Naropa University
Encyclopedia
Naropa University is a private American liberal arts
university
in Boulder
, Colorado
. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa
, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa
, an abbot of Nalanda
.
Naropa describes itself as Buddhist-inspired, ecumenical and nonsectarian rather than Buddhist. Naropa promotes non-traditional activities like meditation to supplement traditional learning approaches.
Naropa was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
in 1988, making it the first Buddhist, or Buddhist-inspired, academic institution to receive United States regional accreditation
. It remains one of only a handful of such schools.
Besides spirituality, Naropa is noteworthy for having hosted a number of Beat poets under the auspices of its Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
Naropa University was founded by Chögyam Trungpa
, an exiled Tibetan tulku
who was a Karma Kagyu
and Nyingma
lineage holder, and scholar of comparative religion at Oxford University in England
. Trungpa entered the USA in 1970, established the Vajradhatu
organization in 1973, and then in 1974, established Naropa Institute under the Nalanda Foundation. Initially, the Nalanda Foundation and Vajradhatu were closely linked, having nearly identical boards of directors. In subsequent years they differentiated into more independent institutions.
Trungpa asked poets Allen Ginsberg
, Anne Waldman
, John Cage
and Diane di Prima
to found a poetics department at Naropa during the first summer session. Ginsberg and Waldman, who roomed together that first summer, came up with the name for the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
Naropa's first formal degree programs were offered in 1975-76. These included a BA in Buddhist studies and visual art, MA in psychology, MFA in visual art, and expressive arts certificates in dance, theater and poetics.
The MA in psychology was originally designed as an extension of Trungpa's Maitri program—a 16-week meditation course held in Connecticut, and based on Vajrayana
teachings on esoteric energy patterns within the mind and body. Trungpa asked Marvin Casper to restructure the Maitri program for use at Naropa as a full-fledged graduate degree program in contemplative psychology. Casper went on to chair that department and edit two of Trungpa’s books. Initially for the degree, students were required to attend three of the institute’s summer sessions, take two Maitri programs in Connecticut and complete a six-month independent project.
In 1977, at Trungpa's urging, Naropa's administration made the decision to seek regional accreditation. Evaluation visits continued through 1986 and, in 1988, Naropa Institute received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
. In the mid-1980s, Naropa's president, Barbara Dilley, asked Lucien Wulsin to chair the board of directors. One of Wulsin's first acts was to formally separate Naropa from Vajradhatu. Ties with Vajradhatu were further weakened with the physical relocation of Vajradhatu's main center to Halifax, and then by Trungpa's death in 1987.
In 1991 Naropa's board of trustees hired John Cobb, a Harvard-educated lawyer and practicing Buddhist, as president. Thomas B. Coburn served in this role from 2003–2009, succeeded by Stuart C. Lord in July 2009.1 Naropa denotes Buddhist teacher Sakyong Mipham as its current lineage holder.
, the Japanese tea ceremony
, taijiquan, Christian labyrinth, ikebana
, and neo-pagan ritual. Robert Goss comments that
Goss goes on to note that as with many U.S. Protestant and Catholic colleges and universities, Naropa has faced pressure to establish independence from its associated religious organization, Shambhala International; but unlike many such institutions, it has avoided relegating religion to the periphery of university life.
Naropa's description of contemplative education makes liberal use of Buddhist language and concepts. For example, its catalogue speaks of "students wholeheartedly engag[ing] in mindfulness awareness practices in order to cultivate being present in the moment"..."the development of openness, self-awareness and insight"...and "interior work" as "preparation for compassionate and transformative work in the world."
As of 2008, contemplative education requirements include: All undergraduate students must select three semester hours of "Body-Mind Practice" such as taijiquan or African dance
as well as three hours of "World Wisdom Traditions" which may include a religion course. In addition certain majors, such as psychology and religious studies, specialized courses in meditation are required. In the psychology program, the type of meditation required is specific to Shambhala Buddhism. Besides these requirements, a number of Naropa's professors incorporate a contemplative element into their classroom teaching or course requirements, such as beginning with a bow or a moment of silence or asking students to consider how to integrate their studies into their lives.
