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Buddhist Studies Directory
Asia
Hong Kong
Since 2002, the University of Hong Kong has been offering a broad range of Buddhist studies at postgraduate research (MPhil/PhD), Master and undergraduate levels. The degrees are awarded through the Faculty of Social Sciences. Our courses covering social application, Indian Buddhism, Chinese Mahayana, Buddhist Canonical languages and others are taught by a team of renowned Buddhist scholars from around the world.
India
- Antioch College Buddhist Studies in India (Bodh Gaya, India)
Antioch Education Abroad interweaves the diverse resources of Bodh Gaya into a fall semester study program. Emphasis is placed on a comparative approach to both theory and practice. Participants reach their own understanding of that essence which is common to all the varieties of Buddhism, while learning to appreciate the many cultural and historical environments in which it has flourished. The program consists of four components:
1. Core Courses
2. Language
3. Meditation Traditions
4. Independent Study: Selected Topics
Japan
- International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies (Tokyo, Japan)
The college is a postgraduate college with one faculty and one area of specialization. It provides a five-year programme covering philological and cultural studies with instruction in the required methodologies; And specialists provide one-to-one supervision in order to enable the student to reach the stage of producing a Ph. D. thesis.
- Shitennoji International Buddhist University (Habikino Osaka, Japan)
Shitennoji International Buddhist University is a private undergraduate university offering independent curricula based on a professional level of knowledge in each department and major to help students survive in a modern society based on internalization and information exchange. First, in order to help students develop a high level of humanity, all students are required to take basic classes in General Buddhism and Theories in Japanese Civilization. Then, students study specialized subjects to deepen their knowledge of their professional field, as well as comprehensive subjects covering a wide spectrum of subjects outside their normal field of study, including subjects in departments and majors other than their own. The students have opportunities to study abroad in the university's study abroad programs. The university also welcomes international students.
Korea
- Dongguk University -College of Buddhist Studies (Seoul and Gyeongju Campuses, Korea)
The College aims, through profound research and teaching of Buddhism, at building up Buddhist personality with wisdom and compassion, at developing capabilities and knowledge required for seeing life and the world, and at producing talents who can subjectively and positively make contributions to the development of mankind over the world at large such as religion, education, politics, culture, etc.
Thailand
- The International Buddhist College (IBC) (Hatyai, Thailand.)
The International Buddhist College (IBC) is intended to be developed as a seat of advanced Buddhist learning with opportunities for Buddhist studies both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It offers students a unique opportunity of experiencing a comprehensive and in-depth study of Buddhism from a non-sectarian point of view, while promoting knowledge and understanding of the different schools and traditions within Buddhism.
As an academic institution, the IBC strictly adheres to the norms of a liberal arts education, adopting an academic approach to religious (Buddhist) studies. However, it will seek to combine the rigours of academic scholarship with a continuous inculcation of Buddhist spiritual values, as in the tradition of ancient Buddhist seat of learning like Nalanda and Vikkramasila, where in the process of learning one imbibes nearly the whole of its culture.
- Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) (Bangkok, Thailand)
Located at Wat Mahadhatu Bangkok,. Established BE 2430/CE 1887 by His Majesty the King Chulalongkorn the Great (King Rama V) For the Higher Education of Buddhist Monks, Novices and Laity Mahachulalongkornragavidyalaya University is accredited by the Government of Thailand.
MCU has become a major institute of Buddhist Higher Education, Research and Community Service, as well as the education of monks, novice and laity at campuses throughout Thailand.
MCU at Bangkok offers the Bachelor's Master's and Doctorate degrees with faculties in Buddhism, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences.
The International programme offers Master's degree in Buddhist Studies and Philosophy, Designed to facilitate and support international research in Buddhist studies, the medium of instruction, both spoken and written, is English.
