Buddhist Universities/Buddhist Studies

[lotwell]

Dear all,

I'm interested in doing a masters in Buddhist Studies and have a few questions.

What are some of the best programs? In the US, I know Emory has a Tibetan partnership and there is Naropa. What about other countries?

It seems like you need to choose a language and a field as part of your specialization ... perhaps someone who has completed a MA in Buddhist Studies could speak to this.

Thank you!

Lowell

[Will]

Maybe this site would give you some useful information:

http://www.buddhanet.net/l_study.htm

[Jikan]

What's your goal? Are you interested in an academic career, or in a pastoral one? Different programs suit different purposes...

you may wish to check out www.uwest.edu

[Josef]

I had a great experience in my Buddhist Studies program at the University of Michigan.

[Malcolm]

Dear all,

I'm interested in doing a masters in Buddhist Studies and have a few questions.

What are some of the best programs? In the US, I know Emory has a Tibetan partnership and there is Naropa. What about other countries?

It seems like you need to choose a language and a field as part of your specialization ... perhaps someone who has completed a MA in Buddhist Studies could speak to this.

Thank you!

Lowell

University of Virginia probably has the most balanced program. Harvard has the most language intesive, it is the most "European". Colombia's is very Gelug heavy.

[Tilopa]

There's also this:

www.maitripa.org/

[Adamantine]

There's also this:

http://www.maitripa.org/

That also looks very Gelug heavy...

But I noticed there is a female-principle Namdrol there on the teaching staff... NAMDROL MIRANDA ADAMS

I was going to joke they are yab-yum on opposite sides of the continent but then I noticed she had a severe stroke just a couple weeks ago. We should all pray for her rapid recovery, she appears to be quite young for such a thing.

[Tom]

Dear all,

I'm interested in doing a masters in Buddhist Studies and have a few questions.

What are some of the best programs? In the US, I know Emory has a Tibetan partnership and there is Naropa. What about other countries?

It seems like you need to choose a language and a field as part of your specialization ... perhaps someone who has completed a MA in Buddhist Studies could speak to this.

Thank you!

Lowell

University of Virginia probably has the most balanced program. Harvard has the most language intesive, it is the most "European". Colombia's is very Gelug heavy.

Whilst somewhat true in theory, just in terms of languages I think Virginia has the better Tibetan program whilst Harvard's Sanskrit program is very good.

In terms of selecting the right program I think it is most important to know what type of discipline you are most interested in philosophy, philology, religion etc. Then read the various academics who write within those disciplines and see who you would most like to study with and go from there …

[Huifeng]

Dear all,

I'm interested in doing a masters in Buddhist Studies and have a few questions.

What are some of the best programs? In the US, I know Emory has a Tibetan partnership and there is Naropa. What about other countries?

It seems like you need to choose a language and a field as part of your specialization ... perhaps someone who has completed a MA in Buddhist Studies could speak to this.

Thank you!

Lowell

Please check out the list at H-Buddhism:

http://www.h-net.org/~buddhism/GradStudies.htm

In general, in the US and most Western Universities, Buddhist studies language requirements include (in addition to English) two "canonical languages", eg. Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese; and two modern languages that a important for Buddhist studies, eg. Japanese, French, German, etc. Most people still study these during the first couple of years of their PhD, before confirmation of candidacy.

Fields of specialization are getting broader these days, especially with more inter-disciplinary studies. However, the somewhat old school approach tended to break Buddhism up into three groups: South Asia Buddhism - focusing on Pali Buddhism, esp. in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and maybe with Sanskrit added; East Asian Buddhism - once upon a time more focusing on Japan, but now more Chinese stuff, Korean always on the edge here, utilizing classical Chinese but through modern Japanese scholarship (though again, more and more Chinese scholarship esp. from Taiwan is being used now); and Tibetan / Himalayan Buddhism - through Tibetan and Sanskrit, though maybe with a bit of Mongolian / Kalmuk or what have you. The languages effectively make little areas of focus, which then block out other relationships. So, becoming more aware of this, scholarship is now tending to avoid this somewhat.

