A semester of study and meditation while living in a Buddhist monastery near the site of Buddha Shakyamuni’s Enlightenment

Program Description

This program weaves together the diverse resources of Bodh Gaya into a fall semester of study emphasizing a comparative approach to both theory and practice.  At the heart of the Buddhist Studies in India program is the desire to allow students to explore this subject from as many different points of view as possible.  Western academic models are systematically used in the core courses, while Buddhist philosophies are tested in the Meditation Traditions course.  Program Director, Robert Pryor, leads a diverse and highly qualified faculty with a variety of intellectual and cultural viewpoints creates a stimulating milieu in which genuine inquiry can occur.  Participants are encouraged to examine their own cultural and intellectual assumptions as they pursue these studies in a challenging and supportive environment.  During the final month of the program, students have the opportunity to travel to a Buddhist community of their choice in South or Southeast Asia in order to complete an Independent Study Project.

To view and print our program information page, click here.

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

Since the Buddhist Studies Program began in 1979, people from a wide variety of schools have participated. A small sampling of these institutions include: Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, University of California - Santa Cruz, Carleton College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Emory University, Hamilton College, Harvard University, University of Illinois, Kenyon College, Middlebury College, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Princeton University, Reed College, Sarah Lawrence College, Skidmore College, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, University of Tennessee, and Wesleyan University.