New to Buddhism? Want to see what Buddhism is all about or just use its teachings to improve your daily life? FPMT’s introductory programs are short courses that allow students to try out some meditation techniques and learn the basics of Tibetan Buddhism.

Buddhist Meditation 101

Buddhist Meditation 101 is an introductory course that presents basic Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It is also suitable for people who are already familiar with meditation in other traditions but would like to know more about how meditation is practiced in Tibetan Buddhism.

The course teaches meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in their daily life. It includes an explanation of:

• what meditation actually is and what it is for
  
• meditation postures
• various kinds of meditation paraphernalia
• setting up a place for meditation
• the kinds of skills, such as concentration and mindfulness, developed in meditation

It provides an overview of meditation in general as well as specific meditation techniques including:

• breathing meditations, such as counting the breath and nine-round breathing
• mindfulness meditations, such as bare attention, mind like the sky, and mind like the ocean
• visualization meditations, such as body of light and purification with light
• analytical meditations, such as meditation on equanimity and transforming negative experiences into positive ones

Students are also introduced to the Buddhist understanding of mind as a nonphysical entity that is a stream of constantly changing moments of consciousness. Because it is possible to change the mind through meditation, harmful mental habits can be eliminated and positive ones developed and strengthened. Students learn the various obstacles that can prevent the mind from remaining focused and methods for counteracting these obstacles. They also learn how to structure a meditation session and how to establish a long-term meditation practice.

This course includes ten guided meditations.

This course is available in some FPMT centers and as an online course through the FPMT Online Learning Center.

Buddhism in a Nutshell

Buddhism in a Nutshell is an introductory course that provides an overview of Tibetan Buddhist concepts and practice for complete beginners. It is also suitable for people who have heard or read some Buddhist teachings but would like a more structured approach to understanding the path to enlightenment as taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. 

It begins with an introduction to the life of Shakyamuni Buddha and then discusses the Buddha’s first teaching on “the four noble truths”—the truths of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering. This teaching is common to all Buddhist traditions and forms the cornerstone for all the other teachings given by the Buddha.

It also provides an overview of Tibetan Buddhism based on the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment—renunciation, bodhichitta, and the right view of emptiness—as taught in the stages of the path (lamrim) teachings and based here on the short text Foundation of All Good Qualities by Lama Tsongkhapa. 

The course also provides a brief presentation of meditation and five guided meditations suitable for beginners.

The course book, Buddhism in a Nutshell: Essentials for Practice and Study, includes teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Thubten Yeshe. 

This course is available in some FPMT centers and as an online course through the FPMT Online Learning Center.

• Tagged: new to buddhism, study