Next Course: The Reimagination of Indian Buddhism in Tibet
Realizing the View, Part Three: A Course on the Buddhist View of Reality From the Buddha to Mipham the Great, and Everything In Between
Led by Derek Kolleeny and Chris Willcox
Tuesdays from September 22 thru December 15, 2026, 7-9:15 PM ET
(Omitting December 8)
Hosted by Rime Shedra NYC via Zoom
All scriptures should be realized free of contradiction,
And their teachings emerge as transformative precepts.
Then, the Buddha’s intention is easily understood,
And the pitfall of abandoning the Dharma is avoided.
- Atisha Dipamkara
Tibetan Buddhism inherited an extraordinary range of teachings from India–emptiness, buddha-nature, tantra, mahamudra and dzogchen–sometimes expressed in seemingly contradictory ways. How did Tibetans make sense of this vast inheritance? And how did they refine, transform, and sometimes transcend it as they formed distinctive ways of understanding the nature of reality, the path, and awakening?
This course traces the development of the Tibetan Buddhist view from the first wave of Indian transmissions in the eighth century through the great thinkers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. We will explore how key primary texts of Indian Buddhism, particularly those by Candrakīrti and Maitreya, shaped the views of Tibetan masters such as Mabja, Rongzom, Rangjung Dorje, and Longchenpa – and how those masters in turn reimagine these teachings through their own philosophical and contemplative realization offering new perspectives on emptiness, buddha-nature, and the ground of awakening that remain deeply relevant to Buddhist practice today.
This is part three of an exploration of the evolution of the view of the nature of reality in the Buddhist tradition.
To register please email dkolleeny@gmail.com. It is traditional to make some offering for any dharma teachings one receives. The suggested amount for this course is the mystical number $108, but any amount is fine. Hopefully one will at least offer $25 for the digital sourcebook as it requires enormous resources to create. If you are new to Rime Shedra NYC, please include a short description of your background in Buddhist practice and study, and please attend a couple of classes to make sure you would like to continue with the course before you make any offering.