- Mahamakut Buddhist University (Bangkok, Thailand)
Mahamakut Buddhist University is a higher education academy of Thai Sangha. It was established by King Rama V on 1st, October B.E. 2436
Mahamakut Buddhist University consists of five faculties with eleven courses available for Bachelor's Degrees, which are as follows:
1. Faculty of Philosophy (Philosophy Major)
2. Faculty of Humanities (English major) and (Sansakrit major).
3. Faculty of Society (Sociology and Anthropology) and (Politic).
4. Faculty of Education (English and Thai Teaching, Educational Administration and Out-System Education major).
5. Master Degree course (Buddhism and Philosophy) and (Buddhist Studies)
- Mahidol University - PhD Programme in Buddhist Studies (Bangkok, Thailand)
The Department of Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities in collaboration with College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University will be opening a new PhD programme in Buddhist Studies. The programme focuses on South and South-East Asian Buddhism, offering a wide range of courses that covers both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The primary objectives of the programme are to train students to acquire and apply research skills at the highest level of academic analysis and to produce graduates who are able to teach and conduct research in Buddhist Studies at a level consistent with international standards.
One of the main emphases of the programme is to read primary texts in their original languages, especially Sanskrit and Pali, and to study them with critical modes of analysis that incorporate Western scholarship. Although there is much modern scholarship on Buddhism, few researchers have the ability to utilise the primary sources in their original Pali or Sanskrit, which can result in misinterpretation and an over-dependence on secondary sources.
Myanmar
- International Theravada Buddhist University (Yangon, Myanmar)
The University was established in 1998. It is a permanent centre of higher learning of Theravada Buddhism. It is located on the beautiful site of the sacred Dhammapala hill near the Sacred Tooth Relic Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar.
For the first time, those who wish to learn Theravada Buddhist canonical texts and insight meditation in Myanmar tradition will have a chance to study them at the same institution. Faculty members are renowned Myanmar Buddhist scholars of high academic achievements who have profound knowledge of the Pali canons. In order to overcome language barriers, language teaching is included in the academic programmes. The medium of instruction is English.
Taiwan
- Nan Hua University (Taiwan)
The Institute of Religious Studies was officially set up in 2001 on the basis of the formerly established Center for Religious Culture and Center for Buddhist Studies. At present, the Institute is divided into two sections, the Section of Religious Studies and the Section of Buddhist Studies. It offers a two-year MA program that seeks to introduce graduate students to the advanced studies of religion and Buddhology. All students have to write and submit a thesis for obtaining an MA degree. The Institute has now approximately 60 students in enrollment and welcomes both local and foreign students to pursue their academic research here.
At the Chung-hwa Institute students attend a three-year intensive course in Buddhist studies. The student can choose one of four sections four sections in which to pursue his or her studies. The sections are: Chinese Buddhism, Indian Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Buddhist Informatics. Education at the Chung-hwa Institute emphasizes training in the canonical languages of Buddhism: Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan and classical Buddhist Chinese. The Buddhist Informatics section too puts an emphasis on (digital) textual studies. In seminars students study Buddhism in its philological, historical and philosophical aspects. In addition we offer courses in modern languages especially English and Japanese.
Nepal
The institute offers the regular Buddhist studies program on the following topics: History of Buddhism in India. Twelve Principal Deeds of Lord Buddha, The Four Councils, Life and Works of Nagarjuna, Arya Deva Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dingnaga and Dharmakirti. The institute is also giving a special intensive class on Tibetan Buddhism and the History of Buddhism in Tibet.
Kathmandu University - Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute offers a unique academic education, undergraduate and graduate, leading to Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in Buddhist Studies with Himalayan Language.
The programme, located in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal, is structured as an intensive immersion into Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan Language and other areas relevant to the study of Buddhism and the Himalayan region.
Sri Lanka
The department handles three main disciplines. They are Pali, Buddhist Philosophy and Buddhist Culture.
In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, a Diploma in Pali and Buddhist Studies, for foreign students is also offered. The medium of instruction of the Diploma is English, Graduate and Post Graduate Studies can be followed either in Sinhala or English.
