What content is in the Tara’s Triple Excellence Online Meditation Program?
Tara’s Triple Excellence (TTE) Online Meditation Program contains original teachings by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche as well as over 600 daily contemplations, each of which builds on the prior one. TTE is accessible, lively, and supportive. This program is designed for anyone, from beginner to seasoned practitioner, who is seeking to experience the life-changing wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist path.
TTE’s daily contemplations and guided meditations lead students through the three primary stages of the Buddhist path. The program starts with fundamental mind training, advances to the bodhisattva path of love and insight, and finally, enters the secret path of the higher tantras. The ancient wisdom of these teachings is offered through online tutorials and videos presented by authentic Buddhist teachers. With its manageable, focused daily lessons, this Buddhist meditation program offers tools and skill sets to help one productively manage life’s challenges. TTE is truly transformative. The program helps its students develop a new outlook as to how to interpret and react to the often chaotic world that surrounds them. Through TTE, they supplant negative habits with positive ones. They are more content with themselves and able to foster better relationships with those around them, from family to neighbors and co-workers to strangers.
Overview of the Three Excellences
Tara’s instructions cover all three paths of Buddhism from the Vajrayana perspective. The First Excellence teaches the path of the Theravada, the Second Excellence, the path of the Mahayana and the Third Excellence, the path of the Vajrayana.
THE THREE EXCELLENCES
Introduction to Tara’s Triple Excellence
Before starting with the First Excellence, we now offer a complimentary 12-day course introducing you to the TTE online meditation course as a whole. It will give a sense of the full scope of the program, background on Buddhism, the three vehicles, guided meditations, and more.
Duration: 12 days, with 24 days of access time.
Suggested contribution: no charge; donations accepted.
Within the 1st Ex desc:
1. The First Excellence: Fundamental Mind Training
The First Excellence encompasses teachings that show the true nature of cyclic existence. The contemplations and meditations presented here teach us to calm the mind and cultivate a clearer sense of what is valuable in our lives. As a result of contemplating and reflecting on the Four Mind Changings, Refuge and the Four Noble Truths, we develop the resolve to free ourselves from suffering.
Note: you must complete the Introduction to Tara’s Triple Excellence course in order to begin the First Excellence.
Duration: 18 weeks with 110 days of guided meditations, 30 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and 25 optional practice seminars with Lama Tenzin Sangpo, and, if needed, an additional 70 days of access time. The suggested contribution is 228USD.
2. The Second Excellence: The Bodhisattva Path of Love and Insight
The Second Excellence is divided into three parts:
Part I
The Second Excellence part 1 is an intensive training in loving kindness, compassion, realizing the equality of self and other, and exchanging oneself with others. The culmination of these practices is developing the most precious mind state: the awakened attitude of bodhicitta. As a result of these contemplations and meditations, our rigid fixating mind softens and allows kindness toward oneself, friends, strangers and even those who, in the past, caused us stress and agitation.
Duration: 20 weeks with 130 days of guided meditations, 18 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and 16 optional practice seminars with Lama Tenzin Sangpo, and, if needed, an additional 63 days of access time. The suggested contribution is 232USD.
Part II
The training in the Second Excellence part II develops the first five perfections (paramitas): generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and meditation. Training in the fifth paramita of meditative concentration and learning to calm our mind is emphasized.
Duration: 25 weeks, which includes 162 days of guided meditations, 15 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and 10 optional practice seminars with Lama Tenzin Sangpo, and, if needed, an additional 60 days of access time. The suggested contribution is 270USD.
Part III
The Second Excellence part III guides us through the paramita of wisdom. The nature of appearances and the nature of the mind is investigated as we practice to settle into uncontrived naturalness during our meditation sessions.
Duration: 18 weeks, which includes 108 days of guided meditations, 29 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and, if needed, an additional 38 days of access time. The suggested contribution is 185USD.
3. The Third Excellence: The Secret Path of the Tantras
Due to the nature of the secret Mantrayana teachings, an online quiz and interview are required prior to registering for the Third Excellence. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche wants assurance that those who start the Third Excellence have studied and taken to heart the practices in the First and Second Excellence. The quiz is not designed to be an obstacle. Rather, it is a reassurance that we are on the Path. After completing the First and Second Excellences, we invite you and encourage you to take the quiz, and request a personal Skype interview.
The Third Excellence, the secret path of the tantras is divided into seven sections.
Part I
In part I of the Third Excellence, we contemplate key elements of the Vajrayana path and practice within the framework of Kriya and Upa tantra, the outer Tara sadhana of the Two Accumulations.
The duration of the online contemplations is 11 weeks. This includes 20 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and 64 guided meditations, incl. an additional access time of 112 days. The suggested contribution for Part 1 is 280USD.
Part II
In the Third Excellence part II we practice the third of the nine tantric vehicles: Yoga tantra. In Yoga tantra visualization practice is emphasized and with abundant supportive material we gradually train in the Inner Tara Sadhana.
The duration of the online contemplations is 11 weeks. This includes 12 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, 64 guided meditations, and 19 practice seminars with Lama Tenzin, incl. an additional additional 105 days of access time. The suggested contribution for Part 2 is 285USD.
Part III
In the Third Excellence Part 3, we train in the special preliminary practices (ngöndro). Part 3 is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, we focus on the first preliminary practice: refuge and prostrations.
The duration of the online contemplations is 6 weeks. This includes 9 teachings with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, 35 guided meditations, and 6 practice seminars with Lama Tenzin, incl. an additional 105 days of access time. The suggested contribution for Part 3 Chapter 1 is 180USD.
In the second chapter, we focus on the second preliminary practice: developing bodhicitta. The duration of the online contemplations is 6 weeks, including an additional 105 days of access time.
The suggested contribution for Part 3 Chapter 2 is 108USD.
Parts IV-VII
We steadily follow the path of tantra by studying the preliminary practices (ngöndro), the secret Tara sadhana, specific nadi and prana practices, the bindu practice, and ultimately engage in the practice of Mahamudra and Dzogchen.
