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For many years I have hoped to give sincerely interested foreigners
an opportunity to study Buddhism. For this reason I began, with
the support of benefactors and Dharma friends, to construct a building
for housing a new International Buddhist Academy (IBA). Now that
the construction is nearly complete, I am happy to announce the
coming opening of the academy for its first term of instruction.
The academy will offer three courses of study, presented through
one or more three-month semesters per year (initially August through
October, 2001). Other activities such as translation, research and
publication of rare texts will continue at the academy all year
round. The first semester of instruction in August, 2001, will begin
with a special inaugural teaching given by His Holiness Sakya Trizin
on the "Parting From the Four Attachments", meant for
students of all courses.
The three main courses of study at the IBA are: (1) Buddhist Practice,
(2) Buddhist Philosophy, and (3) Tibetan Language. The course in
Buddhist Practice is intended to teach the fundamentals of Buddhism
to those who are mainly interested in practice, or who may not have
time for more detailed studies. The Course in Buddhist Philosophy
introduces in a more thorough way the main philosophical concepts
and doctrines of Buddhism.
The course in Tibetan Language is intended for anyone desiring
to learn Tibetan, particularly as it relates to the study of Dharma.
The full four-year course presents the basics of Buddhist practice
through the following main texts:
| Year One |
The Illumination of the Sage's Intent (Thupay
Gongsal) by Sakya Pandita.
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| Year Two |
Entering the Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Shantideva
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| Year Three |
(a.) Letter to a Friend (Suhrlekha) by Nagarjuna,
and (b.) The Triple Vision (Nang Sum) by Konchok Lhundrup |
| Year Four |
(a.) Mahayana Seven-Point Mind Training (Lojong,)
or (b.) Stages of Meditation (Bhavanakrama) by Kamalashila. |
Students who complete this course will gain a firm foundation for
the later practice of both Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Furthermore,
the course is an indispensable preparation for the correct practice
of the Vajrayana.
This four-year course presents four main fields of Buddhist scholarship.
| Year One |
Madhyamika Philosophy (theories of reality; critical
ontology). (a.) Candrakirti's Madhyamakavartara, (b.) Key points
of Madhyamika theory, and (c.) The differences between Prasangika
and Svatantrika schools of Madhyamika. |
| Year Two |
Pramana (Buddhist Logic and Epistemology). The
main texts: (a.) Treasury of Logical Reasoning by Sakya Pandita,
and (b.) its Rigter Salje commentary.
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| Year Three |
Abhidharma (Buddhist analysis of the factors of
existence and experience). The main texts are: (a.) The Abhidharmakosha
of Vasubandu and (b.) The Shejay Gojay by Sonam Senge. |
| Year Four |
Prajnaparamita (Philosophy of the Perfection of
Wisdom and theory of Buddhahood). The main text: The Abhisamayalamkara
of Maitreya.
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Abhidharma works are commentaries on the Hinayana sutras, while
Madhyamika and Prajnaparamita (Pharchin) treatises clarify the Mahayana
sutras. Thus one who studies these subjects correctly will be able
to understand the contents of both Hinayana and Mahayana sutras.
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