Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Dharma Realm Buddhist University

法界佛教大學
Type	Private, nonprofit
Established	1976
Founder	Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Parent institution	Dharma Realm Buddhist Association
President	Susan A. Rounds
Vice-president	Douglas M. Powers
Dean	Martin J. Verhoeven, Dean of Academics Bhikshuni Heng Liang, Dean of Students
Address	4951 Bodhi Way Ukiah, CA 95482
Campus	700 acres in rural northern California
Colors	Green
Nickname	DRBU
Website	www.drbu.org

Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. It is situated in the monastic setting of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Mahayana Buddhist monastery, and is the only university in the Western Hemisphere to incorporate Buddhist practices into the curriculum. DRBU follows a unique variation of the Great Books model, incorporating texts from both East and West. The university has a longstanding partnership with the Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.

In 1976, Dharma Realm Buddhist University was formally established at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, with the very first class arriving in 1977. The first Chancellor was founder Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. From 1977 to 1984, DRBU operated with the authorization status given by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. In 1976, the Institute of World Religions was created by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua and Paul Cardinal Yu Bin. In 1984, DRBU attained Approval to Operate as a California Degree-Granting Institution pursuant to the California Education code, Section 94310 [c], and is currently approved to operate under the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). In 1986, DRBU hosted the Conference on World Religions for the first time in California. In 1994, the Institute of World Religions moved to Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. In 1997, DRBU began its partnership with the Graduate Theological Union and Pacific School of Religion. In 2000, the Venerable Master Hua Memorial Lecture series began. In 2001, the Institute for World Religions published the inaugural issue of its academic journal, Religion East & West. In 2006, DRBU established the Berkeley campus with Reverend Heng Sure, Ph.D., as its first director. In 2011, DRBU launched the University blog, dharmas . In 2013, DRBU began its two new programs, BA in Liberal Arts and MA in Buddhist Classics, both approved by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE); from 2013-2015, DRBU phased out its six existing BPPE-approved degree programs.