Introduction

Sakyamuni, Kanakamuni and Krakuchhanda Buddhas were born in Nepalese land; Lumbini Garden, Niglihawa and Gotihawa respectively. On the full moon day of Vaisakha 623BC, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni was born in the Lumbini garden as a prince of King Suddhodhana and his queen Mayadevi of Kapilvastu kingdom. After the six years long quest, Prince Siddhartha got enlightenment and became a Buddha. He first turned the Wheel of Dharma (his findings) on the Asadha Purnima of the same year then continued until his mahaparinibbana at the age of eighty. Buddha’s teachings are not confined to an induvial being. They widely incorporate the material and psychological world of the three times. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is the complete cessation of sufferings step by steps during consecutive individual’s lives. The Buddha established the sangha for the continuation of the teachings in an organized way. Presently, more than 400 million people in the world follow Buddhism as their own religion. Various academic institutions in the world have been studying Buddhism from basic to higher studies. Knowing the value of Buddha’s teaching, Tribhuvan University, the largest public university in Nepal begin one year Post Graduate Diploma program in 1999 under the Central Department of Nepalese Culture, History and Archeology in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. After a year, it was independently run as a separate department and upgraded as a Central Department of Buddhist Studies (C-DOBS) in 2004.

Objectives:

• To impart knowledge of the history, its development and spread of Buddhism to students
• To train students in critical appreciation of Buddhist thoughts and traditions in comparison to non-Buddhist ones;
• To enlighten students on importance of Pali and Sanskrit literature in the study of Buddhist literature;
• To make students knowledgeable about Buddhist societies, life cycle rites and rituals, practices, festivals, literatures and scholars of Nepal Mandala;
• To train students in research methodology in order to enable them to study various aspects of Buddhism such as history, scholars, sects, philosophy, literature, art history, and architecture;
• To enable students to understand other major religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, Zen and so on;
• To familiarize students with the Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism;
• To familiarize students with Buddhist Canonical languages;
• To acquaint students with knowledge of Buddhist cultural heritage and sites in the world.

Teaching Faculties

Administrative Staff

1. Computer Operator -1 (Permanent)

2. Accountant               -1 (Part-Time)

3. Office Assistant         -1 (Contract)

4. Office Helper             -1 (Contract)