discovering
the heart of buddhism

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Discovering the Heart of Buddhism gives you the opportunity to:

• Engage in a comprehensive & structured training
  in Buddhist study, reflection and meditation
• Discover the truths of Buddhism
  through your own experience. All you need is an open & inquiring mind.
• Connect to the heart of Buddhist teachings
  without the confusion often caused by Eastern cultural trappings
• Explore some of the most profound Buddhist teachings
  essential for everyone whether new or very experienced
• Receive regular guidance
  from the experienced teacher and senior students
• Share the fruits of their years of study
  in the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism

How is meditation involved?

Meditation is central to Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, as it deepens and stabilises our exploration of our experience. The simplicity of being that we discover in meditation spills over into our lives, and this natural process is helped by pausing to reconnect with our awareness during the day.

As a participant in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism you will be able to receive meditation instruction and periodic meditation interviews with your contact person and with Lama Shenpen.

This guidance is supplemented by inspiration and practical advice from a specially written book on meditation, Openness Clarity Sensitivity, as well as the deepening process of reflecting on the materials in the coursebooks.

To take full advantage of the course you need to commit yourself to at least 15 minutes of meditation a day, and to simple awareness exercises at odd moments throughout the day.

Read more about the practice of meditation and daily life awareness below.
Meditation and Daily Life Awareness

Buddhist training consists of study, reflection and meditation. Meditation here means sitting still for set periods of time to familiarise ourselves with the nature and workings of our innermost being. There are techniques for helping ourselves to focus on our direct experience.

We deliberately keep the focus simple, teaching a method called Formless Meditation. Do not be deceived by the simplicity however. The practice gradually reveals itself to be subtle and profound.

We learn to make friends with ourselves and all our experience, good and bad, because the essence of both is the same natural and profound openness, clarity and sensitivity of our being.

For a long time the practice of meditation may feel like a struggle but it is a struggle to let go of complications and arrive at simplicity. The ease of that simplicity is elusive and takes a long time to develop and stabilise. That is why such a wealth of further techniques have developed within the Buddhist tradition.

However complex other practices may be, in essence they are always meant to develop and stabilise the simple awareness of Formless meditation. The path begins and ends by dissolving into the space of Formless meditation.

Daily life awareness practice emerges out of the Formless meditation practice, carrying that simplicity of approach into all our activities and our whole attitude to life. The difference is that in the formal sitting periods we can give ourselves the space and time we need to deepen our practice, away from the distractions of our everyday life.

The sense of openness and space, clarity and awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness that you connect with in the meditation starts to flow out into your life and your environment for the benefit of all.

How flexible is it?

Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is designed so that you can determine for yourself where and when you study and practice. As a distance based training, it is flexible, convenient and accessible.

The core of the training is meditation and reflection on the course materials. It is possible to practice and study entirely from your home, making contact with Lama Shenpen and a senior student by email, phone, or letter.

For many busy people, fitting half an hour into odd spaces during a hectic week is much more attractive than attending frequent day or weekend retreats. Moreover, small ‘bites’ of frequent and regular study, reflection and meditation are important for getting to grips with the ideas in Buddhism and realising their full meaning in everyday life. This is made easier by having teaching materials, like those on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, specifically designed for this approach.

You will set the pace at which you progress through the materials. 
The materials are laid out to give some guidance on the rate of progress, but you can vary this according to your own preferences and responses to the material. Perhaps you will find that you move more quickly through some sections and more slowly through others. However, it is normally recommended that you spend at least one year going through the materials the first time.

How is it tailored for Westerners?

Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is designed to help you discover the truths of Buddhism through your own experience, not through adopting a set of blind beliefs.

It presents the underlying principles of Buddhism in familiar English words and enables you to connect to the heart of Buddhism without the confusion often caused by Eastern cultural trappings.

The traditional formulae for presenting Buddhism were evolved to help people in Buddhist cultures, where people were brought up to have a strong conviction in Buddhist ideas about the world. But in the West we do not share many of these ideas, and so we need to be introduced to Buddhism more carefully.

We have to begin with what we can know for sure-our direct experience-and from there we can allow a sense of the vaster and profounder vision that Buddhism offers to dawn within us.

Read more about how the training is tailored for Westerners below.
Buddhism and Westerners

The themes of the training represent the underlying principles of Buddhism, which have been built and elaborated upon down the ages according to the tastes and requirements of different cultural settings. They are often implicit in traditional Buddhist teachings, endorsed by the whole culture of a Buddhist country, not needing explicit formulation when Eastern Buddhists are being taught.

If you are already familiar with how Buddhism is traditionally taught, you may feel that in this way of teaching we depart rather radically from a traditional approach. To think this would be to take too narrow a view of how the tradition works. The tradition has always adapted its teaching methods to the requirements of the students. This is traditional.

All of these underlying principles have always been present in Buddhism right from the Buddha’s first teachings: it is just that in these materials they have been gathered together explicitly and presented in a way accessible to Westerners not brought up in a Buddhist culture.

Having grasped the underlying principles of Buddhism presented, students should be able to approach and relate to more traditional teachings (such as the Four Noble Truths, not-self and karma) in the spirit in which they are intended, rather than distorted by a veil of cultural misunderstandings.

The traditional methods of presenting Buddhism in the East were developed against a particular cultural background, one that we in the West do not share.

In Buddhist countries, children pick up from those around them that the Buddha represents all things good, that he represents wisdom, compassion, peace, joy and gentleness, and that what he teaches is true for all time. They believe implicitly that there is such a thing as liberation, Awakening, release from suffering, countless past lives and future lives, yet all are like dreams and illusions. They have complete confidence that liberation is a matter of the heart and that this is intimately connected with the whole enlightenment process.

This is the conceptual framework that they already have when they start training intensively with Buddhist teachers. The problem is not that they need convincing of all these things – they just need to be reminded and encouraged.

Westerners need to be introduced to Buddhist thinking more carefully than by simply applying formulae that are suited to people brought up in Buddhist cultures. We have to arrive by careful stages at a dawning sense of the possibility of the vaster and profounder vision that Buddhism offers. We have to begin with what we know because we cannot begin anywhere else. We certainly cannot begin on the assumption that we believe what Eastern Buddhists believe, or that we ever will.

An open mind is what really matters. Indeed most Westerners are attracted to Buddhism by the fact that it does not demand blind faith and belief, but appeals to the evidence of our own direct experience – this is what the Buddha meant when he said his teachings were “Come and see”.

We have to start with our own language and culture and with our own experience of our hearts and minds. This is where Discovering the Heart of Buddhism begins and by beginning in this way we find ourselves already participating in the process of Awakening – not through blind belief, but through experience and a sense of inspiration.

How much personal contact is there?

All students on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism are welcome to discuss their experiences in meditation or with the materials at any point with Lama Shenpen. Not only will you have access to Lama Shenpen, but also to a contact person who serves as a Dharma friend, someone who can encourage you and with whom you can discuss your inspiration, difficulties and experiences on the Discovering the Heart of Buddhism training.

Lama Shenpen and your contact person can be contacted by email, phone or letter. It is also possible to talk to meet them face-to-face if you are able to come to retreats and teaching weekends held in the UK.

Read more about personal contact and why it is important.

Personal Contact and Why it is Important

A special feature of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is the high level of personal contact with the teacher and a senior student.

All of us are seeking a ground of genuineness and openness within ourselves and others. The teachers are there to communicate that awake, living and sensitive quality uncovered by Meditation and Awareness practice. Effective communication acts as a practice, gradually instilling in us confidence in the innermost nature of our being and the commitment to realise it.

All of us, teachers and students alike, are human beings treading the path alongside each other, connected to the lineage of those who have trodden the path and shown us the way. The living presence of, and our direct relationship with, the lineage helps us to cut through our unrealistic expectations and attempts to hide from the truth about ourselves and others.

