Vajra Yoga Practice Through the Buddha's Three Vehicles: 18 Week Immersion
with Robert Tenzin Thurman | February 10, 2022 – March 4, 2022
This course offers students the opportunity to combine a unique perspective with the traditional Hatha Yoga teachings. During the days of Patāñjali, the Buddhist mendicant and lay Sangha Community was omnipresent in his neighborhood, as witnessed by the many practices and concepts shared by the Buddhist Sutras and his own amazing, famous Yoga Sutra.
Understanding the essence of the Buddha’s practical teachings and their contributions to the universal values based on the general Indian Inner Science (adhyātmavidyā) enables today’s yogi/nīs to connect to Patāñjali’s wisdom, more easily integrating its vision with the compassionate mindset it automatically unfolds. It also helps contextualize the teachings of the Great Adepts (mahāsiddha) of India, the many non-sectarian master yogi/nīs of Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
Fully aligned with His Holiness’s the Dalai Lama commitments in life, this course will show how practical the Buddha’s teachings are, how closely they relate to the wisdom of yoga, and how compassion can be an effective and efficient tool in re-building contemporary societal structures.
This Master Class will support the teachings in the Teacher Training course and allow an inclusive exploration of spirit, mind, and body yoga to develop true inner wisdom and help on the path to enlightenment.
This is an extensive 18 Week Fall/Winter course, which will include guided meditative talks and transmissions from Tenzin Bob on the inner wisdom found in the Individual, Universal, and Vajra Clearlight Vehicles of Buddhism. It can be also be taken as a stand-alone introduction to the advanced Vajra Yoga course sequence.
Course includes 12 seminal talks and guided meditations on each vehicle, accessible on Mondays and Wednesdays, paralleled by concise readings, for students to meditate on and study the yogic insights on each level. Students will meet each Thursday with Tenzin Bob for a Live Zoom Q&A.
Beginner or advanced students can take the 18-week course as a standalone, or as a companion to the Vajra Yoga 200 Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training weekend course with Vajra Yoga Master Teacher Michele Loew.
Vajra Yoga Three-Vehicle, Three Super-education Course with Access to Replays
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, passionate activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, skilled translator of Buddhist texts, and inspiring writer of popular Buddhist books. His most recent book is the 300 page graphic novel, Man of Peace: the Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
In partnership with Nena Thurman and dedicated contributors, he now focuses on making Tibet House US and its Menla Retreat & Spa a global center for the promotion, study and practice of Tibetan Buddhist healing arts and sciences of body, mind, and spirit, dedicated as a complement to the vast life work of its patron, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Vajra Yoga Online Program Schedule
- Reading for Week One
- What is Vajra Yoga? History and Evolution
- What is Vajra Yoga? History and Context of Vajra Yoga & Buddhist Thought
- What is Vajra Yoga? The Vajra Yoga Objective
- What is Vajra Yoga? Impact of Buddhism + The Inner Revolution
- Orientation, Philosophy - Q&A with Robert Thurman - Re-Play
- Reading for Week Two
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: Pranic & Apanic Patterns
- Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: Sadhana Pada
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Introduction
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta : Breathing + Counting Meditation
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta : Walking, Body Deglamourization, Sensations, Mind Objects, Vipassana vs. Not-Thinking
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta : Cessation of the Craving - Integration of Sutta and Tantra
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Mind Contact: What is Agreeable and Pleasurable
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Mind Contact: What is Agreeable and Pleasurable Continued
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Meditation on 5 Aggregates and 12 media
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Contemplating Body as Body
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Walking, Moving, Eating
- Mahasatipatthana Sutta: Controlling Lust and Desire & Offensive Body Scan
- Yoga Sutras, Meditation, Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Week Two Q&A with Robert Thurman
