General Study Guides

Tibetan Buddhist Offering before Taking Food

Lam-Rim

Lam-rim texts are the primary source of study for the Gelug tradition. There are many lamrim texts, varying in length, but one of the most famous is The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (Lam-rim chen-mo). Nearly every Lam-rim discusses the three paths and also the three capacities of the practitioner. The three paths are: renunciation, bodhichitta, and correct view (the understanding of emptiness). The three scopes, very briefly stated are individuals of the small scope (who seek a better rebirth in samsara), the middle scope (who seek liberation from samsara) and the great scope(those who seek liberation of all sentient beings from samsara).

Click here for an excellent lam rim meditation guide.

Ethics

Buddhist ethics has as its core the relationship between cause and effect. In order to accumulate good karma, individuals must act ethically. Simply stated, by being good to others, a person develops the appropriate karma to have less suffering (although not always in this lifetime!).

Click here for a list of bodhisattva vows

Click here for a list of the eight categories of freedom vows

Teaching Notes

Below are class notes offered by our teachers at DGI.

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 Materials for Refuge Vows Ceremony. 

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Suggested Resources

The Berzin archives provide a useful resource for Buddhism and has an especially useful section on the four tenets.

The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition offers many home study programs as well as hosts the Lama Zopa homepage. 

The Lama Yeshe web page is a good place to read about the wonderful teacher. 

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