ACI 15
What
The Buddha
Really Meant
with
Tim Lowenhaupt
online course
September 4 – October 2, 2025
We will explore what two major schools of thought presented about this question to resolve the apparent conundrum and confusions present in the various teachings.
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WHAt
THE Buddha
Really Meant
In this final course of the foundation series (prior to the series review courses after this!), we arrive at the point where we have to synthesize all that we have learned to transition from “book knowledge” to “actualized knowledge.” This final step is related to what all the great texts agree that we must learn to do: to perceive “selflessness” directly and properly in order to break free from the perpetual cycles of pain.
To do so, though, we first must learn to figure out what emptiness is actually empty of, in order to approach it and experience its transformative power. However, it *seems* like the Buddha taught emptiness in various ways, and in seemingly contradictory ways. How are we supposed to know what was really meant in the various teachings and which path should we follow, and not follow?
In this course, we will explore what two major schools of thought presented about this question to resolve the apparent conundrum and confusions present in the various teachings. Each school develops a presentation to evaluate whether the Buddha was being figurative or literal when he was teaching to different types of students.
The two major schools that evaluate the Buddha’s teaching are:
The Mind-Only School, presented by Asanga and his half-brother Vasubandhu
The Middle Way School, based on the teachings of Nagarjuna
In this course, we’ll dive into what these two groups believe—using texts by the Buddha himself, and commentaries written by Kedrup Tenpa Dargye and Je Tsongkapa, along with teachings given by Geshe Thubten Rinchen—and how we can use these beliefs to identify our own thinking about how the world exists for us. That is, the teachings of the Buddha are not abstract; rather, they actually represent the kinds of thoughts (both correct and incorrect!) we have running around in our own minds about the nature of reality. And then upon recognizing those types of thoughts, we can apply various techniques to push us towards a higher understanding of reality, and ultimately, towards a direct perception of that reality.
SOME TOPICS WE WILL EXPLORE:
How do we approach interpreting the teachings of the Buddha?
What are the “three turnings of the wheel”—the divisions of the Buddha’s teachings?
What are the main philosophical schools of Buddhism?
How do they approach interpreting the Buddha’s teachings?
How do they each uniquely describe emptiness?
How do they describe dependent arising?
How do we know which one of the turnings or the schools of thought are “correct”?
How can we use the “correct” understanding of emptiness to stop pain?
ACI 15
Join us for ACI 15, taught by certified ACI teacher Timothy Lowenhaupt.
The course is free online and open to everyone.
TIMOTHY LOWENHAUPT
Timothy Lowenhaupt has been the Executive Director of the Asian Classics Institute since 2017, a translator for the Diamond Cutter Classics since 2022, and teaches extensively around the world. He previously was the Managing Director of Red Capital Education & Travel, which owns a portfolio of hotels and commercial properties in Sedona, AZ, from 2019-2024.
In 2023, one of its properties, the Adobe Grand Villas, was rated the #1 small hotel in the United States by TripAdvisor, and another lodging property was rated the #1 Bed & Breakfast in Sedona, AZ.
He has also worked in translation and interpreting, both as a translator and in project management, as well as in pharmaceutical marketing and patient technology development.
He received a master’s degree (MA) from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and graduated with honors and distinction from Penn State with a Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) in 2001. Tim also is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
🗓️ ACI 15 Schedule:
🕗 ALL CLASSES at 6 – 7:30 am
(ARIZONA TIME)
Class 1 – Monday, April 28
Class 2 – Thursday, May 1
Class 3 – Monday, May 5
Class 4 – Thursday, May 8
Class 5 – Monday, May 12
Class 6 – Thursday, May 15
Class 7 – Monday, May 19
Class 8 – Thursday, May 22
Class 9 – Monday, May 26
Class 10 – Thursday, May 29
Review Class – Monday, June 2