Sutrayana - Walking the Buddha’s Path to Genuine Happiness - ONLINE COURSE

Apply Buddhist Teachings and Meditation to Your Everyday Life

Join us for an 8-week journey as we follow the path the Buddha walked to enhanced wisdom, inner peace, and joy in this foundational online course with Debra Quayle, an Authorized Teacher with Tara Mandala.  

Siddhartha, the historical Buddha, chose to leave his life of royalty in pursuit of understanding life’s deeper truths.  The Buddha eventually awakened to his own enlightened state through the wisdom gained on his journey, the development of his mind through meditation, and the fruition of past karmic influences.  It was a very human journey of trial and error, of choice and consequence, which brought him into uncharted spiritual and philosophical territory.  

More than just a biography, the details of his life are key metaphors for seeing clearly the underlying causes of our human pain, as well as uncovering our innate ability to access and sustain true contentment and joy.

Over the course of 8 weeks, Debra will lead you through the Buddha’s life story and introduce you to the teachings that he offered. You will learn and practice meditation and establish a conscious practice of Buddhist ethics, awareness, and wisdom into your daily life.

The weekly program will consist of a two-hour lecture by Debra Quayle and two one-hour meditation practice sessions. Students may choose to attend either one or both sessions each week. One practice will be led by Debra and the other by an assistant teacher.

Note: This program was formerly known as the Sutrayana Retreat at Tara Mandala and fulfills the same requirement. It is required for the Magyu: The Mother Lineage Program, the Gateway Program, and as recommended on a case by case basis for the Ösel Nyingtig Program.  

The requirements to receive credit for this course are as follows: 

• View all teaching sessions (in-person or via recording) 
• Attend at least one 1-hour meditation session each week 
• Pass the final exam (Scheduled for March 7, 2022)
• PLEASE NOTE: The weekly meditation sessions need to be attended LIVE (not by recording).  Exceptions may be requested in advance from the teacher. 

Optional Exam: Scheduled for Monday, March 7th

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course. 

What Will I Learn?

• Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the key principles of Buddhist philosophy including:
  • The Twelve Nidanas (12 links of dependent origination)
  • The Four Noble Truths 
  • The Three-Fold Training: Ethics (shila), Meditation (samadhi), Transcendent Wisdom (prajna), 
  • The Eight-Fold Noble Path
  • The Four Seals
• Participants will learn and practice mindfulness meditation (shamatha). Research has shown that regular daily meditation (at least 5 minutes per day) begins to create positive changes to the brain and body in only 8 weeks time.  
• Participants will be able to incorporate powerful Buddhist principles into their lives through discussion and reflection.

Who Is This Course For? 

This teaching is suitable for new practitioners interested in learning the foundational roots of Buddhism and the practice of mindfulness meditation. Seasoned practitioners who would like to refresh or relaunch their practice will also benefit from this course. Completion of this program fulfills the requirement of the Sutrayana retreat for Magyu, Gateway, and Ösel Nyingtig practitioners.  

If you’re new to Buddhism and want to begin a structured pathway to learn the entire Buddhist philosophy, please see the page on our Maygu program.

The Sutrayana Retreat or Sutrayana Online Course is a requirement for anyone wishing to join the Mahayana Online Course offered April 29-June 17, 2022.

This Course Includes:

• Eight (8) live Zoom teaching and discussion sessions with TM senior teacher Debra Quayle (2 hrs each)
• Two (2) live Zoom weekly practice sessions, led by either Debra Quayle or Marcia Meyeres (the assistant teacher for the course) (1 hr each – attendance at one session per week is required)
• Downloadable audio of guided walking and sitting mindfulness meditation
• Practice log to record daily practice sessions (required)
• Friendly weekly quizzes to assess progress
• Audio and video recordings of each teaching session (access for one year)
• Summary overview of each teaching session’s topic

Tiered-Prices

Tara Mandala is working to expand opportunities for access to Buddhist teachings and practices while offering an equity-informed fee structure when possible. With our new tiered pricing, we strive to make the Dharma more accessible to all while furthering the important conversations that must happen around current structures that inhibit equal access to underprivileged communities. We encourage you to select the registration tier at the highest level within your capacity to assist Tara Mandala in covering the costs of offering these wonderful teachings while also benefiting from access to the recordings of the teachings. We thank you in advance for your support and your practice!

$355 – Access Level 
Registration at this level is offered at 35% below the cost of holding this course to assist participants with financial limitations and encourage the exploration and practice of dharma.

$546 – Tier 1 
Registration at this level covers the basic costs for this course and allows Tara Mandala to maintain sustainability.

$655 – Tier 2 
Registration at this level covers the program costs for this course and provides additional support for the year-round work of Tara Mandala.

Offering dana to the teacher: The practice of offering dana, which means “generosity,” is the traditional offering the student makes to the teacher as a symbol of appreciation, gratitude, and reciprocity for receiving the precious teachings. Information on offering dana to the teacher will be provided during the online program. To learn more about dana and suggested dana ranges, please click here. 

Payment Plans and Financial Assistance
Tara Mandala offers two types of financial assistance: Deferred Payment Plans and Scholarships. You may apply for one or both of these types of assistance. Read the terms carefully as outlined on the financial aid application. Please see this page for further information.

Sustaining Sangha:
If you are currently a member of our Sustaining Sangha, you may apply your Online Course discount to this course.

Click Here for Our Cancellation and Refund Policy

Webcast Schedule
Teaching Sessions – Sundays, 9:00am-11:00am MT (Mountain Time)
Click here to see how this converts to your time zone.

• January 16
• January 23
• January 30
• February 6
• February 13
• February 20
• February 27
• March 6

Practice Sessions:

Meditation practice sessions will take place twice a week between January 19 and March 12.

Live attendance at one meditation practice session per week is required.

Meditation Practice Sessions with Debra
Wednesday, 9:00am-10:00 am MT