Logic and Reason

• 324Five Skandhas

  Analyze the five aggregates (skandhas) as the components that create the illusion of a permanent self; evaluate how understanding the constantly changing nature of form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness supports the teaching of anatta (no-self); and synthesize this understanding by implementing daily practices that demonstrate selfless action based on logical analysis of the impermanent nature of identity.
• 323Pramana

  Evaluate how we know what’s real by analyzing the two key ways of knowing: direct experience and inference (logical reasoning); assess how differentiating between clear and confused thinking supports better decision-making and helps avoid the ignorance that keeps us stuck in suffering; integrate this understanding by applying these principles to real-life situations, demonstrating how valid ways of knowing (cognition) helps us distinguish between how things seem (appearance) and how they really are (reality), both in everyday life and in meditation.
• 125Buddhist Debate

  Analyze diverse perspectives through structured debate, and demonstrate the application of gestures and concepts from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of debate.
• 319Dukkha

  Differentiate between the three types of dukkha by analyzing specific examples from personal experience; evaluate how recognizing unsatisfactoriness in all experience cultivates compassion for oneself and others; and demonstrate understanding of how awareness of suffering motivates the pursuit of liberation through dharma practice.
• 459Anatta Overview

  Explain the truth of selflessness and how clinging to a sense of self affects our experience. Apply insight of the impermanent, changing quality of the self to be more at ease with different experiences.
• 320Twelve Nidanas

  Identify and sequence the twelve links of dependent origination; analyze how specific links (particularly craving and clinging) perpetuate suffering in personal experience; and design practical strategies for interrupting the cycle at key intervention points.
• 316Three Marks: Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta

  Analyze the three marks of existence by investigating specific examples of impermanence, suffering, and selflessness in personal experience, then evaluate how recognizing these characteristics transforms understanding of attachment and craving.
• 210Western Philosophy and Buddhism

  Analyze the Buddha’s teachings in relation to other philosophical and scientific perspectives, evaluating points of convergence and divergence.
• 313Madhyamaka

  Analyze Nagarjuna’s concept of dependent arising by examining how phenomena exist only in relationship to other things, then evaluate how attachment to fixed ideas creates suffering in personal situations. Apply the Middle Way perspective to challenging life circumstances, comparing responses based on rigid thinking versus flexible understanding, and synthesize how recognizing the interdependent nature of problems and successes can lead to greater compassion and skillful action.
• 310Karma Overview

  Analyze the concept of karma, differentiating between intentional actions and their outcomes, and evaluate how personal choices, including intentions, words, and actions, create effects for oneself and others.