Class 1: HEARING THE DHARMA
Class 2: VIEW & MOTIVATION
Class 3: THE HINAYANA VIEW OF THE NATURE OF SAMSARA:
THE REALMS & SUFFERING
Class 4: INTRODUCTION TO THE TWELVE NIDANAS
Class 5: DEPENDENTLY RELATED ARISING
Class 6: SHAMATHA MEDITATION
Class 7: CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION: THE FOUR REMINDERS
We would suggest that this class have three components:
1. Registration, organization, handing out study guides, etc.
2. A reading of the sections of the Opening Address of the 1999 Seminary,
"How Dharma Takes Root."
The Rock & the Flower (pp 2-4)
Mind of Enlightenment (pp 4-6)
Shamatha (pp 6-8)
Depending on your situation, you might choose three readers,
or you might pass it around the circle so that everyone reads.
3. Playing of the video of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s meditation instruction
at the beginning of the 1999 Seminary. THIS INSTRUCTION BEGINS 32 MINUTES
INTO THE VIDEOTAPE and lasts for another 35 minutes. The content of the
first part of this talk will be studied in Class 6.
Readings:
1999 Sutrayana Transcripts, Book I,
Talk 1: "Motivation in the Hinayana & Mahayama," pp 19-35
Developing Confidence in the Teachings
Personalizing the Dharma
Hinayana: Path of Liberation
Realization in the Hinayana
Shravakas & Pratyekabuddhas
Shravakas & the Buddha
Hinayana View of Emptiness
Motivation
Small Motivation
Small of the Small Motivation
Middle of the Small Motivation
Large of the Small Motivation
Medium Motivation
Great Motivation
Multiple Lifetimes
Talk 2: "Renouncing Samsara," pp 42-50
Motivation: Small, Medium & Great
Small Motivation
Small of the Small
Middle of the Small
Contemplating our Motivation
Meditation & Post Meditation
Levels of Motivation
Medium Motivation
1996 Hinayana Transcripts
Opening Talk: "Meditation: View & Practice," pp 7-14
View
Questions:
1. What is meant by "view," and why is it important for walking the
path? What is the relationship between view and motivation? What is the
difference between hinayana and mahayana motivation?
2. "When we are part of a lineage, we are able to develop confidence
in the teachings."
Discuss the importance of a seamless, unbroken lineage of buddhadharma
and the development of confidence in the teachings.
3. Discuss the following quotations from these transcripts on taking
the dharma to heart (becoming "one with the dharma") and allowing it to
transform us:
"During this seminary, people can study the transcripts and we’ll
learn more and we’ll touch on some basic issues, but I feel that one of
the key elements is understanding the principle of HOW WE CHANGE….If we
can understand this principle, it will begin to lead us down the path of
how to practice and how to incorporate the dharma into everyday life."
4. What are the three capacities or the three kinds of motivation?
What is the importance of contemplating our motivation for practice?
Class 3: THE HINAYANA VIEW OF THE NATURE OF SAMSARA: THE REALMS & SUFFERING
1999 Sutrayana Transcript, Book I
Talk 2: "Renouncing Samsara," pp 50-67
Samsara
The Realms of Samsara
Psychological or Real
The Moment of Death
Renunciation
The Desire Realm
Hell Realm
Hungry Ghost Realm
Animal Realm
Human Realm
Jealous God Realm
God Realm
The Form Realm
The Formless Realm
Worldly Vipashyana and Mind as the Object
Shamatha & Samsara
Talk 3: "Introduction to the Twelve Nidanas," pp 78-79
Samsara & the Three Types of Suffering
Questions:
1. What is samsara? Discuss the relation of samsara and mind.
2. What are the causes and characteristics of each of the realms?
3. What is the relationship between our actions (virtuous and non-virtuous)
and birth into the various realms?
4. Briefly discuss the Form & Formless Realms, and their relationship
with samsara.
Class 4: INTRODUCTION TO THE TWELVE NIDANAS
"Within the buddhist tradition, there are some key teachings that are essential to understand. ‘Tendrel’ [rten ‘brel], or dependant relationship is one of them. This teaching separates buddhism from Hinduism and a lot of other ways of understanding the world. It also helps to understand the mahayana and the vajrayana."
