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Upper Middle Way – The Great Books of Wisdom Series: Making the ancient classics of Tibetan Buddhist literature accessible to the modern world

Around 1000 AD, 1500 years after the time of the Buddha, the Tibetans undertook a monumental task: to translate thousands of pages of Buddhist literature from Sanskrit into Tibetan. It took them 700 years to complete translations of the kangyur (the word of the Buddha) and the tengyur (the Indian commentaries). Now, as Buddhism has been making a big push westward, Geshe Michael’s aim is to complete an even larger task: to translate hundreds of thousands of pages of Buddhist literature into modern languages. Since the blossoming of Buddhism in Tibet, no less than 200,000 pages of brilliant commentary have been composed by masters and scholars in the Tibetan language. In this ongoing series of courses, Geshe Michael’s goal is to create and guide a team of young translators to translate these great classics.
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Kamalashila’s Surprise Ending to the Diamond Cutter Sutra (2018, New York)

Returning to New York City, Geshe Michael Roach presents Kamalashila’s surprise ending to the Diamond Cutter and teach us how to develop five different sets of eyes, so that we can see far beyond what we see ordinarily see. Amazingly, Kamalashila also predicts the arising of the worldview of science: a belief held and ingrained so deeply by many across the globe that we aren’t even aware we have it. In a few brilliant pages, he shatters this worldview, and replaces it with a way of looking at the world which will lead to a planet of peace and enlightenment.
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A Gift of Liberation 28: Building My Practice Space Retreat (2017, Thailand)

For the second year, we return to Thailand for another installment of the Gift of Liberation series, which is based upon the Lam Rim teachings of Pabongka Rinpoche, in his seminal book, "Liberation Thrust into the Palm of Your Hand". At this retreat on the stunning beaches of Thailand, Geshe Michael Roach will teach us how to identify the six majors problems that most people experience at one time or another, and the how to finally end them.
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Master Kamalashila Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Part 4 – The Nine Messages: Kamalashila’s Surprise Ending to the Diamond Cutter Sutra (2017, Arizona)

In this final course of Master Kamalashila: Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Geshe Michael Roach teaches the deepest meanings of ultimate reality and how to reach those states using a series of meditations from Master Kamalashila's commentary. Each meditation is designed to increase and stabilize our understanding, step-by-step.
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Asian Classics Translator Course 1 (Arizona, 2017)

In this series of courses currently taking place at the Sedona College of International Management, Geshe Michael's goal is to create and guide a team of young translators to translate these great classics. First stage is to translate these great classics into English and from there they can be easily translated into modern Chinese, Spanish, German, Russian and many other languages.
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Master Kamalashila: Meditations on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Part Two (Arizona, 2016)

This is the second in a four-part series based on Master Kamalashila’s commentary on the Diamond Cutter Sutra led by Geshe Michael Roach. This retreat provided a unique opportunity to delve deeply into rarely taught meditations on emptiness. The retreat consisted of morning sessions led by Geshe Michael Roach followed by individual practice in the student's private retreat cabin.
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Daily Practice Series Course 08: The Heart Sutra, A Meditation on Emptiness (1998, Redding)

The Heart Sutra is one of the most popular prayers in Buddhism. It contains seemingly mystical, impenetrable verses that describe how reality does exist, and the way in which it does not exist. This meditation penetrates into the real meaning of the sutra, which describes how our very nature, including our bodies, minds and identities are not what they appear to be. We meditate on the very nature of ultimate reality (emptiness) to discover where things come from and how they really exist. This is an excellent introductory overview meditation on emptiness.
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Daily Practice Series Course 08: The Heart Sutra, A Meditation on Emptiness (2000, Soquel)

The Heart Sutra is one of the most popular prayers in Buddhism. It contains seemingly mystical, impenetrable verses that describe how reality does exist, and the way in which it does not exist. This meditation penetrates into the real meaning of the sutra, which describes how our very nature, including our bodies, minds and identities are not what they appear to be. We meditate on the very nature of ultimate reality (emptiness) to discover where things come from and how they really exist. This is an excellent introductory overview meditation on emptiness. This topic was covered twice, each time with a different emphasis, and both versions have been provided.
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Daily Practice Series Course 09: The Emptiness of the Mind (Mahamudra) (1999, Soquel)

This meditation practice focuses on understanding ultimate reality (emptiness) on a more advanced level. Mahamudra is meditation on the ultimate nature of one’s own mind. We meditate on our mind, examining it on six different levels, each one leading to a more sophisticated understanding of our mind and its nature. Meditating on the ultimate nature of one’s own mind is an important part of a larger practice that leads to the direct perception of ultimate reality. The direct experience of ultimate reality is a key meditative realization that assures very quick enlightenment.
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How to do a Daily Practice 12: Seeing Emptiness Directly And Creating Your own Enlightenment (1998, New York)

This collection of classes is for the purpose of having a regular daily practice. It’s different than many of the other courses here on The Knowledge Base which are meant to teach the philosophy, or intellectual background, of Buddhism. These classes were on monday nights and were taught in a completely different style, focusing on all the most practical and essential elements that should be done each day to really get the most out of all the other intellectual study.
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Locking The Door to the Lower Realms: Ultimate Protection on the Path of Preparation (Mexico, 2016)

There are five stages or paths in the spiritual evolution of a human being. The second of those five paths is called The Path of Preparation, preparation here specifically refers to gaining an increasingly deeper intellectual understanding of emptiness which gives us the necessary spiritual power to have the direct perception of emptiness on path number three. This increasingly deeper understanding of emptiness progresses through four distinct stages while traversing the second path.
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Meditation for the rest of your life (New York, 2016)

Meditations for the rest of your life? Yes, meditation can change your relationships, your career, and your life! How does this happen? Geshe Michael Roach taught this series of short, powerful meditations from Master Kamalashila at the Lincoln Center in February, 2016.
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