The Wisdom Academy presents
The Dharma of Well-Being
A 3-Part Online Course Series with Lama Alan Wallace
In The Dharma of Well-Being trilogy, Lama Alan Wallace presents a highly organized, articulate, and heartfelt series of three courses, summarizing the essence of the Buddhist teachings as presented in the major sūtra collections attributed to the Buddha.
Each of the three courses focuses on a distinct turning of the wheel of Dharma and its teachings on dispelling suffering and actualizing happiness.
You can save 30% on the full tuition for the 3 courses if you enroll in this three-course bundle.
Click the button below to save your seat today and enjoy ongoing access to these course materials.
Parts 1 and 2 are fully available; part 3 will be launched June 14, 2024. You can study at your own pace.
Get access to this remarkable 3-course training today and then learn at your own pace.
Return to videos, guided meditations, and readings and be inspired again and again.
Enroll in this 3-course bundle to save 30% on full tuition! No code needed.
Full Tuition for 3 Courses: $741
Special Bundle Tuition: $517 USD
After enrolling, check your email for a welcome email with instructions on how to take the course. When you enroll in any Wisdom Academy course, you agree to our terms of use. Enrolled students have lifetime access to course materials. Wisdom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your tuition supports the creation of more courses like this one. Thank you! For more about our terms, please see the Wisdom Academy FAQ.
Drawing on insights and methods from both the Buddhist tradition and Western psychology and philosophy, Lama Alan Wallace invites you to investigate the causes of both genuine unhappiness and genuine well-being.
You’ll start by looking into what genuine well-being is before delving into what it is not as Lama Alan explores the causes of suffering, mental afflictions, and unhappiness, along with the internal factors that often prevent us from being truly happy.
He then turns to the causes of genuine happiness and offers skills, practices, and insights that will help you achieve genuine happiness.
Start learning today and take the next step on your path toward developing genuine well-being in your life.
Enroll in this 3-course bundle to save 30% on full tuition! No code needed.
Full Tuition for 3 Courses: $741
Special Bundle Tuition: $517 USD
After enrolling, check your email for a welcome email with instructions on how to take the course. When you enroll in any Wisdom Academy course, you agree to our terms of use. Enrolled students have lifetime access to course materials. Wisdom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your tuition supports the creation of more courses like this one. Thank you! For more about our terms, please see the Wisdom Academy FAQ.
Watch the Part One Trailer
Part One: Lesson Plan
Lesson 1: Introduction & Genuine Well-Being
Lesson 2: The Causes of Suffering
Lesson 3: The Contagious Nature of Mental Afflictions
Lesson 4: Developing Attention
Lesson 5: The Inner Causes of Mental Distress
Lesson 6: The Nature of the Mind
Lesson 7: The Inner Causes of Well-Being
Lesson 8: Developing Genuine Well-Being
In part two, Lama Alan explores the wisdom of the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, and the deeper causes of mental distress and mental well-being.
You’ll learn about:
• the nature of identification and the way phenomena exist;
• dependent arising;
• the nuanced view of Mādhyamaka Prāsaṅgika philosophy;
• holistic well-being;
• the transformation from renunciation to bodhicitta;
• turning within for satisfaction and cultivating selflessness;
• and more!
Enroll in this 3-course bundle to save 30% on full tuition! No code needed.
Full Tuition for 3 Courses: $741
Special Bundle Tuition: $517 USD
After enrolling, check your email for a welcome email with instructions on how to take the course. When you enroll in any Wisdom Academy course, you agree to our terms of use. Enrolled students have lifetime access to course materials. Wisdom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your tuition supports the creation of more courses like this one. Thank you! For more about our terms, please see the Wisdom Academy FAQ.
The course explores the deepest root of suffering: grasping to inherent existence. The Middle Way teachings of the Buddha’s second turning of the wheel of Dharma look at the nature of identification and the way phenomena exist.
Understanding how the self is perceived, we can reveal the process by which we form attitudes and behaviors in our relations to other sentient beings. With this deflating of self-centered delusion, we are brought into accord with reality and able to inspire well-being for all, including ourselves.
Lama Alan Wallace, internationally renowned for the clarity and profundity of his teachings, invites you to explore the inner causes of suffering alongside the causes of genuine well-being, and learn practices and techniques that will help you on your journey to develop genuine and lasting well-being.
Enroll in this 3-course bundle to save 30% on full tuition! No code needed.
Full Tuition for 3 Courses: $741
Special Bundle Tuition: $517 USD
After enrolling, check your email for a welcome email with instructions on how to take the course. When you enroll in any Wisdom Academy course, you agree to our terms of use. Enrolled students have lifetime access to course materials. Wisdom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your tuition supports the creation of more courses like this one. Thank you! For more about our terms, please see the Wisdom Academy FAQ.
Lesson 1: Searching for the Self
Lama Alan introduces the deepest root of suffering: grasping to inherent existence. Through searching for the nature of the self and phenomena, the fixation on the “I” can be undermined and eventually eradicated completely, leading to a balanced and healthy approach to the experiences of suffering and pleasure.
Lesson 2: Unraveling Afflictions
Lama Alan presents the core theme of the Perfection of Wisdom Sūtras: as long as reification persists, mental afflictions will continue to arise. By observing the arising of mental afflictions and not identifying with them, it can be realized that they do not exist in the way they appear.
Lesson 3: The Emptiness of Permanence
Lama Alan reveals the pinnacle of Buddhist philosophical thought, Mādhyamaka Prāsaṅgika, and how this approach to the ultimate nature of reality brings well-being and freedom from sufferin
Lesson 4: Appearances and Entities
Using the “four schools of Buddhist philosophy” model as a framework, Lama Alan highlights the ontological and epistemological implications of each progressively-deeper view into the nature of reality, which leads to the eradication of suffering and its causes.
Lesson 5: Equalizing Self and Others
Repaying the kindness that infinite sentient beings have shown us is the essence of the bodhisattva path. Lama Alan looks at ways the self is perceived and how this shapes attitudes and behaviors in relation to other beings.
Lesson 6: Ethics, Samādhi, Wisdom
In this lesson, Lama Alan introduces the actual method of the Mahāyāna student, looking at the transformation from renunciation to bodhicitta. Turning within for satisfaction and cultivating selflessness is the authentic bodhisattva path.
Lesson 7: Universal Well-Being
The path of the bodhisattva requires setting out; one must take steps toward the goal in order to arrive. Cultivating the mind through meditation provides a vehicle for the expedition to the great well-being of all beings.
Lesson 8: Entering the Mahāyāna Path
Lama Alan completes this second module, detailing how cultivation of the Six Perfections provides holistic well-being and relieves the suffering of others as well as ourselves. Sharp śamatha empowers broad bodhicitta, which is protected by deep wisdom.
Discover how to intuitively recognize your mind’s essential character under the guidance of renowned teacher Lama Alan Wallace.
In Encountering the Mind’s Natural Luminosity, you’ll learn a unique mode of knowing that gives you access to this vital intuition. This experiential mode presents a different path from both experiential scientific exploration and inference supported by reason.
Enroll today to discover a unique way of knowing that allows you to encounter your own Buddha nature.
Focusing on key insights from the third turning of the wheel of Buddhadharma, Lama Alan draws out the deeper meaning of our universal “Buddha essence” (tathāgatagarbha) and the luminous nature of mind. He also skillfully reveals how these sūtra-based explanations lead into the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā methods of practice emphasized at the tantric level.
We encourage you to join this reliable and charismatic course leader in delving into this profound material.
Enroll in this 3-course bundle to save 30% on full tuition! No code needed.
Full Tuition for 3 Courses: $741
Special Bundle Tuition: $517 USD
After enrolling, check your email for a welcome email with instructions on how to take the course. When you enroll in any Wisdom Academy course, you agree to our terms of use. Enrolled students have lifetime access to course materials. Wisdom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your tuition supports the creation of more courses like this one. Thank you! For more about our terms, please see the Wisdom Academy FAQ.
