Yesterday, 4th July 2024, the first end-of-semester exams of Thrangu Sekhar Institute of Meditation came to a successful conclusion.
The examinations lasted for one week. Dr. Manik Ratna Shakya, Dean of Lumbini Buddhist University, came to assess the meditation exam, and two examination officers stayed to supervise the remaining written examinations.
In recent years, a modest number of institutions — monastic colleges, universities and so on – have established courses dedicated to in-depth study and research of Buddhism, however it seems there has never been an academic institution dedicated to the practice of meditation. To that end, Thrangu Tashi Chöling Monastery and Lumbini Buddhist University collaborated to establish Thrangu Sekhar Institute of Meditation at the end of 2023, to pass down and propagate the root and essence of the dharma – its meditative practice. The Institute aims to provide a conducive environment for practice and study for anyone interested in Buddhist meditation, through offering meditative practice informed by the oral pith instructions of spiritual masters and teaching authoritative texts.
The Institute currently offers a four-year bachelor degree in Buddhist Mind Training and a one-year Certificate in Buddhist Meditation. The course’s main content consists of śamatha and vipaśyanā meditation along with Mind Training, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist History, and other related subjects, as well as language courses in Tibetan and English.
The programmes are listed below:
BA Buddhist Mind Training
Duration: 4 years
Degree: Bachelor
Courses: Preliminary Practices, Mind Training, Calm Abiding Meditation (śamatha) Training, Insight Meditation (vipaśyanā) Training, History of the Eight Practice Lineages
Certificate in Buddhist Meditation
Duration: 1 year
Qualification: Certification of Buddhist Meditation Training
Courses: Calm Abiding (śamatha) Meditation Training, Buddhist History, Buddhist Philosophy, Introduction to Tibetan/English Language.
*** No fees are required during the programmes. Courses, lodging, and meals are all provided free of charge.
