MA in Buddhist Classics

The Master of Arts program in Buddhist Classics provides an understanding and appreciation of Buddhism through close reading and careful analysis of its primary sources: sūtras/suttas, Abhidharma and śāstras, and śīla texts. It is designed to expose students to the Buddhist philosophical tradition's key ideas and issues as conveyed through its rich and diverse collected works.

The integrated curriculum consists of six core seminars spread out over a two-year course of study focusing on major and minor works covering the wide range of genres, styles, practices, and forms that make up the Buddhist experience. This core is complemented by five courses on hermeneutics, comparative and Buddhist, which examine methods and theories of interpretation, and a language study component based on the idea that grasping the meaning of a text is enhanced by reading it in its original language.

Dharma Realm Buddhist University is a community dedicated to liberal education in the broad Buddhist tradition—a tradition characterized by knowledge in the arts and sciences, self–cultivation, and the pursuit of wisdom. Its pedagogical aim is thus twofold: to convey knowledge and to activate an intrinsic wisdom possessed by all individuals. Developing this inherent capacity requires an orientation toward learning that is dialogical, interactive, probing, and deeply self-reflective. Such education makes one free in the deepest sense and opens the opportunity to pursue the highest goals of human existence.