Saturday Foundation Programme

What Happens in a Class?

Session one is 9.30am – 11.30am

Session two is 12.30pm – 2.00pm

The class begins with prayers for meditation on the 'Stages of the Path to Enlightenment' entitled 'Essence of Good Fortune' and a guided meditation.

There will then be a teaching from the book lasting about 45 minutes. The teacher will transmit the essential meaning of the text and explain any points of misunderstanding or difficulty. The emphasis is on identifying objects of meditation and understanding how to apply these instructions to our daily life. The more that people ask questions and discuss, then the more everyone gets out of the lesson.

After teaching there will be 20 minutes for students to discuss in pairs. They begin by helping each other to review the main parts from memory, afterwards they check the book to make sure that they have remembered them correctly. They then discuss the various points to overcome any doubts or misunderstandings and arrive at a clear understanding of the meaning. They also identify and suggest the meditation for the next class.

At the end of the class the Teacher and students dedicate the virtue that they have created to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers.

We then have a lunch break of an hour and come back for a second session of meditation, teaching and discussion.

Every fourth session is a group discussion; two students review the pages covered in the previous three sessions then all students dicuss any questions they have.

At the end of each section of the book, students learning will be assessed by written examination.