- Week Two Q&A Written Responses & Suggested Study Materials by Robert Thurman
- Reading for Week 3
- Yoga Sutras - Verses 1-5 Yoga Sutras - Samadhi, Craving, Cessation and Mahasatipatthana Sutta
- Yoga Sutras - Verses 1-5 Yoga Sutras - The Condition of the Experiencer in its own Clear Light
- Yoga Sutras - Verses 1-5 Yoga Sutras - Awareness
- Yoga Sutras - Verses 1-5 Yoga Sutras - Klishta & Aklishta
- Sankhya Philosophy
- The Sankhya Philosophy Paradox
- Sankhya Philosophy - Dharma
- Sankhya Philosophy - Everything Happens Naturally
- Yoga Sutras - Sleep, Memory, Practice and Renunciation
- Yoga Sutras - Mindfulness & Ultimate Remebering
- Yoga Sutras - Practice & Surrender
- Sammanaphala Sutta : The Fruits of Homeless Life Sutta Part One
- Sammanaphala Sutta : The Fruits of Homeless Life Sutta Part Two
- Four Noble Truths - The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
- Four Noble Truths - Chanting the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
- Four Noble Truths - The Dhammacakkappavattana Suta - The 4 Friendly Facts
- Yoga Sutras, Sankhya Philosophy, Fruits of Homeless Life & Four Noble Truths Suttas Week Three Q&A with Robert Thurman
- Reading for Week 4
- Yoga Sutras : Dualism and Time Non-Dual vs Dual
- Yoga Sutras : Dualism and Time Effort, Detachment & Time
- Yoga Sutras : Sankhya Philosophy with Michele: Non Attachment
- Yoga Sutras : Sankhya Philosophy with Michele: The Independence of Pure Awareness
- Yoga Sutras : Obstacles and Liberation with Michele: Stilling, Liberation and Repetition
- Yoga Sutras : Obstacles and Liberation with Michele: Obstacles and the Four Brahmaviharas
- The Four Brahmaviharas with Michele
- The Four Brahmaviharas : Parallels in The Yoga Sutras
- The Four Brahmaviharas : Love in Evolution
- The Four Brahmaviharas: Opening, Empathizing and the Skill of Helping
- Flower Ornament Sutra: Bodhicitta, Noble Truths, Eight-Fold Path and the 4 Immeasurables
- Access Concentration : 4 Contemplative States & Joyful Renunciation
- Access Concentration : Immeasurable Love & Quantum Physics
- Meditation on the Four Immeasurables with Michele
- Yoga Sutras & 4 Brahma Viharas - Q&A with Robert Thurman | Replay
- Reading for Week 5
- Bhagavad Gita : Invocation to Ganesh
- Bhagavad Gita : Ganesh the Scribe
- Bhagavad Gita : Introduction to the Text w/ Richard and Mary
- Bhagavad Gita : Impermanence, Ethical Dilemmas, Vows, Gunas
- Bhagavad Gita : Sankhya, Ignorance, Lust & Anger
- Bhagavad Gita : Irritation
- Vipassana vs Shamata Meditation
- Vipassana : About the Meditation
- Shamata : About the Meditation
- Shamata Meditation Preparations : Purification Breath
- Shamata Meditation Preparations : Refuge Field
- Shamata Meditation : Introduction
- Shamata Meditation : Additional Preparations (2:07)
- Shamata Meditation : Visualizing a living Buddha in front of you
- The Four Keys
- Bodhicitta : Meditation on the Conception of the Spirit of Enlightenment
- Shunyata Karuna Garbham : Meditation on Self and Others
- Heart Sutra : Chanting and Commentaries
- Bhagavad Gita, 4 Bhrama Viharas, Compassion, Loving Kindness Meditations, Heart Sutra - Q&A with Robert Thurman | Re-Play
- Reading for Week 6
- Bhagavad Gita : Gita Dhyanam
- Bhagavad Gita : Meditation on the Gita Dhyanam, The Gunas in Action
- Bhagavad Gita : Dharma
- Sankhya, Prakriti & Parusha : Lila, Yoga and the Sankhya Paradox
- Sankhya Philosophy : Agility to make a reform "concepts"
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Quick Hello to the Vimalakirti
- Vimalakirti Sutra : The Pure-Land-Non-Issue
- Vimalakirti Sutra : The Pure-Land-Non-Issue Reading
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Course Body & Vajra Body
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Consolation of the invalid; Sentimental Compassion vs. Real Compassion
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Speech and Nirvana
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Shariputra's silence
- Vimalakirti Sutra : Cognitive Dissonance
- Shantideva : Bhusuku's graduation lecture at Nalanda University
- Shantideva: "The Way of the Bodhisattva" : Chapter 1
- Shantideva: Chapter 9 - Wisdom; Opening to non-dual experience; Relative & Absolute truth
- Shantideva: Chapter 9 - Epistemology; cognizing vs. re-cognizing experience; Buddhahood
- Shantideva: Chapter 9 - Conceptuality and Using Dualism
- Shantideva: Chapter 9 - Reasoning & referring to “things”
- Shantideva: Chapter 9 - The yogini reality & meaning of "Yoga"
- Shantideva: Chapter 2 - Offerings & Wellness
- Shantideva: Chapter 2 - Going for Refuge
- What does it mean to Take Refuge?
