In the midst of all the pain, doubt, hesitation, stress and confusion of our lives, there is something that keeps us going. We talk of losing heart and yet, somehow, there is something deep inside us that spurs us on, restores us and gives us hope. The training is to uncover this heart of our being, to recognise it, to value it and to base our lives and actions on it. According to the Buddhist tradition, this is our Awakened Heart or Buddha Nature.

We may recognise in our immediate experience that deep down we have qualities of clarity, awareness, sensitivity, warmth and love, but according to the Buddhist tradition, we have little idea at the outset just how deep and vast those qualities can be. It is obvious that some people display these qualities more than others, but the idea that all beings could awaken such qualities to their utmost degree seems too much to hope for. Nevertheless, to be even a little more open, clear and sensitive, seems to be a good thing, both for our own sake and for the sake of others. That is why the training is suitable for everyone, whether you pursue it for a little while or for a lifetime.

The process takes the form of discovering how we have lost touch with the heart essence of our being, our Awakened Heart, that basic goodness that constantly eludes us. If it is so essential to our being, how could we have lost touch with it and having found it again, how could we fail to cultivate it? The answer to such questions can only be found through

deeper self knowledge and an inner understanding of the true nature of reality itself.

Somehow, we have come to identify ourselves with our negative habits of mind. Instead of feeling open, clear and sensitive, we feel a certain hardening of our heart from a vague but deep-seated sense of inadequacy, confusion or fear. The training is about letting those negative patterns go, developing confidence and allowing our own natural openness, clarity and sensitivity to emerge.

Through this process and especially through our connection with others and a deepening appreciation of the quality of awareness possible in our daily life, our sense of claustrophobia, limitation and loneliness starts to give way to a more positive outlook on life. There is suffering, but there is a detectable cause of suffering and a path that gradually alleviates that suffering for ourselves and others. This is a long and subtle process and requires great commitment, confidence and determination to pursue to the end. Nevertheless to pursue it even a little can significantly transform our lives.

The aim of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is ambitious. It is to do nothing less than provide everyone, young or old, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, with a direct, authentic and systematic way of starting to reconnect with their Awakened Heart.

The 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.

As a participant in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism you will receive formal meditation instruction and periodic meditation interviews from Shenpen Hookham. This will be supplemented by inspiration and practical advice from the book Openness, Clarity, Sensitivity by Rigdzin Shikpo. To take full advantage of the course you need to commit yourself to at least 15 minutes meditation a day and to simple awareness exercises at odd moments throughout the day.

KHENPO TSULTRIM GYAMTSO RINPOCHE is one of the foremost living teachers of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, a great scholar and master of meditation who travels the world teaching in Buddhism centres everywhere. In his late teens and early twenties he trained as a yogin in Tibet with a local yogin known as Zopa Tharchin, who was later killed by the Chinese. He spent his early youth in retreat in the mountains until his teacher told him to study for the benefit of others. A renowned scholar, he excels in debate and always aims to turn the minds of his students towards their own inner experience rather than getting lost in intellectual fabrications.

After the Chinese invasion of Tibet Khenpo Rinpoche fled to India in 1960. He spent many years in Bhutan as a wandering yogin, meditating in caves and hermitages. In 1975 he was asked by the head of the Kagyu tradition to come and be Abbot of the main Kagyu centre in the West, in France. However he asked instead to be allowed to travel and help people everywhere. He has done that ever since, leading a truly simple, homeless life; he regularly gives away all of his money. Khenpo Rinpoche demonstrates the carefree life of a yogin, singing spontaneous songs of realisation wherever he goes, devoted only to the welfare of others.

RIGDZIN SHIKPO sometimes teaches on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism. He met his main teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1965, who gave him extensive instruction in both the preliminary and main practices of Dzogchen, the innermost teachings of the Nyingma tradition. Rigdzin Shikpo practised these teachings for the next 35 years in the midst of an ordinary life as a mathematician and physicist. On Trungpa Rinpoche's instructions Rigdzin Shikpo also began to teach, which he has now been doing for thirty-five years, making him one of the most experienced Western teachers of Buddhism. Trungpa Rinpoche also encouraged Rigdzin Shikpo to receive teachings from other Tibetan teachers, and as a result he developed deep connections with H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, Ngagkpa Yeshe Dorje and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. 

