial to provide each BP subject taught by a different FPMT teacher. In this way we give them the opportunity to get to know several of our Basic Program teachers and their styles of teaching.

How does the FPMT BP Homestudy differ from BP Homestudy provided by specific centers?
Some centers provide BP Homestudy or BP Online based on teachings by their resident teacher. This option is aimed at students who have a connection with a particular center or teacher, but can't attend the teachings for one reason or another. Many students worldwide who do not live near enough to a center to have an established connection with either center or teacher, have expressed an interest in Basic Program homestudy. For them the FPMT BP Homestudy and BP Online have been developed.

Can I study by combining BP homestudy subjects from a particular center with the FPMT BP homestudy?
You can  study by combining BP homestudy subjects as offered by a particular center with FPMT BP Homestudy and BP Online. And you can qualify for the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate this way too, completing the entire BP by using these different options.

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Is it necessary to do all subjects or can I just do one or two?
You can do as many subjects as you are interested in. If you want to qualify for the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate you will have to do at least all nine subjects of the core curriculum.

Do I get a certificate when I have passed the test for a subject?
BP Online issues a subject completion certificate for each course that you succesfully complete. For BP Homestudy you can have your homestudy completion card signed if you complete a subject with the test - the card is provided in digital format. You can participate in the BP final exam when you have fulfilled all the requirements. Successful completion of all the components of the program is recognized by a Basic Program Homestudy Completion Certificate.

How is the assessment done in case of homestudy?
Students can check their understanding by using the tests and answer keys included with the course materials for each subject. If you want to qualify for the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate the test is done under an honor system and you should not use or consult the answer key beforehand. For BP Online the test is done online. For BP Homestudy the completed test is sent by email to Education Services.

What is the purpose of the 'honor system', and how does it work?
This system makes it possible for homestudy students to participate fully in the Basic Program, including the elements of conduct and behavior, retreat, and meditation as well as the academic component of study with tests, review and final exam. Homestudy students do not have to participate fully in the program in this way, but they can if they want to.

The honor system is applied in the following ways:

• for the tests: by signing the statement at the beginning of the test, or , for BP Online, by filling in the online form, you indicate that you have not used the answer key or your text and notes etc., while completing the test.
• for the meditation requirement: you need to keep a weekly meditation record; this is your own responsibility - the record is not checked by anybody else.
• for the one or three month lamrim retreat: if you do the retreat independently, you can ask Education Services to have your completion card signed off when this requirement is fulfilled; for BP Online you do the retreat as part of the BP Completion course and fill in the online form to confirm fulfillment of the requirements and receive the course certificate.
• for the three months review period and the final exam: you sign the honor statement included in the exam, indicating that you did not make use of your course materials, notes etc.
• for the Basic Program conduct and practice requirement: you are expected to apply yourself to this practice to the best of your ability, sincerely and honestly.

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Where do I find a list of the texts studied in the Basic Program?
The curriculum and standard Basic Program texts and commentaries are listed under general information about the Basic Program here.

Do I need to buy the translations of the texts and other books?
All essential materials needed to study a subject are included in the study materials. This almost always includes a translation of the main text. On rare occasions the main text can only be purchased from a publisher. Sometimes there are some books recommended for additional reading, but generally there is sufficient recommended reading and supplementary study material included in the course materials.

Why are there tests and a final exam?
The (homework) quizzes and the tests are intended as a study tool; they will help you assess your understanding of the subject matter. You are free to make use of them or not. If you want to qualify for the Basic Program Homestudy Completion Certificate, you have to do the test for the completion of each subject, the review and the final exam, and fulfill the requirements of full participation in the program.

What are the requirements for the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate?
To qualify for the FPMT Basic Program Homestudy Completion Certificate, students are required:

• to have completed the 9 subjects of the BP core curriculum and their respective tests
• to have completed the lamrim retreat
• to have passed the BP Final Exam after completing a three months review period
• to have conduct that accords with Buddhist ethics, in particular, to develop the practice of abstention from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct (adultery), and intoxicants
  and
  to be practicing awareness of positive and negative states in one’s mind and be developing the practice of patience and concern for others in particular
• to have engaged in at least two half-hour lamrim meditation sessions a week during their BP studies

The completion of a three month lamrim retreat, as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for the Basic Program in general, is not mandatory for homestudy students. The minimum requirement for the Basic Program Homestudy Completion Certificate is a one month lamrim retreat.

Is the BP Homestudy Completion Certificate different from the general Basic Program Completion Certificate?
Yes; the certificate indicates that it was awarded on the basis of homestudy, and that students therefore did not study with a teacher in person. Also, while the BP graduates are eligible to become FPMT registered teachers at In-depth level, BP Homestudy graduates can enter the teacher registration process for Foundational level, which qualifies them to teach introductory courses and Discovering Buddhism.

What are the five lay-vows mentioned by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Basic Program Practice & Conduct Info sheet?
The five lay-vows consist of the practice of abstention from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct (adultery), and intoxicants.

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Will there be an on-line forum as with Discovering Buddhism at Home?
The BP Online forums at the Online Learning Center are open (and recommended) for BP Homestudy students as well. They give you the opportunity to discuss the subject matter and how it relates to practice with other students. Instructions on how to access the forums are included in your course materials.

Do you provide help for BP homestudy by means of tutors, as The Foundation of Buddhist Thought does?
Other than the elders who take part in the virtual discussion group provided by the online forums, we can not presently provide tutors for FPMT Basic Program homestudy. However, centers can and do sometimes provide extra help with their BP homestudy in various forms. The Online Basic Programs offered by Lama Tzong Khapa Institute are in real time, following the residential schedule, and have tutors offering support in the form of review classes, online discussions and more.

Is there more to the Basic Program than just study and tests?
All subjects include guided meditations or written meditation and retreat instructions, and you are strongly encouraged to make use of these. Centers implementing the Basic Program sometimes schedule practice days or short retreats that you may like to consider participating in as well. Also, as a Basic Program student you would ideally have some experience of both Lamrim study and meditation, enabling you to structure your own retreats and a daily or regular meditation practice.

I heard of something called dharma etiquette. Does this have anything to do with studying the Basic Program?
Yes; all materials containing Dharma teachings should be handled with respect, and it is appropriate to also treat your study area respectfully. This is explained in more detail in the Guidelines for Discovering Buddhism at Home at the end of page 13.

Do I need initiation into Buddhism? At what point if at all?
Once faith and sufficient understanding develop, one may decide to 'take refuge' in the Buddhist teachings. This is the name given to the formal step of entrusting oneself to the Buddhist path. Discovering Buddhism and The Foundation of Buddhist Thought include modules on refuge and the development of the bodhisattva aspiration. In the Basic Program the Stages of the Path teachings further explain these, and Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds and Mahayana Mind Training will help you develop the commitments involved and train in keeping them. For the tantric subjects towards the end of the Basic Program a highest yoga tantra initiation is required; this entails taking the bodhisattva and tantra vows and a specific tantra daily practice commitment.

Is Basic Program Homestudy only offered in English?
FPMT Basic Program Homestudy and FPMT BP Online are offered only in English at this stage. If centers are providing their Basic Program courses as home study subjects the language depends on the center. Two of our Spanish centers, Nagarjuna Valencia and Nagarjuna Barcelona, offer their Basic Program materials as homestudy, and  Lama Tzong Khapa Institute provides its BP Online in Italian as well as in English.

Are there any provisions to study Tibetan alongside the Basic Program Homestudy?
All course materials for FPMT BP Homestudy subjects include the standard Tibetan texts and their translations, giving students with some proficiency in Tibetan the opportunity to increase their knowledge.

What does the BP Homestudy cost?
The price of the hard copy packages varies considerably depending on the length of the subject and the format in which the teachings are provided, from around 40-140 US dollars. The BP Online courses cost 45 USD each.

Why are the different subjects offered in DVD and audio and not just in one format?
While aiming at the highest quality and hoping in future to be able to provide all subjects in DVD format, as an international organization we depend on the goodwill of the contributing centers, and on the technology they have at hand. At this stage not all centers can provide video recorded teachings, and thus subjects are presented in different formats. Also, some are so long that providing them as DVDs would make hard copy packages too expensive; for BP Online we try as much as we can to offer video, while including the extracted audio files as well.

The Basic Program as offered in centers seems to be a five-year program. How long will it take me to do the Homestudy?
It depends on the intensity and frequency of your study sessions. Several centers offer one teaching per subject per week, while there are also much more intensive residential Basic Programs. You can work your way through the material offered at your own pace, in accordance with your circumstances. Because the subject matter is often quite involved we expect that the entire program will take you at least five years, based on a disciplined and quite intensive schedule of study and practice. For BP Online a time-wise planning and other recommendations are included with each subject on the How to study... page, while the expected length of time needed per available subject is indicated on the BP Online introductory page.

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