The Foundation Program (FP) in Modern Kadampa Buddhism is open to anyone who would like the opportunity to deepen their understanding and experience of Buddhism through a formal and systematic study of six texts.
We have 2 FP study programs at KMC SG, one that takes place on Saturday afternoons, and another separate program that takes place on Thursday evenings.
(Please note that it's required that you initially attend our regular Weekly General Program classes for a period of at least 2-3 months prior to applying to enroll for the Foundation Program in order to gain some basic familiarity with the practices of Kadampa Buddhism.)
Saturday FP (1.30-5pm)
Meaningful to Behold by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche is a highly acclaimed commentary to the great Indian Buddhist Master Shantideva’s famous spiritual poem, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life – one of the best loved and most important Mahayana Buddhist texts, which reveals with poetic beauty and deep spiritual insight how to enter, make progress on, and complete the Buddhist path to enlightenment.
“Bodhisattvas” are friends of the world, who have such strong compassion that they are able to transform all their daily activities into ways of benefiting others. Many people have the compassionate wish to benefit others, but few understand how to accomplish this successfully in the midst of modern daily life. With Venerable Geshe-la’s commentary, the practicality and profundity contained within Shantideva’s Guide is revealed in full and made applicable for practitioners of modern times.
Meaningful to Behold provides a detailed roadmap of the entire Mahayana Path, from generating the altruistic motivation of bodhichitta through to attaining complete enlightenment. This text gives particular emphasis on how to engage in the Bodhisattva’s practice of the six perfections of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom – devoting a full chapter to each.
The study of Part 2 of this commenced on 23 Aug 2025, and will cover a study of Chapters 5–8. Chapter 5 provides a detailed outline of how to practise the perfection of moral discipline. Chapters 6–8 outline the practices of the perfections of patience, effort and concentration respectively. (Note that Meaningful to Behold will be studied in 3 parts, and you are welcome to join the program at any stage even if you didn't have the opportunity to study the earlier chapters of the book.)
Copies of Meaningful to Behold and Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life are available for purchase at KMC Singapore, and you can also buy e-book and audio-book formats here.
Thursday FP (7-9pm)
The New Eight Steps to Happiness is an immensely popular book in which the author, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, reveals powerful methods for developing universal love and compassion, the source of true happiness for both ourself and others.
Based on the famous Eight Verses of Training the Mind by the great Bodhisattva, Langri Tangpa, this inspiring book shows with extraordinary clarity how to transform all life's difficulties into valuable spiritual insights that help us improve our relationships and develop greater patience, empathy and compassion in our daily life.
These methods have inspired generations of Buddhist practitioners for almost a thousand years and have brought lasting peace and inspiration to countless people. Now, with this book, Venerable Geshe Kelsang shares the immeasurably rich insight of this ancient wisdom to help us find greater happiness and meaning in our busy, modern lives.
The study of Part 1 of this book is scheduled to commence on 9 April 2026, and will cover a study of Chapters 1–8. These chapters include an explanation of the pre-eminent qualities of the author of the root text as well as the instructions themselves, an explanation of the preliminary practices, along with detailed instructions on how to train in loving-kindness and compassion. (Note that The New Eight Steps to Happiness will be studied in 2 parts, and you are welcome to join the program at any stage even if you didn't have the opportunity to study the earlier chapters of the book.)
Copies of The New Eight Steps to Happiness are available for purchase at KMC Singapore, and you can also buy e-book and audio-book formats here.
Meaningful to Behold by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche is a highly acclaimed commentary to the great Indian Buddhist Master Shantideva’s famous spiritual poem, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life – one of the best loved and most important Mahayana Buddhist texts, which reveals with poetic beauty and deep spiritual insight how to enter, make progress on, and complete the Buddhist path to enlightenment.
“Bodhisattvas” are friends of the world, who have such strong compassion that they are able to transform all their daily activities into ways of benefiting others. Many people have the compassionate wish to benefit others, but few understand how to accomplish this successfully in the midst of modern daily life. With Venerable Geshe-la’s commentary, the practicality and profundity contained within Shantideva’s Guide is revealed in full and made applicable for practitioners of modern times.
Meaningful to Behold provides a detailed roadmap of the entire Mahayana Path, from generating the altruistic motivation of bodhichitta through to attaining complete enlightenment. This text gives particular emphasis on how to engage in the Bodhisattva’s practice of the six perfections of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom – devoting a full chapter to each.
The study of Part 2 of this commenced on 23 Aug 2025, and will cover a study of Chapters 5–8. Chapter 5 provides a detailed outline of how to practise the perfection of moral discipline. Chapters 6–8 outline the practices of the perfections of patience, effort and concentration respectively. (Note that Meaningful to Behold will be studied in 3 parts, and you are welcome to join the program at any stage even if you didn't have the opportunity to study the earlier chapters of the book.)