- Bhagavad Gita, Vimalakirti, Shanti Deva A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life - LIVE Q&A with Robert Thurman | Replay
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Introduction
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Two
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Three
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Four
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Five
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Six
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Seven
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Eight
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Nine
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Ten
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Eleven
- The Teachings of Vimalakirti - Session Twelve
- Reading for Week 7
- Bhagavad Gita: Concept of pausing; Dharma (teaching), Dharma (duty); Karma, inheritance and destiny; Mindfulness; Karma as creative process
- Bhagavad Gita: Practice as getting back; empty of self; attachment to the fruit of action; sacrifice = give the fruit away (ecstatic release
- Bhagavad Gita: Tiers of comprehension; training to be steady and stable; wisdom sacrifice; paradox as fullness and deep understanding, visceral experience of who you are; humor; paradox (equal views) vs. orthodox (one way, my way)
- Bhagavad Gita: Ashtanga Closing Chant
- Shantideva: Chapter 3: Open to the Spirit of Enlightenment (Bodhicitta)
- Shantideva: Chapter 3: Pros and cons of dying; giving it all away
- Shantideva : Chapter 4: Carefulness, 6 Paramitas, When to take a Vow
- Shantideva: Chapter 4: Field Minds; Inner Strength
- Shantideva: Chapter 4: Useful Fear
- Shantideva: Chapter 4: Preciousness of human life; being here now is evolutionarily skillful
- Shantideva: Chapter 4: Overly glamorizing the first noble truth; being a slave to anger and lust; overcoming afflictions
- Shantideva: Chapter 4: Essence of Tantra
- Danger of Cults; Value of Monastic Sangha vs. Protestant Thinking
- Shantideva: Chapter 5: Vigilant Introspection; the ego habit; internal conquest
- Shantideva: Chapter 5: Binding the mind, examples throughout history
- Shantideva: Chapter 5: Mindfulness and the Importance of willingness in performing skillfully; the ignorant mind as a wound
- Shantideva: Chapter 5: Introspection includes mindfulness, yet goes deeper
- Shantideva: Chapter 5: Etiquette & Behavioral Conditioning
- Shantideva: Chapter 5, verse 94: How to skillfully indicate directions
- Being the goldsmith of your own critical insight - doctrine vs. teaching
- Three Principles of the Path: Intro; The liberty and opportunity of the human embodiment
- Three Principles of the Path: Seek transcendent renunciation; in light of the immediacy of death; it is now or never
- Three Principles of the Path: Bodhicitta mind as prerequisite for supreme bliss, mother-recognition
- Three Principles of the Path : Relativity as prerequisite for cutting the root of the Cyclic Life
- Three Principles of the Path: Four Verses as preliminaries for Tantra
- Bhagavad Gita Studies : The best compost for our soil of Consciousness
- Bhagavad Gita Studies : Being able to see both sides in everything
- Bhagavad Gita Studies : How to Apply these Teachings
- Bhagavad Gita Studies : When you don't know what to do...
- Being the Creator of Meaning
- Sankhya Philosophy : Prakriti and Purusha as female and male disentangled - the usefulness of dualism
- Sankhya Philosophy : Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, verse 62 Samsara, reading all of time as just pure destruction, vs design of vows
- Sankhya Philosophy : The subliminal resentment against the omnipotent creator; having the power to save yourself
- Yoga, Kundalini and the Power for Opening the Sensitivity and Radiating Bliss
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Verse 98; everything is changing
- Bhagavad Gita, Comparative Buddhist studies, Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life - LIVE Q&A with Robert Thurman | Re-Play
- Reading for Week 8
- Bhagavad Gita, Comparative Buddhist studies, Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life - LIVE Q&A with Robert Thurman | Re-Play
- Bhagavad Gita: deliberate slowing down; things coming down from the theistic pedestals; compassion and Bodhisattva elements; interconnectedness
- Bhagavad Gita: I am the taste of water; wrapping direct experience with labels
- Bhagavad Gita: Bhakti, Atman; seeing other beings clearly, where you recognize them (13:08)
- Bhagavad Gita: universal form; infinity in every aspect; seeing time; intriguing impermanence
- Bhagavad Gita : Link between sacrifice of sacrifice and Bhakti; Give up all Dharmas as they are scaffolding to point out the inexpressible; trust
- Comparative Buddhist Philosophy : sacrifice vs renunciation
- Comparative Buddhist Philosophy : “When Love Comes to Light": The Gita and Vishnu's presumed monotheism non-dually re-visited as pantheistic heresy where God invites you to “be me” in a mainstream text
- Comparative Buddhist Philosophy : Meditation on Your Nose; "no intrinsically real nose" - it disappears under analysis
- Comparative Buddhist Philosophy : Three levels of subtlety
- Comparative Buddhist Philosophy : Neither conscious-nor-unconscious, nor seeming nothingness, nor infinite consciousness, nor infinite space being the real thing; the royal reason of relativity saving you from becoming a Komodo dragon
- Intrinsicity Meditation: The thingness of things, Plato; Physics and Meta-physics
- Intrinsicity Meditation - Ontology; Intrinsic Reality, Objectivity and Identity
- Intrinsiticity Meditation : The cup screams "cup", A screams "A"; When does it stop screaming?;
- Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika: Introduction
- Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika : Relativity, dependent origination emptiness of nothingness the Buddhist critique of pure reason
- Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika : Meditation on uncreatedness
- Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika : Meditation on uncreatedness cont'd: Uncausation; illusoriness of everything
- Nagarjuna's Meditation on uncreatedness cont'd : Action, agency, condition and the primal cause of suffering
- Nagarjuna's Meditation on uncreatedness cont'd: When the going gets tough...
- Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika : Why we are so tired at the end of the day
- Shantideva: Chapter 6: Patience - becoming invulnerable to hatred; using pain positively (10:24)
- Shantideva: Chapter 6: Patience - reality awareness - Looking into “What caused this injury?”
- Shantideva: Chapter 6: Patience of Forgiveness, non-retaliation; “even if they kill us, we will die happy”
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Mediation; Compassion through the sameness of self and other
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Mediation; Dealing with one’s own pain and the pain of the others
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Suffering has no possessor; empathy, mirror neurons and the good doctor
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Freedom of infinite relationships; “Buddhas have more fun” vs. Romeo and Juliet
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Just lay aside all Self-Cherishing vs. Self-Loathing; Identifying with Everybody
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: Evolutionary Skillful and Unskillful Consequences - Connecting Self Promotion / Self Progress with Altruism; “Be a wise a selfish” and “If you want to be happy, don’t seek your own happiness”
- Shantideva: Chapter 8: The Practice - take others, lower, higher, equal, as yourself… and notice your comparing and judging habit, then exchange position with the other
- Shantideva Chapter 8, Verses 141-154: Being jealous of the higher one, shooting gurus, killing Buddhas; Competing; Contempt
- Shantideva Chapter 8: “Why am I not jealous of myself?”; “Maybe I did it”
- Shantideva Chapter 8: Accept others hurting your ego
- Shantideva Chapter 8: De-Overly-Cherishing the Body; “Alive or dead - what difference does it make?”
- Shantideva Chapter 8: The Gist of Lojong: Our Heroic Self Adopting the Bodhisattva Mind as the First Grain of Inconceivability: Inconceivable, impossible, that’s what we do
- Tibetan Book of the Dead, Intro to Tantra, Deity Yoga, Subtle Body - LIVE Q&A with Robert Thurman Friday, February 11th | Re-Play
- Reading for Week 9
- Your next life - an impulse buy?