For one day each semester, Naropa University holds a "Community Practice Day," during which regular classes are not held and offices are closed. On this day members of the Naropa community—students, faculty, staff, and others—are invited to participate in group sitting meditation
practice during the morning. Other contemplative disciplines are offered throughout the day. Panel discussions, departmental lunches, and community service projects are often offered in the afternoon. The stated object of the day is to cultivate togetherness in the Naropa community and to emphasize the importance of leading a mindful, aware life rather than a high-speed, cluttered one.
party, Trungpa had ordered the poet W.S. Merwin and his girlfriend, Dana Naone, (present for a three-month seminary program) to take off their clothes. (This was during the 3rd Vajradhatu Seminary held in Snowmass, Colorado
.) Merwin and Naone resisted, whereupon members of Trungpa’s “Vajra Guard” (security) stripped them naked, despite their protests and calls for the police. After the incident they stayed to complete the program, but only after Trungpa promised no further trouble. The school later asked Ed Sanders
and his class to conduct an internal investigation, resulting in a lengthy report.
Eliot Weinberger
commented on the incident, in a critique aimed at Trungpa and Allen Ginsberg
published in The Nation
on April 19, 1980. He complained that Trungpa had successfully captured some of the best minds of his generation, yet he believed their fascination with Trungpa's presentation of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan theocracy created a dangerous exclusivity and elitism in literature.
Naropa offers the following undergraduate majors:
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the eleventh Trungpa tülku, a tertön, supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision.Recognized...
, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa
Naropa
thumb|right|NaropaNāropā was an Indian Buddhist yogi, mystic and monk. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. Naropa was the main teacher of Marpa, the founder of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism...
, an abbot of Nalanda
Nalanda
Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...
.
Naropa describes itself as Buddhist-inspired, ecumenical and nonsectarian rather than Buddhist. Naropa promotes non-traditional activities like meditation to supplement traditional learning approaches.
Naropa was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
in 1988, making it the first Buddhist, or Buddhist-inspired, academic institution to receive United States regional accreditation
Regional accreditation
Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...
. It remains one of only a handful of such schools.
Besides spirituality, Naropa is noteworthy for having hosted a number of Beat poets under the auspices of its Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
History
Naropa University was founded by Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the eleventh Trungpa tülku, a tertön, supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision.Recognized...
, an exiled Tibetan tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
who was a Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
and Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
lineage holder, and scholar of comparative religion at Oxford University in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Trungpa entered the USA in 1970, established the Vajradhatu
Vajradhatu
Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his Buddhist teachings, and was also the name by which his community was known from 1973 until...
organization in 1973, and then in 1974, established Naropa Institute under the Nalanda Foundation. Initially, the Nalanda Foundation and Vajradhatu were closely linked, having nearly identical boards of directors. In subsequent years they differentiated into more independent institutions.
Trungpa asked poets Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Anne Waldman
Anne Waldman
Anne Waldman is an American poet.Since the 1960s, Waldman has been an active member of the “Outrider” experimental poetry community as a writer, performer, collaborator, professor, editor, scholar, and cultural/political activist....
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
and Diane di Prima
Diane di Prima
Diane Di Prima is an American poet.-Early life:Di Prima was born in Brooklyn. She attended Hunter College High School and Swarthmore College before dropping out to be a poet in Manhattan...
to found a poetics department at Naropa during the first summer session. Ginsberg and Waldman, who roomed together that first summer, came up with the name for the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
Naropa's first formal degree programs were offered in 1975-76. These included a BA in Buddhist studies and visual art, MA in psychology, MFA in visual art, and expressive arts certificates in dance, theater and poetics.
The MA in psychology was originally designed as an extension of Trungpa's Maitri program—a 16-week meditation course held in Connecticut, and based on Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
teachings on esoteric energy patterns within the mind and body. Trungpa asked Marvin Casper to restructure the Maitri program for use at Naropa as a full-fledged graduate degree program in contemplative psychology. Casper went on to chair that department and edit two of Trungpa’s books. Initially for the degree, students were required to attend three of the institute’s summer sessions, take two Maitri programs in Connecticut and complete a six-month independent project.
In 1977, at Trungpa's urging, Naropa's administration made the decision to seek regional accreditation. Evaluation visits continued through 1986 and, in 1988, Naropa Institute received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. In the mid-1980s, Naropa's president, Barbara Dilley, asked Lucien Wulsin to chair the board of directors. One of Wulsin's first acts was to formally separate Naropa from Vajradhatu. Ties with Vajradhatu were further weakened with the physical relocation of Vajradhatu's main center to Halifax, and then by Trungpa's death in 1987.
In 1991 Naropa's board of trustees hired John Cobb, a Harvard-educated lawyer and practicing Buddhist, as president. Thomas B. Coburn served in this role from 2003–2009, succeeded by Stuart C. Lord in July 2009.1 Naropa denotes Buddhist teacher Sakyong Mipham as its current lineage holder.
