- International Websites
- The
International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU)
The
International Association of Buddhist Universities, IABU, is an international
forum for institutes of Buddhist higher education to network, understand,
and benefit from the richness and variety of the multinational Buddhist
tradition.
- Asian Websites
- Hong Kong
- University
of Hong Kong Centre of Buddhist Studies (China)
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:
- Core Courses
- Language
- Meditation Traditions
- 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 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. The university consists of five faculties with eleven courses
available for Bachelor's Degrees, which are as follows:
- Faculty of Philosophy (Philosophy Major)
- Faculty of Humanities (English major) and (Sansakrit major).
- Faculty of Society (Sociology and Anthropology) and (Politic).
- Faculty of Education (English and Thai Teaching, Educational Administration
and Out-System Education major).
- 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.
- The
Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies (Taiwan)
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
- Nagarjuna
Institute of Exact Methods (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.
- Centre
for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute (Kathmandu University,
Nepal)
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
- Department
of Pali & Buddhist Studies, Faculty of Humanities University
of Kelaniya (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.
- Postgraduate
Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies
(PGIPBS) University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka
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.
- Department
of Pali and Buddhist Studies University of Peradeniya
(Sri Lanka)
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
- Nan Tien Institute (NTI)
Nan Tien Institute is a government accredited higher education provider and Australia's first tertiary institution grounded in Buddhist wisdom and values. NTI's vision is to make a unique contribution by providing innovative teaching and learning in Humanities, Social Sciences and Management and research in Applied Buddhist Studies. It aims to be recognised internationally for its high academic standards, global research, world renowned lecturers and researchers, partnerships and to foster a life-long passion for learning in our students.
- Australasian
Association of Buddhist Studies
(AABS) (Australia)
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.
- Centre
for Buddhist Studies - University of Queensland (Australia)
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.
- Postgraduate
Coursework in Buddhist Studies (University of Sydney, Australia)
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.
- European Websites
-
France
- Université
Bouddhique Européenne/European Buddhist University (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.
- Buddhist
Studies at the University of Bristol (England)
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
Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies ('OCBS') (England)
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).
- SOAS:
MA Buddhist Studies University of London (England)
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.
- Buddhist
Studies at the University of Sunderland (England)
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 American Websites
- Canada
- Buddhism
at the University of Toronto (Canada)
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. 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.
- United States of 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)
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.
- 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.
- Manjushri
Institute of Buddhist Studies (USA)
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.
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