This Course is an excellent overview of the entire Buddhist path; all subsequent Courses elaborate upon the ideas presented in this Course. This Course is based upon The Three Principal Paths (Lamtso Namsum) by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419), with the commentary of Pabongka Rinpoche (1878-1941). Topics include: what is a qualified teacher, how to take a lama, what is Buddha nature, what is authentic Dharma, what are samsara and renunciation, the principles of karma, the problems of human life, bodhichitta and its benefits, how to generate bodhichitta, the two levels of reality, what is the correct view of emptiness according to each of the four schools of thought, and the relationship between karma and emptiness.

This Online Formal Study Course consists of eleven classes, each of which has approximately two hours of audio, along with corresponding written materials.

The complete audio and written materials can also be ordered by mail.

WRITTEN MATERIALS:
The written materials for this Course are contained in nine PDF documents which can be downloaded, printed and assembled into a three-ring binder, or simply openend into a new browser window for quick viewing.

DOWNLOAD:
All of the files below can be easily downloaded as a ZIP file for easy printing. Course1.zip (1.63 MB)

QUICK VIEWING:
Course One contains the following PDF files for their corresponding sections:
Binder Cover & Spine
Overview of the teacher training program
Prayers, Course Syllabus & Readings
Class Notes
Homework
Quizzes
Final Examination
Answer Key
Tibetan Study Materials

The class notes were taken by a student in the original live classes, and you’ll need these for reference as what’s written on the board isn’t always spoken.

The Acrobat Reader is required to view these documents and is available for free from this link.

AUDIO FILES:
Real Audio
The class lectures are available below in Real Audio format and have been divided into smaller parts for ease of listening and downloading. These may be downloaded for saving to your hard disk and playing offline or listened to in streaming format which will play immediately.
The Real Audio 8 Basic Player is necessary and is available for free at this link.

MP3
The audio class lectures are also available in MP3 format as one larger file per class. To download an MP3 file directly to your hard disk, right click on the link and use the command "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..."

• 16k MP3 Audio files are "Voice quality" and a typical 90 minute class file takes about 30 minutes to download using a standard 56k modem.
• 32k MP3 Audio files are "CD quality" and a typical 90 minute class file takes about 60 minutes to download using a standard 56k modem.

If you encounter any technical difficulties with any of the audio files please contact audio@world-view.org.