This Course is based upon the Treasure House of Higher Knowledge (Abhidharma Kosha) by Master Vasubandhu (350 AD), along with its commentary by the First Dalai Lama, as well as sections of the Great Book of the Steps to Buddhahood (Lamrim Chenmo) by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419). Topics include: The three main realms of existence; the 17 levels of the form realm; the six types of beings of the desire realm; the four levels of the formless realm; ways of taking birth; all of the different realms of existence and the beings inhabiting them ­ an explanation of: the intermediate state (bardo), the hells, craving spirits, animals, humans, pleasure beings, and formless beings; the causes to be reborn in each realm; how you move from realm to realm; ways of taking rebirth; how and why rebirth occurs; the conditions needed for human birth; the nature of intermediate state (bardo) beings; how world systems form, evolve and are destroyed; a description of the different types of eons; the four principles of karma; the six sufferings always present; the five degenerations of our age; the problems which result from not being aware of death; the advantages of cultivating an awareness of death; how to meditate on death correctly; and how to see the purity.

This Online Formal Study Course consists of eleven classes, each of which has approximately two hours of audio, along with corresponding written materials.

The complete audio and written materials can also be ordered by mail.

WRITTEN MATERIALS:
The written materials for this Course are contained in nine PDF documents which can be downloaded, printed and assembled into a three-ring binder, or simply openend into a new browser window for quick viewing.

DOWNLOAD:
All of the files below can be easily downloaded as a ZIP file for easy printing. Course8.zip (821 KB)

QUICK VIEWING:
Course Eight contains the following PDF files for their corresponding sections:
Binder Cover & Spine
Overview of the teacher training program
Prayers, Course Syllabus & Readings
Class Notes
Homework
Quizzes
Final Examination
Answer Key
Tibetan Study Materials

The class notes were taken by a student in the original live classes, and you’ll need these for reference as what’s written on the board isn’t always spoken.

The Acrobat Reader is required to view these documents and is available for free from this link.

AUDIO FILES:
Real Audio
The class lectures are available below in Real Audio format and have been divided into smaller parts for ease of listening and downloading. These may be downloaded for saving and playing offline or listened to in streaming format which will play immediately.

The Real Audio 8 Basic Player is necessary and is available for free at this link.

MP 3
The audio class lectures are also available in MP3 format as one larger file per class. To download an MP3 file directly to your hard disk, right click on the link and use the command "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..."

• 16k MP3 Audio files are "voice quality" and a typical 90 minute class file takes about 30 minutes to download using a standard 56k modem.
• These 32k MP3 Audio files are "CD quality" and a typical 90 minute class file takes about 60 minutes to download using a standard 56k modem.

If you encounter any technical difficulties with any of the audio files please contact audio@world-view.org.