For an MA, your focus won't be that tight. Very few if any MA studies are really coming up with anything new. So, usually one follows some basic direction from one's professor. A PhD on the hand should be something new and cutting edge, but by the time you've gone through the MA and the first few years before candidacy, one should have the skills and outlook to do this.

So, best to find a good place with a good program, and if one can, a really good particular prof to study with.

~~ Huifeng

[Huifeng]

What's your goal? Are you interested in an academic career, or in a pastoral one? Different programs suit different purposes...

you may wish to check out http://www.uwest.edu

On a related note, you can also check out Fo Guang University.
We have full scholarships for MA and new PhD program.
Drop me a line if you are interested for more details.

~~ Huifeng

[Adamantine]

What's your goal? Are you interested in an academic career, or in a pastoral one? Different programs suit different purposes...

you may wish to check out http://www.uwest.edu

On a related note, you can also check out Fo Guang University.
We have full scholarships for MA and new PhD program.
Drop me a line if you are interested for more details.

~~ Huifeng

It looks like you already need to speak Chinese to attend?

[Huifeng]

What's your goal? Are you interested in an academic career, or in a pastoral one? Different programs suit different purposes...

you may wish to check out http://www.uwest.edu

On a related note, you can also check out Fo Guang University.
We have full scholarships for MA and new PhD program.
Drop me a line if you are interested for more details.

~~ Huifeng

It looks like you already need to speak Chinese to attend?

Hi,

No, the MA and PhD programs in Buddhist Studies at FGU will have full English and Chinese tracks from next academic year.
At present, it is just English. So, one can do all the classes necessary in English.

For a look, the present semester MA classes are as follows:
http://selcourse2.fgu.edu.tw:8080/cours ... _depid=282

Sorry that the website is pretty awful, it's on the list of things to do, but buzz me if you have any questions.

~~ Huifeng

[Mr. G]

Hi Venerable,

Have you heard anything about this organization run by Venerable Chin Kung?:

http://www.purelandcollege.org.au/

I don't think they offer degrees, but it's more of their own monastic training.

[Huifeng]

Hi Venerable,

Have you heard anything about this organization run by Venerable Chin Kung?:

http://www.purelandcollege.org.au/

I don't think they offer degrees, but it's more of their own monastic training.

Hi,

Yeah, but that's a long way from a Buddhist University, or Buddhist Studies.
In Chinese these are called 佛學院, and are roughly equivalent to a seminary of sorts.

Even then, what Ven. Jin Kong is proposing is entirely Pureland material, it seems.
Almost any other Chinese Buddhist Buddhist College / Seminary has a whole range
of material. In Taiwan, from early Agamas to Mahayana sutra and sastra, to
traditional Chinese school material, and often Tibetan teachings, too.

~~ Huifeng

[Mr. G]

Hi Venerable,

Have you heard anything about this organization run by Venerable Chin Kung?:

http://www.purelandcollege.org.au/

I don't think they offer degrees, but it's more of their own monastic training.

Hi,

Yeah, but that's a long way from a Buddhist University, or Buddhist Studies.
In Chinese these are called 佛學院, and are roughly equivalent to a seminary of sorts.

Even then, what Ven. Jin Kong is proposing is entirely Pureland material, it seems.
Almost any other Chinese Buddhist Buddhist College / Seminary has a whole range
of material. In Taiwan, from early Agamas to Mahayana sutra and sastra, to
traditional Chinese school material, and often Tibetan teachings, too.

~~ Huifeng

Ah, interesting. Thanks!

[Silent Bob]

http://buddhiststudies.berkeley.edu/graduate/

[Inge]

Rangjung Yeshe Institute: http://www.shedra.org/

[lotwell]

Thank you all for the responses. It helps put things into perspective. For example, I didn't know how Harvard was the most "european" and language heavy.

Perhaps we should compile a list of different Universities and make a sticky?

Also, does anyone have any personal experience with Rangjung Yeshe Institute through Kahtmandu University.

Lotwell

[Kare]

The Buddhist University in Budapest, Hungary:

http://www.tkbf.hu/ENGLISH/index.php

[Astus]

The Buddhist University in Budapest, Hungary:

http://www.tkbf.hu/ENGLISH/index.php

It's a great school, however, no courses in English (yet).

One can also do MA and PhD in Bristol: Centre for Buddhist Studies.