G03(A)-Evolution of Buddhism & The Five Vidyas

This course provides an introduction to Buddhism, the Buddhas, what Buddhas do and how to become a Buddha and with a historical look at how Buddhism came to this world and evolved over the various cultures and times. It starts in the Samboghakaya realm with the Adama Buddha and the manifestation of Dorje Chang Buddha who taught all the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas including the Buddhas in the five directions and Vajrasattva. He also manifested as Dipamkara Buddha in another realm and taught Shakyamuni Buddha who then came to this world and became the Buddha for our world.  Dorje Chang Buddha also manifested in this world at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha as the layman Vimalakirti to help Shakyamuni Buddha and did again in China in the last millenium as H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The video traces how Buddhism evolved in this world and migrated throughout Asia and finally came to the west.

This course introduces the various Sutras and commentaries that formed the doctrines for various schools and sects and the great Patriarchs and Matriarchs who were the saints or holy beings who founded these sects in India, South-East Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Tibet. It shows how the four major traditions or vehicles evolved and spread throughout Asia and eventually the West. It provides an outline of how the many practice lineages came to Tibet from India and evolved in Tibet to eventually come to America. There was a saying in Tibet that when horses run on wheels and iron birds fly, the Dharma will go to the land of the red man and the Tibetans will be spread like ants over the face of the earth. That has happened. It also discusses what is meant by the Dharma Ending Age.

The first video was recorded originally in 2013 so a few comments are dated, but the message has not changed. I am sure there are mistakes and errors, but I am confident that this simplified overall view tells the story.

The course also explains what Buddhas do—the five vidyas—and maps out how one becomes a Buddha.

Click on the “Curriculum” tab to review this course.  If you have not registered for a membership, please click on “Membership” on the top menu bar to select your membership and enroll in this course.  Click for detailed Users Guide under the “STUDENT MANUAL” in the website’s top menu bar for more information.

This course is a prerequisite for taking any of the commentary or biography courses and is useful as a framework for understanding the origins of the various sutras (suttas). It is available to all three memberships while G03 with its assignments and other resources will only be available to the paid memberships and is a requirement for both the Buddhist Studies and Xiuxing Seminary programs.