Spiritual principles
Naropa promotes contemplative education—a term used primarily by teachers associated with Naropa University or Shambhala Buddhist organizations—including activities such as meditationMeditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, the Japanese tea ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
, taijiquan, Christian labyrinth, ikebana
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
, and neo-pagan ritual. Robert Goss comments that
- Geoffrey Samuel, Reginald Ray, and Judith Simmer-Brown have traced the Shambhala lineage [Trungpa's teaching] back to the nineteenth-century Rimed movement in Eastern Tibet... When Naropa describes itself as a Buddhist-inspired, 'nonsectarian' liberal arts college, nonsectarian translates the Tibetan rimed. Nonsectarian does not, however, mean 'secular' as it is commonly used in higher education. Nonsectarian is perhaps understood as ecumenical openness to contemplative practices and arts of the world religious traditions that foster precision, gentleness, and spontaneity.
Goss goes on to note that as with many U.S. Protestant and Catholic colleges and universities, Naropa has faced pressure to establish independence from its associated religious organization, Shambhala International; but unlike many such institutions, it has avoided relegating religion to the periphery of university life.
Naropa's description of contemplative education makes liberal use of Buddhist language and concepts. For example, its catalogue speaks of "students wholeheartedly engag[ing] in mindfulness awareness practices in order to cultivate being present in the moment"..."the development of openness, self-awareness and insight"...and "interior work" as "preparation for compassionate and transformative work in the world."
As of 2008, contemplative education requirements include: All undergraduate students must select three semester hours of "Body-Mind Practice" such as taijiquan or African dance
African dance
African dance refers mainly to the dance of Sub-Saharan Africa, and more appropriately African dances because of the many cultural differences in musical and movement styles...
as well as three hours of "World Wisdom Traditions" which may include a religion course. In addition certain majors, such as psychology and religious studies, specialized courses in meditation are required. In the psychology program, the type of meditation required is specific to Shambhala Buddhism. Besides these requirements, a number of Naropa's professors incorporate a contemplative element into their classroom teaching or course requirements, such as beginning with a bow or a moment of silence or asking students to consider how to integrate their studies into their lives.
For one day each semester, Naropa University holds a "Community Practice Day," during which regular classes are not held and offices are closed. On this day members of the Naropa community—students, faculty, staff, and others—are invited to participate in group sitting meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
practice during the morning. Other contemplative disciplines are offered throughout the day. Panel discussions, departmental lunches, and community service projects are often offered in the afternoon. The stated object of the day is to cultivate togetherness in the Naropa community and to emphasize the importance of leading a mindful, aware life rather than a high-speed, cluttered one.
Controversies
In 1979 student editor Tom Clark published ‘’The Great Naropa Poetry Wars”, revealing that during a 1975 HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
party, Trungpa had ordered the poet W.S. Merwin and his girlfriend, Dana Naone, (present for a three-month seminary program) to take off their clothes. (This was during the 3rd Vajradhatu Seminary held in Snowmass, Colorado
Snowmass, Colorado
Snowmass is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, near the mouth of Snowmass Creek along State Highway 82 between Aspen and Basalt...
.) Merwin and Naone resisted, whereupon members of Trungpa’s “Vajra Guard” (security) stripped them naked, despite their protests and calls for the police. After the incident they stayed to complete the program, but only after Trungpa promised no further trouble. The school later asked Ed Sanders
Ed Sanders
Ed Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher and has been a longtime member of the band The Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.-Biography:...
and his class to conduct an internal investigation, resulting in a lengthy report.
Eliot Weinberger
Eliot Weinberger
Eliot Weinberger is a contemporary American writer, essayist, editor, and translator. His work regularly appears in translation and has been published in some thirty languages...
commented on the incident, in a critique aimed at Trungpa and Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
published in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
on April 19, 1980. He complained that Trungpa had successfully captured some of the best minds of his generation, yet he believed their fascination with Trungpa's presentation of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan theocracy created a dangerous exclusivity and elitism in literature.
Undergraduate programs
Naropa University currently offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students are allowed the option of a double-major or creation of a customized focus of study in the Interdisciplinary Studies program.Naropa offers the following undergraduate majors:
- Contemplative Psychology
-
- The program is founded on the mindfulness/awareness teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist lineages, world wisdom traditions, and western psychology. Students choose a concentration in Psychological Science; Psychology of Health and Healing; Somatic Psychology; or Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology.
- Early Childhood Education
-
- This department offers teacher education. Various western holistic pedagogies are studied for developing one's teaching style. Students are given the opportunity to participate in apprentice-style internships with experienced teachers.
- Environmental Studies
-
- The program integrates the disciplines of natural science, ecology, horticulture, systems theory, ecopsychology, service learning, sustainable living, and wilderness rites of passage.
