Late Fall Term (8 weeks)

October 25 – December 18, 2021.
Closed for: Thanksgiving (Thurs, Nov.25) and Holiday Break (Dec.19, 2021 – Jan.8, 2022)

Buddhist Studies (DHS)

Reading the Sutras: Following the Words of the Buddha (DHS101)
Wednesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (October 27 – December 15)

Reading the Sutras is an ongoing course that examines essential sutras in the Buddhist tradition. We read the sutras not as historical texts but as a practical encounter with the teachings of the Buddha. Our goal is to develop a respect for the sutra tradition and to foster an internal examination of how these texts can speak to our twenty-first century experience.

This term we look at The Questions of Sāgaramati (Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā), a Mahayana text that explores practicing the bodhisattva path. It focuses on the development of the bodhisattva’s mind of awakening through insight into afflictive emotions and compassionate action. The sutra was translated into Tibetan during the first wave of translations in the early ninth century by Yeshe De, and it played a significant role in various Indian and Tibetan commentaries.

Instructors: Pema Gellek and Hugh Joswick. Cost: $126. Prerequisites: Sincere interest in the Buddha’s teachings. Note: No class on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving
Register:  https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988609

Compassion in Action Part II: Development of Buddhist Philosophy and Practice (DHS205.b)
Term Five in the Path of Liberation Program
Tuesdays, 7:00 PM – 8:30 pm, PT (October 26 – December 14)

The depth and vastness of the Dharma inspires a way of living oriented toward loving-kindness, compassion, and selflessness. Continuing from Compassion in Action Part 1, we look at what it means to live a life dedicated to compassion and wisdom, tracing the movement of the Dharma through the teachings of the great Indian masters and the transmission of Buddhism into Tibet. We will look at writings of some of the principal teachers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Note that there are also two workshops included with this class.

Instructors: Mark Henderson and Hugh Joswick. Cost: $164, includes two workshops.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988494

Guide to Chanting Tibetan Prayers (DHS114)
Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:00 am, PT (October 27 – December 15)

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.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988586

Meditation (MED)

Advanced Meditation: Cutting Through the Twelve Links (MED320)
Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (October 25 – December 13)

How does the wheel of our conditioned existence keep spinning, and what does it take to break through it? This classical analysis of the twelve links is a chain that the Buddha identified as he pondered the age-old questions of ignorance, birth, and death under the Bodhi tree, on the night that he became enlightened.

Instructors: Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek. Cost: $144.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988310

Intermediate Meditation Group: The Heart of the Matter and Silent Sitting (MED220)
Thursdays, 6:00 – 7:00 pm, PT (October 28 – December 16)

This is a weekly 1-hour community practice group. It includes space for sharing or discussion around a theme (about 15 min), a guided contemplation or awareness practice (about 15 min), and silent sitting (about 30 min).

For the guided practice, we will explore teachings and contemplations from Tarthang Tulku’s book Caring. We may also include some Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga movement and the practices of the classic Four Immeasurables: equanimity, love, compassion, and joy.

Instructor: Pauline Yu. Cost: $70. Feel free to drop into the first class for $10. No class on 11/25, Thanksgiving. (Please note that 100% of the fees support Nyingma Institute’s mission to offer programs for healing and inquiry, and/or humanitarian projects protecting the continuity of Buddhist traditions in Asia.) Prerequisite: for those who already know the fundamentals of meditation.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988681

Beginning Meditation: Inner Serenity, Inner Knowing (MED108)
Thursdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (October 28 – December 16)

As we take time to quiet ourselves, we may sense that there is a way to live with greater compassion, expanded wakefulness, and deeper inner wisdom. To meditate is to discover and support this inner knowing and serenity, freeing us to live with more balance and ease.
In this class, beginning meditators will learn traditional meditation techniques to quiet and clarify the mind, including Kum Nye Tibetan yoga slow movement exercises, silent as well as lightly guided meditations, chanting, visualizations and reflections. These practices widen our perspective, help us develop inner serenity, and balance the energy of body and mind, all with a focus on cultivating awareness, well-being, and self-knowledge.

Aspiring meditators, beginning meditators, and those with previous meditation experience who would like to stabilize a lapsed practice are most welcome. The text Hidden Mind of Freedom, by Tarthang Tulku, will serve as our support.

Instructor: Suellen Ehnebuske. Cost: $126. Open to all. Note: No class on 11/25 (Thanksgiving). 
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988312

Kum Nye (KNR)

We offer multiple options for engaging in Kum Nye for all levels of practitioners.

• If you are new to Kum Nye, you might consider our 6 pm Tuesday evening and 7 am Thursday morning courses, along with Sunday morning drop-ins.
• For those with experience, we have ongoing Joy of Being and Advanced Kum Nye classes.
• Kum Nye workshops are good for everyone, no matter their level. They are also intended to introduce people newer to Kum Nye to major elements of practice.

Anatomy of a Kum Nye Exercise: #25 Calming Inner Energy and #27 Touching Nurturing Feeling (KNR130)
Wednesdays, 8:30 – 9:30 am, PT (October 27 – December 15) — This morning class meets weekly for 1 hour.

