MAITRIPA COLLEGE ONLINE PROGRAM MODEL: THE THREE PILLARS
Philosophy
The heart of the Online Certificate Program in Advanced Buddhist Studies is the philosophy core, which begins with an overview of the entire scope of Tibetan Buddhist sutra and tantra, and then progresses with commentary on the traditional texts of Tibetan Buddhist thought using the structure of the lamrim, or the graduated stages of the path, as a conceptual framework. Course readings include traditional root texts of
India
, commentaries by Indian and Tibetan scholars, as well as contemporary articles, commentaries, and translations by qualified modern scholars from both the eastern and western traditions.
Meditation
The philosophical education at MC is supplemented with guided courses in meditative development which follow the same progression as the academic curriculum. Students are guided in subject-specific meditations by qualified meditation teachers. The meditation courses are designed to develop solid awareness and fluency in the terminology of the vast corpus of techniques and practices of Buddhist meditation. Students will be able to identify appropriate meditation practices to combat specific psychological problems and apply them to their own minds.
Community Service
The third and final aspect of the Online Certificate Program curriculum is a service learning requirement. The purpose of this requirement is to help students integrate their study and meditation into compassionate action. At the end of this course, students will be able to assess community needs, develop strategies for meeting those needs, and actively work to bring concrete benefit to their communities through the practice of social service. Students will be able to integrate Buddhist concepts of compassion, patience, joyous effort, and so forth into their work in the world.