Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
The FPMT is an organization devoted to preserving and spreading Mahayana Buddhism worldwide by creating opportunities to listen, reflect, meditate, practice and actualize the unmistaken teachings of the Buddha and based on that experience spreading the Dharma to sentient beings. We provide integrated education through which people’s minds and hearts can be transformed into their highest potential for the benefit of others, inspired by an attitude of universal responsibility and service. We are committed to creating harmonious environments and helping all beings develop their full potential of infinite wisdom and compassion. Our organization is based on the Buddhist tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa of Tibet as taught to us by our founders Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.
Die Stiftung zur Erhaltung der Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) ist eine Organisation, die sich weltweit für die Erhaltung und Verbreitung des Mahayana-Buddhismus einsetzt, indem sie Möglichkeiten schafft, den makellosen Lehren des Buddha zuzuhören, über sie zur reflektieren und zu meditieren und auf der Grundlage dieser Erfahrung das Dharma unter den Lebewesen zu verbreiten.
Wir bieten integrierte Schulungswege an, durch denen der Geist und das Herz der Menschen in ihr höchstes Potential verwandelt werden zum Wohl der anderen – inspiriert durch eine Haltung der universellen Verantwortung und dem Wunsch zu dienen. Wir haben uns verpflichtet, harmonische Umgebungen zu schaffen und allen Wesen zu helfen, ihr volles Potenzial unendlicher Weisheit und grenzenlosen Mitgefühls zu verwirklichen.
Unsere Organisation basiert auf der buddhistischen Tradition von Lama Tsongkhapa von Tibet, so wie sie uns von unseren Gründern Lama Thubten Yeshe und Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche gelehrt wird.
La Fundación para la preservación de la tradición Mahayana (FPMT) es una organización que se dedica a preservar y difundir el budismo Mahayana en todo el mundo, creando oportunidades para escuchar, reflexionar, meditar, practicar y actualizar las enseñanzas inconfundibles de Buda y en base a esa experiencia difundir el Dharma a los seres.
Proporcionamos una educación integrada a través de la cual las mentes y los corazones de las personas se pueden transformar en su mayor potencial para el beneficio de los demás, inspirados por una actitud de responsabilidad y servicio universales. Estamos comprometidos a crear ambientes armoniosos y ayudar a todos los seres a desarrollar todo su potencial de infinita sabiduría y compasión.
Nuestra organización se basa en la tradición budista de Lama Tsongkhapa del Tíbet como nos lo enseñaron nuestros fundadores Lama Thubten Yeshe y Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
A continuación puede ver una lista de los centros y sus páginas web en su lengua preferida.
L’organisation de la FPMT a pour vocation la préservation et la diffusion du bouddhisme du mahayana dans le monde entier. Elle offre l’opportunité d’écouter, de réfléchir, de méditer, de pratiquer et de réaliser les enseignements excellents du Bouddha, pour ensuite transmettre le Dharma à tous les êtres. Nous proposons une formation intégrée grâce à laquelle le cœur et l’esprit de chacun peuvent accomplir leur potentiel le plus élevé pour le bien d’autrui, inspirés par le sens du service et une responsabilité universelle. Nous nous engageons à créer un environnement harmonieux et à aider tous les êtres à épanouir leur potentiel illimité de compassion et de sagesse. Notre organisation s’appuie sur la tradition guéloukpa de Lama Tsongkhapa du Tibet, telle qu’elle a été enseignée par nos fondateurs Lama Thoubtèn Yéshé et Lama Zopa Rinpoché.
L’FPMT è un organizzazione il cui scopo è preservare e diffondere il Buddhismo Mahayana nel mondo, creando occasioni di ascolto, riflessione, meditazione e pratica dei perfetti insegnamenti del Buddha, al fine di attualizzare e diffondere il Dharma fra tutti gli esseri senzienti.
Offriamo un’educazione integrata, che può trasformare la mente e i cuori delle persone nel loro massimo potenziale, per il beneficio di tutti gli esseri, ispirati da un’attitudine di responsabilità universale e di servizio.