Copies of Meaningful to Behold and Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life are available for purchase at KMC Singapore, and you can also buy e-book and audio-book formats here.
[OLD] The Benefits of Foundation Program
- A structured program to help establish a regular meditation practice
- A deeper understanding of the meditations themselves
- The support of a spiritual community for your personal spiritual growth
- An opportunity to discuss and ask questions with experienced practitioners
- Gain the ability to integrate Buddha’s teachings into our daily lives and solve all our human problems
What Happens During Class
Each class begins with chanted prayers and a guided meditation, after which the Teacher reads an assigned selection from the book (usually 3-6 pages) while giving commentary to the text. Students then divide into pairs to discuss the material covered and help one another with memorisation of the essential points. The Teacher and students then conclude the class by deciding upon a practice to engage in during the coming week, as well as a meditation object for the next class. Every fourth class is a "discussion class" during which any questions about the previous three classes are clarified through Q&A and discussion.
The Commitments of Foundation Program are:
- To attend every class for the book/section you sign up for
- To memorise the condensed meaning (outlines) and/or root text for the book/section
- To sit a written test at the end of the section
Dates, Times & Fees
The Foundation Program class is held on Saturday afternoons from 1.30-5 pm (including a 30min break), 2-4 times per month depending upon the calendar of events, (e.g. some weekends FP classes will not be on due to a scheduled weekend retreat, public holiday, etc.)
When you enrol in the program you are enrolling to complete the study of one complete section of the book, which usually takes 9-12 months. Meaningful to Behold is split into 3 sections.
Fees: The cost of enrolment is $100 per calendar month throughout the year. This enrolment fee includes unlimited attendance to FP classes, all weekly general program classes, weekend half-day and full-day courses, retreats, as well as discounts for some special events such as our annual empowerment.
All funds raised are used to support the running and development of KMC Singapore in order to help spread Buddha’s precious teachings.
The Benefits of Foundation Program
- A structured program to help establish a regular meditation practice
- A deeper understanding of the meditations themselves
- The support of a spiritual community for your personal spiritual growth
- An opportunity to discuss and ask questions with experienced practitioners
- Gain the ability to integrate Buddha’s teachings into our daily lives and solve all our human problems
What Happens During Class
Each class begins with chanted prayers and a guided meditation, after which the Teacher reads an assigned selection from the book (usually 3-6 pages) while giving commentary to the text. Students then divide into pairs to discuss the material covered and help one another with memorisation of the essential points. The Teacher and students then conclude the class by deciding upon a practice to engage in during the coming week, as well as a meditation object for the next class. Every fourth class is a "discussion class" during which any questions about the previous three classes are clarified through Q&A and discussion.
The Commitments of Foundation Program are:
- To attend every class for the book/section you sign up for
- To memorise the condensed meaning (outlines) and/or root text for the book/section
- To sit a written exam at the end of the section
Dates, Times & Fees
There are 2 separate Foundation Program classes, "Saturday FP" and "Thursday FP". Saturday FP is held on Saturday afternoons from 1.30–5pm (including a 30min break), 2–4 times per month depending upon the calendar of events, (e.g. some weekends FP classes will not be on due to a scheduled weekend retreat, public holiday, etc.) Thursday FP is held on Thursday evenings from 7–9pm, 2–4 times per month.
When you enroll onto one of these programs you are enrolling to complete the study of one complete section of the book being studied, which usually takes 9–12 months for Saturday FP and 12–18 months for Thursday FP. Meaningful to Behold is split into 3 sections, and The New Eight Steps to Happiness is split into 2 sections.
Fees: The cost of enrolment is $100 per calendar month throughout the year. This enrolment fee includes unlimited attendance to your chosen FP study program classes (Saturday FP or Thursday FP), along with all weekly general program classes, weekend half-day and full-day courses, retreats, as well as discounts for some special events such as our annual empowerment and special events with Teachers visiting internationally. As subscribing members of KMC SG you'll also be able to join our weekly classes and weekend courses via livestream. (It is important to note however that it is not possible to attend FP classes on both Thursdays and Saturdays.)
All funds raised are used to support the running and development of KMC Singapore in order to help spread Buddha’s precious teachings.
Correspondence/Home Study
Open for those who cannot attend the live classes due to work or family commitments, students are able to study from home via either livestream video or audio recordings of the classes. Students enroll for one section of the book at a time and to ensure the success of their studies they are asked to keep the same commitments as students attending the live classes (see above).
How to Enrol / Express Your Interest
You are able to apply to join FP at any time – it doesn't need to be at the beginning of the section of a book. For those who are new to the program you can initially apply for a 1-month trial prior to making a commitment to study the entire section of the book, (please note that the trial period is not free of charge). To apply, or if you have any questions about FP please write to our Education Program Co-ordinator by email: epc@nkt-kmc-singapore.org.