The Centre for Buddhist Studies offers a three-year program in Buddhist Studies with Himalayan Language leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA). An optional fourth year of study leads to the Bachelor of Arts Honours degree.

The courses in the BA program fall within two main areas of study: Buddhist Philosophy and Himalayan Language. For the BA degree, approximately two thirds of the courses concern Buddhist philosophy while the remaining third consists of courses in Himalayan languages such as Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Nepali.

The philosophy courses concern the nature and history of Buddhist philosophy. Here the classics of the great philosophical thinkers of Buddhism, such as Nagarjuna, Asanga, Chandrakirti, and Shantideva are studied and analyzed. The historical developments of the Buddhist traditions and schools of thought are also studied in a series of courses that approach Buddhist studies from a contemporary perspective.

In the language classes modern and classical Tibetan are offered from the first year and throughout the program. By the third year of classes students will have gained a sufficient level of Tibetan to follow philosophical teachings offered directly in Tibetan. Gradually, Nepali and Sanskrit are also introduced, giving students a broad introduction to several important Buddhist languages.

By the end of the BA program, successful students will have developed a broad knowledge of the many Buddhist traditions and their historical and philosophical developments. In terms of language ability, students will be conversant in modern Tibetan and Nepali, read classical Tibetan and Sanskrit, and able to follow teachings directly in Tibetan.

For a detailed description of the program, please download the BA Course Description here.