Practically, we need to check our experience with those who have traversed the path before us. One-on-one interaction has unique advantages, drawing from the teacher advice and practical hints tailored to the needs and responses of the individual.

All students on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism are able to discuss with Lama Shenpen by email, phone or letter, their experiences in meditation and with the course materials. This interaction provides the opportunity to ask questions about points you don’t understand, to check that you have understood other points correctly, and to get practical hints about how to continue your progress. If you’re able to visit the UK, you can also attend retreats and weekend courses and have face-to-face interviews with Lama Shenpen there.

In addition to these discussions with Lama Shenpen, each student will also be able to regularly contact an experienced senior student. This will be someone who can act as friend to you, encouraging you, discussing your difficulties and helping you to work out what you need to talk to Lama Shenpen about.

What are the course materials?

• The ‘coursebooks’ are the core of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, forming a complete training in themselves. They do more than just provide information. They are carefully structured to lead you on a journey of contemplation and reflection, an exploration into the nature of our being. There are four, themed ‘coursebooks’ and a companion introductory book, guiding you through nine basic themes of Buddhism.
• As well as the ‘coursebooks’, the book on formless meditation and another book -Openness, Clarity, Sensitivity, you will have access to a number of written and recorded teaching resources online that can be used to support your study on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism
• Online archive of teachings from weekends and retreats
• Transcripts of some of these teachings
• Other books and booklets
• Discussion forum with fellow students
• Weekly email teachings from Lama Shenpen on Buddhism Connect

How long does it last?

You set your pace through the course. However, for most people the course takes at least 12 months to complete. Once you have enrolled on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, your enrolment is valid for up to 24 months, giving you plenty of time to complete the course.

What do I do now?

To get started now, you can enrol online. We will then send you the first instalment of materials, including instructions on getting started with the meditation.

Enrol Now

You’ve just read the complete information about Discovering the Heart of Buddhism above, but if you would like you can print this information out to read in your own time, in the form of a Course Guide.

I want to print out a Course Guide

If you still have questions, please contact us

I want to ask a question

You can talk to a current student if you wish who can discuss their experiences of the training. Email the hermitage to talk to Tara or Dashu who are senior students – hermitage@ahs.org.uk

How much does it cost?

There are two rates for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism depending on how you choose to pay:

The full rate is £369, if you choose to spread the cost by paying monthly. (The first payment will be for UK£50 and the eleven remaining payments will be for UK£29, for a total payment of £369).

We offer a discounted rate of £295, if you choose to pay up front. Since it helps our finances if you pay at the beginning of the course, if you are able to do this we offer a 20% discount—that is a saving of £74.

If you do not live in the UK and want to know what the cost would be in your currency, we can calculate that for you on your payment form.

Only pay if you value what you receive

As a Buddhist charity we’re not trying to make a profit, and we only want to receive money from people who value what we’re doing and want to support it. That’s why we offer a 3 month satisfaction pledge – if at any point in your first three months of enrolment you decide it’s not working out for you, then you can return the initial materials to us and either:

Get a full refund if you pay up-front
or
Stop making any further payments if you pay monthly.

We are a registered charity (The Shrimala Trust, UK no. 1078783) and we aim to keep the cost as low as possible for the quality of materials and service offered. We are only able to offer the course at this rate because our team of volunteers and low-paid staff are very generous with their time.

There is a bursary fund that helps those who are not able to pay the full rate for the course. Email office@ahs.org.uk to find out more.

Hermitage of the Awakened Heart


Ynys Graianog

Ynys
, Gwynedd
, LL52 0NT

UK

Telephone: 
+44 (0)1766 530 839
Email: hermitage@ahs.org.uk
hermitageoftheawakenedheart.org

For more information please contact Ian
Email: studentsupport@ahs.org.uk

Or for enquiries about ….
Events: events@ahs.org.uk