Summer 2012 Courses at Nyingma Institute
Summer 2012 Courses
Nyingma Institute courses are offered in four quarters of ten weeks (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) and a four-week session in September. To meet the needs of our students, almost all courses are scheduled in the evening, and some meditation and Nyingma Psychology courses are also offered during the day. The daytime sessions mirror evening courses.
Each course is an integral part of one of our seven Certificate Programs and we recommend that all those interested in attending courses register for one of these programs. Each Certificate Program offers a focused educational opportunity to master an aspect of our curriculum. It is also possible to attend individual courses for which you meet the prerequisites as an auditor.
The course list below gives dates, times, and short descriptions. Following the course descriptions are links to the Certificate Program or Programs. Click on the link to visit our web site for full descriptions of the Programs. The costs shown below apply when the courses are taken individually; costs are lower when courses are taken as part of a Certificate Program.
Summer 2012
June 4—August 13, 2012
Buddhist Studies and Practices
Buddhist Studies introduces students to Shakyamuni Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma), and the great masters (the Sangha) who form the living link to the path of enlightenment.
Jack Petranker teaching a Path of Liberation class
Nyingma Institute classrooms are filled with the rich art of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineage.
DHS203 Who Owns Mind?
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 5—August 9)
Following an ancient Buddhist system of questioning and analysis, we glimpse how human beings might function free of the confines of "self." We sensitively explore consciousness, looking for the source of thoughts, feelings, impulses, and actions.
Cost: $ 360. Instructors: Sylvia Gretchen and Jack Petranker. Students are encouraged to attend the associated workshops, "Question of Identity: Ten Kinds of Self" on June 22—23, and "Cultivating Unlimited Love" on August 3—4. Prerequisite: DHS202 or consent of the instructors.
DHS211 Buddhist Studies Tutorial: Shaping Reality
Thursdays, 1—2:30 PM (June 7—August 9)
The beautiful flower of human transformation, a vision of possibilities, grows from the muddy water of each moment of ordinary experience. Tarthang Tulku, Milking the Painted Cow.
The creative power of mind to shape reality is examined directly—mind becomes the matter under investigation. This course employs study and meditative practice to approach knowledge of transformation.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. Based on Tarthang Tulku's Milking the Painted Cow. Open to all students with a sincere interest in the Buddha's teachings.
Nyingma Meditation
The practice of Nyingma Meditation leads to serenity and insight. Courses provide instruction in meditation techniques and support for daily practice.
MED104 Beginning Meditation: Self-Observation
Morning Session: Tuesdays, 10—11:30 AM (June 5—August 7)
Evening Session: Thursdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 7—August 9)
The focus of this course is on observing the mind, emotions, and feelings. Students learn how to stay mindful in a relaxed, but concentrated manner. Basic meditation practices are presented in a way that help make wholesome self-discovery a way of life.
Cost: $ 180. Instructors: Ken McKeon (mornings); Rosalyn White and Hugh Joswick (evenings). For beginners and those wishing to review basic techniques.
MED204 Intermediate Meditation: Discovering Mind
Morning Session: Wednesdays, 10—11:30 AM (June 6—August 8)
Evening Session: Thursdays, 8—9:30 PM (June 7—August 9)
Through meditation the mind is experienced as alive, sensitive, and brilliant. In this course, students are led through contemplative practices that reveal deeper levels of mind than are ordinarily recognized.
Cost: $ 180. Instructors: Jack Petranker (mornings); Hugh Joswick (evenings). Prerequisite: one year of meditation experience.
MED209 Intermediate Meditation: Shamatha and Vipashyana
Wednesdays, 8—9:30 PM (June 6—August 8)
Two aspects of meditative practice, shamatha (calming) and vipashyana (insight) quiet the wild energies of mind and clarify the confusion created by ignorance. Students practice classic meditations with a minimum of instruction.
Cost: $ 180. Instructors: Hugh Joswick and the Nyingma Institute meditation faculty. Prerequisite: two years of meditation experience.
MED304 Advanced Meditation: Samadhi
Mondays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 4—August 6)
Transparent and single-pointed, mind enters states of meditation known as samadhi.
This primarily experiential course includes a careful reading of the 14th century Nyingma master Longchenpa's description on how to develop samadhi, its levels, and relationship with the Paths and Stages of attainment. We also look at Longchenpa's teachings on the evolution of consciousness at the time of death.
Cost: $ 180, which includes the July 21 workshop "The Bardo is Now." Based on the Shing-rta-chen-po by Longchenpa (an adaptation of the text will be provided to students).
Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. Prerequisite: three years of meditation experience and consent of the instructor. Those attending this course will benefit from also attending the Advanced Kum Nye course held Mondays, 8-9:30 PM.
Nyingma Psychology
Nyingma psychology offers unique insight into the human situation and innovative ways to ease emotional discomfort.
