Gar Drolma Curriculum Offerings

Essence of the Mahayana Online Course

The main emphasis of Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche’s Essence of Mahayana teachings will be an extensive and thorough presentation of Jigten Sumgon’s renowned text The Essence of the Mahayana (Thekchen Tenpai Nyingpo). This text presents the main stages of the path of practice in the Drikung Kagyu Tradition. It begins with a discussion of the 4 Thoughts and how to follow a spiritual teacher, continues with Refuge, Bodhicitta and the Bodhicitta vows, and concludes with a presentation of the Vajrayana, including the stages of the Five Fold Mahamudra. Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche has composed and published a commentary on this classic text and will be using it as the basis of his explanation. This book can be purchased here.

These teachings will also be offered via live stream as a single online course.

  • Those who register for the course will receive private links for live streams of the teaching events (including empowerments).
  • Video recordings have been uploaded to a password protected site to which subscribers will have unlimited access. Video recordings of the teachings will only be available to course participants and will not be available publicly on YouTube.
  • Each topic will also have a discussion forum dedicated to it. The forum will be moderated by a senior student and allow participants to discuss the teachings and ask questions. Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche will reply to student questions.

Fee: $108
$25 will go to the fundraiser, Educate Tibet (more info here)

Questions? Email admin@gardrolmacourses.com

To support your practice throughout the course and answer questions, there are:

  • Supplemental resources for each technique for students who wish to explore the topic further
  • A discussion forum for each technique that allows students to engage in discussions with other students in the class
  • Q&A about the practices that will be answered by teaching assistants, Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche or Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche, depending upon the nature of the question.

Stages of Meditation Online Course

This curriculum was created at the request of Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche by Khenpo Samdrup Rinpoche, based upon his book The Stages of Meditation, Awakening the Mind. It is intended to give real world experience in a progressive series of meditation techniques to enhance the meditation experience of students at all levels—and also to be easy to access by students everywhere. Garchen Rinpoche expressed that it has been his wish to make such a course available online for years.

Fee: $99
$25 will go to the fundraiser, Educate Tibet (more info here)

Questions? Email admin@gardrolmacourses.com

How the course works:

This course is designed to take students step-by-step through a series of progressive meditation techniques.

Each technique has clear meditation instructions and objectives. These include a minimum time commitment spent in meditation practice of each technique as outlined by Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche. The minimum time requirements ensure that students become thoroughly familiar with each meditation practice before moving on. The course is self-paced and you control the rate you progress through it.

To support your practice throughout the course and answer questions, there are:

  • Supplemental resources for each technique for students who wish to explore the topic further
  • A discussion forum for each technique that allows students to engage in discussions with other students in the class
  • Q&A about the practices that will be answered by teaching assistants, Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche or Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche, depending upon the nature of the question.

MEDITATION CURRICULUM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING TEACHINGS:

  • Precious Human Birth Teaching and Meditation
  • Impermanence Teaching and Meditation
  • Karma Teaching and Meditation
  • Defects of Samsara Teaching and Meditation
  • Chenrezig Empowerment Loving Kindness Teaching and Meditation
  • Compassion Teaching and Meditation
  • Bodhisattva Vows and Bodhicitta Teaching and Meditation
  • Shamatha Calm-abiding Teaching and Meditation
  • Vipassana Insight Teaching and Meditation
  • Buddha White Tara Empowerment and Generation Stage Teaching and Meditation
  • Completion Stage Teaching and Meditation
  • Flight of Garuda Teaching and Meditation