The ancient books of Tibet say that if a person can see ultimate truth only once, for just 20 minutes in their entire life, then they will soon be able to reach enlightenment, and help stop the pain of countless living beings in this world.
They say that ultimate truth lies all around us, like an invisible wall of diamond that can only be seen by a mind which is perfectly still and quiet. The moon’s reflection can only be seen on the crystal surface of the lake of our mind if that surface is absolutely still. Really bringing our mind to silence is like learning to play a piano: it requires careful training under a qualified teacher—and lots of practice! In this training we will be learning the details of deep meditation from one of the greatest teachings on meditation ever given: a book called A Gift of Liberation, Thrust into the Palms of Our Hands.
This text was written by the Tibetan master Pabongka Rinpoche (1878-1941). The teaching will be given by Geshe Michael Roach, who is the first American ever to receive the title of “Geshe” or “Master of Buddhism,” after more than 20 years of study in a Tibetan monastery. He has translated more than 10,000 pages of the ancient Tibetan books, and will be giving the teaching directly from the original, drawing from 35 years of meditation experience, three of them spent in a solitary, silent retreat. Participants in the course will learn the secrets of the deepest meditation of all; in Sanskrit, this is called the union of shamatha and vipashyana: perfect stillness plus perfect wisdom.
Video with Chapters
This is a video playlist starting with the most recently posted class. Just click for the next video to see additional videos in the series.
Audio
Course Materials
Readings
Please note that these may have some inaccuracies, but are generally helpful for following the teachings
Homework
Answer Keys
Class Notes
Meditation Chart
Meditation Chart (small version)
Meditation Chart with English commentary (small version)
Meditation Chart (high-resolution file for printing posters – 42mb)
Please note: the high resolution version could use some editing in Photoshop to improve the quality – please email us if you are able to help, and we will post the updated file for others to enjoy as well)
