Why Learn the Dharma?
Teachings · Start here
Why learn the Dharma?
为什么要学佛？
Not to become religious. To understand why we suffer — and to stop creating the causes of it.
The problem
Everyone wants happiness and no one wants suffering. Yet we keep doing the things that bring suffering and avoiding the things that bring happiness. The Buddha asked a simple question: why?
What learning does
Tap each one.
It removes ignorance
Hearing, reflecting and meditating on the teachings slowly dissolves the misunderstanding at the root of every problem.
It builds merit
Generosity, ethics, prayers and offerings create the positive energy that lets understanding take root and conditions improve.
It gives a path
Instead of reacting to life, you have a map: what to do, in what order, and why. That is the lamrim.
Taking refuge in the Three Jewels
Every Buddhist practice begins the same way: I go for refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Refuge is not joining a club. It is deciding where you will look for protection when life is hard.
Buddha
Someone who walked the whole path and showed it is possible. The doctor.
Dharma
The actual method — what to practise and what to give up. The medicine.
Sangha
Those walking the path with you, and the teachers who keep it alive. The nurses.
How refuge helps you
When you take refuge, your prayers and offerings gain a direction, your mind has somewhere steady to rest in a crisis, and you join an unbroken lineage of people who found peace this way. At TGBC, refuge is given by H.E. Bise Rinpoche — simply ask after Saturday prayers.
Ask about taking refugeThe lamrim: a path in three stages
Je Tsongkhapa arranged the whole of the Buddha's teaching into one graduated path (lamrim), so that anyone can start where they are.
1 · A better life
For everyone
Appreciate this precious human life, remember it is short, understand karma, and avoid the actions that bring suffering. Result: a calmer life now and a good rebirth.
2 · Freedom
For those who want out
See that even a good life in samsara is unstable. Train in ethics, concentration and wisdom to cut the root of suffering. Result: liberation.
3 · For all beings
The bodhisattva's way
Generate bodhicitta — the wish to awaken for everyone's sake — and practise the six perfections. Result: Buddhahood, the ability to truly help all beings.
Where to begin
Come to Saturday prayers, read the short teachings below, and start with the practice at the end of each one. Learning the Dharma is not about knowing more — it is about suffering less, and helping others do the same.
The Four Noble TruthsDependent OriginationSaturday prayers, 3pm