Theravada Buddhism with Dr. Aleix Ruiz-Falqués
The registration fee includes a base level of teacher support. Students are invited to support the teacher with a donation now or at the end of the program.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact us for more information.
Four Week Course
Fridays, October 2 – 23, 2026 @ 8 – 9:30am Pacific
This course offers a dynamic introduction to Theravāda Buddhism, the only living Buddhist tradition that preserves and transmits the earliest strata of Buddhist thought in an unbroken lineage. As the sole surviving representative of the ancient schools often grouped under the label “Early Buddhism” or “Hīnayāna,” Theravāda occupies a unique position in the history of Buddhism.
Its canonical texts, preserved in Pāli—an Indic language closely related to the language of the earliest teachings—provide unparalleled access to the doctrinal, philosophical, and contemplative foundations of the Buddhist tradition. Today, Theravāda remains a vibrant and influential form of Buddhism, practiced widely across South and Southeast Asia and increasingly studied and practiced worldwide. This course is designed to clarify common misconceptions by highlighting what makes Theravāda distinctive, and by carefully distinguishing it from Early Buddhism as a historical construct, from other ancient schools now lost, and from later Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions.
The course runs for four weeks, each devoted to a core dimension of the Theravāda tradition.
Introduction to the Course:
Course Contents
Week 1 — History: The Historical Development of the Mahāvihāra School
The first module focuses on history, tracing the emergence and transmission of Theravāda from the life of the Buddha—understood as both historical memory and sacred narrative—through Aśoka’s missionary activity, Mahinda’s journey to Sri Lanka, the establishment of the Mahāvihāra, and the tradition’s subsequent spread throughout Southeast Asia. This historical overview sets the stage for understanding Theravāda as a living tradition shaped by centuries of interpretation, debate, and institutional continuity.
Week 2 — Literature: Orality, Canon, and Scholasticism
The second module is dedicated to literature. Students will be guided through the structure of the Pāli Canon and the rich layers of commentarial and exegetical literature that surround it. Along the way, we will critically reflect on what terms such as “canonical,” “scholastic,” and even “literature” mean when applied to Theravāda sources. Particular attention will be given to major intellectual figures such as Moggaliputta Tissa, Buddhaghosa and Sāriputta (12th c. CE).
Week 3 — Philosophy: From Silence to Abhidhamma Debate
The third module explores philosophy. Centered on the three marks of existence—anicca, dukkha, and anattā—this section examines the conceptual depth and philosophical sophistication of Theravāda thought. The Abhidhamma framework will remain in view throughout, providing the analytical tools through which experience, mind, and reality are systematically examined. This week also includes a focused discussion of apophatic currents within Theravāda, exploring themes of silence and the limits of conceptual discourse.
Week 4 — Meditation: Concentration, Insight, Love, and Compassion
The final module turns to meditation, one of the most influential and widely practiced aspects of the Theravāda tradition. We will ask what meditation means within this lineage, whether it forms a unified system or a constellation of practices, and how ethical cultivation, loving-kindness, and compassion relate to meditative development. We will also critically examine the place of meditation within the broader path to liberation, always grounding our discussion in classical Pāli sources.
Included in the Course:
- Four 90-minute lectures (45-minute presentation + 45-minute Q&A)
- Recommended PDF readings
- Four Multiple Choice quizzes
Cancellation Policy
We understand that circumstances can change. If you need to cancel your registration, please contact us as soon as possible.
- Before the program begins: You will receive a full refund.
- After the first class: You will receive a 75% refund of your tuition.
- After the second class: Tuition is nonrefundable.
About the Instructor:
Dr. Aleix Ruiz-Falqués is Head of the Department of Pali and Languages at the Shan State Buddhist University, Khyentse Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies, and Lecturer of Pali at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Aleix Ruiz-Falqués teaches graduate courses in Pali language and literature in Taunggyi, Myanmar. Aleix completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2016, under the supervision of Prof. Eivind Kahrs. His research focuses on traditional grammar and scholasticism in Pali, particularly in Myanmar. More broadly, he is interested in ancient Indian literature (kāvya) and philosophy or knowledge systems (śāstra).
After completing his PhD in 2015, Aleix worked for two years on Pali manuscripts in Thailand, and he spent one year doing independent research in India. In 2018, he moved to the Shan State in Myanmar, where his long-term project is to teach and learn the Pali and Burmese languages and literature in a traditional monastic setting. One of his long-term goals is to reveal and demystify the treasures of the Pali medieval tradition that explain how we still possess the ancient words of the Buddha today.