Nitartha Courses
In the Buddhist educational tradition of ancient India there were ten aspects, or ten major fields, of human knowledge. The ten aspects of knowledge provide the traditional framework for Buddhist education and form the basis of the Nitartha curriculum and its vision. At Nitartha Institute our curriculum includes these these ten, condensed into five categories: valid cognition, language, healing, creative arts, and inner science of mind.
There are two options for study throughout the year, semester courses that meet on a weekly basis and self-paced online courses. Students can join weekly classes in the Fall or Winter semester and depending on location, these semester courses are open for in-person attendance as well. In a semester course, students join a cohort and a faculty member teaches once a week. Self-paced online courses are for those who prefer to study on their own time. Both Semester Courses and Self-Paced Online Courses use Nitartha’s Online Campus (known as Moodle).
We recommend that you take the courses in sequence, beginning with the Foundation curriculum. It is particularly important to begin with the Foundation course Mind and Its World I: Valid Cognition and its companion course Clear Thinking before proceeding through the rest of the Foundation curriculum.
Scroll down the page to read more about Semester Courses and Self-Paced Online Courses (SPOC).
Curious about our curriculum? Click a button to read more about Buddhist Philosophy (valid cognition & the inner science of mind), Tibetan Language, and Creative Arts.
Semester Courses
Our faculty usually teach semester-long courses in person locally, with online live streaming for those who live elsewhere. Due to the pandemic, all of our semester classes are currently offered online.
These real-time, semester-long courses offer a wonderful opportunity to learn in a live environment with a teacher present to answer your questions, while in the safety and comfort of your own home.
Videos of the classes are recorded and made available on our online campus in case you miss a class or are unable to attend live.
All live online classes are held via Zoom. You do not need a Zoom account to attend and we will provide instructions for students who are new to Zoom.
Each class concludes with an exam, which is aimed at helping you to check your understanding of the material studied. These exams are required for students who would like to request a Nitartha completion certificate, for those seeking academic credit at other institutions, or for those wishing to enter the teacher-in-training program.
Cursos a en línea a tu paso
Our entire Foundation and Intermediate curricula offer a gradual path of study and are available as self-paced, online courses. These are complete versions of courses that were previously taught by Nitartha faculty.
You can take these classes online, in the comfort of your own home through streaming video or downloadable audio. By taking advantage of these self-paced online courses, you can progress through the Nitartha Institute curriculum on a flexible time schedule that suits your circumstances.
You also have access to study questions and recommended readings, as well as the option to contact a distance learning advisor with questions to deepen and clarify your understanding.
Each class concludes with an exam, which is aimed at helping you to check your understanding of the material studied. These exams are required for students who would like to request a Nitartha completion certificate, for those seeking academic credit at other institutions, or for those wishing to enter the teacher-in-training program.
There is a 9-month time frame for completing each course in the self-paced online format.