How can I become a happier and better person? What can help me deal with the problems of everyday life, such as destructive thoughts and emotions, especially anger? How can i deal in a better way with people that I find 'difficult'?  How can I make my life more meaningful?

Buddhism offers two interconnected techniques – mind training, (lo-jong), and meditation. When used correctly and consistently, they result in healthier and more effective ways of dealing with everyday difficulties and problems, while at the same time developing our inner strengths and qualities.

Course Structure

The mind-training techniques are designed to develop new strategies to solve our problems and difficulties. By learning to recognize our negative emotions we can deal with them with more serenity, and gradually become able to use them as an aid to our personal development. Meditation is the tool that enables us to understand our mistaken ways of reacting to ourselves and the world in order to bring about a potentially lasting change in the way we think about ourselves and the world we live in.

This course will alternate teachings on mind training and meditation with actual meditation sessions. The focus will be on giving students a taste of how the Buddhist mind training and meditation techniques can be used in real life situations.

Please note that this is not a Vipassana Meditation course.

Details of the course

COURSE DATE: 20 to 27 September 2024

COURSE TEACHER: Ven Tenzin Choden

FLAT COURSE FEE IN A DORM: US$ 140 

The course fee includes all meals, accommodation in a dormitory and a free book.

Students can also choose staying in single, double and triple rooms with private or shared facilities. There is an extra charge for these type of rooms, please click here and use the red column to know the daily room charges, you will need to add these to the Flat Course Fee. When you do your booking, please choose your room preferences in accordance with your budget based on this list. We cannot guarantee you will be accommodated in your first room choice; rooms are allocated by order of booking and are confirmed upon arrival.

Check-in time is on 20 of September from 9 am to 3.00 pm at the latest. The first session is at 5.30 pm, please make sure to be here at that time.

You are welcome to come one or two days earlier, and leave one or two days later. To check the extra cost of these days please click here. Our reception opens at 9 am and closes at 5.30 pm, arrivals are due to be done only within these times. 

The course concludes on 27 of September with lunch.

Your daily schedule begins at 6.45 am and finishes at 9 pm. Participants are required to attend all session, attendance to all sessions is compulsory. Silence is kept from 9 pm until after lunch the next day.

Mobile phones and other internet connectable gadgets need to be checked in at the reception for the duration of the course. Read more on course discipline.

During your stay at Kopan, please follows our strict dress code. Check if you are dressed appropriately for a monastic environment.