Rigpa US is pleased to offer an exciting series of online courses exploring “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche, the groundbreaking book that has helped millions of people find wellbeing in their lives and the possibility of ultimate freedom from suffering through their experience of the Buddhist tradition of wisdom and compassion.
You are warmly invited to join our series of short courses focusing on The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. The series of courses provides an overview of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings as presented in this acclaimed book. You are warmly welcome to join at the beginning of each course, whether you have taken the previous course or not.
In each of the courses, we focus on one or two chapters of the book, immersing ourselves in their profound wisdom and practical advice. This is an opportunity for deep study, contemplation, and meditation that will serve to guide you on a unique journey of personal transformation.
NEXT COURSE IN SERIES
The Heart of Compassion
Starts Wednesday, April 16 - May 14, 2025 (5 Weeks)
4 pm PT / 7 pm ET
This course provides an introduction to the central role of compassion in Tibetan Buddhist teachings. We will focus on how to practice compassion and be introduced to the “holy secret” of Tonglen. The course will especially emphasize meditating on Loving Kindness, which can help us restore our love and confidence, and heal unresolved emotional wounds. The practice of loving kindness also puts us back in touch with the fundamental goodness of our core being. When we are connected to our basic goodness, we are able to love ourselves and others unconditionally.
FUTURE COURSES IN SERIES
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May 21 - June 18, 2025
This course explores the Buddhist approach to practicing compassion and how to apply it in all situations. The first step to compassion is to realize that other people are just like you. They too wish to be happy and free from suffering. Then, through the practice of Tonglen (giving and receiving), we begin to mentally take on the suffering of others with compassion, and give your happiness and wellbeing with love. So that ultimately our every action can be an act of compassion. With this foundation, we are able to offer help to the ill and those who are dying, and even after death.
In each session we will provide space to connect with the profound teachings in the book through:
Brief Video teachings from Tibetan and Western Buddhist masters
Meditation
Time for contemplation
Ample space for Group discussions and Q&A, offering you the opportunity to explore the teachings and practices in an open supportive environment.
Audience
This course series, and each short course, is suitable for everyone. Each class is 1:45 minutes in length. Classes are offered via Zoom.
In each course, we will examine:
How to meditate
How an acceptance of impermanence can help us understand death and change our attitude towards life
How meditation can transform our perception, increase our confidence and fully connect us to the world around us
That mind is much more than just thoughts and emotions
How understanding the interdependency of all things and the principle of karma (that every action has an effect) gives us a logical basis for ethics and personal responsibility
How compassion can be nurtured in our hearts in a way that profoundly changes our own minds and our relationships.
Additional Course Information
Class Size: Each module will be limited to 30 students.
Materials: Students will need to have a copy of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, available online in print and Kindle formats. An audio book version is also available, but students should have a copy of the text.
The course sessions are offered online, via Zoom. Course materials, suggested home study and discussions will be shared in an online forum.
Course materials will be made available a week before the start date.
“In this book, I endeavored to share something of the wisdom of the tradition I grew up in. I sought to show the practical nature of its ancient teachings and how they can help us at every stage of living and dying. Many people, over the years, had urged me to write this book. They said that it would help relieve some of the intense sufferings that so many of us go through in the modern world.”
Teaching Team
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Pat Best
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Katy Burns
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Joan Elizabeth
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Linda Forrester
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Jeff Middelton
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Betty-Lynn Moulton
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Hanne Riegg-Luedge
THE TEACHING TEAM
Pat Best has been instructing Rigpa public courses since 2011. With many years of study, practice, and the motivation to help others, she continues to offer time to guide students with their own study and practice. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and her daughter, and three grandchildren nearby.
Katy Burns lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Katy began instructing in the San Francisco Center in the mid-2000s. She enjoys engaging with students on a variety of dharma topics and helping them to clarify their path and practice.
Joan Elizabeth began her spiritual journey studying Transcendental Meditation and Yoga. Joan moved to Maine in 1992 and began teaching based on the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, She has been teaching at USM’s Senior College for the Past 5 years rejoices in supporting people during these difficult times by making the teachings available.
Linda Forrester first read and fell in love with the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying in 2001 and started going to weekly meditation sessions. Retired now, Linda Forrester taught ESL at the City University of New York for over 25 years. Her work with immigrant and international students was constantly inspired by Sogyal Rinpoche’s teachings, and she feels deep gratitude to him.
Debbie Kinton was first introduced to Tibetan Buddhism in 1979 in Galway, Ireland. Her connection to the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying deepened during retreats where chapters of the book were read aloud. Studying the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has been a cornerstone of her spiritual path.
Jeff Middelton initially connected through the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying while traveling in India. He has found that the brilliant clarity in the teachings and the practice have provided an accessible refuge so essential in today’s modern world. He particularly enjoys interacting with students who are drawn to the Buddhist path.
Betty Lynn Moulton is a retired psychologist and has been privileged to help guide many students over the years in their study of the teachings. She particularly enjoys interacting with students who are just beginning to study the Buddhist path. She lives on Maui with her husband, three horses, and three cats.
Hanne Riegg-Luedge has been an instructor since the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying was published in 1992. After living in Santa Cruz for over 30 years, she moved to Southern Oregon in 2020 with her husband to live close to her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. Hanne is a retired psychologist.