The Institute has three Departments of Study representing Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Culture and Buddhist Literary Sources. Pali Studies come under the department of Buddhist Literary Sources. Currently Professors Asanga Tilakaratne and Ven. K. Dhammajoti serve as heads of departments of Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist Literary Sources respectively.
PGIPBS is also the only place in Sri Lanka - and for that matter one of the very few places in the world - where students can undertake guided comparative studies of the northern and southern Buddhist sources involving all the canonical languages with the exception of Tibetan.
The University of Peradeniya from its very inception recognized the role it has to play in promoting Pali and Buddhist Studies in the University curriculum. Pali and Buddhist Studies have become established over the last five decades as the major disciplines in the Humanities field of the University.
The study of Buddhism can be approached with the aim and objective of providing a philosophical alternative in the search for the meaning of life and opting for a more humane mode of living. However, in a University academic context this could be done from a non-dogmatic and critical standpoint that promotes tolerance of other points of view and dialogue with other alternative philosophies of life inculcating a value orientation in the learner that could eventually contribute to peaceful and harmonious living.
Australasia
The aim of the Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies is to promote the academic study of Buddhism in the Australasian region. It is anticipated this will be achieved:
• through the organization of events, such as seminars and conferences
• by making available information and resources relevant to Buddhist studies
• by fostering links between scholars and students within the region
• by fostering links between different disciplines working in the field of Buddhist studies
• by fostering links between local and international scholars
- Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library (ANU, Australia)
This is the major site which keeps track of leading information facilities in the field of Buddhism and Buddhist studies around the world. Edited by Dr T.Matthew Ciolek (The Australian National University), Prof. Joe Bransford Wilson (U. of North Carolina at Wilmington) and Privat-Dozent Jerome Ducor (Ethnographic Museum, Geneva) in association with Janice Glowski, Adrian Hale, Barry Kapke, Murray Kessell, and Peter Schlenker.
The main objectives of the Centre for Buddhist Studies are to:
• Foster research into various areas of Buddhist Studies, with special focus on Buddhist textual traditions and methods of Buddhist meditative practices.
• Support the teaching of Buddhist studies within the School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics at the University of Queensland, coordinate and expand the undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Buddhist studies and encourage an interdisciplinary approach in Buddhist studies.
• Initiate cooperation in research and postgraduate training with leading academic institutions for Buddhist Studies in Australia and abroad.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration with academic institutions working on related areas of research.
Develop links with the general public through collaborative projects, seminars, workshops and publications.
The postgraduate coursework program in Buddhist Studies has been offered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Sydney since 2006. This innovative program has been developed in response to widespread interest in Buddhism among Australians and overseas students.
The program offers units covering the full spectrum of Buddhist culture and practice, as well as language studies. There are units on the development of early Buddhist scriptures and the history, art and archaeology of this phase of development. There are units that analyse meditation and the healing tradition in Buddhism. Particular local manifestations such as the Vajrayana tradition in Tibet, East Asian Buddhism and the more modern Western Buddhism enrich the picture further. Students who are interested in gaining the ability to access the primary texts may study Pali and Sanskrit.
- Buddhist Studies - via Open Universities Australia La Trobe University (Victoria, Australia)
Distance Learning Buddhist Studies units are taught via a mix of conventional and email based correspondence between staff and students. These units overlap in their content with the on-campus units, which offer an introduction to Buddhism and Eastern Meditation Traditions.
Europe
- Université Bouddhique Européenne/European Buddhist University (Location: Paris, France)
A body founded in 1995 by French Buddhists to promote Buddhist studies in France and Europe.
England
- Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry (Devon, England)
Offers a broad education in traditional Buddhist values critically applied to contemporary needs. The nature of this education is meditative, transformative and creative. It is non-religious and non-sectarian in nature.
The Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol was created in 1993 within the Department of Theology and Religious Studies as the first Centre for Buddhist Studies in the UK. At undergraduate level the Centre’s staff contribute to the undergraduate BA programme in Theology and Religious Studies; at graduate level they offer a taught MA in Buddhist Studies and supervision of research leading to MPhil and MLitt/PhD.