- Interdisciplinary Studies
-
- This program invites its students to design a unique major by selecting courses from two or three different disciplines. Students begin the program by taking the required gateway seminar which surveys the history of disciplines as they are studied and as they constitute major and minor degree programs.
- Music
-
- This program includes examination of technical skills, emphasis on a multicultural perspective, and elements of composition and recording technology.
- Peace Studies
-
- This major explores the causes of violence and war and approaches to promoting peace. Within this major there are four related areas of inquiry: history and politics of social change; theory and practice of peacemaking; the arts in peacemaking; spiritual disciplines and contemplative practices in peacemaking.
- Religious Studies
-
- Varying somewhat by individual program, the department offers a review of religious traditions. Students are encouraged to explore meditation traditions by practicing them directly.
- BFA in Performance
-
- This program includes technical training with mindfulness awareness practices and cultural studies.
- Traditional Eastern Arts
-
- Students choose a major area of concentration from the following disciplines: t'ai chi ch'uan, yogaYogaYoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, or aikidoAikidois a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
. The program also includes the study of the history, philosophy, and culture of the major discipline, and was the first degree program of its kind offered in the United States.
- Students choose a major area of concentration from the following disciplines: t'ai chi ch'uan, yoga
- Visual Arts
-
- This major offers studio electives in several painting mediums, calligraphic forms, sculpture, pottery, and photography. Required courses in drawing, the history of visual art, meditation in conjunction with studio practice and portfolio preparation form the foundation of the major.
- Writing and Literature
-
- The writing program at Naropa favors creative writing in verse and prose. Literature majors are required to complete a critical thesis. Courses offered by the department are taught by active, published writers.
Graduate programs
Naropa University offers twelve (or fourteen when foreign language requirements significantly alter Religious Studies and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism) master’s degree programs. Some are available as low-residency programs.- Master of Divinity
- This three-year program results in a Master of Divinity degree, used most often in pastoral carePastoral carePastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
, chaplaincy, dharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
teaching, and community development careers.
- This three-year program results in a Master of Divinity degree, used most often in pastoral care
- Master of Arts in
- Contemplative Education
-
- This is a low-residency graduate program in education that includes contemplative components. Non-teachers are accepted into the program.
- Psychology: Contemplative Psychotherapy
-
- The only graduate program in the United States that joins psychotherapy training with Buddhist meditation. Meditation practice and MaitriMaitriMaitri is India's second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and finished in 1989, shortly before the first station Dakshin Gangotri was buried in ice and abandoned in 1990-91...
retreats are an integral part of the program. It meets the requirements for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential in the state of Colorado. With the LPC students are then eligible to sit for the Colorado State Board licensing examination after graduation.
- The only graduate program in the United States that joins psychotherapy training with Buddhist meditation. Meditation practice and Maitri
- Environmental Leadership
-
- The department is influenced by living systems theory.
- Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
-
- A two year program of study in Buddhism. Students choose between the History of Religions or a Tibetan Tradition sequence. An Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with Language degree is also available and includes training in either Sanskrit or Tibetan.
- Religious Studies
-
- In addition to a masters degree in Religious Studies, Naropa offers a variant that includes training in either Sanskrit or Tibetan.
- Transpersonal Counseling Psychology
-
- Three concentrations are offered: counseling psychology, art therapy and wilderness therapy.
- Transpersonal Psychology (low-residency)
-
- Offers concentrations in transpersonal psychology and ecopsychology delivered primarily through online classes.
- Somatic Counseling Psychology
-
- This program offers two concentrations options—dance and movement therapy or body psychotherapy—and meets the academic requirements for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential in the State of Colorado. With the LPC, students are then eligible to sit for the Colorado State Board licensing examination after graduation.
- Master of Fine Arts in
- Theater: Contemporary Performance
-
- The MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance is offered on Naropa's campus in Boulder, Colorado and was the first graduate program to integrate contemporary physical theater, viewpoints theory and practice, and traditional contemplative practices.
- Writing and Poetics
-
- The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, offers courses taught by active, published writers. The Kerouac School has as its stated mission the education of students as knowledgeable practitioners of the literary arts.
- Creative Writing (low-residency)
-
- This program is a combination of online work and attendance at the Summer Writing Program.
See also
- Buddhist universities in the United States and CanadaBuddhist universities in the United States and CanadaThere are several Buddhist universities in the United States and Canada. Some of these have existed for decades and are accredited. Others are relatively new and are either in the process of being accredited or else have no formal accreditation...
External links
- http://www.naropa.edu/newpresident/index.cfm
- Naropa University website
- Video Interview with Naropa President Tom Coburn including Contemplative Education discussion