Non-Islamic, non-Christian Religious Studies program.

The Monotheistic [there is one God] religions are well represented in academic circles, even by distance education (well, at least Christianity and Islam are, I don't know about Judaism).

But Monistic Theist [there is one ultimate Reality but many Gods] religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism are not.

Does anyone on this forum have knowledge of Indic, Buddhist or even pagan Studies programs particularly from developing countries where academic costs are less?

UNISA in South Africa has 11, count them eleven Islamic Studies courses, and *one* Hindu Studies course. One problem is of course market demand, another is that Hindusim is not really one religion but a group of many related religions with currently at least four main sects (Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism).

India with its call centers and domestic open university (IGNOU) has huge potential for all kinds of academic distance education. But I don't see it being exploited even in a small way. Curiously most Indian students it would appear are very financially motivated taking MBAs all over the world. It's westerners who are studying Hinduism, not Indians. However in domestic brick and mortar institutions there are plenty of religious studies institutions in India such as the famous Benares Hindu University.

Hermes
Indic Studies student

 

RA accredited Naropa University has an MA in Buddhist Studies available mostly through distance learning:

http://www.naropa.edu/mabuddhiststudies/index.html

 

Yes, indeed

I almost mentioned them as the only well-known institution offering Buddhist studies. But as I recall they are based in Colorado ($$$), USA and their empahsis is Tibetan Buddhism rather than Buddhism in general. I could of course be wrong.

Thanks for the reminder.

It's Hindu Studies that seem to have almost zero presence in the distance learning world.

 

Naropa details

At first look it didn’t appear that Naropa University offered any distance education courses but a word search brought up their page that describes them…

http://www.naropa.edu/distance/semesters/allcourses.htm

The following is a quote from their page

http://www.naropa.edu/distance/tuition.htm

Academic Credit Cost
2003 -2004 School Year Naropa University Academic Tuition:

$543 per credit hour for undergraduate credit
$550 per credit hour for graduate credit

In addition, online classes have a $40 per credit hour technology fee, (with $80 as minimum).

The total cost to attend a 3 credit Naropa Online Distance Learning class for credit is $1749.00 Undergraduate and $1770.00 Graduate.

While some of the courses look interesting to be sure this is beyond my teacher's salary budget. I do note however that their site reads that "over 70% of students receiev some sort of financial aid".

 

More Naropa details

REL532e/REL 342e Buddhism: The Way of Wisdom and Compassion - 3 Credits

[Poster’s note: this means US$1629 for ONE course. I must declare though that their website is user-friendly and content well-organized. However for that price I would fly to India and study at IGNOU by staying in a cheap hotel instead!]

This course provides a basic introduction to the ideas, perspectives and practices of Buddhism. Focusing on the classical tradition as it developed in its Indian homeland, we will explore the history, concepts and spiritual methodologies of Buddhism. Our journey will begin with a look at the life and cultural context of Buddha Shakyamuni, founder of Buddhism. We will then make an in depth examination of the core teachings of Buddhism as found in the Four Noble Truths. Our discussion will include a reflection on the importance of recognizing suffering as the first step on the spiritual path; the role of Karma in human bondage and liberation; the reality of a state beyond the chaos and confusion of the ordinary human condition; and the effectiveness of the Buddhist path based on ethical behavior and meditation.

Syllabus

This course consists of 31 units divided into 11 weeks.

Unit / Title

1 Week 1: Introduction
2 Week 1: Overview of Buddhism in India and Elsewhere
3 Week 1: The Buddhist Attitude of Mind
4 Week 2: Buddhism in the 6th Cen. BCE
5 Week 2: The Life of the Buddha
6 Week 2: Basic Buddhist Perspectives
7 Week 3: Introduction to the Four Noble Truths
8 Week 3: Suffering, the First Noble Truth
9 Week 3: Noble Truths II - IV
10 Week 4: The Principle of Karma
11 Week 4: The Six Realms of Samsara
12 Week 4: The Twelve Links of Conditioned Co-Production
13 Week 5: Perspectives on the Path
14 Week 5: Taking Refuge
15 Week 5: Shila & Ethical Behavior
16 Week 5: The Five Precepts
17 Week 6: Introduction to Meditation
18 Week 6: Four Foundations of Mindfulness
19 Week 6: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
20 Week 7: Further Shamatha Instructions
21 Week 7: Vipasyana
22 Week 7: Further Topics in Meditation
23 Week 8: Mahyana Buddhism in Historical Context
24 Week 8: Mahayana Perspectives
25 Week 9: The Bodhisattva Ideal
26 Week 9: Emptiness
27 Week 10: The Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma
28 Week 10: Buddha Nature
29 Week 11: The History & View of Vajrayana
30 Week 11: Practice & Realization in the Vajrayana

31 FINAL EXAM

Required Texts

Keown, Damien.Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 1997.

Trungpa, Chogyam, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Shambhala Publications, 1986.

Smith, Jean, ed.,Radiant Mind. Riverhead Books, 1999.

Rahula, Walpola, What The Buddha Taught. Grove Press, 1986.

Trungpa, Chogyam.The Path Is the Goal. Shambhala Publications.

