Sep-Jan Application
4 years Duration
Budget per year
ABOUT
In Fall 2016 the University of Toronto launched The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies on its St. George campus. Providing an intellectual home for faculty and students in Buddhist Studies across the University, the Centre is housed within the University’s Department for the Study of Religion. The Centre supports academic training, collaborative research with graduate and undergraduate students, and a program of events that engage scholars and the public seeking to deepen understanding of the diversity of Buddhist traditions around the world.
The University of Toronto has the largest contingent of Buddhist studies experts in Canada. These scholars teach and conduct research on history, practice, art, philosophy, medicine and other aspects of Buddhist Studies, focusing on Buddhist regions of South Asia, the Himalayas, Nepal, Burma/Myanmar, Central Asia, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan.
U of T’s Department for the Study of Religion is the unit in which most Buddhist Studies scholars are either appointed or affiliated, and which houses graduate and undergraduate programs in Buddhist Studies. The Department is the largest department in religious studies in Canada and among the top in North America. It offers a balance of attention to Eastern, Middle-Eastern and Western religions, between classical and modern iterations of religions, and between traditional historical, philological and text-centred approaches to that engage anthropology, sociology, politics and post-colonial studies. It regards its location in one of the world’s most religiously diverse cities as an important resource and responsibility in facilitating intellectually informed and publicly-minded conversations on religion in the public sphere.
Undergraduate students enroll in courses on Buddhist Studies and cognate topics offered through the Buddhist Studies Specialist and Major degree programs in the Department for the Study of Religion. A number of undergraduate students each year participate in advanced Buddhist Studies research training through faculty-led research clusters and international programs. The Woodsworth College Summer Abroad program in Hong Kong has regularly offered RLH290Y Religion in Hong Kong or RLG206Y Introduction to Buddhism as international courses for students interested in Buddhist Studies. Undergraduates also accompany Buddhist Studies faculty members abroad for research: two recent research opportunities have brought students interested in Buddhism to Vietnam and Himalayan India. Other types of funding at the University have provided undergraduate students, such as Taylor Irvine, with the chance to travel for independent research on Buddhism.
University of Toronto
U fo T: Centre fo Buddhist Studies, focuses on the growing convergence between western psychology and the psychological aspects of Buddhism as expressed in the recent interest in mindfulness meditation as a means of enhancing health and wellness. The program allows students to investigate the diverse ways that Buddhist and western psychology and science intersect, bringing together academic, clinical and contemplative traditions. you will have access to all the resources of Canada’s number one university, diverse and flexible program options and an incredible network to help you shape your education and your future.