The OCBS exists to contribute to Oxford University, to Buddhist Studies and to the wider understanding of the Buddhist tradition. It will:
• train scholars and sustain a growing research effort in the field;
• collaborate with other centres and explore interdisciplinary perspectives;
• make the fruits of scholarship widely accessible;
New structures have developed within the University and a taught course specific to Buddhist Studies will be available soon (a UK first).
The MA degree in Buddhist Studies endeavours to provide a coherent but flexible range of taught courses on Indian and other forms of Buddhism, specialised courses dealing with specific issues, regions or traditions, language-based courses in reading and interpreting Buddhist texts in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese, and language courses in literary and modern languages relevant to the study of Buddhist texts or working with Buddhist communities.
MA, Postgraduate Diploma, and Postgraduate Certificate. Web-based interactive Distance-Learning:
Course aims
• To provide students with the opportunity to engage in specialist study at postgraduate level within an area of Religious Studies.
• To provide students with a critical understanding of issues in Buddhist thought, history and practice.
• To meet the need of students who wish to develop an in-depth understanding of Buddhism from the basis of an existing knowledge of some aspects of Buddhism and successful undergraduate study, normally in a Humanities or Social Science discipline (see below).
• To provide a high quality off-campus course to students around the world through various electronic means and existing published material.
• To provide students with the necessary research skills to enable them to produce a sustained piece of independent research.
Germany
- Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (Wuppertal, Germany)
KIBI offers a four-year program of Buddhist. Founded by HH the 16th Karmapa and emphazises the teachings of the Karma Kagyü school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Hungary
- Budapest Buddhist University (Budapest, Hungary)
The Budapest Buddhist University was founded in 1991. Their aim was to provide high-level education in Buddhist theory and practices for the Hungarian public. From the outset, the curriculum tended to incorporate different strands of Buddhism present in the country, not neglecting Hungary’s long-standing tradition of oriental scholarship.
Following a long process of curriculum development and authentication, our four-year Buddhist teachers’ training programme was accredited in 1999. On fulfilling a number of additional criteria set by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, this accreditation was finally reconfirmed in 2001. With the introduction of the new law of tertiary education in 2005, the Buddhist College joined the Bologna process and was one of the first Hungarian institutions of higher education to be re-accredited in the new tertiary educational system. In 2006 we started our new 3-year BA programme, later to be followed by a 2 years MA programme. Our training programme was thus extended from four to five years, and in effect, we developed into a university meeting European standards.
North America
- Buddhist Studies at UC Berkeley (California, USA)
The Center for Buddhist Studies oversees a variety of research programs, scholarly events, and outreach activities, often in collaboration with units on and off campus. The Group in Buddhist Studies, which is comprised of faculty from the Departments of East Asian Languages and Cultures, South and Southeast Asian Studies, History of Art, and Psychology offers an interdisciplinary program of study and research leading to a Ph.D. degree in Buddhist Studies.
- UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies (Los Angeles, California USA)
A wide array of undergraduate courses in Buddhism are offered in various departments at UCLA, such as Asian Languages and Cultures (including its divisions of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, South and Southeast Asia, and Indic), Art History, and Anthropology. Several hundred students take courses on Buddhism every year at UCLA, the largest enrollments of any university in the United States.
- Naropa University Boulder, Colorado USA
Naropa University is a private, non-profit liberal arts college characterized by its unique Buddhist educational heritage. Naropa offers an MA in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, so they have rich course offerings in Buddhism in the areas of history, culture, philosophy and basic texts as well as meditation intensives offered by masters of major Buddhist practice traditions.
The university also offers a comprehensive one-year program in Buddhist Studies for visiting upper-division students from other undergraduate institutions with majors in religious studies, anthropology or philosophy.
