The Rigpa Distance Learning Program begins with three foundation courses designed to give an introduction to the basics of Tibetan Buddhism in the following order:

1. Finding Peace: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
Sept 1 - Nov 16
Prerequisites: Anyone may take this course, whether you are completely new to meditation, or have already practiced in a different tradition and would like to learn the methods taught by Sogyal Rinpoche.

THE PRINCIPAL FOCUSES OF STUDY: The aim of this course is to introduce you to the Buddhist understanding of meditation, to briefly outline the benefits that meditation brings, and to give practical advice on the practice of meditation. This course presents the approach of Sogyal Rinpoche, based on the aural lineage of instruction and guidance handed down to him by his teachers in the Nyingma or ‘ancient’ tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

DVD & Manual $38 plus shipping, Tuition $145

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2. Ancient Wisdom For The Modern World
Sept 1 - Nov 16
Prerequisites: Completion of FINDING PEACE—An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation.
THE PRINCIPAL FOCUSES OF STUDY: This course will give you a simple introduction to Buddhism, its vastness and profundity, its relevance to modern life and the principles governing Buddhist thought and action, as well as an intellectual grasp of its framework. Through it, we hope to open a door to the rich storehouse of wisdom hidden in each of us and to point out some of the tools Buddhism offers us, developed and fine tuned for over a thousand years in the laboratory of the Himalayas, to uncover our true potential and live it to the fullest.

DVD & Manual $38 plus shipping, Tuition $145
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3. Loving-Kindness: An Introduction to the Practice of Loving Kindness.

Sept 1 - Nov 16
Prerequisites: Completion of FINDING PEACE—An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, and ANCIENT WISDOM FOR THE MODERN WORLD.

THE PRINCIPAL FOCUSES OF STUDY: Practical training in loving kindness in a rich and profound, yet simple and accessible way. The teachings and the practice will be based on teachings by Sogyal Rinpoche including Chapter 12 of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Meditation practitioners will find that it is an excellent complement to sitting practice.

DVD & Manual $38 plus shipping, Tuition $145
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The Mengak Study Pack is an in depth study of Sogyal Rinpoche's heart advice on meditation. Please complete all three Foundation Level courses before starting with this series.

A Treasury of Dharma - Mengak Study Pack, Module 1 - 12 sessions
September 15, 2010
Prerequisites: For students who have completed the foundation year and who want progress to a class that emphasizes study along with practice.
Tuition $160 ~ Copy of MSP Required to participate in this class
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A Treasury of Dharma - Mengak Study Pack, Module 2- 12 sessions
September 22, 2010
Prerequisites: For students who have completed MSP I
Tuition $160 ~ Copy of MSP Required to participate in this class
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A Treasury of Dharma - Mengak Study Pack, Module 3 - 12 sessions
September 22, 2010
Prerequisites: For students who have completed MSP II
Tuition $160 ~ Copy of MSP Required to participate in this class
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Turning Suffering and Happiness into Enlightenment
September 15, 2010
Turning Suffering and Happiness into Enlightenment
In today’s uncertain world where fear and anxiety are so prevalent, there are profound meditation teachings which offer everyone a way to take difficulties of life onto their path of spiritual development.

One such teaching by the third Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Jikmé Tenpé Nyima, a renowned Tibetan meditation master of the mid-1800s, provides essential instruction on incorporating the difficulties of life and challenges in spiritual practice into the path to enlightenment. This classic text, Turning Suffering and Happiness into Enlightenment, brings together the most essential instructions in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition on training our mind in wisdom and compassion.

Sogyal Rinpoche, one of the most renowned teachers of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, brought this text alive during his recent cycle of teachings this Spring. This series of study sessions uses video excerpts of these incredible teachings, and offers an essentialized and clear teaching of this practical text on how to transform the difficult circumstances of today’s turbulent world into an ally on the spiritual path, and how this can lead us to true inner peace and lasting happiness. These sessions will also present meditation guidance and instruction as well as question and answer discussion periods to go deeper into the root text and commentary. Course Prerequisite - the Foundation courses.
Course Manual and DVD $58 plus shipping, Tuition $145
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Continue on your path with an in-depth examination of the unique and effective methods offered by Tibetan Buddhism.
Aspirants to this program must have completed both the Foundation and Treasury of Dharma series.

Invoking the Lama and Precious Human Birth
Please inquire.

Impermanence, Samsara, and Karma
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Refuge
Please inquire

Bodhichitta Mengak Study Pack, part 6 + The Seven Points of Mind Training, part 1
April 28 - July 6, 2010 (10 sessions)
C ONSIDERING OTHERS AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OURSELVES
This course is the sixth in a series of modules on bodhichitta . This series of modules is drawn from teachings given by Sogyal Rinpoche and Patrick Gaffney from 2004 to 2008. The carefully selected extracts are from many of Rinpoche’s most illuminating teachings on bodhichitta. They form the next section of The Mengak Study Pack, entitled ‘Arousing Bodhichitta—the Heart of Enlightened Mind’ and can be regarded as a definitive compilation. As bodhichitta is central to the buddhist path, this whole series of teachings provides guidance lasting a little over a year, to help students establish a solid foundation.

Disk 1 DVD $40 plus shipping, Tuition $160

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The Seven Points of Mind Training, part 2
Sept 1 - Nov 9, 2010 (10 sessions)
The Seven Points of Mind Training, part 2
‘The Seven Points of Mind Training’ belongs to the category of teachings known as lojong. The essential meaning of the term lojong is ‘training or transforming the mind’

The lojong teachings help us to deepen our practice of bodhichitta and also show us how to bring bodhichitta into everyday life in a very practical and direct way. In the foreword to Transforming the Mind by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it says: “The central themes of the lojong teachings include, amongst others, the enhancement of compassion, the cultivation of balanced attitudes towards self and others, the development of positive ways of thinking and the transformation of adverse situations into conditions favorable to spiritual development.” The lojong teachings were introduced into Tibet by the great Indian master of compassion, Atisha Dipamkara (982–1054).

Initially these teachings were very secret. They were passed down only orally and with tremendous care, and those who received them practiced them with great dedication. It took over 100 years before the teachings were organized into Seven Points by Geshe Chekawa Yeshe Dorje (1102–1176) and became more widely known in the form of the 59 slogans that we have today.
These slogans are a very practical means for effecting self-transformation in the midst of ordinary life. Rinpoche has also said (in Kirchheim, 2007) that they are just what students need to help them face and navigate the challenges of daily life, because they can serve as a strong personal reminder of the teachings at the moments when we most need them.
Disk 2 DVD $35 plus shipping, Tuition $160
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