Professor's Bio

[photo]

Reginald A. Ray Ph.D., University of Chicago. Reggie received his doctorate in the History of Religions, concentrating on Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. A student of Trungpa, Rinpoche since 1970, he came to The Naropa Institute in 1974 to help inaugurate the Buddhist Studies (now Religious Studies) Department and became the Institute’s first full-time faculty member. He has been the recipient of the Fullbright-Hays Fellowship and two N.E.H. Senior Research Fellowships, year-long grants to support scholarly research and writing. His book, Buddhist Saints in India (Oxford University Press, 1994), received a national book award from the American Academy of Religion. His two most recent books include Indestructible Truth : The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism, and Secret of the Vajra World : The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet. He is a member of the Nalanda Translation Committee and is currently working on a book on the Indian Mahasiddhas (Tantric Buddhist saints).

Click here for the website of Dr. Reggie Ray. This site is intended as a guide to and information source for many aspects of Tibetan Buddhism from a variety of sources, as well as a way to stay up-to-date on Dr. Ray's publications and teaching schedule.

Prerequisites

A Bachelor's Degree is required in order to take this class for graduate credit.

 

Here's a link to a list of graduate programs in Asian philosophy and religion:

http://www.h-net.org/~buddhism/GradStudies.htm

 

How about the MA in Religion for Lampeter (assuming it's one of the courses that's available at a distance). http://www.lamp.ac.uk/trs/Postgraduate/MA_study_of_religion.htm

Angela

 

Hi, Hermes. I'm glad you started a thread on this subject.

I've been kind of unsystematically looking for the same things, without a lot of success.

Here's some ideas:

The University of Sunderland in northeast England offers a DL MA in Buddhist Studies to an international student body. The program is managed by Peter Harvey, a well known author in academic Buddhism. Like a lot of Buddhism in England, this is more Theravada oriented than is usual in the United States. They are still taking applications for all 2004.

http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/buddhist/

Here's Harvey's publications, which give you an idea of his interests:

http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/buddhist/works.html

I've been told by people who have communicated with Harvey that selected graduates of this program might conceivably continue on to write a dissertation/thesis for Sunderland's Ph.D. in philosophy on a Buddhist philosophical topic on a largely DL basis.

In the Buddhist world at least, and I'd expect the same is true for Hinduism, academic religious study in universities is a relatively new innovation, introduced in response to Western influence. Buddhists have traditionally received their advanced religious training as (or at least by) monastics in the sangha. Studying Buddhism at arm's length as an academic subject isn't traditional.

So in that light, I find this British thing rather fascinating:

http://www.watthaiuk.com/watthai_uk/Courses/Buddhist%20Studies%20on%20line.htm

This is a Thai wat in England that offers an English language DL version of the Thailand government mandated course of study required of all Thai Buddhist monks. They say, "This course is validated by the Department of Religious Affairs and will lead to certification from the Department and signed by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand." It's a three year program, with examinations each year. Examination papers are graded by a Thai monastic abbot. Books are provided. It's open to both lay and monastic students, though the lay students aren't permitted to take the modules on vinaya (the Buddhist monastic rule). The price is nominal and intended only to cover expenses, 50 British pounds a year for the whole program.

There's no degree or academic credit involved, but it may be the real deal for Theravada Buddhists.

Another serious non-credit, non-degree offering is Nalandabodhi, which offers what appears to be a serious Vajrayana program. Tuition appears to be nominal, $65/year.

http://www.nalandabodhi.org/study.homestudy.html

This DL program seems to be a four year program that parallels what's offered to residential students in these Kagyu lineage centers.

Graduates can go on to the equivalent of graduate study at their Nitartha Institute, where courses include advanced study of sophisticated subjects like madhyamika. Courses meet physically for one month each summer.

http://www.nitarthainstitute.org/curriculum.html

Angela already pointed out U. of Wales - Lampeter's MA in Study of Religions:

http://www.lamp.ac.uk/trs/Postgraduate/MA_study_of_religion.htm

Naropa will be offering a short-residency MA in Buddhist Studies starting in 2005.

http://www.naropa.edu/mabuddhiststudies/

This one requires summer residencies. That and its cost may make it impractical for some students. It's Vajrayana oriented. But the Tibetans certainly have a strong scholarly tradition and their traditions encompass pretty much all of the rest of Buddhism in some way, so the curriculum will be broad.

For something entirely different, you might want to consider transpersonal psychology which treats the intersection of religion and psychology. Institute for Transpersonal Psychology has a significant flakiness-factor (in my opinion), but it offers a regionally accredited DL Masters of Transpersonal Psychology, an MA in Transpersonal Studies and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology. Unfortunately, they seem more interested in trendy stuff like eco-feminism than in serious Indian religious studies, and have a psychology practitioner orientation.

http://www.itp.edu/academics/global.html

There are quite a few non-degree, non-credit DL programs offered by various groups that probably have considerable value.

Learn Sanskrit at home:

http://www.americansanskrit.com/athome/athome.html

Britain's Amida Trust for Socially Engaged Buddhism offers a DL certificate program in Buddhist psychology:

http://www.amidatrust.com/dl.htm

Vipassana meditation course:

http://www.vipassana.com/course/intro.php

Rigpa Tibetan meditation DL course:

http://www.rigpa.org/Courses/DiscNatMind.html

Something called Wildmind offers an online meditation course, starting next month:

http://www.wildmind.org/

Dharmavastu offers a FWBO oriented introductory Buddhism course by DL, based on Sangharakshita's books.

http://www.dharmavastu.org/explore.html