Il nostro obiettivo è quello di creare contesti armoniosi e aiutare tutti gli esseri a sviluppare in modo completo le proprie potenzialità di infinita saggezza e compassione.
La nostra organizzazione si basa sulla tradizione buddhista di Lama Tsongkhapa del Tibet, così come ci è stata insegnata dai nostri fondatori Lama Thubten Yeshe e Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Di seguito potete trovare un elenco dei centri e dei loro siti nella lingua da voi prescelta.
“护持大乘法脉基金会”( 英文简称：FPMT。全名：Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) 是一个致力于护持和弘扬大乘佛法的国际佛教组织。我们提供听闻，思维，禅修，修行和实证佛陀无误教法的机会，以便让一切众生都能够享受佛法的指引和滋润。
護持大乘法脈基金會”（ 英文簡稱：FPMT。全名：Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition ）是一個致力於護持和弘揚大乘佛法的國際佛教組織。我們提供聽聞，思維，禪修，修行和實證佛陀無誤教法的機會，以便讓一切眾生都能夠享受佛法的指引和滋潤。
The Foundation Store is FPMT’s online shop and features a vast selection of Buddhist study and practice materials written or recommended by our lineage gurus. These items include homestudy programs, prayers and practices in PDF or eBook format, materials for children, and other resources to support practitioners.
Items displayed in the shop are made available for Dharma practice and educational purposes, and never for the purpose of profiting from their sale. Please read FPMT Foundation Store Policy Regarding Dharma Items for more information.
Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness
I really enjoyed these well thought out and put together [Discovering Buddhism online] modules. It was a nice mix of video, audio, and reading. The retreats with each module were, surprisingly, really helpful and insightful. Physical disability and geographic separation make it really difficult for me to join “live” FPMT programs and retreats, so it is so great to have this online study.
—Discovering Buddhism student
Background
Getting Started
Discovering Buddhism is also available as an online course through the FPMT Online Learning Center. Individual modules of the online course can be purchased from The Foundation Store, or you can enjoy complimentary access to all of the modules of Discovering Buddhism Online by becoming a Friends of FPMT supporter.
Over 2,500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha gained direct insight into the nature of reality; perfected the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and power; and then revealed the path to enlightenment to his disciples. In the 11th century, Atisha Dipamkara, an Indian master who was very influential in Tibet, organized the Buddha’s extensive teachings in the form of a graduated path to enlightenment (lamrim) to clarify how an individual practitioner should best put them into practice. The lamrim tradition was further systematized and elaborated upon by many holy beings of Tibet, including the great philosopher and practitioner Lama Tsongkhapa, and these teachings have continued to be passed from teacher to student up to this present day. Thus, when Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche began to transmit these teachings to their disciples in the 1970s, they came from a deeply experiential tradition of study and practice. This tradition is the core of Discovering Buddhism, a fourteen-module program that gives students a solid foundation in the teachings and practice of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Among all FPMT education programs, Discovering Buddhism, in particular, is presented in the context of “FPMT Wisdom Culture.”
The Fourteen Modules
1. Mind and Its Potential
Examine the mind and how it creates happiness and suffering. Learn to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes to develop a positive and joyous mind.
2. How to Meditate
Explore the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit, how to set up a meditation session, different meditation techniques, and how to deal with obstacles to meditation.
3. Presenting the Path
Get an overview of the entire Tibetan Buddhist path to awakening. Study the life story of the Buddha and discover a unique system for putting Buddhist philosophy into practice – the lamrim, or graduated path to enlightenment.
4. The Spiritual Teacher
Investigate the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for a teacher, the qualities of teacher and student, and how to relate to a teacher.
5. Death and Rebirth
Explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live our lives. Learn to fulfill your purpose in life, resolve conflicts, and develop the skills to help yourself and others at death.
6. All About Karma
Learn the essential facts about the law of actions and their results. Explore ways to deal with life more effectively and take control of your future.
7. Refuge in the Three Jewels
Find out what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha – and the essential practices of refuge. Learn about the advantage of taking lay vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual growth.
