Foundation Program
More about the Foundation Program:
Sunday evenings in two sessions, the first from 4:30 pm to 6pm followed by the second session from 6:30 to 8pm. There is a half hour dinner break in between the two sessions.
Teacher: Gen Kelsang Sanden
Where: Classes held at Dorjechang Buddhist Centre, 2673 Trinity Street, Abbotsford, 604.853.3738
Class dates: Most Sundays except for long weekends From January to June, resuming in September. No class on Valentine's day. No class on March 14th since this is moving day! Class on March 21st as usual.
What do we study?
Five subjects are studied, based on the following texts by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. These focus on Buddha’s Sutra teachings in an accessible and practical manner.
- Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim), based on Joyful Path of Good Fortune.
- Training the Mind, based on Universal Compassion and Eight Steps to Happiness
- The Heart Sutra, based on Heart of Wisdom
- Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, based on Meaningful to Behold
- Understanding the Mind, based on the book of the same name.
What is the structure?
The secret of the Foundation Program’s success lies in the manageable commitment and clear structure of study. The classes are divided into terms, with plenty of breaks between each term.
Commitments:
Students sign up for a year and undertake to keep the following commitments to the best of their ability:
- to attend every class
- to memorize the relevant material
- to attend one puja (chanted prayers) each week
- to take a test at the end of the year
- to volunteer some help with running the Centre
How do I join?
Please contact the Education Program Coordinator (Laurel Konrad) for an interview. It is recommended you sit in on a class before you enrol.
What does it cost?
The cost is $85 a month for a Foundation Program Centre Card which also includes most General Program classes (such as evening classes, day courses, and retreats). Arrangements can be made with the administrative director for those experiencing financial hardship.
Integrating Dharma into our Lives
(From a talk by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso)
Our present understanding and experience of Dharma is quite superficial. We are like someone who has entered a huge food store and seen many things but sampled only a few. We may have received many different teachings from many different Teachers, but we have taken in very little, just a few morsels. Therefore our actual experience remains superficial. There is a gap between us and the Dharma. It feels as if Dharma is there and we are here. Our mind is not mixed with Dharma and so we cannot apply it in our daily lives.
As a result our ordinary everyday problems remain. For example, we may have received many teachings on Lamrim and read many books. Intellectually we find it relatively easy to understand and we accept it all, but we find it difficult to integrate into our daily lives, and so we cannot use this Dharma to solve our daily problems. When we study Dharma our mind remains passive, like someone watching television. It does not engage in the subject and mix with it. Therefore our daily life and our Dharma remain completely separate and unrelated.
Why is this? It is because we are not studying systematically according to a specially-designed program. If we just pick at Dharma randomly we will never gain a deep and stable experience, and our wisdom will never become like a full moon.
The Foundation and Teacher Training Programs, therefore, are real wishfulfilling jewels for Dharma practitioners. By participating in them we can improve our wisdom and Dharma experience and use Dharma to solve our daily problems. We can become our own protector by protecting ourselves from danger and suffering, and our own doctor by curing our mental pain with Dharma medicine. We shall be able to set a good example for others to follow and help others by giving teachings and advice. In this way we will make both our own and others’ human lives extremely meaningful.