Foundations of the Path

I am deeply grateful to be able to offer this year-long intensive training. It has been my experience that many sincere practitioners long to deepen their practice but often lack the opportunity to receive a systematic foundation in the Buddha’s teachings while being supported in establishing a consistent daily practice. My aspiration for this training is to help bridge that gap.

The Buddha taught a complete path to awakening. While the path unfolds over a lifetime, and indeed many lifetimes, it begins with a strong foundation. Without that foundation, it is difficult for the teachings to take root and mature. With it, every aspect of practice becomes more meaningful, stable, and transformative.

Over the course of this year, we will cultivate that foundation together through the integration of study, contemplation, meditation, and the application of the Dharma in everyday life.

At the heart of the training will be a commitment to daily shamatha practice. Shamatha develops the stability, clarity, and presence that support every stage of the path. Alongside shamatha, we will engage in the daily practice of lojong, the profound tradition of mind training that helps us transform self-centered habits into compassion, resilience, and wisdom. These two practices will become the living thread that runs through the entire year.

Our study will focus on the essential teachings that establish a genuine understanding of the Buddhist path. We will explore the life of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, Dependent Origination, karma, ethics, and the Three Trainings of ethical discipline, meditation, and wisdom. These teachings are not simply ideas to understand intellectually. They are practical instructions that illuminate our own experience and guide us toward greater freedom.

As the year unfolds, we will also immerse ourselves in the Mahāyāna teachings on bodhicitta and the Bodhisattva path. Together we will explore the qualities and aspirations of the Bodhisattva and the practice of the Six Pāramitās, discovering how wisdom and compassion can become the very fabric of our daily lives.

This training is not intended to be merely an introduction to Buddhism, nor simply an academic study of Buddhist philosophy. It is an invitation to establish the causes and conditions for genuine transformation through disciplined practice, careful study, and heartfelt contemplation.

My aspiration is that, by the end of the year, each participant will have established a stable daily meditation practice, developed a clear understanding of the foundational teachings of the Buddha, and cultivated the confidence and discernment that come from integrating those teachings into everyday life.

More importantly, I hope this training will provide the proper foundation to genuinely engage the Bodhisattva path, the path that leads to complete enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. For those who feel called to the Vajrayana, my aspiration is that this year will also establish the traditional foundations necessary to receive and engage in Vajrayana practice in a meaningful, authentic, and beneficial way.

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition emphasizes that the highest teachings become truly effective only when they rest upon a firm foundation. It is my hope that this year will help establish that foundation. It is not something to complete, but something to carry with you throughout your life as your practice continues to deepen.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you. Together we will study the Buddha’s teachings, train our minds and hearts, support one another in practice, and cultivate the causes for awakening for our own benefit and for the benefit of all beings.

Here is the Zoom link: Orientation Session