BP Stages of the Path
“With study comes understanding; but this must be put to use. It is therefore vital to put as much as one can of what one has studied into practice.”
The Tuesday night Stages of the Path class is one of the core subjects of the series of Intermediate Level Classes known as the FPMT Basic Program or BP. It requires some previous study to attend these classes.
The Basic Program Classes are taught by our Resident Teacher, Lharampa Geshe Wangchen.
The celebrated system of teachings known as the Stages of the Path (lamrim) represents a synthesis of the entire path to enlightenment. Presented in a clear and concise form, these teachings are easy to understand and apply in meditation. Instruction begins with the preliminary practices, and then progresses through the essential practices of the ‘beings of the three scopes’, including correct guru devotion, renunciation, the altruistic wish for enlightenment and the view of the middle way. As a foundation and context for Buddhist practice, this subject is a key element of the FPMT Basic Program.
Je Tsongkhapa’s The Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, published by Wisdom Publications, is the root text for the class.
This class is highly recommended for all, including those new to intermediate level classes.
Course Dates
This subject began on 16 July 2024 and is planned to go for approximately 1 year minus the summer break (mid-Dec to mid-Feb). Classes are on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 – 9pm. There are optional fortnightly discussion nights on Thursdays from 7.30 – 9pm led by a senior student discussion leader.
*Please note that this course is temporarily paused due to unforeseen circumstances. We will announce when we are able to resume this class. Thank you for your patience.
Costs
The costs include the Materials Fee (one-off) and the Facility Fees (per class – or free for Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors). Here are the full details:
Materials Fee
[Here is a quick link to the Stages of the Path Supplementary Materials page for students who have already registered and paid their Materials Fee for this class: Stages of the Path Materials Page Link – you will need to log in using your username and the password you set (you can reset your password if needed)]
The root text for this BP subject is The Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment by Tsongkhapa, translated by Philip Quarcoo and recently published by Wisdom Publications. This is currently only available in hardcover and ebook versions. We have imported 20 copies of the hardback book from Wisdom Publications for students of this class.
Class handouts are distributed in printed form for those attending in person and in digital form for those who are receiving the audio recordings via email. An excellent array of supplementary materials in pdf form (including charts, supplementary commentaries and more) will be made available to you online. These materials together allow for and support full participation in the class.
We offer three materials options for this class (which everyone attending the class must select one of):
1. Hardcover Materials Package: Hardcover book, handouts and online supplementary materials – cost $135 NZD
2. Ebook Materials Package: Ebook, handouts and online supplementary materials – cost $75 NZD
3. Handouts and Supplementary Materials Package: Handouts and online supplementary materials ONLY (for people who already own this book) – cost $35 NZD
A note on the Ebook version provided by Wisdom Publications:
Wisdom Publications’ website says “The files you receive when you purchase an eBook are MOBI and ePub, which can be read by most reading apps and devices, including Amazon’s Kindle. They do not offer PDF versions of eBooks, for copyright reasons. For Kindle, specifically, you can use the “Send to Kindle” feature to forward MOBI or ePub files directly to your Kindle device (or for reading on the Kindle app, which is available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android).” To read more visit https://wisdomexperience.org/wisdom-ebooks/
Facility Fees
$10 per class (Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors are free)
The Facility Fee for the optional Discussion Nights on alternate Thursdays is also $10 (Dharma Friend Monthly Contributors are free).
We highly recommend that Basic Program Students consider becoming a Dharma Friend Monthly Contributor if they are not already one.
There are Three Payment Method Options for paying the Materials and Facility Fees:
- paying by internet banking (bank account details are provided on the Materials Fee and Facility Fee Payment Forms)
- paying by cash or cheque in person (cheques payable to “Dorje Chang Institute”)
- paying by PayPal using either a PayPal account or a credit card – please note that PayPal takes a small portion of each payment
Attending for a Second or Third Time?
Wonderful!
If you attended this subject at DCI during the first or second round of the BP, Geshe-la highly encourages you to attend this subject again in order to deepen your knowledge.
As there is a new version of the root text for this subject it is recommended to purchase this new version. Now that the book has been officially published by Wisdom Publications, we are no longer allowed to make previous drafts of this book available for students. The handouts will also be new for this year-long course.
If you already completed this subject, including the subject completion test, you will not need to do the subject completion test again.
If you would like to join us again for this subject please register for this class using the registration form.
How to Join the Class
Questions? Please feel free to contact us using our Contact Form or by calling our Spiritual Program Office 09 8288776 if you have questions about joining the class.
Are you new to the FPMT Basic Program?
If this is your first time joining a subject of the FPMT Basic Program Intermediate Class Series at Dorje Chang Institute we recommend you familiarise yourself with the format and components of these classes by clicking the button below.