8. Establishing a Daily Practice
Assemble the tools you need to develop a successful daily practice and find out the elements necessary to generate realizations. Get some tips for making every action you do meaningful.
9. Samsara and Nirvana
Investigate what “samsara” is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what “nirvana” is and how to achieve it. Learn how to be free from suffering and gain practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.
10. How to Develop Bodhichitta
Discover practices that develop our innate qualities of compassion. Learn to apply these techniques to generate bodhichitta, the mind of enlightenment, known as the very heart of Buddha’s teachings.
11. Transforming Problems
Learn the disadvantages of selfishness and the advantages of cherishing others. Learn to employ the special techniques of mind training (lojong) to transform problems into happiness.
12. Wisdom of Emptiness
Learn how to develop calm abiding (shamatha), the ability to remain focused in meditation for as long periods as you want without distraction. Try different ways of meditating on emptiness, the lack of true existence of the self and all phenomena, the realization of which is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment.
13. Introduction to Tantra
Learn what tantra is, how it works, and why it is a powerful form of practice. Get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn to practice simple kriya tantric methods. Learn how to integrate tantra with lamrim meditation to obtain the best results.
14. Special Integration Experiences
Undertaking intensive practices of purification, a ten-day lamrim course/retreat, and three Nyung Nä retreats creates the inner conditions needed to gain the realizations of the path to enlightenment. The purification practices entail 100,000 prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas and 100,000 long Vajrasattva mantras (two of the nine traditional preliminary practices). The ten-day lamrim course/retreat can be done on one’s own or at some FPMT centers, including Kopan Monastery in Nepal. A Nyung Nä is a two-day fasting practice related to the buddha of compassion. It can be done at many FPMT centers, especially during the month of Saka Dawa, which falls in May-June. This module can be started at any time in the program but is best started early on, such as after the module All About Karma, as it takes some time to complete. For more information see: Module 14: Special Integration Experiences.
The Center-Based Program
The first thirteen modules of Discovering Buddhism are taught at many FPMT centers, usually over a period of about two years. When the program is taught in its entirety, each module consists of several talks by an FPMT registered teacher, guided meditations and practice days, required and suggested readings, several quizzes to review the material, a final exam, and two days of practice. Students may do some or all of these components, as they wish. Those who complete all the components receive a completion card for that module.
These thirteen modules do not need to be done in any particular order and can be done by attending Discovering Buddhism classes at more than one center. Module 14: Special Integration Experiences can be started at any time in the program but is best started early on, such as after the module All About Karma, as it takes some time to complete. When all fourteen modules have been completed, students receive a certificate of completion issued by FPMT Education Services.
The Online Program
Discovering Buddhism is also available as an online program through the FPMT Online Learning Center. Each online module consists of audio recordings of teachings and meditations given by a qualified Western teacher. These are accompanied by transcripts of the teachings and meditations, several required readings (the book Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand needs to be purchased separately), several quizzes to help review the material, an optional assessment, and a final exam. In addition, each of the first thirteen modules includes a thirty-minute video introduced by Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves and followed by a Tibetan and a Westerner teaching the subject and an informal conversation with a Western student. These videos can be viewed here. Students who complete all the components of a module receive a downloadable Certificate of Achievement for that module.
Individual online modules of Discovering Buddhism can be purchased from the Foundation Store, or you can enjoy complimentary access to all of the online modules of Discovering Buddhism by becoming a Friends of FPMT supporter.
Shared Resources for the Discovering Buddhism Program [NEW in 2023]
Students of the DB program can refer to this shared resources page for recommended readings, videos and additional materials to support their study and practice of the Dharma. Future updates to these materials will also be posted on this page.
Note: The required readings for each DB module are only available via enrolment at FPMT centers (for the center-based program) or the FPMT Online Learning Center (for the online program). They are not included here.
When you meet miserable conditions, it is extremely important to use skillful means. In other words, there is a meditation to mix with whatever suffering you experience. When you apply the teachings in this way, all sufferings are mixed with virtue. All experiences of suffering become virtue.
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