Tibetan Nyingma Institute Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World

Each course is an integral part of one of our seven Certificate Programs and we recommend that all those interested in attending courses register for one of these programs, each of which offers a focused educational opportunity to master an aspect of our curriculum. It is also possible to attend individual courses for which you meet the prerequisites as an auditor.

Following each course description is the name of the Certificate Program or Programs that the course is part of (in parentheses). Clicking on the Program name will take you to a full description of the Program.

Buddhist Studies

DHS111 Opening to the Dharma: Birth of Enlightenment

Tuesdays, 6:15-7:45 PM (January 4—March 8)

Examining the qualities of the Buddha, we sense broader possibilities for our own lives. While enlightenment differs radically from ordinary experience, it takes birth from within present awareness and action. This course introduces the Buddha and provides an overview of his teachings, illuminating this living body of knowledge and its importance in the modern world.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructors: Buddhist Studies faculty. This is the first course in the year-long “Opening to the Dharma” Buddhist Studies Program, an introduction to the Buddha’s compassionate way of life.

DHS206 The Resolve for Ultimate Goodness

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15-7:45 PM (January 4—March 10)

All living beings have the nature of a Buddha, yet we live in ignorance of this great treasure, like a poor, blind man, unaware that a jewel of infinite value lies buried beneath his hearth. Traditional teachings and practices help us develop confidence in our ability to discover Buddha nature.

(Path of Liberation Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$360. Instructors: Sylvia Gretchen and Jack Petranker. Students are encouraged to attend the associated workshops “Making Mind the Matter” on January 28-29 and “Filled with Devotion” on February 25-26. Prerequisite: DHS205 or consent of the instructors.

DHS211 Buddhist Studies Tutorial: Sustaining Bodhichitta

Tuesdays, 8-9:30 PM (January 4—March 8)

Bodhichitta, the mind of enlightenment, expresses an inner knowledge that develops through making compassion and insight the basis of our existence. We study how to sustain this knowledge through examining the perfections of ethical discipline and patience as described in Shantideva’s Introduction to the Bodhisattva Way (Bodhicharyavatara).

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Includes the “Melting Emotional Responses in Compassionate Knowledge,” workshop on March 12. Instructor: Barr Rosenberg. Open to all students with a sincere interest in the Buddha’s teachings.

Nyingma Meditation 

MED102 Beginning Meditation: Developing Inner Serenity

Morning Class: Tuesdays, 10-11:30 AM (January 4—March 8)
Evening Class: Thursdays, 8-9:30 PM (January 6—March 10)

Meditation activates a deep source of inner peace that can protect us from suffering and frustration. Through sitting meditation, walking meditation, and mantra practice students learn to relax tension and cultivate equanimity. The focus is on reducing mental distractions.

(Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructor: Olivia Hurd. For beginners and those wishing to review basic techniques.

MED202 Intermediate Meditation: Overcoming Obstacles

Morning Class: Wednesdays, 10-11:30 AM (January 5—March 9)
Evening Class: Thursdays, 8-9:30 PM (January 6—March 10)

In this course students learn to overcome the most common obstacles to meditation: sleepiness, overactive thoughts, and “dreaminess.” The course also includes practices and teachings that further develop concentration and awareness.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructors: Jack Petranker (mornings); Hugh Joswick (evenings). Prerequisite: one year of meditation experience.

MED206 Experiencing Openness

Wednesdays, 8—9:30 PM (January 5—March 9)

Our task is to strengthen our meditation, to make a crystal of our minds, so that there is no separation between inner and outer. Tarthang Tulku, Openness Mind.

Working with practices that loosen and relax useless mental strategies, this intermediate meditation course asks students to look directly at the patterns of thought that cause tension and frustration. Meditative techniques gently lead to insight into the openness of mind.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructor: Bob Byrne. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Openness Mind. Prerequisite: two years of meditation experience.

MED302 Advanced Meditation: Embracing Beauty

Mondays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 3—March 7)

Everything we see, everything we know can be illuminated by a miraculous presence of beauty. Meditation uncovers this pervasive beauty which abides deep within consciousness, yet shines through all experience.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180, which includes the “Creativity and Consciousness” workshop on January 22. Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Seeing the Beauty of Being. Prerequisite: three years of meditation experience and consent of the instructor.

Nyingma Psychology and Practices

NPS101 Healing Mind*

Daytime Class: Thursdays, 1—2:30 PM (January 6—May 26)
Evening Class: Mondays, 8—9:30 PM (January 3—May 23)

Mind can reflect immense beauty, love, and clarity, but mind can also weave an intricate web of suffering. This five-month course is designed to increase self-understanding and heal mind through experiential investigation into its structures and functions. Topics include: emotions as hidden knowledge, conflict and self-image, and reclaiming the heart.

(Nyingma Psychology Program; Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$400 or $80 per month, which includes the workshops “Transforming Negative Emotions” on January 15 and “Self-Image” on April 23. Instructors: Robin Caton (daytime) and Sylvia Gretchen and Erika Rosenberg (evenings).

