When people think of the Lamrim, they often look ahead to its profound teachings on bodhichitta and emptiness. Yet Lama Tsongkhapa presents a different vision of the path: each stage depends upon the one before it. Without a deep appreciation of the precious opportunity of this life, the certainty of death, the workings of karma, and the protection of refuge, the higher realizations of the path cannot take firm root.

The initial scope is therefore not a preliminary to be hurried through. It is the indispensable foundation upon which every later realization rests.

In this four-part course, Venerable Sangye Khadro draws from her acclaimed book, How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path, to guide participants through the foundational contemplations of the Lamrim with the depth and care they deserve. Each 90-minute session combines traditional lineage instruction, practical commentary, and guided meditation, creating space not only to understand these teachings intellectually but to begin integrating them into everyday life.

Whether you are encountering the Lamrim for the first time or returning to strengthen your foundation after years of practice, this course offers an opportunity to deepen the contemplations that support the entire path to awakening.

What You’ll Gain

Throughout this series, you will have the opportunity to:
– Understand why the initial scope provides the indispensable foundation for all subsequent Lamrim practice.
– Learn a traditional framework for establishing and maintaining a Lamrim meditation practice.
– Deepen your personal understanding of precious human life, impermanence, refuge, and karma through sustained contemplation and guided meditation.
– Recognize how the eight worldly concerns influence daily life and begin cultivating greater freedom from their pull.
– Develop a stronger sense of purpose and urgency in practice through reflection on death, rebirth, and the rarity of this precious opportunity.
– Learn practical methods of purification that can become part of an ongoing daily practice.

Course Schedule

Session One: The Framework of Lamrim Meditation
Learn the traditional structure of a Lamrim meditation session and establish a stable foundation through mindfulness of breathing. Understanding how the Lamrim is practiced provides the framework for integrating these contemplations into a lifelong spiritual practice.

Session Two: Precious Human Life and the Eight Worldly Concerns
Reflect on the extraordinary opportunity afforded by a precious human rebirth and examine the subtle hopes and fears that shape our daily experience. These contemplations help shift our attention from merely pursuing temporary happiness toward making this life profoundly meaningful.

Session Three: Death, Impermanence, and Rebirth
Engage deeply with the traditional nine-point meditation on death, allowing time for its insights to become personally meaningful rather than remaining abstract ideas. The session concludes with contemplations on rebirth and the unfortunate realms, cultivating a greater appreciation for the urgency of Dharma practice.

Session Four: Refuge, Karma, and Purification
Explore the meaning and purpose of taking refuge and examine karma as the framework for understanding how actions shape future experience. The course concludes with the four opponent powers of purification—one of the Lamrim’s most practical methods for transforming negative karma and strengthening one’s path.

Who Should Attend?
This course is suitable for both new and experienced practitioners. No previous study of the Lamrim is required. Those new to Buddhism will receive a clear and systematic introduction to the foundational contemplations of the path, while longtime practitioners will benefit from returning to the meditations upon which every deeper realization depends.

Recommended Reading
Participants are encouraged, but not required, to have a copy of How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path available during the course.

Format
Each session is 90 minutes and includes traditional lineage teachings, practical commentary, guided meditation, and opportunities for questions and discussion.