Discover the teachings of
Lama Alan Wallace
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. Read more of Lama Alan’s biography.
Introduction to Dzogchen
In this popular Wisdom Academy online course, join Lama Alan Wallace as he relays his immense knowledge of Dzogchen through memorable and engaging teachings. You’ll learn about the perspective of pristine awareness, Padmasambhava’s pith instructions, and much more.
Shamatha: Meditation for Balanced Living
Discover a range of methods for developing meditative quiescence, or shamatha, particularly as a foundation for dzogchen practice. You’ll learn how to settle the mind in its natural state, how shamatha practice is a foundation for dzogchen and vipashyana practices, and much more.
Dzogchen Teachings for Mountain Retreat
In this course, Lama Alan Wallace presents and comments on pith instructions of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. This course is based on the text Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Concise and Clear Advice for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by 20th-century Nyingma master Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdral Yeshé Dorjé.
Shamatha & Vipashyana in the Dzogchen Tradition
Discover the Dzogchen tradition’s unique approach to shamatha and vipashyana through guided meditations and extensive oral commentary on the visionary writings of Dzogchen master Düdjom Lingpa. You’ll receive a broad overview of the Great Perfection tradition, learn how to practice vipashyana in order to examine the nature and origin of the mind, and much more.
The Dharma of Well-Being, Parts 1 &2
Discover greater happiness and well-being using insights and methods drawn from both Western psychology and Buddhist contemplative practices. You’ll learn about the inner causes of suffering, applying śamatha and vipaśyanā to realize selflessness, how ignorance gives rise to the other afflictions, and much more.
The Four Applications of Mindfulness
Explore the very nature of reality and human experience through the Buddha’s quintessential teachings on the four applications of mindfulness. You’ll gain a clear understanding of how Buddhist traditions understand the nature of liberation.
Open Mind
This course is one of Lama Alan’s deepest, most succinct explanations of the Dzogchen view, meditation, and conduct to date. Delve into the liberative practice and theory of Dzogchen through Lama Alan Wallace’s precise commentary on pithy root texts by masters Jé Tsultrim Zangpo and Yangthang Rinpoche.
Cultivating Emotional Balance
Discover greater happiness and well-being using insights and methods drawn from both Western psychology and Buddhist contemplative practices in this course with Lama Alan Wallace and second-generation emotion researcher Dr. Eve Ekman. You’ll gain a rich and in-depth understanding of your own emotional life and guidance toward your overarching goals for living meaningfully.
The Four Immeasurables, Part 1
Learn about the theory and application of the first two of profound practices known as the Four Immeasurables, or the Divine Abidings (brahmaviharas): loving-kindness and compassion. You’ll learn about how the four immeasurable relate to happiness; compassion, the source of suffering, and difficult people; and much more.
The Four Immeasurables, Part 2
This course covers not only empathetic joy and impartiality, but also weaves in teachings on Dzogchen and bodhicitta that will deeply enhance your practice of the Four Immeasurables. You’ll learn the practices of empathetic joy and impartiality, how to enhance your practice of the four immeasurables with a deeper understanding of Dzogchen and bodhicitta, and much more.
Atisa’s Pith Instructions on the Middle Way
Discover the Middle Way teachings of Atiśa, one of the greatest thinkers in the history of Indian Buddhism. You’ll explore Atiśa’s practical techniques of meditating on the Mādhyamaka middle way philosophy. You’ll also learn how to use personal experience in the “laboratory” of analytic meditation, and much more.
The Dharma of Well-Being Trilogy
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.
You can save 30% on the full tuition for the 3 courses if you enroll in this three-course bundle.
Over the years, Wisdom has had the honor of recording a series of restricted Dzogchen teachings given by Lama Alan. For students who wish to progress on the path of Dzogchen, this series provides a rigorous, in-depth study and practice experience.
After completing the necessary pre-requisites (to take Restricted Dzogchen Teachings Part 1, students must first take Introduction to Dzogchen), students should following the teachings in this order:
1. Restricted Dzogchen Teachings Online Courses
2. Restricted Dzogchen Talk Series on The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra
Please note: Lama Alan has chosen to limit access to these teachings on Dzogchen due to the possibility of students misunderstanding the subject without having the appropriate background. Students must have received a certificate of completion for the Wisdom Academy course Introduction to Dzogchen to study Weekly Dzogchen Teachings. By watching these videos, you indicate that you have completed Introduction to Dzogchen.
In this talk series, Lama Alan guides us through the visionary instructions of Düdjom Lingpa, one of Tibet’s most renowned masters of Dzogchen. Lama Alan offers teachings on Düdjom Lingpa’s profound The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra, which guides us through the complete path to buddhahood according to the Dzogchen or Great Perfection tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
3. The Vajra Essence Retreats
Watch the recordings of our one-day retreats with Lama Alan.
Learn about the projects that are helping to share Lama Alan’s Dharma vision with the world.
