Overview of this course

Welcome to The First Turning of the Wheel: The Nature of Mind and Emotions, presented by Lion’s Roar and Naropa University.

This course was originally produced and released in 2019 and is being re-released in July 2022.


More than 2,500 years ago, a young Indian man named Siddhartha sat under a tree and discovered the nature of mind and emotions through meditative investigation. Most of all, he found that conventional views of mind and emotions lead to greater suffering and confusion, while deeper insight into their pattern and nature leads to liberation. In this course, through your own meditative investigation, you will trace these discoveries of the Buddha and cultivate a basic understanding of the foundational teachings of Indian Buddhism.

A few notes about navigating the course:

  • While the course is designed to be followed sequentially, you may jump around as you like. You’ll see a check mark next to sections you’ve completed and the section will appear grayed out (but don't worry, you can go back to it at anytime).
  • The talks are provided as videos and as MP3 files for audio only. The videos offer closed captions (click on CC on the bottom right-hand corner of the video screen to enable).
  • Each week includes a quiz that reviews some of the key points covered.
  • Also included are suggested further readings drawn from our publications, Lion’s Roar magazine, Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, and lionsroar.com, as well as other sources.


Thank you for choosing this course. We hope you’ll find it engaging and informative.

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