EXPLORING BUDDHISM

The Foundational Vehicle: Freedom from Suffering

An experiential course on the view, meditation, and conduct of Hinayana Buddhism
  OPEN TO EVERYONE
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About the Course

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In this excerpt, Rinpoche introduces the meaning of no-self

The path of Vajrayana Buddhism is a journey that carries us from confusion to the state of perfect, complete enlightenment. This journey comprises three distinct approaches, known as “vehicles” or yanas. In this course, Mingyur Rinpoche will guide you through the Hinayana view, meditation, and conduct. He will show you how to cultivate wisdom by examining the components of your own mind and body to see through the illusion of the self. This transformative insight is stabilized by developing a meditation practice, where you will learn to strengthen present-centered attention through the four foundations of mindfulness.

This experience then naturally expresses itself as ethical conduct, as you learn to center your life on the principle of nonviolence and avoiding nonvirtuous actions. By integrating the view, meditation, and conduct of the Hinayana into your daily life, you’ll form the crucial foundation for a genuine and lasting practice.
VAJRAYANA ONLINE GUIDES

Meet Your Teacher and Guides

In this course, you will receive teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche, Tergar lamas, and Vajrayana Online guides.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

TEACHER

Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in the border region between Tibet and Nepal. He was attracted to a life of contemplation from an early age and spent many years of his childhood in strict retreat. Mingyur Rinpoche studied with some of the greatest masters in living memory. Nowadays, he heads the Tergar Meditation Community and takes care of the monasteries under his responsibility. He supports students in more than thirty countries.

LEARNING EVERY MOMENT

Your Course Includes

Video Teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche

Exclusive new teachings shaped by Rinpoche’s accessible and playful style — with audio and transcript

Guided Meditations

Step-by-step instructions to refresh your practice and deepen your experience on the cushion

Practices for Daily Life

Short times, many times — simple ways to bring the teachings into everyday moments, anytime, anywhere

Video Reflections from Tergar Guides

Lived insights and practical context to support your understanding and real-world application of the teachings

Journaling and Community Resources

Invitations for integrating the teachings through personal reflection and discussion groups

Weekly Live Sessions

Live sessions with experienced guides to ask questions, share experiences, and stay connected
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Mingyur Rinpoche snaps his fingers to demonstrate subtle impermanence

You Will Learn

  • The view, meditation, and conduct of the Hinayana
  • The fours seals of dharma, the heart of the Buddhist view: impermanence, suffering, no-self, and nirvana
  • How to practice the four foundations of mindfulness: body, mind, feelings, and phenomena
  • Key points to develop ethical sensitivity and integrate the hinayana conduct in daily life

THE JOURNEY AHEAD

Course Outline

This course consists of four modules with a total of 14 lessons. In each lesson, you’ll receive a teaching from Mingyur Rinpoche, along with an introduction, reflection, guided meditation, and practice for daily life.

Module 1: The Essence of the Buddhist Path

LESSON 1
View, Meditation, and Conduct
Mingyur Rinpoche teaches the key points of these three elements and also explains the three types of grasping and the two types of meditation.
LESSON 2
The Three Yanas
Learn the view, meditation, and conduct of each of the three yanas.

Module 2: Hinayana View

LESSON 3
Impermanence
In this lesson, Mingyur Rinpoche teaches on the different types of impermanence and clarifies how we can begin to view the world in accordance with it.
LESSON 4
Suffering
Mingyur Rinpoche teaches on the meaning of suffering, its various types and how even conditioned happiness is a form of suffering.
LESSON 5
No-Self
Most of us carry a strong sense of self, holding that there is something on top of our body and mind that is “me.” In this lesson, we begin to question this sense of self.
LESSON 6
Nirvana
The Tibetan word for nirvana literally means “beyond suffering.” In this lesson, Mingyur Rinpoche teaches how we can recognize it right here and now.

