A Wisdom Academy Course
Introduction to Dzogchen
with Lama Alan Wallace
Dzogchen, or the “Great Perfection,” is regarded by many to be the pinnacle of the Buddhist teachings, presenting the most direct path to realizing our true nature hidden within the deepest dimensions of consciousness.
In this popular Wisdom Academy online course, join renowned translator, Buddhist teacher, and author Lama Alan Wallace as he relays his immense knowledge of Dzogchen through memorable and engaging teachings.
Tuition: $247 USD
This course is in self-study mode, so you can take it at your own pace. 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 is centered around a close reading of a remarkable text by the 19th century Nyingma master Düdjom Lingpa, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers. In this text, Düdjom Lingpa presents the view, meditation, and way of life of the Great Perfection from his own experience, inspired by his many visions of the “Lake-born Vajra” manifestation of Padmasambhava, who first introduced Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century.
Through a sequence of lectures, guided meditations, selected readings, and quizzes, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to Dzogchen.
“Immensely grateful for this and for all the causes and conditions that led to this course.”
—Andrei Gheorghe
Tuition: $247 USD
This course is in self-study mode, so you can take it at your own pace. 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: Introduction to Düdjom Lingpa and the Text
In this first lesson, Lama Alan Wallace shares with us the fascinating biography of the author of the text our course is based on, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers, and begins his commentary on the text.
Lesson 2: Refuge, Mind Reversals, and Shamatha Practice
In this lesson, Lama Alan gives us the foundational teachings in refuge and how to turn our minds toward the Dharma. We also begin to engage more deeply in shamatha meditation practice.
Lesson 3: Gurus, Viras and Dakinis, and All Beings
In this lesson, we turn to three points that are the “source of all Dharmas”: the guru, viras and dakinis, and all beings.
Lesson 4: Shamatha Alone Isn’t Enough
In this lesson, we turn to the benefits and limitations of practicing shamatha meditation alone.
Lesson 5: Mindfulness, Movement, and Stillness
In this lesson, we explore topics central to meditation, such as awareness, movement, and stillness. We also investigate some common challenges in relating to meditative experiences.
Lesson 6: The Perspective of Pristine Awareness
Find out how the profound, esoteric teachings of Dzogchen can be integrated into your daily routine, and how they relate to modern discoveries in physics, psychology, and more.
Lesson 7: The Substrate Consciousness and Relating to Appearances
In this lesson, we explore the nature of the substrate consciousness and learn about how to relate to appearances in the Dzogchen tradition.
Lesson 8: Padmasambhava’s Pith Instructions
In this lesson, Lama Alan comments on Padmasambhava’s pith instructions on how to “collapse the false cave of appearances” and describes how to seek out the source of names.
Lesson 9: Like Reflections in a Mirror
In this lesson, Lama Alan takes us through the Dzogchen understanding of the nature of awareness and shows us how we can free ourselves from dualistic grasping—seeing instead that phenomena are like reflections in a mirror.
Lesson 10: Düdjom Lingpa’s Song of Experience
In this final lesson, Lama Alan completes his teachings on The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers and comments on Düdjom Lingpa’s song of experience.
Introduction to Dzogchen was absolutely wonderful...utterly fabulous. I have taken (and hosted) many online courses, and I found this course the best organized, the easiest to access visually, the most user-friendly—I think it's the most excellent format I have ever seen, honestly! I got a LOT out of the course and highly recommended it.
Susi L., student
Your Course Includes
1–3 hours of video each lesson, with teachings and meditation instructions
PDF downloads of selected readings for each lesson, including the root text
10+ guided audio meditations
Discussion forum
Lifetime access for enrolled students
Dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Lama Alan Wallace, PhD, continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind.
Lama Alan, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted 14 years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. He later studied Dzogchen with Gyatrul Rinpoche, a senior teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. With his unique background, Lama Alan brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world.
He is the author and translator of several books, including Düdjom Lingpa’s Visions of the Great Perfection, Stilling the Mind: Shamatha Teachings From Dudjom Linpa’s Vajra Essence, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos, and The Attention Revolution.
Art Credits
Lesson 3: Wrathful dakini; detail from a 19th century Tibetan thangka painting. Public Domain
Lesson 8: © Aliaksei Skreidzeleu via Canva.com