- fuel your inspiration
- discover your hidden depths
- immerse yourself in dharma
- connect with other Buddhists
- see yourself as you really are
- understanding your mind and emotions
- gain support for ongoing practice and study
- clarify the meaning of esoteric Buddhist philosophy, terms and rituals
- leave behind the maze of information and have a direct encounter with the heart of Buddhism
Click Here to Enroll
Web-class once a month
As Buddhism has come to North America, ritual initiations (empowerments) have been widely available, but education in Vajrayana has not. Likewise, exposure to Lamas has been available, but in-depth personal training has not been accessible to all but a few people. The Vajrayana training offers an opportunity to bridge these gaps, offering an orientation to the views, rituals, symbols, practices and core principles of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Approaches to the Vajrayana teachings of Buddhism vary widely, with vigorous debates on the topic throughout the history of Tibetan Buddhism. While some schools reserve Vajrayana for advanced stages of the path, the Ngakpas (Buddhist Yogis) of the Nyingma lineage practiced Vajrayana as the core of the path from start to finish, approaching the entire spectrum of Buddhist vehicles from the view of Dzogchen and the methods of the inner yogas. The Vajrayana Training continues this tradition, offering education in a non-sectarian environment that may benefit students of any school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The course is taught by Pema Khandro whose background of growing up in North America has provided her with an understanding of Western culture and learning styles. Thus the Vajrayana Training offers advanced esoteric teachings in a straightforward language with a supportive teaching methodology that offers lecture, question and answer, slide shows with outlines of the material, recordings of the class for viewing and reference and the support of a dharma instructor. The training is given in the accessible format of live web-cast teachings to keep Vajrayana accessible despite the demands of modern life.
Course Format
Vajrayana Training is offered in year-long modules. One module of study explores the key aspects of Tantric Buddhism, and makes sense of its vast array of ritual, art, philosophy, and esoteric yoga. Another module offers initiation, training and support in Ngondro practice, the primary meditation practice of Vajrayana practitioners of all traditions. Ngondro reveals the dynamic, inspiring, visionary and artistic dimensions of Buddhist meditation, transforming the practitioners sense of self, world and experience itself. A third module focuses on key elements of Buddhist Philosophy and the world according to Vajrayana, defining key terms such as emptiness, from the vast view of Dzogchen and the Nyingma Inner Tantra. The courses are non-sequential and can be taken in any order. In web-classes, meeting once a month, you will discover how to understand the pivotal principles of Tibetan Buddhism, make sense of empowerments, and go deep into understanding oneself, one’s own world, and how to make better sense of one’s own mind.
This Unique Training Covers:
- Guidance and Support in accomplishing Ngondro, the unique foundational practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Study of the schools of Buddhism, with special focus on the unique non-monastic Nyingma lineage.
- Understanding of the symbology of Buddhist Tantra.
- How to enter into the path of Buddhist Tantra and Dzogchen, and much more.
Vajrayana Training – Course of study:
- Intrinsic Purity: Tantra, Conduct & the 5 Precepts
- Savoring the Flavor of Experience: Tantra, Conduct & the 5 Precepts
- The Inevitability of Death and the Vow to Help Beings: Tantra, Conduct & the 5 Precepts
- 2 Truths & the Lie of Duality: Tantra, Conduct & the 5 Precepts
- Ethics in an Ambiguous World: Tantra, Conduct & the 5 Precepts
- Four Thoughts
- The Three Turnings
- Nyingma Lineage
- Vajra Guru Mantra
- Vajra, Bell & Drum
- Making a Shrine
- Bodhichitta
- Bodhisattva Vow
- Tantric Refuge
- Samaya
- Ngondro
- Emptiness
- Self, No-Self and Identity in Buddhism
- The Goal of the Path
Course includes:
- Monthly one hour LIVE training class with Pema Khandro via webcast, You also receive the recording via email.
- Optional monthly sessions with a Teaching Assistant via phone or Skype.
- Membership in N.I. with the privilege of discounts, newsletters, and private meetings with Rinpoche.
- Member Events and Sacred Service.
Instructor Support:
The supportive group environment allows for engaging with practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, which fosters the experience of genuine and long-lasting change. Working monthly with Dharma Instructors, will help answer your questions and support your integration of this life-changing information that is rarely explained in depth.
Meets once a month Saturday 8am PST / 11am EST
Upcoming Dates:
- June 7, 2014
- July 5, 2014
- Aug 2, 2014
- Aug 30, 2014
- Oct 4, 2014
Enroll in Vajrayana Training
- Click Here to Enroll
- Tuition: $108/month
- Classes are ongoing with rotating Modules
- Students may enter the training at any point, with a six month commitment
- Vajrayana Training participants are automatically given Practitioner Member status for as long as their enrollment is current
For more information about Vajrayana Training or Ngakpa International’s Membership program, please contact Membership@Ngakpa.org.