Buddhism

By enrolling on this Diploma in Buddhist Studies, you will learn about the history of Buddha and his personal journey to Enlightenment. You will see that he took his own difficult journey to emotional freedom of mind, body and spirit and that through his own experiences he formed a philosophy, which was his personal pathway to freedom or Nirvana.

There are many scriptures or canons, with long descriptions of Buddha’s teachings; over the centuries, these have been distilled down to simple guiding philosophies or ‘disciplines’, which are commonly practised in all Buddhist monastic communities. While these disciplines can seem slightly daunting to learn, it is worth taking the time to study his main teachings of The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Pathway, both of which are covered in the Buddhism Diploma Course, because they form the basis of his teachings in a much more simplified fashion.

Along with these teachings, you’ll learn about the three aspects of Buddhism, known as ‘The Three Jewels’, the Three Universal Truths, the core beliefs of Buddhists, and the power of meditation and mindfulness. You’ll also study two of Buddhism’s figureheads - the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh - and gain an understanding of their roles.

As this course provides an introduction to Buddhism, we have kept the content as simple as possible to form the basis of what you can then use as a foundation to further research and learning, should you choose to. We have included several practical exercises so that you can experience the teachings personally and see the impact they have on your daily life.

Whether you are looking to study Buddhism from an academic viewpoint or would like an introduction to its teachings and how you can begin to practice it yourself, the Buddhism Diploma Course is a great starting point. With both theory and practice covered by the course, you will learn Buddhism’s concepts and how to incorporate Buddha’s teachings into your own life, for the benefit of yourself and those around you.