This course uses an introductory text, suitable for the general public and based on A Panoramic View of Buddhism: The Teachings Traced in Fifteen Divisions, Based on the Nyingma Nine-Vehicle Classification, to study the whole of the Buddhist path step by step from the beginning. No prior knowledge is needed.
About the Seminar
With the permission of Chung Tulku Rinpoche, we will read the following three books in turn as an official seminar of our center.
Now in Progress — A Panoramic View of Buddhism
The sessions on A Panoramic View of Buddhism have already begun. We are working toward making recordings of past sessions available to view. For the other two books, we will announce the schedule in our news and event calendar once it is decided.
▶ Seminar Participants' Page (Zoom and recordings; members only)
About the Text
This course uses a text that gathers the content of A Panoramic View of Buddhism: The Teachings Traced in Fifteen Divisions, Based on the Nyingma Nine-Vehicle Classification that can be shared with the general public. We will use A Panoramic View of Buddhism itself as the text only after receiving the permission of Chung Tulku Rinpoche.
The book describes a single, continuous path, beginning with the teachings of the Buddha and moving through the Mahayana, the Tantric teachings, and Dzogchen, all the way to Yangti Nakpo. It has five volumes. Volumes 1 and 2 are open to everyone. Volumes 3 to 5 are given to those who have received, from Chung Tulku Rinpoche, the empowerment that corresponds to that volume. For technical terms, we have added the pronunciation and an explanation each time they appear.
The preface and table of contents are available to read. Please start here to get a sense of what kind of book it is.
What Is A Panoramic View of Buddhism? — A Map of the Fifteen Vehicles
The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism has handed down the "nine-vehicle classification," which arranges the teachings in order of depth. The "fifteen vehicles" of A Panoramic View of Buddhism take these nine vehicles as their foundation and open up the inside of the ninth, Atiyoga (Dzogchen). First, Atiyoga is divided into three, Semde (Mind Series), Longde (Space Series), and Menngagde (Instruction Series), which become the tenth to twelfth vehicles. Then the teachings handed down in the innermost part of the Menngagde (the utmost secret and unsurpassed, Yangsang Lanamepa) are divided into three, Ati (Essence), Chiti (Supreme Essence), and Yangti (Ultimate Essence), which become the thirteenth to fifteenth vehicles. Yangti Nakpo is the last of these, the fifteenth vehicle. This way of counting is not widely used within the Nyingma school; please understand it as an arrangement meant to make the path of study easier to survey.
| Category | Vehicle | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Sutra | 1 | Shravaka Vehicle |
| 2 | Pratyekabuddha Vehicle | |
| 3 | Bodhisattva Vehicle | |
| Tantra | 4 | Kriya Tantra |
| 5 | Charya Tantra | |
| 6 | Yoga Tantra | |
| 7 | Mahayoga | |
| 8 | Anuyoga | |
| Dzogchen | 9 | Atiyoga |
| 10 | Semde (Mind Series) | |
| 11 | Longde (Space Series) | |
| 12 | Menngagde (Instruction Series) | |
| 13 | Ati (Essence) | |
| 14 | Chiti (Supreme Essence) | |
| 15 | Yangti (Ultimate Essence) |
Upcoming Seminar Plans
- The Practice of Bodhicitta (by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche) — to learn the basics of Buddhism
- The Practice of Dzogchen — to learn the teachings and practice of the Nyingma school
Once the dates are decided, we will announce them in our news and event calendar.
About the Seminar
We hold the seminar online (Zoom). Study and practice go forward side by side.
Study: We study sutras and treatises, and deepen our understanding through discussion.
Practice: Step by step, from the basics of meditation, to Mahayana Buddhism (the Sutra path: arousing bodhicitta and the six perfections), to the preliminary practices (Ngondro) (Sutra and Tantra), proceeding in a way that suits each person's own journey.
How to Apply
- Please complete your member registration (free)
- Log in, open the members' page, tick "Introductory Buddhism Seminar" under "Applications and Consultations," and submit
- After our center confirms your application, we will invite you to the LINE group, where we share our day-to-day messages
- We will post the Zoom link on the members' page
Dates and fees will be announced with the information for each session. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office.
Other Books
We have prepared versions of the same content, written in different ways to suit different readers.
- Picture book: One Mountain, Many Paths Sixteen spreads in all, available to read as a PDF
- Teachings Across the Mountains Seventeen chapters in all. It traces how Buddhism traveled from India to Japan, and on to Tibet and Bhutan, through its people and events. You can read it after registering as a member. Registration is free of charge.
- Untying Suffering Eleven chapters in all. It traces how suffering arises: we are well off, and yet not fulfilled. You can read it after registering as a member. Registration is free of charge.
Reading and Chanting Sutras and Mantras
Here we introduce sutras and mantras chanted in Tibet, together with the Tibetan script, the pronunciation (in katakana), and the meaning in plain language.
- The Tibetan Heart Sutra — You can also see how it differs from the Heart Sutra familiar in Japan
- The Hundred-Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva — A mantra for restoring our samaya (sacred commitments). Its significance and the meaning line by line
- The Guru Rinpoche Mantra and the Seven-Line Prayer — The mantra of Guru Rinpoche, the founder of the Nyingma school, and the prayer of invocation
We hold a monthly gathering to read these important sutras together. If you like, please register as a member (free) and join the Monthly Gathering.