Lesson 1: Recognizing Our Enlightened Potential
Lama Alan Wallace begins the course with an exploration of how selflessness and the luminous mind are presented in the Pali canon and Perfection of Wisdom sūtras. He describes how these teachings prepare the student for the teachings on manifesting their own Buddha nature in the context of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma. You’ll learn how to identify what leads to happiness and suffering and how to remove the veils obscuring your pure, primordial awareness.
Lesson 2: Searching for the Mind’s Mode of Existence
Lama Alan juxtaposes the ways in which meditators initially understand two distinct yet complementary concepts—emptiness and the luminous mind. You’ll learn about how to develop intuitive confidence in tathāgatagarbha and how the four Buddhist philosophical schools conceive the final view of phenomena.
Lesson 3: Overcoming Grasping and Uncovering Buddha Nature
Lama Alan gives essential instructions on combating self-centredness and grasping and the need to approach one’s study and practice in a natural and commonsense manner. He also shares his own thoughts on a number of profound passages from sūtras such as the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra on how our pure buddha nature is obscured by false imaginings and the contaminated aggregates. You’ll become better acquainted with your enlightened potential both on and off the meditation cushion.
Lesson 4: Nature or Nurture? The Twofold Division of Tathāgatagarbha
Lama Alan summarizes the view, meditation, and conduct presentations expounded by the various Buddhist philosophical schools before examining the two types of buddha nature—naturally present and evolving. You’ll learn how to begin realizing your human potential by resting the mind in luminous awareness and turning your attention toward tathāgatagarbha.
Lesson 5: A Bridge From Sutra to Tantra
Lama Alan explains carefully how the sūtra teachings on the four noble truths, emptiness, and Buddha nature prepare a disciple for Vajrayāna methods such as Dzogchen or Mahāmudrā by refining the idea of the luminous mind to introduce the innate mind of clear light. You’ll learn about how the uncommon features of tantra—including working with the channels, winds, and drops—offer a unique opportunity to enhance the efficacy of your practice.
Lesson 6: Pristine Awareness as the Source of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa
Lama Alan continues to flesh out the deeper meaning of the luminous mind, noting how the sūtras emphasize rejecting affliction and differentiating appearance from reality while the Dzogchen approach is to gently examine the very nature of awareness itself. You’ll discover how the innate mind of clear light gives rise to the multitude of appearances we encounter and what the dissolution process looks like at the time of death.
Lesson 7: Consciousness as the Path
Lama Alan emphasizes the need to cease reifying our existence on the basis of body or mind and instead get in touch with the nature of our minds, recognizing that even the afflictions can be seen as expressions of natural luminosity. You’ll come to appreciate the importance of cultivating a mind that takes consciousness as the path and avoiding “practicing with a sentient being’s mind.”
Lesson 8: Relying on Primordial Consciousness in Daily Life
Lama Alan wraps up the course by reflecting on the foundational importance of understanding the points explained in the three turnings of the wheel of Buddhadharma in order to actualize the so-called “fruitional dharmakāya,” whether in the context of Dzogchen, Mahāmudrā, or Vajrayāna deity practice. You’ll review the key course takeaways and better understand the meaning of relying not on conditioned consciousness but primordial consciousness in meditation and post-meditation alike.
Lama Alan Wallace is the founder and director of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and the Center for Contemplative Research. He trained for many years as a monk in Buddhist monasteries in India and Switzerland. He has taught Buddhist theory and practice in Europe and America since 1976 and has served as interpreter for numerous Tibetan scholars and contemplatives, including H. H. the Dalai Lama. After graduating summa cum laude from Amherst College, where he studied physics and the philosophy of science, he earned his MA and PhD in religious studies at Stanford University. He has edited, translated, authored, and contributed to more than forty books on Tibetan Buddhism, medicine, language, and culture, and the interface between science and religion.
