EARLY SPRING CLASSES

8 weeks:  Feb 13 – April 8, 2023

BUDDHIST STUDIES

Sutra Study:  Essential Teachings from the First Turning (DHS101) 

Wednesdays 10:00 – 11:30 am PT (February 15 — April 5, 2023) 

This class is an introduction to a selection of essential sutras from the First Turning teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni. We will present a brief historical background on the sutras, read aloud key passages, and discuss the importance of the ideas and practices that the Buddha invites us to contemplate.  We will complement our discussion with guided reflections and meditations. We will share and reflect on the views presented in the sutras, approaching them with curiosity, respect, and open-mindedness.

Readings from the sutras will be provided by email and as class handouts. 

Sutras we will read in this course:

Class One, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta – first teaching of the Buddha; Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path 

Class Two, Anattalakkhana Sutta – second teaching of the Buddha; impermanence, change, and non-self of the five skandhas 

Class Three, Aditta-pariyaya Sutta – third teaching of the Buddha; liberation through detachment from the six senses 

Class Four and Five, Sattipattana Sutta – the four foundations of mindfulness 

Class Six and Seven, Ānāpānasati Sutta – awareness of breath 

Class Eight, Kalama Sutta – critical investigation 

Instructors: Pema Gellek and Hugh Joswick. Cost: $144. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304193 

Path of Liberation: An Awakened Vision of Being (DHS201)

Beginning of the Path of Liberation Program 

Tuesdays, 6:15 PM – 7:45 pm, PT (February 14 – April 4, 2023)

This first term of the Path of Liberation Program is a journey into the Buddha’s vision of what embodiment means. The teachings illuminate the precious opportunity that our lives present as we trace the path that the Buddha took to enlightenment. We will be introduced to the life story of the Buddha, the symbolism of the Buddha’s body, aspects of the Abhidharma, and fundamental practices and teachings on the Buddhist path.  

Dynamic and alive, the lineage of the Buddha’s teachings has the power to liberate us from suffering and pain. Our two-year intensive program, inspired by Tarthang Tulku, explores how the path of liberation is activated and applied. We begin by focusing on embodiment: how ordinary human being can be transformed into awakened being. Future sections of the program explore teachings of awakened speech, mind, qualities, and action. Each term deepens understanding of the path and its practices.

Instructors: Mark Henderson and Hugh Joswick. Cost: $144.  Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304314 

Guide to Chanting Tibetan Prayers (DHS114) 

Wednesdays, 11:30 – 1:00 pm, PT (February 15 – April 5, 2023)

Learn how to chant traditional prayers in the Tibetan language. Practice materials will be provided showing the Tibetan text, phonetic pronunciation, and English translation. In addition to providing background teachings, students will be guided in the pronunciation, melody, and rhythm of selected traditional Buddhist prayers.

Instructors: Lama Palzang and Mark Henderson. Cost: $144. Prerequisites: Sincere interest in the Buddha’s teachings. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304328 

MEDITATION

Advanced Meditation: Practicing with the Enlightened Deities of Tibetan Buddhism Part 1 (MED324)

Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (February 13 — April 3, 2023)

We will engage in mantra, visualization, and meditation to receive the blessings of these sublime manifestations of enlightenment, who are so beloved in the Tibetan and Buddhist worlds:  Shakyamuni Buddha, Padmasambhava, Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, Amitayus, White Tara, Green Tara, and Vajrasattva.

These perfect embodiments of awakening can inspire us to open to the profound depth of the Mahayana, a path which has the thrust of dynamic, compassionate activity as well as prajna, inconceivable wisdom that goes beyond ordinary knowing. 

Instructors: Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek. Cost: $144. Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304375 

Beginning Meditation (MED104)

Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:00 pm, PT (February 14 – April 4, 2023)

This semester we are offering a one-hour, weekly meditation class for beginning practitioners. Whether you are new to meditation or a new meditator looking for ways to deepen and strengthen your practice, we invite you to this supportive practice class with other aspiring practitioners.

We begin each class with a Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga practice to relax and balance the body and mind, followed by a short teaching to support and strengthen our practice. We then sit together in meditation (silent and/or lightly guided). If time allows, we will close the evening with shared questions and comments. Each class will have a theme or topic, for example: Deepening Relaxation, Making Friends with Mind, The Power of Breath, Cultivating Patience, and more.

Instructor: Suellen Ehnebuske. Cost: $96. Open to All. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304388 

Intermediate Practice Group:  Space & Giant Body Visualization (MED220)  

Fridays, 5:00 – 6:00 pm, PT (February 17 – April 7, 2023) 

This is a weekly 1-hour community practice group, meant to provide space for coming together and practicing. In 2023, we will be going sequentially through the exercises in Tarthang Tulku’s first book in the Time, Space, Knowledge (TSK) series. 

Many of the contemplations this term build on the Giant Body visualization. Practices will be paired with Kum Nye relaxation practices that evoke space. 

Exercises 1 – 8 from Time, Space, and Knowledge offer imaginative explorations that can open up our experience of space on different levels. The titles of the practices are:  The Giant Body, Internal Details, The Microlevel, Just Interactions and Shining Outlines, Released to Space, Opacity vs Translucency, Body-Mind-Thought Interplay, and The Translucent Person. 

