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Degree Requirements
The Master of Divinity degree prepares students through four streams of learning including relevant fieldwork. These four areas of study are referred to as “streams of learning" because of the fluid interdisciplinary nature of how they weave together, each adding to the other, until a stronger body of learning emerges, a powerful river capable of transforming the world through which it moves.
- Buddhist Teachings—an in-depth understanding of the basic texts and doctrines of the religion both in historical and present day context;
- Community—the ability to apply these teachings, and the other elements learned in the program, including peacemaking skills, the contemplative approach to leadership, and the establishment of “engaged" communities in a variety of communal settings;
- Interfaith Pastoral Care—the ability to serve the spiritual and human needs of a diverse community in a ministerial/chaplaincy role while embodying the principles and practices of one’s primary tradition;
- Practice and Meditation—the spiritual practice of sitting meditation drawn from the Buddhist tradition, incorporating both shamatha (calm abiding) and vipashyana (clear seeing) meditation.
The fieldwork placements, which are made based on individual student interests, provide a live context for students to integrate all four streams of learning through applying them to the needs of real world situations, initiating, at the same time, the process of lifetime learning through their work. These fieldwork placements or experiential learning internships may incorporate a more traditional chaplaincy model or that of the contemplative social activist.
Students choose between two sets of courses for the central Buddhist Studies component of their degree: the History of Religions sequence or the Tibetan Tradition sequence. For information on these two sequences click here. Depending on which sequence students choose, they will follow one of the following curriculums:
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