Overview:
Tibetan Buddhism preserves a rich philosophical and practice oriented tradition. On this semester length program, students will go beyond textbooks and study this tradition in a living monastery. Students will take classes on Buddhist philosophy and history, all the while gaining insight into the day to day lives of Buddhist monks and nuns.
This program is set at the Rangjung Yeshé Institute, an organization that has been teaching Buddhism to western students for almost twenty years. Participants will study Buddhist Philosophy with traditionally trained monks, complemented by classes taught by western scholars. They will also be able to take courses on Buddhist history and Nepalese religion, and those who wish will have the opportunity to study meditation with acclaimed meditation masters. But perhaps most importantly, students will be immersed in Tibetan Buddhist life. Classes are held on the grounds of Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery. Set in the bustling town of Boudhanath—just outside of the city of Kathmandu, Nepal—this monastery and its environs are in the heart of Tibetan religious life in Nepal. Because of this, students will be able to engage with the daily realities of Tibetan Buddhism on a daily basis—an experience like no other in the world.
Classes begin in late August and run through early December, allowing students to be in Nepal during the year's best weather.