Entering The Path

An Online Foundations Course in Early Buddhist Study and Practice

Ten weeks of engaging in early Buddhist practice and study in an intensive online community

Interested in studying the suttas but find them too complex, dense?
Not sure how to apply them to your practice?

This online course offers:

Ten weeks of video lectures, roughly six 10-minute segments per week. Easy to follow sutta readings are displayed as they are read by the teachers.

Connect in small groups with one of the guiding teacher weekly for one hour. Meetings are conducted through video conferencing software on computer, mobile, or tablet.

One-on-one meetings via video conference with the guiding teacher available throughout the program for personal practice explorations.

Lectures by these teachers:

Bhikkhu Anālayo is a German scholar-monk and the author of Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, Perspectives on Satipatthāna, and Excursions into the Thought-World of the Pāli Discourses. He is a Core Faculty Member at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg, and a researcher at the Dharma Drum Buddhist College in Taiwan.
Ajahn Candasiri was born in Scotland in 1947 and was brought up as a Christian. After university she trained and worked as an occupational therapist, mainly in the field of mental illness. In 1977, an interest in meditation led her to meet Ajahn Sumedho, shortly after his arrival from Thailand. Inspired by his teachings and example, she began her monastic training at Chithurst as one of the first four anagārikās. She is one of the most senior monastics in the Amaravati Sangha.
Shaila Catherine is the founder Insight Meditation South Bay, a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley. She authored two books on concentration and insight—Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, and Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhana and Vipassana. She began practicing meditation in 1980 and has dedicated more than eight years to silent retreats. Shaila has been teaching meditation internationally since 1996.
Jake Davis began practicing at age 14 at the Young Adults Retreat at IMS, and went on to spend nearly a decade practicing, studying Pali Buddhist texts, working as an interpreter, and training as a monk under Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Lakkhana of Burma. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, with an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Cognitive Science, and a master’s in Philosophy from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
John Peacock, an academic and meditation teacher for 25 years, currently teaches Buddhist studies and Indian religions at the University of Bristol. He is the Guiding Teacher of Sharpham Centre for Contemporary Buddhist Inquiry in England. He is also Associate Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and is a member of Gaia House’s Teacher Council.
Joseph Goldstein has taught Buddhist meditation worldwide since 1974. A co-founder and guiding teacher of IMS, he also helped envision and establish BCBS and IMS's Forest Refuge center. His books include Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, One Dharma, Insight Meditation and others.
Sharon Salzberg, a co-founder of IMS and BCBS, has practiced meditation since 1971 and has been teaching worldwide since 1974. She is an IMS guiding teacher and author of Real Happiness, Faith, Lovingkindness and other publications.

Facilitating Teacher

Curriculum

Week 1: Introduction and the Value of the Early Buddhist Teachings
Jake Davis, Bhikkhu Anālayo and Joseph Goldstein

Week 2: The Four Noble Truths
Bhikkhu Anālayo, Jake Davis, and Joseph Goldstein

Week 3: Dāna—Understanding dāna (generosity) as cultivating skillful qualities of heart
Shaila Catherine

Week 4: Sīla – Understanding sīla (ethical behavior) as a gift to oneself and the world
Ajahn Candasiri

Small group discussions — Click to view sample screenshots from the course

Week 5: Brahma Vihāras
Bhikkhu Anālayo and Sharon Salzberg

Week 6: Papañca, Cognition, Mindfulness
John Peacock

Week 7: Satipaṭṭhāna: Body
Bhikkhu Anālayo

Week 8: Satipaṭṭhāna: Feeling and Mind
Bhikkhu Anālayo

Week 9: Satipaṭṭhāna: Dhammas
Bhikkhu Anālayo

Week 10: Awakening and Conclusion of Course
Jake Davis and Joseph Goldstein

Testimonials from Previous Participants

“Every week I was blown away.”
I was expecting excellent content, but still, every week I was blown away. I was so impressed with this new way to deliver a class. You really exploited this medium.

“What really surprised me was the Sangha.”
What really surprised me (because I thought it was going to be something intellectual) was the Sangha. I never had access to anything like this before, with the teachers or the students. What really amazed me was how devoted everyone was to this class and to the dharma, without exception. Everyone’s involvement was so wholehearted, and I really felt at home with this course.

“I really appreciate how different this course was to any other residential retreat.”
The most surprising and unique aspect of the course was how personal it all became. I really appreciate how different this course was to any other residential retreat. Because we were all in our own homes and living out our lives, and the practicing of the material happened in ‘real life’ rather than on secluded retreat, the teachings felt WAY more useful. Questions and investigation came up in ways that would never have manifested on retreat. This made it feel very, very alive and relevant to my life.

“I would never have guessed that an online course could provide this closeness.”
I felt a much closer connection to the teachers than on any other course, I think because of this real-life aspect. I would never have guessed that an online course could provide this closeness. It was an outstanding reason why the course was so beneficial and enjoyable. The interactions with the teachers were so unscripted and real because of the format. It was truly wonderful; thank you all so much.

Commitment

This course requires considerable commitment from participants. We require attendance at weekly virtual meetings, as well as completion of small writing prompts throughout the program. The required time commitment is roughly 5-7 hours per week.

Each week includes:

1 hour of video lecture
75 minutes of a small group meeting
1 1/2 hours of personal time for reading suttas, reflections and key points
Daily practice and digestion

Over the course of the program, participants will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the guiding teacher for two sessions of 15-30 minutes each.

Application Process and Criteria for Selection

In previous programs, due to the need for small groups to support the intimate nature of the program, we have been able to accept roughly half of applicants. In general, we have endeavored to include those with previous meditation experience, those who have limited access to dharma study in their area, and those who have demonstrated keen interest, for instance those who have applied to previous programs.

Prerequisite experience includes the completion of at least one week of continuous silent meditation practice.

Acceptance into the program is contingent upon a short virtual interview (approximately 5 minutes) with BCBS staff to ensure clarity of commitment and comfort level with technology.

Program Fee, Teacher Dāna and Scholarships

The course fee is $450. This does not include financial support for the guiding teacher. As is customary at BCBS, there will be an opportunity to offer dāna to the teacher at the end of the program.

We are committed to making this program accessible to all. Scholarships are available to help supplement the course fee. Scholarship requests may be made on the course application.

Upcoming Iterations

There are no upcoming iterations scheduled for this time. Please sign for our email list to stay informed regarding future dates.

Questions? Email Us

Entering The Path: An Online Foundations Course in Early Buddhist Study and Practice

Entering The Path

An Online Foundations Course in Early Buddhist Study and Practice

Ten weeks of engaging in early Buddhist practice and study in an intensive online community