Curriculum
The following provide brief descriptions of the eight courses in our curriculum.

Course 1: Transmission The living dharma continues from one generation to the next through transmission. Transmission is personal and intimate, involving the meeting of minds of teacher and student.  Transmission is also cultural, where the dharma is established in its cultural environment. This course begins with a discussion of the Vidyadhara's transmission of the three lineages from completely awake space to our embodied experience. From the perspective of these teachings, we will focus on the enlightened transmission of the dharma in India and Tibet through the three "turnings of the wheel." This survey provides the necessary ground for Ngedon study, the discovery of the "true meaning" of the dharma.

 Course 2: Abhidharma

Abhidharma is the study of the structure and functioning of mind through the eyes of awakening, to overcome clinging to the fiction of a solidly existing self. How can we discover, within habitual patterns, the seeds of suffering and also of awakening? How does insight into these patterns bring about transformation as described in the First Turning of the wheel of dharma? This course includes contemplations and guided meditations based on the abhidharma traditions of Tibet.

Course 3: Bodhisattva Path

This course marks the transition to the view and practice of the teachings of the Second Turning of the wheel of dharma. Based upon the foundational understanding of no self, this course investigates the view of emptiness and compassion and the practices of the bodhisattva. Through study of Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara, we will explore the awakened heart of bodhichitta, the transcendent practices of the paramitas, the ultimate antidote of emptiness, and the expression of placing others wellbeing before our own.

Course 4: Madhyamaka

Madhyamaka represents the heart of the Second Turning teaching on shunyata, or emptiness. Through various logics and methods, the Madhyamaka teachings show practitioners the fallacy of conceptual thought, and indicates the process by which concepts are shed. This course explores the basic notions and methods of Madhyamaka as found in the writings of early and contemporary commentators, and gives students the opportunity to explore and debate the logics of emptiness through the interactive component of this online medium.

Course 5: Yogachara

Here we begin our exploration of the teachings of the Third Turning of the wheel of dharma. Yogachara (literally, “mastery of meditation") moves beyond concerns with emptiness, to explore the way the world appears once emptiness is understood.  Laying the ground for Vajrayana meditation, this course examines the root teachings of Yogachara, such as the three natures (svabhava) and the eight consciousnesses (vijnana) and how experience of the world is transformed on the path, without having to abandon experience.

Course 6: Shentong (Buddha Nature)

The Third Turning view culminates in the Buddha Nature teachings that provide a bridge between "sutra" and "tantra." The Uttaratantra-shastra of Maitreya and Asanga moves beyond logic and proclaims the indestructibly awake quality inherent in all beings without exception. Through seven "vajra points" this text shows the continuity of Buddhahood as potential, actuality, and spontaneous presence, providing the ground for Vajrayana practice.

Course 7: Mahamudra

Mahamudra is the meditative tradition of the Kagyü lineage, associated with the Anuttarayoga tantra. It is regarded by the Kagyüpas as the profound inner reality of all true dharma teachings. This course traces the three kinds of Mahamudra teachings through the creation phase practices of deity yoga and the completion phase practices involving meditation without form. How do we understand these teachings in the context of the Vajrayana practices we have received? We will explore this question and how we might deepen our practice through direct investigation of the nature of mind.

Course 8:  Ati

The heritage of the Nyingma (old school) emphasizes the highest tantras of the nine yana system: Mahayoga, Anuyoga, and Ati-yoga tantras. This course explores meditation and teachings of Ati-yoga, also known as dzogchen. We examine the methods of Trek.cho ("cutting through"), and Thogyel ("transcending"), applying the teachings of Garap Dorje to the unveiling of naked, continuous awareness in experience. Special emphasis will be placed on the teachings of the Vidyadhara and the Sakyong.