Instructor: Pauline Yu. Cost: $96. Prerequisite: knowledge of the fundamentals of meditation. All class fees go towards supporting Nyingma Institute’s mission to offer programs for healing and inquiry, and for humanitarian projects protecting the continuity of Buddhist traditions in Asia. Registration:  https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2306586 

KUM NYE TIBETAN YOGA

Advanced Kum Nye: Generating Great Happiness from Within (KNR304)

Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (February 14 – April 4, 2023)

Advanced Kum Nye practices relieve the tension that closes the senses and deprives the mind of joyful ease. This course focuses on attuning body and mind to inner resources for meaning and satisfaction, generating happiness that can be sustained throughout each day. 

Instructor:  Santosh Philip. Cost: $144. Drop-in: $20/class. Prerequisites: Two years of Kum Nye practice. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2304439 

Beginning Kum Nye: Entering the Path of Relaxation (KNR122)

Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:30 am, PT (February 14 – March 7, 2023)

This four-week class is an introduction to the practice of Kum Nye, focusing on the first Kum Nye book, Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga. Kum Nye is a unique practice for calming and integrating body and mind. We learn to contact bodily feelings/sensations, and work with the breath to develop stillness and alertness. It will include sitting, breath instruction and introduction to several exercises from the book. There will be a handout provided every week with the exercises covered and suggestions for developing your practice. Experienced Kum Nye practitioners are welcome to join.

Instructor: Anita McNulty. Cost $48. Open to all. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305168 

All-Level Kum Nye: The Healing Art of Kum Nye Practice (KNR121)

Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:30 am, PT (March 14 – April 4, 2023) 

“Kum Nye heals both our bodies and minds, bringing their energies together to function calmly and smoothly”—Tarthang Tulku.

We explore practices and exercises from the first Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga book: inner and outer massage of feeling, breath, sitting, working with the senses, and the energy centers. The emphasis is on “how to do Kum Nye” and will be oriented toward practice.

This course may be attended as a series or as a drop-in class. Basic instructions will be included in each class for anyone new to Kum Nye. Appropriate for all levels and abilities; adaptations to exercises will be included for those with physical limitations. Experienced and beginning students are welcome and may join at any time. 

Instructor: Anita McNulty. Cost: $48 for series, $12 per drop-in. Sign up available until 1 hour prior to class start. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305654 

NYINGMA PSYCHOLOGY

Deepening Dimensions of Mind: Understanding Self and Mind Program 

Part 4: In the Center (NPS520)

Mondays, 10:00 – 11:30 am, PT (March 6 – May 29, 2023) 

This nine-month program (32 classes and two weekend retreats) will follow the order of topics as presented in Tarthang Tulku’s Dimensions of Mind. The class will also feature readings and exercises from other books by Tarthang Rinpoche. Part 2 examines the patterns that structure and hinder our spiritual growth and development. We will explore the structures of I, me, mine, and mind as the gateways to samsara. The morning class is taught in conjunction with the Nyingma Centrum Nederland. The evening class is for those unable to schedule attendance in the morning. 

Instructors: Abbe Blum, Elske van de Hulst, Hugh Joswick. Registration: this program has already started. To learn about upcoming programs, please sign up for our e-newsletter! 

Aging Wisely as a Spiritual Practice (NPS117)

Tuesdays, 10 – 11:30 AM (February 14 – April 4, 2023)

From the perspective of life lived as an elder, we have an opportunity to use the unique conditions of aging in a positive and productive way, to prepare ourselves for our days ahead – and for the transition of inevitable death. In this supportive class not restricted to elders, we will draw on traditional Buddhist teachings from the Tibetan lineage such as the Truth of Impermanence, and practice silent and guided meditations: shamatha and contemplative practices. Tarthang Tulku reminds us that it is important that we appreciate our lives and take advantage of this opportunity. … this realization can vibrate within us and wake us up… we realize that at this very moment we are actually alive!

Instructor: Olivia Hurd. Cost: $144. Open to students of all ages who have some meditation experience.  Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305661 

TIBETAN LANGUAGE

Advanced Tibetan Tutorial (TIB302) 

Fridays, 3:30 – 4:45 pm, PT (February 17 – April 7, 2023) 

This advanced Tibetan course consists of continuing reading and translation in the classical Tibetan language. It is for those who already have a good grasp of grammar, vocabulary, and working with Tibetan texts.

Instructor: Barr Rosenberg. Cost: $120. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305685 

Intermediate Tibetan Level III (TIB203) 

Thursdays, 6:15 -7:45 pm, PT (February 16 – April 6, 2023)

Continued reading and translation of traditional texts and prayers in the classical Tibetan language. 

Instructor: Mark Henderson. Cost: $120. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305769 

Beginning Tibetan Level III (TIB103) 

Mondays, 6:15 – 7:45 pm, PT (February 13 – April 3, 2023)

In this beginning level language class, students study vocabulary and grammar while working with selections from classical Tibetan texts. 

Instructor: Mark Henderson. Cost: $120. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor. Registration: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2305776 

TIME, SPACE AND KNOWLEDGE (TSK)

Time, Space and Knowledge: Perspectives and Practices (TSK108)

Wednesdays, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, PT (February 15th – April 5th, 2023) 

A continuing exploration of Tarthang Tulku’s Time, Space and Knowledge vision. We inquire into our presence as expressions of time, space, and knowledge. In a sense, we are activating and realizing our human potential as visionary beings. Our practice can inform our living and our living informs our practice. Anyone with an interest in exploring experience on a fundamental level is welcome. 

Instructor: Ken McKeon. Cost: $144. Open to all. Registration:  https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=2328437