New FPMT Pilot Program!

Exploring Buddhism:
Exploring Mind Training, Part II:
The Bodhisattva Vows

with Don Handrick

Wednesdays, 6:30pm – 8:00pm PT (Pacific Time)
March 9 – April 27, 2022
​(8 classes)
We are using the Zoom video conferencing system for this course.  Please register below to receive your online access information.
To progress on the path to enlightenment the motivation of bodhichitta alone is not enough; we need to learn especially how to keep the bodhisattva vows well, and an investigation into them is beneficial whether one has formally taken them or not. In this module, we will discuss the importance of vows, their purpose and benefit, and how to take and renew them. We will then proceed to examine the elements involved in avoiding each of the eighteen root downfalls as well as the forty-six secondary transgressions, coming to appreciate how living in the bodhisattva vows provides a unique guide for engaging in the six perfections of a bodhisattva in daily life.

Previous study of at least some modules of Discovering Buddhism, either in a center or online is highly recommended before enrolling in this program.

New students are welcome.  You do not have to have attended previous modules.
Exploring Buddhism is a new program currently being developed by FPMT to serve as a bridge between Discovering Buddhism and The Basic Program. It is designed to help students of Buddhism delve more deeply into a broad array of topics that form a solid foundation for furthering one’s study and practice.  The program will initially be run as a pilot program in FPMT centers to further test and refine the curriculum.  
​Don Handrick is a touring teacher for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), sharing the Dharma with centers and study groups in North America and other parts of the world, both in-person and online.

Don's study of Buddhism began in 1993 after reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. Over the next two years he practiced with Sogyal Rinpoche's organization, until he began attending classes in 1996 with Venerable Robina Courtin at Tse Chen Ling in San Francisco.

Don left the Bay Area in 1998 to attend the FPMT's Masters Program of Buddhist Studies in Sutra and Tantra, a seven-year residential study program conducted at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Tuscany, Italy, taught by the scholar and kind Spiritual Friend, Geshe Jampa Gyatso. He successfully completed all five subjects of this program in 2004, receiving an FPMT final certificate with high honors.
This program is being jointly offered by:
Our ability to continue offering these teachings is dependent on the generosity of donors.  We appreciate any donation and support for this class.  Thank you!
Support Ocean of Compassion Buddhist Center
Support Don Handrick directly
Registration: $15 per class or $100 for the entire module (eight classes).  Members of a certain level get courses for free (see the membership program for details). Registration is required to receive your online access information.

Registration closes before the second class.

Your generous donations are essential for the continuation of programs like this. No one turned away due to lack of funds.
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