Study at Nalanda Monastery
The Basic Program
The FPMT Basic Program was designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche as an integrated program of Buddhist studies suitable for a contemporary setting.
It is a five-year comprehensive, practice-oriented transmission of the Buddhadharma for committed students who wish to progress beyond introductory level of study and practice.
The FPMT Basic Program is offered at a variety of levels, both residential and non-residential, in FPMT centers worldwide. It is also available as Homestudy and as Basic Program Online.
The third FPMT Basic Program at Nalanda Monastery started in February 2018.
Read more about the Basic Program
The Masters Program
The FPMT Masters Program in Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra is the unique vision of Lama Thubten Yeshe, first implemented and developed into the current curriculum by Geshe Jampa Gyatso. As a full-time study program with integrated practice and training components, it aims at providing serious students of Lama Tsongkhapa’s tradition greater depth of study and trains qualified teachers of Buddhist theory and practice.
At Nalanda, the program consists of seven years of study of five great texts, with integrated training and service components, and one year of retreat.
The Masters Program started at Nalanda Monastery in September 2013.
What is the Basic Program?
The Basic Program has been specifically designed by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to provide a balanced approach to the combination of academic education and the practice of meditation that characterise the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, making the study and understanding of the philosophical subjects of immediate and practical benefit. The Basic Program has been structured around a schedule of teachings, review classes, and discussion groups alternating with meditation retreats so as to encourage the integration of the teachings into one's practice with a view to gaining a personal experience of them.
“The goal of this Basic Program is to learn how to practise Dharma properly. To do this, we need to understand the Dharma and we therefore need to study. Studying for the sake of just acquiring knowledge is similar to studying science at university and is therefore purely theoretical whereas the teachings of the Dharma are to be put into practice. We have to take the essence of what we learn to try to gradually improve our minds through it.
What is the Masters Program?
The FPMT Masters Program in Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra is the unique vision of Lama Thubten Yeshe, first implemented and developed into the current curriculum by Geshe Jampa Gyatso. As a full-time study program with integrated practice and training components, it aims at providing serious students of Lama Tsongkhapa’s tradition greater depth of study and trains qualified teachers of Buddhist theory and practice.
At Nalanda, the Masters Program is taught by the abbot of Nalanda Monastery, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Losang Jamphel, a fully qualified Tibetan Lharampa Geshe. Supplemental to the lectures there are review classes offered by a highly experienced Teaching Assistant.
The program offers an in-depth study of five great texts as well as extensive retreat experience, all of which will provide a thorough grounding in sutra and tantra. It is a uniquely inspiring and fulfilling way for both ordained and lay Buddhists to learn and practice the Dharma. As the culmination of the FPMT's Buddhist education programs, it is intended to train qualified non-Tibetan Dharma teachers.
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