Mahayana Courses: Outlines

Here is a list of the classes given in each Mahayana course offered in Nalandabodhi Path of Study. The complete syllabus and selection of reading materials is available to Nalandabodhi members and participants enrolled in the Path of Study program. You can take these classes at Nalandabodhi Centers and Study Group locations, or through online study.


The Mahayana Series: Compassion Without Limit

Introduction to the Mahayana: The Heart of Daring (MAH 300)
Class 1: The Self is Free, Appearances are Empty, and Emptiness is Luminous
              One Dharma, One Path, One Goal
              The Ground of Bodhichitta
Class 2: Great Vision -- Bodhichitta
Class 3: The Causes of Buddhahood
Class 4: Wisdom that Knows Itself
              Returning to Our Original State
              Buddha Nature
              The Spiritual Friend

The Mahayana View I: Everything is Mind (MAH 310)
Class 1: The Overall Picture
              The Progressive Stages of the View
Class 2: Dreamlike Experience - Unchaining the Conceptual Mind
Class 3: All Realms are Mind Only
              The Realms of Experience
Class 4: Self-awareness Empty of Duality
              Projections of Habit

The Mahayana View II: Not Even a Middle (MAH 311)
Class 1: The Middle Way View
              The Real Emptiness
              The Five Reasonings of Nagarjuna
Class 2: Distinguishing Between Absolute and Relative Truth
              There is Nothing to Assert
Class 3: All Dharma is Based on the Two Truths
              The Nature of All Things
Class 4: Not Just Nothingness
Class 5: Inseparable Clarity and the Mind of Emptiness
              Nothing Other Than Your Own Mind

The Mahayana Path I: Bodhicitta and the Six Paramitas (MAH 330)
Class 1: Overview of the Five Paths
Class 2: The Four Immeasurables
Class 3: Practical Application: The Four Immeasurables
Class 4: The Benefits of Generating Bodhichitta
             Developing a Courageous Mind: The Causes and Conditions of Bodhichitta

Class 5: Generating Bodhichitta: The Seven Branch Prayer
             The Bodhisattva Vow
Class 6: Ultimate Bodhichitta
             The Six Paramitas

The Mahayana Path II: Seven Points of Mind Training (MAH 331)
Class 1: The Fragrance of Sandalwood: Following the Spiritual Friend
              The Practice of Mindfulness
Class 2: The Seven Points of Mind Training I: Training in Ultimate Bodhichitta

Class 3: The Seven Points of Mind Training II: Training in Relative Bodhichitta
Class 4: Practical Application: The Seven Points of Mind Training
Class 5: The Seven Points of Mind Training III: Taking Adverse Conditions Onto the Path
              The Seven Points of Mind Training IV: Completing Training in Life and Death

Class 6: The Seven Points of Mind Training V: Evaluation, Ethics, and Guidelines
              The Stages of Shamatha Meditation: Nine Stages of Resting the Mind


Path and Fruition: The Ten Bhumis, the Three Kayas, and the Five Wisdoms (MAH 350)
Class 1: Madhyamaka Reasonings I: Vajra Slivers
Class 2: Madhyamaka Reasonings II: Analyzing Result & Both Cause and Result
              Madhyamaka Reasonings III & IV: Beyond One and Many & Dependent Arising

Class 2: Vipashyana Meditation Instruction
Class 3: Practical Application: The Five Reasonings of Madhyamaka
Class 4: The Bodhisattva Bhumis 1-5
Class 5: The Bodhisattva Bhumis 6-10
              The 11th Bhumi
              The Three Kayas
Class 6: Transformation of the 5 Skandhas into the 5 Buddha Wisdoms
              Transformation of the 8 Consciousnesses into the 5 Buddha Wisdoms