Module 3: Hinayana Meditation

LESSON 7
Mindfulness of Body
Based on the Satipatthana Sutra, Mingyur Rinpoche teaches how to practice the first of the four foundations of mindfulness.
LESSON 8
Mindfulness of Feelings
Our experiences can generally be categorized as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Learning how to recognize and work with them leads to inner freedom.
LESSON 9
Mindfulness of Mind
In this lesson, we take a closer look at thoughts and emotions and explore for ourselves how they are not so solid after all.
LESSON 10
Mindfulness of Phenomena
Here, we bring together everything we have learned in the previous stages and combine them into the same practice. 

Module 4: Hinayana Conduct

LESSON 11
Not Causing Harm — Renunciation
In this lesson, we will learn the essence of renunciation and the four basic guidelines for ethical behavior.
LESSON 12
Ethical Conduct
In this lesson, we will take a closer look at the five principal Buddhist precepts, also known as pancashila.
LESSON 13
Ethical Sensitivity
In this lesson, we are introduced to the ten positive and virtuous actions.
LESSON 14
Ethics in Practice
In the last lesson, we zoom out a little and take a look at Buddhist ethics from two interview articles with leading Buddhist teachers. 
INCLUDED IN THIS COURSE

Guided Meditations

To get a taste of the guided meditations in this course, we’re sharing the second practice led by Mingyur Rinpoche: “Mindfulness of Body.” In this session, you’ll relax and scan the body, becoming aware of sensations and their impermanent nature.
Find a comfortable position and hit play to begin your practice now
All guided meditations in this course are led by Mingyur Rinpoche himself:
  • Body, Space, and Awareness
  • Mindfulness of Phenomena
  • Mindfulness of Body
  • Mindfulness of Feelings
  • Mindfulness of Mind
BECOME A MEMBER

Join Vajrayana Online

Your membership includes access to our full library of 25+ self-paced courses, weekly live sessions, live programs, personal interviews with Tergar guides, guided meditations, and much more. We aim to make Vajrayana Online accessible to everyone by offering three different pricing options. Feel free to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Annual Plans
Monthly Plans

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$2900

USD billed monthly after a 10-day free trial.
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Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

  • 10-day free trial
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  • Weekly live sessions
  • Vajrayana Online App

Standard

$5000

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By choosing the standard rate, you keep Vajrayana Online alive and flourishing.

  • 10-day free trial
  • 25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
  • Weekly live sessions
  • Vajrayana Online App

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$7500

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  • Weekly live sessions
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  • Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program

Reduced

$2400

USD per month, billed annually at $288/year after a 10-day free trial.
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You save $60

Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

  • 10-day free trial
  • 25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
  • Weekly live sessions
  • Vajrayana Online App

Standard

$4167

USD per month, billed annually at $500/year after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

You save $100

By choosing the standard rate, you keep Vajrayana Online alive and flourishing.

  • 10-day free trial
  • 25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
  • Weekly live sessions
  • Vajrayana Online App

Sponsor

$6250

USD per month, billed annually at $750/year after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

You save $150

By choosing the sponsor rate, you help us offer a reduced rate to someone who needs it.

  • 10-day free trial
  • 25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
  • Weekly live sessions
  • Vajrayana Online App
  • Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program
You will make the first payment after the free trial period. The membership will automatically be renewed in accordance to the frequency you have selected. You can cancel anytime, and no additional fees will be charged. For more questions about the membership, please visit our FAQs section.

Tergar is committed to making the benefits of Buddhist teachings and practices available to everyone. If the membership rate of $29 USD per month is a hindrance for you financially, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via volsupport@tergar.org to ask for a further reduced rate. We offer financial assistance rates for certain countries, for students with limited budgets, and for the monastic community.
It is not what actually happens that makes us happy or sad. Rather, it is our own mind. If we really want to accomplish a state of peace, if we want to understand our own perfect nature, which goes beyond the extremes of the ordinary mind — happy and sad, good and bad — we have to change the mind.
— Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche