The Dharma Path Program

Building a Stable Foundation of Dharma Practice

The Dharma Path is a program of progressive stages of meditation and contemplation for serious practitioners of meditation in the lay community. Participating in this program will result in significant personal development in meditation, along with a deep understanding of the fundamental contemplations of Tibetan Buddhism.

Lama Norlha Rinpoche has designed the program to allow those unable to participate in long term retreats to make steady progress on the path and qualify for advanced teachings. It is also an excellent preparation for those who aspire to do a three-year retreat.

Daily Commitment

Participation in the program will require listening to specified teachings by Lama Norlha Rinpoche and other teachers, reading the required text, and application of the teachings through contemplation and meditation on a daily basis. For those with a typical work week, the daily commitment would be one hour a day of practice on workdays, and two hours a day on two days off, making nine hours of practice per week. The nine hours a week can also be structured differently, according to individual schedules.

Each participant will be assigned a mentor who is a KTC retreat graduate. The mentor will be available to answer questions and offer guidance. Students are to meet with their mentor at designated points in the program, and demonstrate their mastery of the material. Mentors are also generally available by email and phone in order to answer students’ questions about the program.

Participants are required to keep an accurate record of their practice hours.  Please download our Dharma Path Time Sheet for this purpose.

FAQ’s

1. How do I start?

Complete our Dharma Path Registration Form.  Include a registration fee of $150 payable to Kagyu Thubten Chöling or KTC. Return both to:

Kagyu Thubten Chöling Monastery
Dharma Path Program
245 Sheafe Road
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590

2. How do I arrange for my meeting with my mentor?

After you send in your registration, we will contact you regarding these meetings. The email address for the Dharma Path Program is ktcdharmapath@yahoo.com.

3. What if I live far away from the Monastery?

Your consultations with your mentor can occur by phone or email. There are a few occasions when you will need to arrange a trip to the monastery to receive an empowerment. If you foresee difficulties with traveling to the monastery, speak to your mentor about your options.

4. What if I have already started other dharma practices such as Ngondro?

Speak to your mentor about how to integrate Dharma Path practice with your existing practice.

5. What if I can’t keep the daily commitment?

It is crucial to your success in the program to keep the daily commitment to the best of your ability.

6. What if circumstances arise such that I can not participate in the program?

Requests for refunds for purposes of exiting the program will be honored under the following circumstances:

• 100% (less $10 handling charge + credit card/Paypal fees) within 30 days of enrollment IF the course content has not been accessed.
• 75% within 2 months of enrollment
• 50% within 3 months of enrollment