The Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha is a community that aspires to end suffering through the realization of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. The curriculum listed below is intended for use as a guide to continued presentation of the core teachings of the Buddha, and was adopted and revised by the sangha's Core Curriculum Committee. A summary of the background and purpose of this core curriculum follows the listings.
The core teachings of the Buddha may be ordered in multiple ways. One way is this simple listing:
Another method is to group the core teachings into subject areas:
(These three groupings were adapted from an outline in the Integrated Study and Practice Program, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies).
The intention is that the core teachings as listed above in this curriculum be presented in their entirety over approximately two-year cycles, primarily through offerings on Thursday and Sunday evenings, but also as appropriate in day-long, non-residential, and other retreats and sangha activities.
At the initiation of the Education Committee, the sangha in January 2009 began offering the core teachings of the Buddha on a regularized basis. This policy was confirmed and enhanced during the balance of 2009, as follows. After completion of the process of forming and stating the Sangha’s Aspirations and Values in March 2009, an ad hoc committee was named to recommend measures to implement the Aspirations and Values. This committee met several times in June of 2009 to develop an agenda for a special meeting in July. At this meeting, board members, committee chairs and members of the Education, Retreat and Residency and Finance committees considered implementation of the sangha’s Aspirations and Values. One recommendation for implementation was to offer the core teachings of the Buddha over a two-year period in various ways (e.g. Thursday evenings, half-day and full day retreats, residency events). The core teachings so considered were as follows: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Noble Path, Precepts, Hindrances, Three Characteristics of Existence, Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Seven Factors of Awakening, Brahma Viharas, Paramis, and Triple Gem. At its August 2009 meeting, the board of directors recognized and approved the participation of Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia to advise to the Core Curriculum Committee, which consisted of three members: Valerie Roth, CDL and chair of the Retreat and Residency Committee; Tam Saimons, chair of the Education Committee, and Kempton Lindquist, president of the board. At its October 28, 2009 meeting the Core Curriculum Committee adopted as a guideline the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Integrated Study and Practice Program outline as a guide for the core curriculum. This outline and the core teachings listed above formed the basis for the curriculum offered by the sangha from 2009 to date. The core teachings and curriculum in the present format was adopted by the Core Curriculum Committee on August 22, 2011, and revised on October 19, 2012. The October 2012 revision add “Faith” to the Sila subject area, and “Wordly Dhammas” to the Sila, Samadhi, and Pañña subject areas.
Revised 10/19/12