Dharmakirti College

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Dharmakirti College

Established: 2000
Type: Private, Non-profit
President: Dean Pielstick
Faculty: ???
Students: ???
Location: Flag of the United States Tucson, Arizona
Accreditation: Not accredited. However, the school is endorsed by Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang.
Website: www.dharmakirti.org

Dharmakirti College is an unaccredited Tibetan Buddhist seminary in Tucson, Arizona. Named for the Indian Buddhist philosopher Dharmakirti, the school is affiliated with the Drikung Kagyu lineage, but also identifies with the "nonsectarian" Rime movement, according to which it incorporates teachings from other lineages "as well as scholarly and scientific sources." The school's courses are also offered online, in a program called "Dharmakirti eCollege."

As currently conceived, the curriculum consists of seven years. (The first two years will probably be offered every year, while years three and four may be offered every other year, with subsequent years to be arranged on the basis of independent study.) Current offerings mainly consist of "practice" courses, such as Avalokiteshvara. The school also offers a Tibetan language summer intensive.

The school originally [1] planned a twelve-year curriculum, including

  • eight years of study of sutra, tantra, and ritual (on the model of the Indian Acharya degree)
  • a three-year retreat
  • a one-year teaching practicum

Another major shift was the decision to charge tuition (presently USD 60 per course). Originally, all offerings were to have been free to all.

Faculty members include Tulku Khenchen Prachhimba Dorjee Rinpoche, Ven. Drikung Ontul Rinpoche, and B. Alan Wallace. A "Research Institute" focusing on Buddhism and psychology is headed by Dusana Rybarova. Other institutes (of translation, and Tibetan medicine) are planned for the future.

[edit] Links

Garchen (an allied Drikung group)