KOF102 Education for a New World: Awakening Knowledge

Tuesdays, 8—9:30 PM (January 4—March 8)

As an artist allows hand and brush to be directed by an inner vision, we can be guided by knowledge of our own value and take full advantage of the opportunities a human life offers. Supported by the inner riches we have developed within ourselves, we can live secure, free from anxiety, fear, and loneliness. Tarthang Tulku, Knowledge of Freedom.

Reaching out for fulfillment feeds endless longing, and inward grasping—even in the search for knowledge—yields nothing truly new. Trying too hard, and in the wrong way, we separate ourselves from our heart's delight. In this course we look at the process of self-deception; in doing so, we become undeceived.

(Nyingma Psychology Program; Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructor: Tom Morse. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Knowledge of Freedom. 

NPR101 The Practice of Mantra

Mondays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 3—March 7)

Mantras are deeply symbolic sounds that activate qualities of wisdom, compassion, and healing when chanted with a quiet mind and an open heart. This course presents traditional Tibetan mantras and the healing practices associated with them.

(Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructors: Rosalyn White and Mark Henderson.

Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga)

KNR101 Beginning Kum Nye: Promoting Spaciousness*

Wednesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 5—March 9)

Kum Nye teaches us to live spaciously as it gently moves us beyond perceived limits and boundaries. Students open the senses and then navigate the space of sensations, emotions, and perceptions, moving toward an integration of body and mind.

(Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Nyingma Psychology Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructor: Jack van der Meulen.

KNR201 Intermediate Kum Nye: Inner and Outer Massage of Feeling

Wednesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 5—March 9)

This course provides a basis for understanding the foundation and development of Kum Nye, and the three levels on which its exercises can be experienced. Breathing, awareness, movement, and self-massage practices promote deep relaxation.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructor: Donna Morton. Prerequisite: one year of Kum Nye.

KNR301 Advanced Kum Nye: Breath, Energy, Feeling

Mondays, 8—9:30 PM (January 3—March 7)

Kum Nye is based on comprehensive understanding of the body: how its inner systems operate, how they are interconnected, and how they are activated by energy circulating through them. Tarthang Tulku, Joy of Being.

Advanced Kum Nye practices lead naturally to serenity and insight through harmonizing breath, movement, and sensation. This course focuses especially on breath.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructor: Santosh Philip. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Joy of Being. Prerequisite: two years of Kum Nye.

KNR107 Sunday Morning Kum Nye

Sundays, 10 AM—Noon (every Sunday except February 20)

Renew a spirit of ease and appreciation through gentle Tibetan Yoga practices that relax body, breath, and mind. A range of Kum Nye movement, massage, and breathing exercises is given in each session.

(Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program)

$15 per session. Instructors: Jack van der Meulen, Santosh Philip, and the Kum Nye staff. This drop-in class is for all levels of students.

Skillful Means

We need a new philosophy of work based on greater human understanding, respect for ourselves and others, and an awareness of the qualities and skills which create peace in the world: communication, cooperation, responsibility. Tarthang Tulku, Skillful Means.

SKM101 Mastering Successful Work

Thursdays, 6:15-7:45 PM (January 6—March 10)

Students learn how to develop a regular rhythm of awareness practices that extends throughout their working day, increasing relaxation and accomplishment. In-class practices and discussion help students engage tasks in ways that make work more enjoyable.

(Nyingma Psychology Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program)

$180. Instructor: To be announced. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Mastering Successful Work.

Time, Space, and Knowledge

TSK101 Experiencing the Dynamic of Time

Tuesdays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 4—March 8)

At the edge of the future, time sparkles; in the richness of feeling and energy, time glows. Practices focus on finding these places and allowing them to expand and deepen. Students discover time coursing through body and mind: a dimension inseparable from their being.

(Nyingma Psychology Program)

$180. Instructors: Tom Morse and Ken McKeon.

Tibetan Language

TIB102 Beginning Tibetan, Level II

Thursdays, 8-9:30 PM (January 6—March 10)

Using examples and short selections from texts, students continue working with grammar and syntax.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructor: Mark Henderson. Prerequisite: TIB101 or consent of the instructor.

TIB202 Intermediate Tibetan, Level II

Fridays, 6:15—7:45 PM (January 7—March 11)

Reading selected short texts develop comprehension of classical written Tibetan.

(Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program)

$180. Instructor: Mark Henderson. Prerequisite: TIB201 or consent of the instructor.

TIB301 Tibetan Tutorial

Fridays, 4:30—5:45 PM (January 7—March 11)

Reading and translation of Tibetan texts.

$180. Instructors: Barr Rosenberg and Sylvia Gretchen. Prerequisite: consent of the instructors.

*Courses or workshops marked with an asterisk meet the qualifications for continuing education credit for MFT’s and LCSW’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Provider: Nyingma Institute #2513.