WorldView

This space has been inspired by The Asian Classics Institute and is dedicated to the serious study and personal practice of the original teachings of the Buddha. It's a way to provide a refuge inside of MySpace where you will have direct access to a comprehensive course of Buddhist studies and many materials to support your practice. We're also here to answer any questions you have.All of the Formal Study Courses taught by Geshe Michael Roach are offered here, as are Daily Practice Meditations, and other miscellaneous teachings. The classes offered on-line are the same as the classes that can be attended in person in New York City and elsewhere, and consist of the same audio recordings and text that are available by mail. The on-line audio is available in MP3 or Real Audio formats for streaming or download, and the written materials are contained in on-line pdf files which can be viewed, downloaded, printed, and assembled into a three-ring binder.ACI was established by Geshe Michael Roach under the spiritual direction of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, a distinguished scholar and master of Buddhism from Tibet.The Institute is staffed by volunteers and offers a wide range of programs for spiritually minded people of all levels, from beginning to advanced. They welcome all comers, all the teachings are offered without charge, and the teachers are well trained and experienced in the authentic Tibetan tradition. The purpose of the Institute is to provide a thorough, accurate Tibetan Buddhist education to anyone interested.As a result of completing full studies with Khen Rinpoche and at Sera Monastery in India, Geshe Michael Roach developed and taught a seven-year Formal Study Program in New York. That program condensed the essence of the Six Great Books of Buddhism into a series of 15 Formal Study Courses to train the next generation of Western Tibetan Buddhist teachers. Those Courses parallel the same basic core of information that a Geshe (Doctor of Theology) learns at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Geshe Michael taught the Formal Study Courses along with Tibetan language classes, meditation and general Buddhist topics prior to entering his retreat.Upon completing this full program of teaching, Geshe Michael entered a three year isolated retreat, which concluded in Summer 2003. The teachers that Geshe Michael trained over a period of seven years continue to teach and conduct classes in person for the New York City community.Geshe Michael's classes were recorded, and demand for them from people living outside New York City consistently grew. As a result the Correspondence Courses were created to make these comprehensive, accessible teachings available to people everywhere by mail. The Correspondence Courses make the Formal Study Courses and meditation instructions that Geshe Michael taught available to those who did not attend in person. You can pursue a comprehensive Buddhist education wherever you are, and at your own pace and commitment level.Thousands of people have received Buddhist study materials from the Asian Classics Institute by mail. To help satisfy the demand, and to make it more cost-effective for the growing number of students outside the United States, they have launched on-line availability of the teachings. Shipping printed materials and tapes around the world is too slow and expensive for many people. The on-line teachings make the audio and text from the original classes that Geshe Michael taught available for download onto your own computer. You can now burn your own audio CD's of the teachings, or print out your own class texts.Please be advised that the Asian Classics Institute has not recommend this MySpace group per se. Making this available to the MySpace community was my idea, and does not indicate that it has been evaluated in any way, or approved by the Asian Classics Institute. This community is a service to help people study together, and does not indicate a recommendation or certification of this group by ACI. Once study materials are supplied to individuals, how they are used is completely a matter of personal discretion.