Registration for Exploring Buddhism 2024 is now open
What is Exploring Buddhism?
Exploring Buddhism is our newest long-term course, co-developed by senior FPMT teachers including Geshe Namdak, Geshe Legtsok and Venerable Joan Nicell.
It was conceived as a bridge between the foundation-level Discovering Buddhism and the advanced-level Basic Program.
The course presents selected Buddhist topics providing a strong basis for study, contemplation and meditation.
The aim of ‘Exploring Buddhism’ is to support those who are curious about Buddhist teachings gain a thorough understanding of them and put them into practice.
A collaborative approach
As a new course,We are also very delighted to grow our ongoing partnership with Nalanda Monastery by delivering this cycle of Exploring Buddhism together. We will also be joined by students from Nagarjuna Centre Madrid and Maitreya Institute Amsterdam.
In this new cycle, we will focus specifically on the four topics which act as a bridge between Discovering Buddhism and Basic Program, so it’s helpful for students to have some background knowledge of structured teachings on the Buddhist path, or Lam Rim.
Exploring Buddhism Teachers
Geshe Tenzin Losel
Geshe Losel is a graduate of the Institute of Dialectics in Dharamsala, India and studied there under the famous scholar Gen Lobsang Gyatso. A British monk, Graham Woodhouse is one of the very few Westerners trained in the traditional Tibetan way as a Geshe. He received his Geshe degree from Drepung Loseling Monastic College. He has knowledge of the texts, skill in translating, and an ability to convey the subtleties of Buddhist thought in lucid English. Geshe Losel now lives at Nalanda Monastery in France, where he taught traditional Buddhist debate.
Geshe Tenzin Namdak
After completing his university studies in Hydrology, Geshe Namdak worked as an environmental researcher in the Netherlands. He was eventually ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama before completing the 20-year Geshe degree at Sera Jey Monastic University in India, as well as the traditional 1-year Vajrayana study program at Gyume Tantric College. Geshe Namdak‘s incorporates his knowledge of science into his teaching, with a clear, warm and humorous style. Geshe Namdak is now Resident Teacher at Jamyang London Buddhist Centre.
What will I learn?
Our regular Thursday evening classes will take place over 18 months, with regular study breaks and a winter holiday. During this time the topics covered will be:
Exploring the Mind and Philosophy
- Exploring the Mind
- Exploring the View, Tenets and the Middle Way
- Exploring the Fundamentals of Reasoning and Debate
- Exploring the Sutra Grounds and Paths
What do I need to know?
- Classes will take place on Thursday evenings.
- You’ll access recordings of classes and materials through our learning platform.
- You’ll learn through a combination of classes, review sessions and discussion sessions.
- You’ll learn through a combination of in-person and online learning, or exclusively online, according to your preference.
- Official course certification from FPMT is available.
- Be part of a supportive community of fellow student-practitioners.
Course Schedule
Teachings: Weekly | Thursdays | 18:30 – 20:00
Review Sessions: Monthly | Saturdays | 9:30 – 11:30
View the full course schedule
What will it cost?
We rely on the generous donations of students to run our centre, so we provide recommended donation tiers to help students gauge what level of monthly donation they can offer to support the costs of running the course.
However, we run all our Buddhist programmes on a Generosity Model. This means nobody is turned away due to lack of funds. All are welcome to enrol, regardless of financial circumstances.
Access to the course materials will be available to students for 1 year after the end of the course.
How do I enrol?
