Meditate in South London

About Foundation Programme (FP)

FP provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding and experience of Buddhism through a systematic study of six texts:

• Joyful Path of Good Fortune - a commentary to Atisha’s Lamrim instructions, the stages of the path to enlightenment
• Universal Compassion - a commentary to Bodhisattva Chekhawa’s Training the Mind in Seven Points
• Heart of Wisdom - a commentary to the Heart Sutra
• Meaningful to Behold - a commentary to Venerable Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
• Understanding the Mind - a detailed explanation of the mind based on the works of the Buddhist scholars Dharmakirti and Dignaga
• Eight Steps to Happiness - a commentary to Geshe Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses of Training the Mind

Classes take place on Sundays 1.30pm - 7.00pm and are led by Gen Kelsang Sangye, Resident Teacher at Dorjechang Centre.

Additional New FP Class

Starting in April, there will be a new Foundation Programme on Wednesday nights at Dorjechang Centre. Studying Universal Compassion with Annabel de Aragues, this is an exceptional opportunity to study in depth and gain deeper familiarity with Buddha’s teachings on developing compassion for all living beings, on a one-night a week study programme.

Universal Compassion gives a practical and uplifting explanation of how we can transform our day-to-day living, including even the most demanding and difficult conditions, into opportunities for personal and spiritual development.  By studying on Foundation Programme we gain a special understanding of the book which means we can take the teachings to heart and apply them in our daily lives.

The classes are held every Wednesday in term time from 7.30pm-9.30pm.

Wednesday FP class fees are £25 per month. If you are interested in joining please contact the EPC at Dorjechang Centre.

The Benefits of Studying and Practising these Texts

Joyful Path of Good Fortune - we gain the ability to put all Buddha’s teachings of both Sutra and Tantra into practice. We can easily make progress on and complete the stages of the path to the supreme happiness of enlightenment. From a practical point of view, Lamrim is the main body of Buddha’s teachings, and the other teachings are like its limbs.

Universal Compassion - we gain the ability to integrate Buddha’s teachings into our daily lives and solve all our human problems.

Heart of Wisdom - we gain a realization of the ultimate nature of reality. By gaining this realization we can eliminate the ignorance of self-grasping, which is the root of all our suffering.

Meaningful to Behold - we transform our daily activities into the Bodhisattva’s way of life, thereby making every moment of our human life meaningful.

Understanding the Mind - we understand the relationship between our mind and its external objects. If we understand that objects depend upon the subjective mind, we can change the way objects appear to us by changing our own mind. Gradually we shall gain the ability to control our mind and in this way solve all our problems.

Eight Steps to Happiness - we can learn how to develop love based on genuine cherishing of others; how to gain practical instructions on transforming life’s difficulties; and we receive essential advice for developing compassion and wisdom