Education Programs

Buddhism In A Nutshell

This is an introductory course on Buddhism for complete beginners. It presents basic Buddhist philosophy and principles within the Tibetan Mahayana context, and provides simple meditation instruction.

Buddhism in a Nutshell is presented in five sessions and covers the basic principles of Buddhism including the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha and his central teaching, The Four Noble Truths.  We offer this course twice a year on Monday evenings.  See the Calendar tab for the next scheduled class.

Meditation 101

Meditation 101 is an introductory course on basic Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It teaches basic Buddhist meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in daily life. Meditation 101 is presented in five sessions and covers basic Buddhist meditation techniques, including posture, establishing a daily practice, the two main types of meditation, analytical and stabilizing, and basic visualization.  We offer this course twice a year on Monday evenings.  See the Calendar tab for the next scheduled class.

Discovering Buddhism

This is a 14-module course covering the Lam-rim, the Graduated Path to Enlightenment. Each Discovering Buddhism module consists of teachings, meditations and practices, readings, assessment questions, and a short retreat. Students may do some or all of these components of each course, as they wish and are interested. The modules do not need to be completed in order and students can join at any time. We are currently working to participate in this program with another FPMT center via live stream. Please stay tuned.