- University of the West (Rosemead, California USA)
University of the West (formerly known as Hsi Lai University) is a private, nonprofit, co-educational university offering undergraduate, graduate, certificate and continuing education programs consistent with the educational mission of California higher education degree-granting institutions.
The mission of University of the West is to:
1. Educate students in a context informed by Buddhist wisdom and values.
2. Facilitate cultural understanding and appreciation between East and West.
A highly qualified faculty and a supportive and physically attractive learning environment are provided so that students can master a body of knowledge, acquire analytical and creative problem-solving and learning skills, cultivate moral and cultural discernment and develop personal and social responsibility.
- Dharma Realm Buddhist University (Talmage, California USA)
The purpose of Dharma Realm Buddhist University is to bring the principles of the Buddha’s teachings to a wide range of people and to inspire profound change in higher education and in society at large. At DRBU, students and faculty work together to reform the process of teaching and learning so that the process is not only intellectual but spiritual and moral. Their aim is that the work of scholarship is guided by the principles of goodness. DRBU offers education in the areas of Buddhist studies, language and Chinese studies. It offers both a B.A. and M.A. program.
- The Institute of Buddhist Studies Buddhist Seminary and Graduate School (Berkeley, California USA)
The Institute of Buddhist Studies is a seminary and graduate school affiliated with the Graduate Theological Union and associated with the Buddhist Churches of America. The IBS offers a systematic educational program specializing in Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies and culminating in a fully accredited Master of Arts degree which is jointly administered with the GTU.
The Institute of Buddhist Studies is dedicated to preparing women and men for lives of ministry in the tradition of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, and to fostering the understanding and development of Shin Buddhist thought in engagement with the issues and perspectives of contemporary life.
A Buddhist Studies undergraduate major/specialist program is run from the Department for the Study of Religion.
Buddhist Studies courses at the University:
Lectures on Tibetan Buddhism Series. A series of lectures by prominent Tibetan scholars on various topics in Tibetan Buddhism.
Buddhist Studies Courses at the U of T
U of T Buddhist Studies Research Guide. A Research Guide containing resources for the academic study of Buddhism that are available in the University of Toronto library system. (As such, most of these resources are available to the University community only.)
Study of Buddhist Languages. Language study opportunities for key languages in Buddhist Studies.
- Nalanda College of Buddhist Studies (Toronto, Canada)
• Nalanda is a pan-Buddhist tertiary level academic institution in Toronto, Canada, committed to the goal of a systematic study of Buddhism and a vision of building a Community of Better Human Beings
• Not a Temple, but meditation practice is a mandatory part of the curriculum.
• Not a School of Theology, where enrolment is faith-based, and students are trained for ordination
• Not a university, but a College of the systematic study of Buddhism, open to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
- Prajnopaya Institute of Buddhist Studies (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
The Prajnopaya Institute of Buddhist Studies (MIT-Prajnopaya) is devoted to a non-sectarian and non-denominational approach to Dharma. Students are encouraged to engage in the study of the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana (Triyana) schools. Prajnopaya also brings together all five schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Institute continues to grow under the chief patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with the heads of the other Tibetan Buddhist lineages, and provides a healthy environment for spiritual dialogue. The Prajnopaya Institute emphasizes critical study combined with serious practice.
The Manjushri Institute of Buddhist Studies was established to organize and host opportunities for serious study and practice of the Buddha Dharma in the Indo-Tibetan-Mongolian tradition. It provides access to teachers from the great monastic learning centers of India and Asia as well as the growing community of western Buddhist scholars and yogis, to benefit students at all levels, through short retreats and regular programs of study and practice.
- The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (Massachusetts, USA)
The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies offers a variety of study and research opportunities, lectures, classes, seminars, workshops, conferences, retreats, independent study, and, in the future, a scholars-in-residence program. The study center offers research and publication facilities for Buddhist scholarship and translation. Its vision calls for dialogue between different schools of Buddhism and discussions with other religious and scientific traditions. The emphasis is always on the interrelationship between study and practice, and on exploring the relevance of classical teachings to contemporary life.
