Dharma Realm Buddhist University

In 1976, Dharma Realm Buddhist University was formally established at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, with the very first class arriving in 1977. The first Chancellor was Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. Other founding members include Bhikshuni Heng Hsien and Professor Ron Epstein.[2][3] From 1977 to 1984, DRBU operated with the authorization status given by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. In 1976, the Institute of World Religions was created by Hsuan Hua and Paul Cardinal Yu Bin. In 1984, DRBU attained Approval to Operate as a California Degree-Granting Institution pursuant to the California Education Code, Section 94310 [c] and is currently approved to operate under the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). In 1986, DRBU hosted the Conference on World Religions for the first time in California. In 1994, the Institute of World Religions moved to Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. In 1997, DRBU began its partnership with the Graduate Theological Union and Pacific School of Religion. In 2000, the Venerable Master Hua Memorial Lecture series began. In 2001, the Institute for World Religions published the inaugural issue of its academic journal, Religion East & West. In 2006, DRBU established the Berkeley campus with Reverend Heng Sure, Ph.D., as its first director. In 2011, DRBU launched the university blog, dharmas. In 2013, DRBU began its two new programs, BA in Liberal Arts and MA in Buddhist Classics, both approved by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE); from 2013 to 2015, DRBU phased out its six existing BPPE-approved degree programs.

In December, 2013, DRBU was granted Eligibility for WSCUC Candidacy and Initial Accreditation by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) Eligibility Review Committee for its two new programs. In June 2016, DRBU was granted Candidacy for Initial Accreditation with WSCUC.[4] In February 2018, DRBU was granted accreditation by WSCUC.[5]

DRBU employs a philosophy of educating while "developing inherent wisdom," a model grounded in Buddhist values and one that founder Venerable Master Hsuan Hua was a proponent of. Its mission is to educate the whole person, seeking to change the mind, true the heart, and touch the spirit.[7] Because DRBU shares a campus with a Buddhist monastery, students engage in academic and intellectual inquiry while living in a contemplative setting. DRBU's pedagogy is a variation on the "Great Books" model, where learning stems from close reading of primary texts and group discussion in a system of "shared inquiry." Exercises in spiritual practice are also incorporated into the classes. DRBU has two degree programs: a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, and a Master of Arts in Buddhist Classics. The curriculum of both programs is sequential; students travel through their respective programs as a cohort.[8]

The BA in Liberal Arts is a four-year program that combines classical texts from both Eastern and Western traditions, as well as courses in mathematics, natural science, and music. Students also study Classical Chinese and Sanskrit, thereby familiarizing themselves with the original languages of many of the texts they are studying.[9]

The MA in Buddhist Classics is a two-year program focusing on primary Buddhist texts and equipping students with skills in language and hermeneutics. Students may choose either Classical Chinese or Sanskrit (or both).[10]

• Official website