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Introduction; the real title; the between
- The Book of the Dead: Introduction cont'd - basic ideas; history; target audience
- Intro to Tantra : Theravada is Tantra; HHDL : Sutra before Tantra
- Intro to Tantra : Guided meditation on the Mahayana Path
- Intro to Tantra : Tantra and Mahayana
- Intro to Tantra : Tantra recreates the universe
- Intro to Tantra : Tantra as Co-creation
- Intro to Tantra : Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
- Intro to Tantra : The 3 Yanas or Buddhist schools of thought
- Intro to Tantra : Awakening / Enlightenment Buddha’s Enlightenment [Esoteric & Exoteric Versions] Mandala & Deities Importance of Shamatha / Vipassana / Bodhisatva vows in Tantra
- Intro to Tantra : Mandala Offering
- Intro to Tantra : Deity Yoga in Tantra; Guhyasamaja Mandala
- Intro to Tantra : Guhyasamaja Tantra The Esoteric Commentary Tantra Reading
- Intro to Tantra : Richard Freeman & Tenzin Thurman in conversation : Yoga Travail verses 1-10
- Deity Yoga : Reading from Tantric Techniques - Jeffrey Hopkins; Meditation in Sutra and Tantra Tantra and Dzogchen
- Deity Yoga : Avalokitesvara Simhanada Sadhana Story of Shiva and Sati
- Deity Yoga : Avalokitesvara Sadhana from HHDL teachings
- Deity Yoga : Avalokitesvara Sadhana from Kriya Yoga Tantra
- Deity Yoga : Tantric Techniques by Jeffrey Hopkins
- Deity Yoga : Tantric Techniques by Jeffrey Hopkins [contd]
- Subtle Body: Subtle Body and Subtle Mind
- Subtle Body : Asana to connect to your subtle body; wisdom as a prerequisite
- Subtle Body : Subtle Body and the Individual Vehicle
- Subtle Body : Meditation on the mental sense faculty and the subtle body
- Tibetan Book of the Dead, Dzogchen, Unexcelled Yoga Tantra, Creation and Perfection Stages - LIVE Q&A with Robert Thurman [12-1:30 PM EST Thursday, February 17]
- Reading for Week 10
- The Book of the Dead: the root verses; the death point between; importance of reaching out as a yogi
- The Book of the Dead: The Prayer for Help From The Buddhas And Bodhisattvas
- The Book of the Dead : The Guidebook to the Betweens
- The Book of the Dead: Cultivating openness; giving oneself away
- The Book of the Dead: Stages of dissolution
- The Book of the Dead: Stages of dissolution cont'd: the subtle mind; instinctual surges
- The Book of the Dead: The betweens; not fearing your own visions go for the bright light
- The Book of the Dead: Orientation to the Existence Between; powers and problems as a between-being
- The Book of the Dead: incorporating the clearlight into your experience
- The Book of the Dead: The Power of Visualization
- Dzogchen: The Great Connection with Tsultrim Allione
- Dzogchen : The Great Connection and the Barking Dog
- Dzogchen: The Great Connection of Wisdom and Compassion
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL: About empowerment
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: ritual objects, mantras, entering a new family, mediumism, good teachers
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: Samadhi
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: primordial purity; two levels of reality; mind
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: ordinary mind and pure awareness; concepts, knowing and wisdom
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: when your brain becomes the Universe
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: the fundamental innate mind of clearlight; using concepts to freeing yourself of concepts
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: yogas; concepts permeated by direct experiential awareness
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: phat! rigpa - tantric awareness; PHAT! Dharmakaya - reality embodied
- Dzogchen: Teaching of HHDL cont'd: Confidence, Buddha pride; gatey, gatey...; exploding into emanation bodies
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : Short List of Unexcelled Yoga Tantras
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : Transformation of the 3 Kayas
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra: Into the Infinite Now with the Greatest Efficacy
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra: What is it with the "unexcelled"?
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra: The Non-Duality of Unexcelled Yoga Tantras; Mother and Father Tantras
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : Introducing the Kalachakra Mandala
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : Kalachakra Mandala Continued
- Uexcelled Yoga Tantra : The Kalachakra Mandala cont'd: "You can get a glass of wine, but you won't get a bottle."
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : The Kalachakra Mandala cont'd: no attainment and no non-attainment; Dzogchen; "Alright already"
- Unexcelled Yoga Tantra : The Kalachakra Mandala cont'd: In the Middle - everywhere and everywhen
- Creation and Perfection Stages: Creation Stage, Creative Meditation
- Creation and Perfection Stages : Jump into the Perfection Stage? Taking Back Projections and Your Murky Interior
- Creation and Perfection Stages: definitive meaning vs. interpretable meaning in creation and perfection stages
- Creation and Perfection Stages: the breath as the mantra; mandala and evolutionary triumphs
- Creation and Perfection Stages: Revelation of superficial reality
- Creation and Perfection Stages: The Clearlight Stage; the Magic Body
- Creation and Perfection Stages: Communion
- Creation and Perfection Stages: Coming to terms with ‚Communion‘
- Creation and Perfection Stages: Time and Communion - retroactively enjoying being here and at the same time inhabiting what is actually the case
- Creation and Perfection Stages : Linguistic meaning, common, hidden and ultimate
- Creation and Perfection Stages : Achieving body isolation, speech isolation and mind isolation upon entering the perfection stage and a happy ending for the Universe
Every dollar lends crucial support to Tibet House US | Menla during these dynamic times. All are welcome.
We encourage those who are still financially comfortable to contribute any amount of donation above the normal class fees to support scholarships specifically or Tibet House US | Menla generally.
Those in need of partial scholarship assistance may request it by emailing [email protected].
Sarvamangalam! May All Beings Be Well!