For over half a century, the University of Virginia has been a leader in Buddhist Studies among North American universities. It serves as an international nexus for the study of Buddhism, with six faculty members who engage fulltime in teaching and research about Buddhism as well as many others whose scholarly interests intersect with Buddhism.
About
Collectively we offer graduate-level training in the Buddhist literatures, histories, and cultures of South, Southeast, Central, and East Asia. With training in Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan, graduate students develop as expert translators through seminars focused on the reading and interpretation of Buddhist texts and cultures. We also ensure that our students work with Buddhist communities and institutions throughout China, India, Japan, Tibet, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere by making field research an integral part of graduate education. Finally, students become experienced in theories, methods, and urgent conversations within the broader field of Religious Studies.
Faculty bring expertise in Chinese Buddhist studies, Theravāda Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, South Asian and Tibetan tantric traditions, Buddhism in the West, and philosophy, history, and literature from the major regions in which Buddhism has flourished. Students often take classes in other departments at UVa, such as Art History, Anthropology, or English to develop multidisciplinary approaches to Buddhist Studies. Buddhist studies faculty collaborate with the University community, the international scholarly community, and Buddhist communities in training the next generation of scholars. Since 1979 the program has produced over 90 PhD graduates, many of whom now teach at major universities throughout North America.