Good meditation is the foundation of all Buddhist practice. In ACI 3, Applied Meditation, Asian Classics Institute presents meditation in the Tsongkapian tradition: a precise, effective science with a solid lineage of many centuries behind it. Learning to meditate in this tried and true way can have an impact far greater than many of the newly developed meditation fads that come and go in the world today–in fact, it can be used to achieve the highest goals. In this course we delve into meditation science and the lineage that brings it to us with the intention to help you create a strong foundation for your personal meditation practice that you can apply to every area of your life, whether at home, in your professional career, or in your spiritual development.   

The centerpiece we study in this course is a special woodblock carving called The Stages of Meditation. This poster presents an entire course in meditation and was designed by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche based upon the teachings of the Indian master Kamalashila (c. 775 CE), whose 3-part Stages of Meditation is the foundation of all later schools of meditation in Tibet. ACI 3 further relies heavily upon the very detailed presentation of this system given by Je Tsongkapa in his major works on the Steps of the Path, and on the extensive meditation writings of Pabongka Rinpoche, a 20th-century master.