Geshe - Curriculum

Curriculum

The Geshe curriculum consists of the "Collected Topics" (Tibetan: བསྡུས་གྲྭ་, Wylie: bsdus-grwa) which were preliminary to the syllabus proper, as well as the five major topics, which form the syllabus proper.

The exoteric study of Buddhism is generally organized into "five topics", listed as follows with the primary Indian source texts for each:

1. Abhidharma (Higher Knowledge, Wylie Tib.: mdzod)
   • Compendium of Higher Knowledge (Abhidharma Samuccaya) by Asanga
   • Treasury of Higher Knowledge (Abhidharma Kośa) by Vasubandhu
2. Prajñā Pāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom, Wylie Tib.: phar-phyin)
   • Ornament of Clear Realization (Abhisamayālaṃkāra) by Maitreya as related to Asaṅga
   • The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, Wylie Tib.: sPyod-‘jug) by Śāntideva
3. Madhyamaka (Middle Way, Wylie Tib.: dbu-ma)
   • Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Wylie Tib.: rTsa dbu-ma)' by Nāgārjuna
   • Four Hundred Verses on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas (Catuḥśataka) by Āryadeva
   • Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatāra, Wylie Tib.: ‘’dBu-ma-la ‘Jug-pa) by Candrakīrti
   • Ornament of the Middle Way (Madhyamakālaṃkāra) by Śāntarakṣita
   • The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, Wylie Tib.: sPyod-‘jug) by Śāntideva
4. Logic (pramāṇa Wylie Tib.: tshad-ma)
   • Treatise on Valid Cognition (Pramāṇavarttika) by Dharmakīrti
   • Compendium on Valid Cognition (Pramāṇasamuccaya) by Dignāga
5. Vowed Morality (vinaya, Wylie Tib.: 'dul-ba)
   • The Root of the Vinaya (Vinaya-mūla-sūtra, Dülwa Do Tsawa, Wylie Tib.: 'dul-ba mdo rtsa-ba) by the Pandita Gunaprabha