ACI 16

The Great Ideas

of Buddhism

Taught by
Earle Birney

Online Course
Feb 18 – March 21, 2025

Part 1

Welcome aboard the journey of the Great Ideas of Buddhism!

aci 16:
The Great Ideas
of Buddhism,
part 1

Asian Classics Institute's 18 Foundation Courses consist mainly of fifteen study courses that cover in detail the main ideas of the entire geshe program, the course of study that young monks must complete in order to attain the geshe degree. The geshe degree is the highest academic attainment in Buddhism. The last three ACI Foundation Courses—the three-part Great Ideas series—summarize all fifteen of these detailed subject courses. ACI 16, Part 1, covers the first five ACI courses: The Principal Teachings of Buddhism, Buddhist Refuge, Applied Meditation, The Proof of Future Lives, and How Karma Works.
These are ideas that can shape our worldview. Ideas that can shape the essence of who we are and who we hope to become. They can change fundamentally who each of us is for the better, so that we can do better work in making the world a better place for everyone. In many ways, studying Buddhism shows us that nothing really works the way we thought it did. Understanding this takes intelligence, and the courage to go against the norm to put our fresh understanding into play. But once these timeless ideas get out into the world, nothing can stop them from improving our lives and the lives of all others.

There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them.

—George Orwell, English author,1903-1950

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.

—Frank Zappa, American musician, 1940-1993

Prerequisites:

ACI 16 must be taken live online or in person from a teacher in order to get a certificate. Certificate students must attend all sessions and keep their cameras on if attending online. The teacher will track attendance. In addition, in order to get a certificate of completion for ACI 16, students must already have certificates from the five courses ACI 16 covers (ACI 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Guests may attend without prerequisites, but they will not receive a certificate for ACI 16.
In ACI 16, we will review and learn more about such fundamental Buddhist concepts as what the three principal paths are; how to understand bodhichitta; why the perfection of wisdom is important and what it means to our daily lives; the real deal on nirvana; how we ought to meditate and why; what it means to follow the steps on the path to total enlightenment; whether we need a lama and how to find one; the role of logic in Buddhist studies; cause and effect, sometimes known as dependent origination; and how karma works. This is just a sample of the many topics covered in the first review course. It's a great opportunity to understand more deeply ideas we have already been exposed to, to ask questions, and to begin to bring these new ways of living more deeply to bear on our daily lives.

The Teacher

Earle grew up an avid sports fan in Vancouver, Canada. This led to a BA in Leisure Service Administration through the University of Victoria. Or almost did. Taking out a student loan with four months left in his degree program, Earle bought a round-the-world ticket and went on his personal search for freedom. Fueled by this inspiration, Earle ironically ended up in Paremoremo, a maximum security prison in Auckland, New Zealand, where he remained as a guest for the next 22 months.
This is where Earle met the practices of yoga, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy. Earle began studying the Asian Classics Institute program created by Geshe Michael Roach, and shortly after returning to Canada went to help Geshe Michael start a Buddhist university and retreat center in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. Earle led the yoga philosophy department and taught meditation and yoga, while studying Tibetan, Sanskrit, business, and a seven-year advanced program in Tibetan Buddhism, concluding with a three-year, three-month, three-day silent meditation retreat.
Earle has always enjoyed working with youth and continues to do so through his work with international retreat programs. As well, Earle teaches and leads meditation programs at the Three Jewels Outreach Center in New York City, where he currently resides, and develops curriculum for the Yoga Studies Institute.
A perfect day for Earle would start with a little chai and a whole bunch of nature, playing music with his partner, and simply trying to expand the edge of his kindness a little bit more and more….

Victor Hugo, a French author who lived from 1802 to 1885, claimed in The Future of Man that “...[n]othing else in the world, not all the armies, is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” What are the great ideas that have shaped Buddhist thought over the past 2500 years? Ideas that seem to perennially maintain their place as potent forces in the world?

🗓️ ACI 16
SCHEDULE:

All classes at 8:00 to 9:30 am
(ARIZONA TIME)

Class 1 - February 18
Class 2 - February 21
Class 3 - February 25
Class 4 - February 28
Class 5 - March 4
Class 6 - March 7
Class 7 - March 11
Class 8 - March 14
Class 9 - March 18
Class 10 - March 21