FPMT Online Learning

Many of FPMTs study program are  now available online: Discovering Buddhism,  Basic Program, Meditation 101,  Buddhism in a Nutshell, Heart Advice for Death and Dying, and most recently Living in the Path.

Living in the Path Online: FPMT’S New Essential Lam-Rim Program

In the 11th century, Lama Atisha (Shri Dipamkara) was invited from India to Tibet for the purpose of transmitting the complete teachings of Lord Buddha to the Tibetan people, and presenting them in a way that was clear, precise, and easy to practice. To that purpose, Lama Atisha wrote and taught the Light of the Path to Enlightenment (jangchhub lam gyi drönma), which became the cornerstone of teaching and practice for thousands of Tibetans and provided a foundation for understanding and realizing Lord Buddha’s teachings which has flourished to the present time. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave a short teaching on the history of this important text.

In July 2008 Lama Zopa Rinpoche started teaching this text at Kadampa Center, North Carolina, USA and during the teaching announced that he would like to continue the teaching annually in order to teach the text in its entirety. Here is a short transcript of Rinpoche expressing the wish to teach this text. In Sept 2009 and again in Sept 2010 lama Zopa Rinpoche led two week retreats which have been captured in their entirety  on the FPMT Media Center via Video On Demand (VoD) with audio translations in French, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese. It is our sincere wish that these retreats will resume in 2012.

Aside from the full-length retreat video available on the Media Center all of the teachings  from the 2009 and 2010 retreats with Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been broken down into subjects and provided as ten study and practice modules in the new Living in the Path Online Program. These modules include Video clips of Rinpoche teaching the topic, edited transcripts, meditations, mindfulness exercises, questions for discussion, a service component additional resources and an online forum for discussion. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is a unique teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He is well-known for teaching long hours into the night and for rarely teaching in a linear fashion according to a text, but rather for teaching according to what is most karmically beneficial for his audience. For over 45 years, Rinpoche has been gathering examples of the truth of Dharma and perfecting his ability to discern what practices and teachings are best suited for his students. It is our belief that Rinpoche’s offer to give a commentary on Atisha’s Light of the Path, which had a tremendous impact on how Buddhism was subsequently understood and practiced in Tibet, is an indication of how transformative this teaching event will be for the way Buddhism is practiced and understood in our time.

The FPMT Online Learning Center continues to grow with more materials being added all the time. Both the Living in the Path and Basic Programs are adding subjects to their line-up of offerings and a new Special Commentaries category has also been added that includes other retreats with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Choden Rinpoche and Ven Rene Fuesi. Making these online programs requires continual funding to cover the cost of video recording and editing, program design and editing, program administration and communications.  Any donation large or small will be put to immediate use to make these wonderful programs available to all.

Thank you!

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