Since Trungpa Rinpoche's death in 1987, Khenpo Rinpoche has been Rigdzin Shikpo's main source of advice and inspiration. Khenpo Rinpoche is so well satisfied with his understanding and meditation experience that he has encouraged him, as lama, to teach and transmit Dzogchen. In 1993 he completed a 3 year retreat, and Khenpo Rinpoche gave him the name Rigdzin Shikpo in recognition of his realisations.

A special feature of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is the high level of personal contact with the teachers and other students. 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 will be able to discuss with the Principal Teacher (Shenpen Hookham), either by phone, email, or face to face, their experiences in meditation and with the course materials. These interviews provide 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. In addition to these discussions with the Principal Teacher, each student will also be able to regularly contact an experienced senior student. This will be someone who

can act as a friend to you, encouraging you, discussing your difficulties and helping you to work out what you need to talk to Shenpen about. Weekend courses and retreats provide opportunities to receive teachings from Shenpen and Rigdzin Shikpo. There is an immediacy and inspiration about attending a live teaching that can never quite be matched by books and tapes. The teachers embody the teachings for us and are our link to the lineage from which the teachings come. So there is nothing quite like personal contact. Genuine teachers respond to the demands of the moment, and live teaching situations are invaluable for drawing out the most appropriate teaching for the students present. As well as teachers far more experienced than ourselves, we need companions nearer to our own level who share with us the difficulties that we face and with whose help it is possible to find ways of dealing with them.

Weekend courses and retreats are great opportunities to get to know your fellow students. Focused discussion groups as well as casual chats provide a way of sharing problems, pooling insights and gaining inspiration. This opportunity to develop a sense of spiritual community is one of the special features of this course: working with others in this way empowers our spiritual practice, awakening our genuineness and challenging our self-deceptions. In this way, students on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism are able to take part in the Awakened Heart Sangha, a spiritual community formed by students of Shenpen Hookham.

Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is the core of the training within the Awakened Heart Sangha, a complete training in Buddhist study, reflection and meditation that is ample preparation for a lifetime of deep spiritual practice. As such, it is suitable both for those who have read about and practised Buddhism for some time and for those who are completely new to it. Other components of the training within the Awakened Heart Sangha provide the opportunity to deepen and expand one's understanding. For instance, one opportunity is to take Refuge, a commitment to ongoing Buddhist spiritual practice, and later the Bodhisattva Vow, a commitment to work for the benefit of all beings. Another opportunity is to engage in further study of the Buddhist scriptures and traditional teachings. These other components of the training are available, for those who find them helpful, in order to refine one's understanding of the core material in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, material to which everyone returns time and time again with ever deepening appreciation.

 Learning has tended to be thought of as a linear development, gaining knowledge about a series of different topics one after another, progressing through to ever more advanced topics. Spiral learning on the other hand follows the principle that learning is a deepening process and that there are fundamental

essential themes, the deepening understanding of which leads to a deeper understanding of the whole. Learning about more 'advanced' topics is valued largely because of the light which these 'advanced' topics shed on the essential points. Although Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, is often presented as if the sign of progress is to have acquired some new more complicated 'higher' teaching, really it is much more akin to spiral learning, for it is a journey to understand ever more profoundly the simplicity at the heart of our being.

The training in the Awakened Heart Sangha, of which Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is the core, is designed as a spiral learning programme. Although the themes introduced in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism are beautifully simple and accessible to everyone, they can be understood at many different levels. In fact, if understood profoundly the material in the course is nothing other than the teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, the 'highest' teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Further training within the Awakened Heart Sangha serves to deepen our appreciation of the material in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism. Thus it is not a mere beginner's course: it reveals the heart of the Buddhist path to perfect Awakening.

Distance Learning

Discovering the Heart of Buddhism is designed along the lines of a Distance Learning course. Distance Learning is the name given to courses where the main emphasis is on the student's engaging in learning while in their own homes, rather than at a teaching institution. Participants in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism can determine for themselves where and when they study and practice. For many busy people, fitting half an hour into odd spaces during a hectic week is easier than attending frequent day courses. Moreover, small 'bites' of frequent and regular study, reflection and meditation are important for getting

The coursebooks are the core of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, forming a complete course in themselves. They do more than just provide information. They are carefully structured to lead us on a journey of contemplation and reflection, an exploration into the nature of our being.

