BUD 501
Mind and Its World I
Faculty: Francis Sullivan, Arne Schelling
This course is an introductory exposition of topics drawn from the Pramāna tradition, based on the Classifications of Mind root text. Students explore the criteria for the validity of cognition, the fourfold classification of direct valid cognition, seeming direct cognition and non-valid cognition.
PREREQUISITE:
- None
REQUIRED TEXTS:
- Root text: Classifications of Mind (Lorik), by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Nitartha Institute Publications
- Mind & Its World 1 Sourcebook, Nitartha Institute Publications
DATES & TIMES:
Sundays September 13 - December 6, 2026, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm US Pacific Time
COST:
Nitartha’s Payment Plan and Financial Assistance (PPFA) program is funded by fellow students to support those who would not be able to attend the Institute’s courses without this assistance. To request aid, please fill out the PPFA application before you register for the course.
LEARN WITH OUR RENOWNED FACULTY
Francis Sullivan
Francis Sullivan has been a practitioner and a student of Tibetan Buddhism since the early 1980s. He began his studies at Nitartha Institute in 2008 and in 2019 was made a fully authorized faculty member for the Shedra program. Francis holds a PhD in Biochemistry and lives and teaches in Boulder Colorado.
Arne Schelling
Arne Schelling has followed Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1989 and has been a dharma teacher and translator for various sanghas in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions for nearly two decades. Originally trained and having worked as a physician for 20 years, Arne has devotedly participated in the Nitartha Institute since 1999 and has helped to establish various Buddhist centers in Germany. He is an archivist, videographer, piano player, and is currently in a 10-year teacher training program at Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Milinda Project. Arne works full time at the Khyentse Vision Project, 84000, Longchen Shedra and other publishing projects. He is also a student of the Nalanda Master Course.