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Jirka Hladiš is a contemplative educator specializing in Buddhist philosophy, meditation, contemplative pedagogy, and analytical inquiry. He has studied Buddhist philosophy and practice under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1997 and joined Nitartha Institute in 2002, where he was authorized as a faculty member in 2007.
At Naropa University, he has served as adjunct faculty in Religious Studies and Wisdom Traditions since 2006, teaching graduate courses in Buddhist philosophy, meditation, contemplative practice, and Madhyamaka thought. He has also directed Naropa’s online education initiatives since the early development of the university’s distance-learning programs, supporting faculty in contemplative online pedagogy and course design.
His teaching integrates textual study, analytical meditation, contemplative reflection, and formal debate as complementary modes of inquiry and transformation. Drawing from traditional Tibetan Buddhist educational methods, he emphasizes the integration of intellectual rigor and contemplative experience. His recent work explores contemplative approaches to comparative philosophy and early Christian mystical literature.
At Nitartha Institute, Jirka teaches courses in valid cognition, Madhyamaka philosophy, analytical meditation, Buddha nature, paths and bhūmis, and formal Buddhist debate. He also served as chair of the Nitartha Teacher-in-Training Faculty Committee.
Jirka holds graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Prague Technical University and in Buddhist Studies from Naropa Institute, with a concentration in Tibetan language.
Selected courses taught at Naropa include:
- Buddhist Science of Mind
- Meditation Practicum II: Self and No-Self
- Second Turning: Bodhisattva Path
- Middle Way School
