Explore in depth the very heart of what the Buddha taught
Tuesdays 7:45pm to 9.30pm with Venerable Geshe Doga
A message from Geshe Doga:
The dynamic of the Study Group is one of open, enthusiastic interaction, which provides a supportive and positive environment for study and meditation.
The real purpose of the study we do here is to recognise and subdue the mind by not allowing the delusions, in particular the three poisons, to arise in the mind, and to increase any virtues that we develop. If we then abide by that conduct in our daily life then whatever worldly knowledge and virtues we may have gained in our earlier studies will actually be to our own benefit.
Current topic: |
Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland - Buddhist Advice for Living and Liberation |
| Began: | 16 February 2010 |
| Textbook: |
Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland - Buddhist Advice for Living and Liberation, Jeffrey Hopkins (Text is available in the Tara Institute bookshop) DOWNLOAD CHAPTER ONE HERE
|
| Fee: | There is no charge for Study Group |
| Other resources: |
Log in here to access Study Group learning resources.The Username and Password are available from the Spiritual Program Director or the Study Group Co-ordinator. |
| Example exam paper: |
Download Block1 Exam Questions here |
In Study Group Geshe Doga guides the students through profound classical Buddhist texts that have been studied for centuries in the great monasteries of Tibet and India. Because the texts can be quite difficult, it is important that you come to study group with extensive knowledge of Buddhist philosophy.
Nagarjuna is renowned for his penetrating analysis of reality. In Precious Garland he offers intimate counsel on how to conduct one’s life and how to construct social policies that reflect Buddhist ideals. The advice for personal happiness is concerned first with improving one’s condition over the course of lifetimes and then with release from all kinds of suffering, culminating in buddhahood.
From Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland – analysed, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins.
Study Group is structured in six-week blocks that are divided into four weeks of teachings by Geshe Doga, a fifth week of discussion on the previous teachings and a written test on the sixth week. You can buy transcripts of the previous week’s teachings for $1.00. You can also complete homework questions aimed at helping you study the teachings. If you submit your answers, a senior student will correct and return them. The discussion week questions and the written test are taken from these homework questions.
The homework, discussions and tests are simply study tools. No scores are recorded and how you perform is a purely personal matter and in no way affects your eligibility to attend future sessions.
Study group members are requested to commit to:
- Regular attendance and study
- Participation in discussion weeks and the exam
- Helping serve the tea during a block of teachings
- Study Group Practice Day:
An annual event where students clean the gompa and associated areas, set up the altar and provide a plate for a shared lunch. Geshe Doga joins us and together, over four sessions during the day, we read Shantideva’s Bodhisattva’s Way of Life in four sessions over the day. - Study Group Seminar:
Another annual event where four groups of Study Group attendees prepare and present their contemplations, analyses and ideas related to particular areas covered by the current text and to field questions on their topic. A wonderful chance to enhance your learning, and everyone is encouraged to attend.
- The Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination
- The Buddhist Schools of Tenets
- Chapter 9 of A Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva
- The Stages and Paths (Sutra)
- Ganden Lha Gya Ma - Lama Tsong Khapa Guru Yoga
- Tantric Stages and Paths
- The Graduated Path to Enlightenment
- Explanation of the Principles of Tenets
- Chandrakirti’s Supplement to the Middle Way
- Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verses
Student TestimonialA wonderful Lama - Venerable Ribur Rinpoche - once told me to listen well to the teachings and then apply them to my life, otherwise there is no point. Geshe Doga’s teachings help me to do this; he always has such practical ways of applying the Buddha’s teachings to life. For me, attending study group makes this easier. For one thing, the regular weekly commitment ensures there is some sort of consistency and continuity in thinking about the teachings. It also means that over the years you get to know people and develop a strong network of dharma buddies that help you work out how the teachings can be applied in our lives and how to tackle our problems in a wiser way. Another benefit of study group is that it offers a variety of ways to learn the dharma, with weekly homework questions, a discussion night and a test. The discussion night is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, to talk about the teachings and clarify the homework with other students. The homework questions are relatively simple and the answers are easily found in the edited transcript. You don’t have to be a genius to attend study group; I’m evidence of that. The teachings are profound, and the way study group is run, you can benefit from the teachings no matter what level of understanding you’ve reached. The questions on the test are the same as the discussion questions, which are the same as the homework questions – so there are no surprises. It’s all good stuff!
|
If you are considering attending Study Group or would like more information, please call the Spiritual Program Co-ordinator on 9596 7410.
