Foundation Programme

The Foundation Programme is a dynamic, systematic study programme that enables you to go deeper in your own practice.

It covers the meditations in far more depth, enables students to study together and form spiritual friendships with like-minded people, and gives you access to discuss and ask questions at a much deeper level.

If you're looking for more support with your meditation practice, and know you need help creating more discipline and commitment, the Foundation Programme can help you on many levels.

If you're thinking of joining the Foundation Programme, you're welcome to attend two taster sessions before enrolling.

Programme benefits

Increased personal insight, wisdom and experience of the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings).
Studying and meditating more effectively following a specially-designed programme with a qualified meditation teacher.
Opportunities to discuss and ask questions.
Help, support and friendship from like-minded people.
Gain the ability to integrate Buddha’s instructions into busy modern life.

What happens at the study class?

The programme consists of a combination of teachings, meditation and discussion, all of which enable us to go deeper into the layers of meaning within each book that we study. All of this helps us to make real progress along our spiritual path. Each class consists of preliminary prayers, guided meditation and reading from the book, with commentary and discussion. The books being studied can be purchased at the centre.

Mondays 7-9pm

with Gen Zoma

We're currently studying in-depth the powerful meditations from How to Understand the Mind by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. This book offers us deep insight into your mind, and shows how an understanding of its nature and functions can be used practically in everyday experience to improve our lives. This study programme is open to everyone and is a particularly good step for those who've been attending drop-in classes and want to take their meditation to a deeper level.

Thursdays 7-9pm

with Ben Gallagher

Universal Compassion provides practical instructions showing how to transform even the most difficult daily life experiences into opportunities for spiritual growth through developing and enhancing minds of universal love and compassion.

The heart of Buddha’s teachings is unconditional love and compassion. In this inspiring explanation of the popular Buddhist poem Training the Mind in Seven Points, the author, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche reveals powerful and far-reaching methods for us to develop these altruistic states. Ancient meditative techniques that have been tried and tested for centuries are brought alive and made relevant to our everyday experiences.

By studying this book, we will learn how we can transform our day-to-day problems – even the most demanding and difficult conditions – into opportunities for personal and spiritual development.

Student expectations

The Foundation Programme is not a drop-in class; it's a structured study programme that requires enrolment.
Students will need to have an All-inclusive or Premium membership after being accepted onto a study programme.
Students are expected to have read and studied the pages before the class each week.
Each class begins with a short meditation, some chanted prayers and then a teaching. A meditation following the teaching helps students to gain deeper understanding.
Students are then given the chance to discuss the material studied each week with each other, so they can help resolve doubts, increase their own understanding and help each other with their study and memorisation of important points.

Please note

Enrolment is required and we ask that everyone who enrols has a sincere personal commitment to attend each class following the taster sessions. Those who join commit to sign up for the book or section of the book that's being studied.

For more information about the Foundation Programme, visit kadampa.org.

How to enrol

Interested in joining the Foundation Programme? Complete the form below