Mind and its World (#1) - How do we know what is true?

Foundations of Buddhist Epistemology – Exploring the Classifications of Mind

How do we know what is true? In a world—and a mind—filled with sensory input, conceptual thought, and fleeting perceptions, how do we distinguish between accurate apprehension and distortion?

This course offers a comprehensive, introductory exposition of topics drawn from the profound Pramāṇa tradition (Buddhist epistemology and logic). Functioning as the philosophical bedrock for advanced Buddhist study and meditation, the Pramāṇa tradition investigates the fundamental nature of perception, the mechanisms of knowing, and the logical steps required to move from ignorance to direct realization.

Our curriculum is anchored in the traditional root text, Classifications of Mind (Tibetan: Lorig). This foundational manual maps the inner workings of consciousness, providing students with a precise vocabulary and an analytical framework to deconstruct their own moment-to-moment experiences.

Course Objectives and Core Topics

Throughout the course, students will engage in a detailed exploration of the mind's cognitive processes, focusing on the following key areas:

• The Criteria for Valid Cognition: What transforms an ordinary experience into a "valid" cognition? We will examine the defining characteristics that make an instance of knowing both accurate and incontrovertible, distinguishing direct realization from mere assumption or guesswork.

• The Fourfold Classification of Direct Valid Cognition: We will unpack the four distinct ways the mind directly and validly engages with reality without the intermediary of conceptual filters:

  • Sense Direct Cognition (the pure apprehension of the five physical senses).

  • Mental Direct Cognition (internal mental perception).

  • Self-Cognizing Direct Cognition (the mind's non-dual awareness of its own subjective experience).

  • Yogic Direct Cognition (the advanced, unmediated realization achieved through profound meditation).

• Seeming Direct Cognition: An analysis of how the mind is tricked. We will study the mechanics of sensory illusions, physical distortions, and hallucinations that appear vividly real to the perceiver but are fundamentally flawed.

• Non-Valid Cognition: A thorough investigation into the various states of mind that fail to apprehend reality accurately. This includes studying the nature of doubt, wrong consciousness, and correct but unverified beliefs.

  
  

Who Should Attend

This introductory course is designed for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of Buddhist psychology, logic, and the mechanics of perception. Whether you are a meditation practitioner wishing to bring greater clarity to your practice by understanding how the mind grasps its objects, or a student of philosophy interested in Eastern epistemological traditions, this course will provide you with essential analytical tools.

By the conclusion of the program, students will have developed a robust framework for assessing the validity of their own cognitive processes, laying the necessary groundwork for both advanced philosophical study and the direct meditative realization of reality.

The teachers Francis Sullivan has been a practitioner and a student of Tibetan Buddhism since the early 1980s. He began his studies at Nitartha Institute in 2008 and in 2019 was made a fully authorized faculty member for the Shedra program. Francis holds a PhD in Biochemistry and lives and teaches in Boulder Colorado. Arne Schelling has followed Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1989 and has been a dharma teacher and translator for various sanghas in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions for nearly two decades. Originally trained and having worked as a physician for 20 years, Arne has devotedly participated in the Nitartha Institute since 1999 and has helped to establish various Buddhist centers in Germany.  Dates: Sundays, 13. September - 6. December, 20:30-22:00 Language: English only

Registration https://nitarthainstitute.org/2025/07/30/semester-bud501/