The Ethical Life covers the Buddhist code of ethics and the relationship between an ethical way of life, meditating deeply, and experiencing ultimate reality. This Course is based upon the Sutra on Vowed Morality (Vinaya Sutra) by Master Gunaprabha (500 AD), with commentaries from The Essence of the Ocean of Vinaya (Dulwa Gyatsoy Nyingpo) by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419), The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel (Yishin Norbu) by Choney Drakpa Shedrup (1675-1748), and Day Maker (Nyin Je) by Master Ngulchu Dharma Bhadra (1772-1851). Topics include: the three trainings; one day vows; the five lifetime lay vows; the individual freedom vows; an outline of novice, intermediate, and fully ordained monastic vows; the essence of vows; the basic nature of vows; reasons to live an ethical life; reasons to take vows; why morality is the key to meditation and seeing emptiness directly; how to keep vows from being damaged; how vows are lost; the specific karma resulting from each of the ten non-virtues; how to find a teacher; the characteristics of a qualified teacher; taking refuge; the four forces of karmic purification; the four truths; and the six perfections.

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. Course9.zip (757 KB)

QUICK VIEWING:
Course Nine 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.