The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong has opened its online application for its Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies program. The new program is affiliated with the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka, an internationally renowned center of excellence in Pali and Buddhist Studies.
The Buddha statue at the Aloka Vihara. From Mei Lin Fok
According to the center’s website, the closing date for applications is 18 February 2015. The course is open to all and will commence in mid-March. All courses will be taught by eminent Buddhist scholars, both local and international, including Venerable Professor K. L. Dhammajoti, Professor Y. Karunadasa, Professor T. Endo, and Dr. G. Halkias.
Participants in the program will be trained from a non-sectarian perspective in all three major Buddhist traditions: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. As well as doctrinal training, students will be offered courses in the history of Buddhism and the scriptural languages of the original Buddhist texts.
After completing the required courses, students will be awarded their MA degree by the University of Kelaniya. The university and its Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies are both regulated by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka.
From Buddhistdoor International
Students can apply for the degree as a full-time (one-year) or part-time (two-year) course. They will need to complete six modules, two of which are compulsory foundation courses and four, elective courses. A dissertation of 5,000 words must be submitted before the end of the second term. The whole degree will consist of 180 lecture hours, divided into 30 lecture hours per course. Participants are also encouraged to spend at least 30 hours per course in self-study.
According to the admission information, applicants are required to have at least one of the following qualifications:
1. The Postgraduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies awarded by the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies (PGIPBS), University of Kelaniya; or,
2. A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in any one of the following disciplines: Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Culture, Philosophy, Pali, Sanskrit, Psychology, or Sinhala; or,
3. A general arts degree from a recognized university in at least one of the following subjects: Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Culture, Philosophy, Pali, Sanskrit, or Psychology; or
4. A qualification(s) deemed by the Faculty Board of PGIPBS as equivalent to the above.
Venerable Professor K. L. Dhammajoti bathing the bodhisattva statue during the Vesak celebration and the centre's inauguration ceremony in May 2014. From Mei Lin Fok
The course fees are HK$64,000, which covers tuition, and there is a non-refundable application fee of HK$500. The full-time course can be paid in two installments, while part-time students can pay in four installments. A limited number of scholarships are available for students in need.
Students wishing to study only certain courses rather than pursuing a master’s degree can enroll as an “occasional student” at a cost of HK$8,000 per course. The general entrance requirements are waived in this case. All occasional students will be issued with certificates of completion after fulfilling all the assessments required for their selected courses.
The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong, together with its affiliate temple, the Aloka Vihara, was inaugurated during the Vesak celebration in May 2014. In his inaugural speech, Venerable Professor K. L. Dhammajoti, the chairman of the center’s board of directors and the chief abbot of the Aloka Vihara, stated that with his retirement as the Glorious Sun Professor of Buddhist Studies from the Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, his priorities would be to guide meditation, teach, do research, write books, train young students of Buddhist Studies, and translate texts. Accordingly, the center will also be adding more short courses, such as reading Chinese Buddhist texts, to its current weekly schedule, which already includes guided meditation as well as classes on reading the Pali suttas.