A Little About DBAH

DBAH is Discovering Buddhism at Home, the FPMT program that I'm studying.  Today, out of abject curiosity, I decided to see how many root texts I'd read in translation as part of the 5 modules I've either begun (3, 5, 14) or finished (1 & 2).  It's a pretty amazing list, considering that this is a VERY basic program:

• Essence of Refined Gold (Dalai Lama III)
  
• Principal Teachings of Buddhism (Je Tsong Khapa)
  
• Lamp Thoroughly Illuminating the Presentation of the Three Basic Bodies (Yagjen Gaway Lodro)
  
• Wishes for Release from the Perilous Straits of the Intermediate State, Hero Releasing from Fright (Losang Chelkyi Gyeltsen, Panchen Lama I)
  
• Confession Sutra  with commentary by Arya Nagarjuna
  
• A Significant Sight, Commentary on the Bodhisattva's Confession of Downfalls (Sangye Yeshe)
  

Of course this is not all: the reading list just for the five modules I've worked or am working with includes 10 required books, 18 recommended books, and more than 30 articles or reprints, plus 4 - 8 hours of recorded classes for every module.  Each also has practice requirements, and a final retreat of from one to three days.  

FPMT expects that it will take at least two years to complete the course.  I expect it will take longer, if only because of those pesky 100,000 prostrations and mantras that have to be completed for Module 14, along with one two-week retreat and three three-day retreats just for that module.  However, the idea isn't speed, it's quality.

Back to my practices ....