In this 8-week class we will work intimately with body, breath, senses, and awareness as we explore two Kum Nye practices in depth and detail. This term we work with two exercises from the section in the text Guiding Practice: Group Two. #25 and its variations “calm the internal organs and nervous system.” #27 “stretches all the muscles and ligaments between the bones of the upper body . . . and circulates energy to the spine and the joints.” Commitment to daily practice between classes is required to get the full benefit of this course.

Instructor: Donna Morton. Cost: $96. Prerequisites: completion of at least one Kum Nye course or workshop, or with permission of the instructor.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988576

All-Levels Kum Nye: The Healing Art of Kum Nye Practice (KNR121)
Thursdays, 7:00 – 8:30 am, PT (October 28 – December 16)

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

This Kum Nye class will focus on the first Kum Nye Book, Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga: feelings and sensations, inner and outer massage of feeling, breath, sitting, working with the senses, and the energy centers are some of the themes we will explore; each class will have a theme. The emphasis is on how to do Kum Nye and will be oriented toward practice. Readings and resources will be suggested for those who wish to explore KN themes and theory more deeply.

This course may be attended as an introduction series to Kum Nye practice or may be taken as a drop in class; basic instructions will be included each class for anyone new to Kum Nye. It is appropriate for all levels and abilities; adaptations to exercises will be included for those with physical limitations. Experienced and beginning students welcome, and may join at any time.

Instructor: Anita McNulty. Cost: $126. Drop-in: $20/class. Note: No class on 11/25 (Thanksgiving). For drop-ins, please sign up by 4 pm PT the evening prior in order to receive the link on time. 
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988635

Joy of Being: A 9-Month Program of Kum Nye for the Mind (KNR221)
Thursdays, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, PT (October 28 – December 16)

“Since understanding plays a crucial role in whether we have access to this treasure [arising of joy], ultimately the main emphasis of this book is on Kum Nye for the mind.” – Joy of Being, xxii, Preface to Third Edition, Tarthang Tulku.

Joy of Being takes a different approach from the earlier Kum Nye books; instead of focusing on graduated exercises, it emphasizes how to embody Kum Nye—how to be present within the present. During 2021-2022 we will systematically unfold Joy of Being’s four headings: The Working Basis, Breath, Senses and Perception, and Massaging Mind. This amazing teaching invites us to discover “a subtle, transformational knowledge, a joy far beyond conditions and boundaries.” Experienced Kum Nye practitioners can take all or part of this journey. In addition it is possible to ‘drop-in’ with permission of instructor. This course is also intended as groundwork for those interested in eventually teaching Joy of Being.

Instructor: Abbe Blum. Cost: $126. Drop-in: $20/class. This course is the second in a 9-month program of Kum Nye for the mind, from Fall 2021 – Summer 2022. No class on 11/25, Thanksgiving.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988690

Advanced Kum Nye: Embracing Space (KNR310)
Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (October 26 – December 14)

“Touching space in this way cultivates a sense of the body floating in space, profoundly calm, yet vibrant with a deep silent joy.” (Joy of Being, p.46) Advanced Kum Nye movement, breath, and visualization practices from Tarthang Tulku’s Joy of Being form the core of these classes. Exercises will be offered on different levels of engagement to challenge the advanced student. This term’s course focuses on opening to space.

Instructor: Santosh Philiip. Cost: $144. Drop-in: $20/class. Prerequisite: Two years of Kum Nye practice.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988476

Nyingma Psychology (NPS)

Keys of Knowledge: Part 2 (NPS302)
Thursdays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, PT (October 28 – December 16)

Continuing the exploration of Keys of Knowledge by Tarthang Tulku that began in the Early Fall, we will complete our slow reading of the book this term. We will ask in what ways we can embody knowledge and bring knowing to all aspects of our life. Through reading, discussion, and practice we can find new ways of cooperating with mind in order to create a new home for awareness. Ideally, students will have taken Keys of Knowledge Part 1, but the class is open to anyone familiar with Rinpoche’s writings and wishes to apply these teachings to daily life.

Instructors: Pema Gellek and Hugh Joswick. Cost: $126. No class on 11/25, Thanksgiving.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988703

Time, Space and Knowledge (TSK)

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

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. The primary text is Time, Space and Knowledge, although we may also engage other works by Tarthang Tulku in the TSK series. Anyone with an interest in exploring experience on a fundamental level is welcome.

Instructor: Ken McKeon. Cost: $144. Open to all.
Register: Please contact us if you are interested.

Tibetan Language (TIB)

Beginning Tibetan Level I (TIB101)
Mondays, 6:15 – 7:45 PM, PT (October 25 – December 13)

In this beginning first level language class, students study vocabulary and grammar while working with selections from classical Tibetan texts. No prerequisites.

Instructor: Mark Henderson. Cost: $144. Prerequisite: TIB105 or consent of the instructor.
Register: https://register.asapconnected.com/classdetail.aspx?org=4698&pk=1970574

Intermediate Tibetan II (TIB202)
Thursdays, 6:15 -7:45 pm, PT (October 28 – December 16)

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

Instructor: Mark Henderson. Cost: $126. Prerequisite: TIB205 or consent of the instructor. No class on 11/25, Thanksgiving. 
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988665

Advanced Tibetan Tutorial (TIB302)
Fridays, 3:30 – 4:45 pm, PT (October 29 – December 17)

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: $144. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor.
Register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=4698#EventID=1988708