NPS102 Transforming Negative Emotions
Mondays, 8—9:30 PM (June 11—August 13)
Introspective practices and insights from the Buddhist tradition can transform the destructive power of "everyday" negative emotions. Based on Tarthang Tulku's Openness Mind, this course gives specific antidotes for anger, fear, anxiety, and attachment.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. For all levels of students. Note that this course starts on June 11, one week later than other summer courses.
Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)
The gentle movement, massage, and breathing practices of Kum Nye promote physical and emotional health as they bridge the gap between the material and the spiritual.
KNR103 Beginning Kum Nye: Releasing Tension and Restoring Balance
Wednesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 6—August 8)
Kum Nye movement and awareness exercises help release physical and emotional tension. Practices in this course focus on giving students tools to restore balance in their lives and deepen their spiritual awareness.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Jack van der Meulen. For all levels of students.
KNR303 Advanced Kum Nye
Mondays, 8—9:30 PM (June 4—August 6)
Advanced Kum Nye movement, breath, and visualization practices from Tarthang Tulku's Joy of Being form the core of this course. Exercises are offered on different levels of engagement in order to challenge intermediate and advanced students.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Santosh Philip. Prerequisite: two years of Kum Nye practice or consent of instructor. Those attending "Advanced Kum Nye" will benefit from complimentary practices given in the meditation course "Samadhi" offered on Mondays, 6:15-7:45 PM.
KNR107 Sunday Morning Kum Nye
Sundays, 10 AM—Noon (every Sunday)
Re-awaken a spirit of ease and appreciation through gentle Tibetan Yoga practices that relax and rejuvenate. Each session includes movement, massage, and breathing exercises.
Cost: $ 15 per session. Instructors: Jack van der Meulen, Santosh Philip, and Dave Abercrombie. This drop-in class is for all levels of students.
Time, Space, and Knowledge
Space and Time are not simply backgrounds or supporting mediums for our ordinary pursuits and experience; they can provide a very special and direct form of nourishment for our "humanity" or human nature. Tarthang Tulku in Time, Space, and Knowledge.
TSK108 Time, Space, and Knowledge: Perspectives and Practices
Wednesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 6-August 8)
Enter into Tarthang Tulku's visionary teachings on Time, Space, and Knowledge (TSK) through this introductory course. An open path of transformative inquiry, TSK is not based on a set of beliefs or a code of conduct. Its approach is light and direct. Encouraging and liberating the deepest capacities of being human, TSK offers a wonderfully refreshing way of being in the world. From the outside, the TSK vision may seem quite daunting. From within, the view is quite different.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Ken McKeon. For all levels of students.
TSK104 TSK Right from the Start!
Tuesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 5—August 7)
Knowledge, as the interplay between the openness of space and the creativity of time, is accessed through dialogue and contemplative exercises. This course awakens the discerning capacity of the mind.
Cost: $ 180. Instructors: Ken McKeon and Tom Morse. For all levels of students.
Skillful Means
If we use work to challenge our limits, to perfect awareness and deepen concentration, then work can open into knowledge that makes us more successful while also nourishing us at the deepest levels. By letting work guide us toward deeper knowledge, we can end each day with a sense of enjoyment and a feeling that we have accomplished something of real benefit. Tarthang Tulku, Mastering Successful Work.
SKM213 Skillful Means: Working Well Together
Tuesdays, 8—9:30 PM (June 5—August 7)
Good communication and empathy are at the heart of working well with others. This course utilizes innovative exercises and ideas that enhance individual creativity in an atmosphere of honest good will.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Barr Rosenberg. Includes the August 11 workshop, "Communicating Well."
Tibetan Language
Developing a reading knowledge of classical written Tibetan gives access to a vast literature, largely unavailable in Western languages.
TIB104 Beginning Tibetan, Level IV
Thursdays, 8—9:30 PM (June 7—August 9)
Readings from Longchenpa's Sems-nyid-ngal-gso and the Pranidhanaraja.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Mark Henderson. Prerequisite: TIB103 or consent of the instructor.
TIB204 Intermediate Tibetan, Level IV
Fridays, 6:15—7:45 PM (June 8—August 10)
Readings from Kamalashila's Bhavanakrama and Jamgon Kongtrul's bla-ma-rgyan-'bod.
Cost: $ 180. Instructor: Mark Henderson. Prerequisite: TIB203 or consent of the instructor.
TIB301 Tibetan Tutorial
Fridays, 4:30—5:45 PM (June 8—August 10)
Continued reading and translation of Tibetan texts.
Cost: $ 180. Instructors: Barr Rosenberg and Sylvia Gretchen. Prerequisite: consent of the instructors.
Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program; Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program Four-Month Human Development Training Retreat
Nyingma Psychology Program Beginning Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Path of Liberation Program;
'FEEL' by Bombay Dub Orchestra
Comments
Post a Comment