Emory Tibetan Studies in Dharamsala Programs

Situated in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas and home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dharamsala is the capital of the Tibetan exile community. Within this remarkably beautiful and culturally rich environment, Emory University and its partner the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD) offers both a semester and summer study abroad program for students interested in both India and Tibet. For more information on these programs and to apply, visit: http://www.cipa.emory.edu/tibetan/

Tibetan Studies Semester Program

A leading study-abroad program in the nation

Emory undergraduates, joined by students from other top American and Canadian colleges, participate in a highly competitive spring-semester study-abroad program in Dharamsala that fully immerses them in the life of the Tibetan exile community's intellectual, cultural, and political capital. Established in 2001, and co-directed by Dr. Tara Doyle and, in the spring of 2013, John Dunne of Emory's Religion Department, the program's unique combination of academic rigor, cultural immersion, contemplative studies, and field research has quickly made it a life-transforming experience for students and one of the finest Tibetan study-abroad programs in the nation.

"Meeting the Dalai Lama is an incredible experience, but  equally wonderful was becoming a member of such an interesting and diverse community. The Tibetan people are the nicest group of people that I have met, and their kindness and generosity will never be lost on me.  I will never forget how easy it was to have an adventure [in Dharamsala].   Every day offered something new to me, and the majestic Himalayan mountains provided a beautiful backdrop. Being on this program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am very grateful that I took part." -Student Participant

Click here to watch a short film celebrating the program's 10th anniversary and here to watch an overview of the program. Please also visit the program's blog to read students' testimonials.

Tibetan Mind/Body Sciences Summer Program

Five week intensive study abroad program in collaboration with ETSI.

The Emory Tibetan Mind/Body Sciences Program is an immersion program that offers students the opportunity to meet leading spiritual teachers of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and engage with researchers at the forefront of the growing dialogue between the Tibetan Buddhist contemplative tradition and modern science. In conjunction with the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, students study Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice, Traditional Tibetan Medicine and the culture of Buddhist Tibet while actively engaging in dialogue with Tibetan monks and nuns studying neuroscience, biology, and physics with Emory science faculty.

"This program couldn't have been more enriching and incredible. It opened my eyes to the importance of the mind/body connection and revealed the beautiful and profound culture of Buddhist Tibet and Tibetan medicine." -Annie Brown, '09 student, Brown University

Click here to read the summer 2012 blog, written by students on the study abroad program.

Tibetan Language

Emory is now one of the few universities in the country able to offer a program in Tibetan language, essential for the vibrancy of its program in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and closely connected with Emory's study abroad program in Dharamsala.

Courses in Tibetan language are taught by Tsepak Rigzin and are also co-ordinated with the Tibetan Studies in Dharamsala program to offer a smooth transition from the study of Tibetan language at Emory to Dharamsala, India, and back again.

Distinguished Visiting Tibetan Scholars

The Emory-Tibet Partnership regularly invites a Distinguished Visiting Tibetan Scholar to teach a six-week seminar in Tibetan Buddhism. These scholars are among the most prominent individuals in Tibetan Buddhism today, including Denma Lochoe Rinpoche, Kyabje Rizong Rinpoche, and Geshe Palden Drakpa. The presence of these individuals at Emory is only possible through the explicit personal permission and encouragement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The Emory-Tibet Partnership has also collaborated with the Claus Halle Institute to invite as Halle Distinguished Fellows the renowned Tibetan physician Dr. Pema Dorjee, Geshe Lhakdor, the Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, and Geshe Thupten Jinpa, principal English translator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. These Distinguished Fellows have given lectures and engaged in consultations with Emory faculty for the mutual exchange of ideas regarding projects such as the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative.

Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Emory also benefits from Drepung Loseling Monastery Inc., the North American seat of Drepung Loseling Monastery in India and an academic affiliate of Emory since 1998. Hosting traditionally trained teachers in residence throughout the year, this Atlanta branch of Drepung Loseling Monastery regularly invites some of the most distinguished teachers from the main monastery in India. Other leading scholars who have taught and lectured at Emory and Drepung Loseling Monastery include B. Alan Wallace, Georges Dreyfus, Robert Thurman, and Jeffrey Hopkins.

Interdisciplinary Courses in Religion, Science, and Mind/Body Medicine

Faculty members of the Emory-Tibet Partnership are committed to bringing the fruits of their research and academic exchange to students by team-teaching interdisciplinary courses at the cutting edge exciting new fields like Mind/Body medicine. The regularly offered interdisciplinary studies class "Science and the Nature of Evidence" most recently focused on "Secular Ethics and Universal Human Values," while the seminar "Phenomenology of Depression" brought together faculty from Emory's departments of Psychiatry, Religion, and Anthropology. Additionally, a "Mind, Body, and Healing" coursewas co-taught by Geshe Lobsang Tenzin and visiting scholar Dr. Pema Dorjee, one of the preeminent practitioners of Tibetan medicine. Such courses raise students' cultural awareness and expose them to emerging fields and ideas.

Tibetan Students at Emory

To assist the Tibetan community, Emory offers two full scholarships for Tibetan students to pursue a degree at any Emory undergraduate or graduate school. Our first Tibetan student, Tsondue Samphel, graduated with flying colors in May 2006 with a degree in physics. He presently works with the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative serving as an interpreter for the landmark work that bridges the inner and outer sciences.

Ngawang Paljor, our new Tenzin Gyatso fellow, began his undergraduate studies in the Fall of 2009, and we welcomed Dawa Tsering, our next exchange scholar, to campus in the Fall of 2010. Emory University is proud to be the home of a vibrant community of Tibetan students who add to the collective conversation on campus.