This course, offered remotely via Zoom on Monday evenings, begins May 17 and continues through June 21.
In the Mahayana teachings, we look at the possibility of limitless compassion and bodhichitta, the boundless intention to help all sentient beings. This motivation and its application are based on the crucial Mahayana notion that all sentient beings possess buddha nature, the potential to become a perfect buddha.
The studies of personal selflessness in the Hinayana are the jumping-off point for widening our vision to embrace the profound Mahayana selflessness of the “great emptiness” of all phenomena as well as the vast training and fruition of the path of a buddha-to-be.
This course is an updated and greatly revised version of the Nalandabodhi Mahayana Series with many new materials based on talks by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, especially in the areas of mind training, Madhyamaka, Mind-Only, Yogachara, Shentong, and Buddha Nature.
This course introduces us to the idea of buddha nature — the understanding that our hearts and minds are, from the beginning, the same as the Buddha’s.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to Buddhism
MAHAYANA 306 – PARAMITAS, PATHS AND BHUMIS
- May 17: The Ten Paramitas
- May 24: The Five Paths
- May 31: The Ten Grounds of Awakening
- June 7: Mind’s Dimensions of Awakening
- June 14: Transcending Delusion, Unfolding Wisdom
- June 21: Review
Path of Study Coordinator: Susan Kirchoff
Register to receive the Zoom link and access to recordings of the class sessions.