The books emerged in their present form out of extensive reflection and many years of thoughtful interactive working with students. They are laid out in such a manner that each new concept area is introduced on the basis of having an initial grasp of the previous area. The books are broken down into sections of text, exercises for reflection, and opportunities to reflect and make notes on your observations. Care is taken to avoid jargon or introducing unfamiliar concepts without explanation. One part of the approach is to examine the words we are using, exploring our own personal associations and the effect words and phrases have on our thinking and experience. This opens up to us a great resource of wisdom locked in our own heritage.

The way to work with the books is in the spirit in which they were created. There is a discipline involved in going forward a step at a time. Some people cannot settle to that approach without first getting in idea of where the course is taking them. There is no harm in reading the books through in this way. However, it is essential to then slow down and really take note of how you are responding to what are often superficially simple ideas and observations. At every step of the training we have to replace our usual competitive, 'I must get this right', mentality with a more gentle and open approach. We need to nurture our natural curiosity, honesty and sense of wonder at our immediate experience.

The books are carefully structured to help you form a direct experiential connection with each step in the learning process, through exercises which help you to focus and deepen your awareness, both in meditation and daily life. In this way, step by step, you are guided into the process of study, reflection and meditation.

Weekends

The Awakened Heart Sangha offers a series of weekend courses where participants in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism can come to receive further teachings, meet their fellow students and have interviews with the Principal Teacher. These weekends are optional, but they contribute greatly to the experience of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, providing the opportunity to participate in a spiritual community of like-minded people. The weekends enable you to hear teachings live, interact with the teachers and other students, gain from their knowledge and experience, clear up doubts and share differences. Weekend courses usually include a mixture of meditation sessions, discussion and teachings; sometimes this is combined with exercises in body awareness or meditation in movement.

The programme of weekend courses is carefully designed to cater for students of all levels of experience and knowledge. While most of the weekends cover topics also covered in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, reinforcing and enlivening the coursebooks, some of the weekends assume the student is already familiar with the ideas presented in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism. The weekends can also address

topics from different angles drawing out somewhat different aspects, so that gradually our understanding will deepen and come more and more on target. Thus sometimes a topic might be presented in a very direct, profound and unelaborated way, while on another occasion the same topic might be presented in a way that focuses on the nitty gritty of its relevance in our lives here and now. On some other occasion the same topic might be explained in terms of its background within the Buddhist tradition, perhaps discussing it in the context of passages of an important text. Students are free to choose which weekends they would benefit from most and would like to attend. It's fine just to come for one of the two days, or just a few of the series of weekends. It's entirely up to you. Tapes of the teachings will be available.

The weekend courses will be held in London, and participants in Discovering the Heart of Buddhism are able to attend at the special rate of £10 a day. As part of Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, you are also invited to come to residential retreats within the Awakened Heart Sangha. Retreats are booked and paid for independently of the rest of the course.

The themes of the course 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 course 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 this course 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 in this course, 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.

What do I actually get when I enrol? 

Enrolling on Discovering the Heart of Buddhism gives you: 

• A companion book that introduces the course 

• Four coursebooks specially written by Shenpen 

• The book Openness, Clarity, Sensitivity on meditation

•  Regular discussion with an experienced senior student

•  Personal interviews with Shenpen, the teacher 

• An introductory audio tape 

• Attendance at weekend courses 
  (we ask for a contribution of £15 a day to cover costs)

How long does it last? 

You decide 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 enrollment last for 24 months, giving you plenty of time to complete the course.

How much does it cost? 

There are two ways to pay for Discovering the Heart of Buddhism:  

• You can spread the cost by paying £29 per month for 12 months;  

• or you can pay up front at the beginning of the course. It helps our finances if you pay at the beginning, and if you are able to do this we can offer the course at £295.

We are a registered charity (The Shrimala Trust, 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 are 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. Bursaries of up to 50% are available. To apply for a bursary please write to or email the office at the address below, briefly describing your financial situation, how much you can afford to pay, and so what size of bursary you are applying for.