Depth Practice Programs
Sukhasiddhi’s Depth Practice Program Overview
by Lama Döndup
Sukhasiddhi Foundation has been offering practice programs since 2001 as a means to support practitioners in developing and deepening their meditation practice while moving through a coinciding curriculum of the Buddhist teachings in general and the teachings of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage. In the West, we are blessed with access to countless teachings.
One can get lost within all the options and spend a lifetime of tasting a little of everything. While it is important to experiment in the journey of finding the path that most resonates with you, to truly experience what any tradition has to offer, it is essential to choose a path and follow it through its curriculum of teachings and practices. Sukhasiddhi Foundation’s Depth Practice Programs provide this opportunity through programs in which students are gradually guided through the teachings and practices while receiving individual guidance from qualified lamas and benefitting from the support of a warm and welcoming community.
Sukhasiddhi’s Depth Practice Program structure begins at an introductory level and moves systematically through the Shravakayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Mahamudra teachings. In our deepest levels of study, students have the rare opportunity to practice and study the core curriculum of the Shangpa Kagyu 3-year retreat in the midst of their daily life. It was this deepest level of study of the 3-year retreat curriculum that was the initial inspiration for the first program which began in the Fall of 2001. In the years that have passed since then, and with the experience of having shepherded 160 students through the programs, the Teachers Council has been continually fine-tuning the program structure in an effort to best prepare students for the teachings as they unfold so that they can best receive, digest, internalize, and actualize the teachings.
The Five Sequential Vajrayana Buddhist Programs
In all our programs, students benefit from one-on-one guidance in their personal practice and study from a qualified lama, retreats, classes and discussion with the whole Sukhasiddhi sangha, and extended study and practice time designed specifically for each program. A significant part of the programs is the development of sangha, a warm and supportive community of people who all aim to develop their hearts and minds and to bring that wisdom and compassion to the world through their daily actions. I invite you to visit our website to explore in more detail the rare opportunity these programs offer.
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The Dharma Training Program
This is an ongoing program covering the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy, and an intro to Vajrayana. Participants move through the curriculum at their own pace. Completion of the program is when all prerequisites have been completed.
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The Bodhi Program
The Bodhi Program is a 3-year deep dive into the heart of the Mahayana teachings and the Bodhisattva Path. In this program, students will have ample time to receive, contemplate, and implement the teachings and practices of the bodhisattva path in their lives as well as study and contemplate the philosophical underpinnings of the Mahayana teachings.
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Vajrayana Program
The Vajrayana Program, starting in January 2024, is a deep dive into Vajrayana practices and the teachings that support them. This program is designed to prepare students for the primary practices traditionally undertaken in the Shangpa three-year retreat.
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The Shangpa Program
For meditators who want to continue to learn and engage with the advanced training and meditations on the Five Golden Dharmas, the fruit of the Shangpa lineage from the two enlightened female masters of the 11th century, Niguma and Sukhasiddhi.
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Vajra Sangha
This program is for the most dedicated practitioners, who have completed the Shangpa program and want to continue learning new practices until completion of the entire cycle of the Shangpa teachings and practices.
Dharma Training Program
Our 2-year Dharma Training Program is the perfect opportunity to enter the gateway to the Sukhasiddhi Depth Practice Programs, or it can serve as a stand-alone program as an introduction to Buddhism and meditation. This format allows for our entry level program participants to have time to steep in the foundational teachings while gaining familiarity with calm abiding practice and introductory Vajrayana practice as they stabilize a regular practice that works for them in their lives. The Dharma Training Program takes place in 3-month modules and requires a 3-month commitment.
Depth Practices Explained
Bodhi Program
For those wanting to continue their studies and practice, The Dharma Training Program prepares students to move into our completely redesigned Bodhi Program. Our inaugural Bodhi Program, which will start in January 2023, will be a 3-year deep dive into the heart of the Mahayana teachings and the Bodhisattva Path. In this program, students will have ample time to receive, contemplate, and implement the teachings and practices of the bodhisattva path in their lives as well as study and contemplate the philosophical underpinnings of the Mahayana teachings. The format for the Bodhi Program will be 3-month modules and will require a one-year commitment. With this well-developed bodhicitta-infused foundation and a daily practice firmly established, students will then have the option to move down either a Vajrayana Track or a Mahamudra Track (with options to move from one track to the other).
Vajrayana Program
For those continuing down the Vajrayana Track, the next program is our Vajrayana Program, which is a deep dive into Vajrayana practices. These brilliantly designed practices provide profound support as they help us to recognize ours and others’ innate awakened qualities as they support us in recognizing the sacred in every aspect and moment of our lives. In this program, students will undertake the Shangpa Kagyu ngöndro as well as a rich curriculum of other Vajrayana practices such as Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, White Tara, Four Tantric Deities, and more. In addition to in-depth study of Vajrayana theory, students will continue their study and contemplation of the philosophical basis of the teachings.
Shangpa Program
For those for whom it is appropriate, the Vajrayana Program will be followed by the Shangpa Program, which is our Advanced Vajrayana Program. In this ground-breaking program, which Lama Palden initiated in 2001, the teachings and practices of the Shangpa Kagyu will be presented, studied, and practiced. Students will continue their study of Vajrayana theory and Buddhist philosophy. This program is a rare opportunity to engage in these profound practices which are typically only taught within the structure of the traditional 3-year retreat.
Mahamudra Program
For those who choose the Mahamudra Track, we will offer a new Mahamudra Program. Mahamudra meditation is designed to bring us into the realization of the true nature of mind and reality, and to develop the capacity to rest in that true nature – peaceful, content, and joyous. The Mahamudra Program will guide students through the step-by-step path of Shamatha and Vipashyana of Mahamudra and into Mahamudra practice. Students will receive individual guidance and feedback as they develop in their practice. These practices will be accompanied by the philosophical teachings that are the basis for this level of practice.
These practices and studies will be further developed and actualized in the Advanced Mahamudra Program that follows. Here, students will continue to receive step-by-step guidance in deepening and embodying their Mahamudra practice. The Mahamudra practice will be accompanied by continued philosophical studies and in-depth study of the primary Mahamudra texts.
Vajra Sangha
When students have completed either the Vajrayana Track or the Mahamudra Track, they have an opportunity to be invited into the Vajra Sangha, which is a group of highly dedicated practitioners who are continuing in the development of their practice through one-on-one instruction with one of the Sukhasiddhi Foundation Lamas. In addition to furthering their individual practice, the Vajra Sangha becomes an integral part of the holding structure for the sangha as a whole. At this level, one has fully embraced and integrated the Mahayana and Vajrayana paths and has a commitment to actively participate in the mutual creation of the vajra mandala of the Sukhasiddhi Sangha on multiple levels.
