Buddhist Studies

I found the ULC Master of Buddhism course to be a great refresher for my past twenty years of Buddhist study. As students and practitioners we can often get buried under a mountain of Buddhist texts and teachings. I found it revitalizing to go through the weekly lessons and get back to the "roots" of Buddhist study and practice. These same lessons can serve as an excellent starting point for people new to Buddhism or those just exploring the teachings. From lesson 1 in which we are given the history of Siddhartha Gautama – his birth, his 29 years as a pampered prince to his battles with the demon Mara and his more than forty years as the enlightened teacher Buddha – to the final lesson in which we are asked to consider Buddhist virtues, meditation and the life "perfections" of a Bodhisattva, the ULC Master of Buddhism course provides the student with all of the basic tools to begin a lifelong study of the dharma. I also appreciated that the lessons discussed different "schools" within Buddhism. Vajrayana, Mahayana and Zen Buddhism all have various subtleties within them that may attract different potential practitioners. The lesson on Karma was well written and was a straightforward elucidation of this often misunderstood concept. I particularly appreciated that the course stressed Buddhism's consistent call for one to take responsibility for their actions. It is said the Buddha lived many lives and took many forms before finally becoming reaching enlightenment. The Jataka Tales of lesson number 10 are a fun and often humorous way to present the teachings of the Buddha through parables built around his many incarnations. I found myself passing along some of my favorites via e-mail. For me personally, the ULC Master of Buddhism course allowed me to reconnect with my Path and be reminded of why I became so fascinated with Buddhism from an early age. I was reminded of the tremendous versatility within the Buddhist disciplines that allows people from many different places, cultures and economic backgrounds to find common ground in the dharma. I was reminded of the Buddhist call to embrace simplicity, to reduce selfishness and to seek the Middle Way. I was inspired, once again, by Buddhism's call for compassion and loving kindness. Given the state of our political and social systems today, these messages and reminders seem more important than ever. There was very little I didn't care for in the program. Even those minor points have nothing to do with the content, but more so in regards to the delivery of the content. On one occasion I had to write to receive a missed lesson. This was no big deal and the lesson was sent very quickly. My only other problem with the e-mail system is that some of the image links were bad and/or missing. My final comment is that I would have hoped the full course would be available for either digital download or in a more user-friendly print format. As I mentioned in my opening comments, I think this course is an excellent resource for new students as well as a great "refresher" for those who have been studying for many years. It would be great to have this reference material more readily available than having to dig through e-mail to find it. Regards, James ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link. Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.