Readings:
1999 Sutrayana Transcripts, Book I
Talk 3: "Introduction to the Twelve Nidanas," pp 82-95
The Twelve Branches of Dependently Related Arising
Ignorance
Formative Action
Consciousness
Name & Form
Six Senses
Contact
Feeling
1996 Hinayana Transcript
Talk 2: "Shravakas & Pratyekabuddhas," pp 35-43
The Nine Yanas
Samsara
Shravakayana & Pratyekabuddhayana
Egolessness
Pratyekabuddhas
Questions:
1. There is a famous quotation from the ‘Rice Seedling Sutra’ in which
the Buddha explains the key teachings of ‘dependant relatedness’ or tendrel:
"Dependant and related arising is like this. Because this is
present, that will arise, and because that was born, this is being born."
Using the first three nidanas (ignorance, formative action and
consciousness), explain the meaning of "because this is present, this will
arise."
2. Describe the process of consciousness B coming into being through
ignorance, formative action and ‘watering the seed.’
Class 5: DEPENDENTLY RELATED ARISING
"According to the hinayana approach, when the Buddha achieved enlightenment,
what he realized and what he saw was ‘tendrel yanlak chunyi [rten ‘brel
yan bcu gnyis], ‘the twelve dependant relationships,’ or we could say ‘the
twelve branches of dependantly related arising.’ Sometimes we talk about
the twelve nidanas or ‘pratityasamutpada.’ Let’s just say ‘dependent relationship.’"
(Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, 1999 Seminary)
Readings:
1999 Sutrayana Transcripts, Book I
Talk 4: "The Twelve Nidanas Continued," pp 102-116
Ignorance
Craving
Appropriation
Existence
Birth
Aging & Death
Working with the Nidanas
View of Shamatha Practice
Bringing Kleshas to the Path
Questions:
1. What is the difference between craving and appropriation? How do
craving and appropriation make karmic seeds into a lifetime?
2. How does shamatha practice work with the process of the twelve nidanas?
"Whether we are practicing hinayana, mahayana or vajrayana, we have
to have a mind that is able to stay in the moment, stay in the situation,
long enough to absorb and to understand."
(Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, 1999 Seminary)
Readings:
1996 Hinayana Transcripts
Opening Talk: "Meditation: View & Practice," pp 14-18
How to Sit
Walking Meditation
1999 Sutrayana Transcripts, Book I
Opening Talk 2: "Shamatha Meditation," pp 9-18
Mindfulness
Working with the Movement of the Mind
Creating the Environment
Meditation Instruction
Entering into Practice
Posture
Gaze
Objects of Meditation
Effort
Presently Knowing
Questions:
1. Discuss mindfulness [Tibetan: trenpa, dran pa] as a basic aspect
of mind.
2. What is the purpose of practicing shamatha? Why is shamatha the
necessary basis for all the practices of the nine yanas?
3. Discuss sheshin. What is the relationship between mindfulness and
awareness?
Class 7: CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION: THE FOUR REMINDERS
Readings:
1999 Sutrayana Transcripts, Book I
Talk 2: "Renouncing Samsara," pp 67-74
Four Reminders
Free & Well-Favoured Birth
Death & Impermanence
Karma
Body
Speech
Mind
Talk 3: "Introduction to the Twelve Nidanas,"
Developing Stability & Strength of Mind, pp 75-77
Contemplative Meditation, pp 80-82
Talk 6: "Hearing, Contemplating, Meditating," pp 138-153
Hearing, Contemplating, & Meditating
Hearing
Contemplating
Contemplative Meditation
Contemplation of Free & Well-favored Birth
Contemplation of Death
Contemplation of Karma
Expected Results of Meditation
Patience
Meditation
Clarity
Stability
Absorption
Postmeditation
1996 Hinayana Transcripts
Talk 3: "Preparing to See," pp 54-57
The Four Misunderstandings
The Four Reminders
Questions:
1. What is contemplative meditation? What does it mean to develop meditative
strength of mind [Tibetan: samten, bsam gtan]? How does contemplation contribute
to strength of mind?
2. Discuss each of the four thoughts which turn one’s mind or ‘lodok
shi’ [blo zlog bzhi]’ the "four reversals of the mind."
3. What do the four reminders turn our minds from and to? How do the
four reminders shape our motivation for practice? What is their relation
to renunciation?
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