• Lectures: 1
• Duration: 104 weeks

Curriculum Summary                                                  

The Master in Buddhism and Sustainable Development (MBSD) degree program will demonstrate a sound understanding on Buddhist Philosophy which is endowed with the practical acuity to analyse development issues of our society and thereby reach out to the solutions in a peaceful, non-violent and sustainable way. As a program of Faculty of Buddhist Studies, Lumbini Buddhist University, this course of study is focused largely on the social science and humanity perspective as a disciplinary notion, though it has also derived different concepts and ideas of sustainable development from natural and applied sciences.  This program includes 16 regular courses (100 marks/ 3 Credit hour each) including a compulsory Thesis. Eight elective courses have been planned (two electives in each semester). Student will select one elective subject in each semester. 

Program Synopsis 

Course title: Master in Buddhism and Sustainable Development (MBSD) 

Course duration and total credit: The duration of the course is two years comprising two semesters in each year and four semesters in total. The total credit hours for the course will be 60 (15 credits allocated in each semester, i.e. 15×4=60, in total). 

Entry requirements for admission: The minimum requirement to apply for admission in the Program is completion of a Bachelor’s degree in applied/social/natural sciences from a recognized University of Nepal or abroad. 

Learning Objectives  

The core objective of the MBSSD courses of study is to cater a multiplicity of Buddhist perspectives on development (its theories, practices and policies), and thereby offer the ways of sustainability for inner peace and happiness in the world. In specific, this program has been designed with the following learning objectives:  

• To gain a higher and intuitive understanding of philosophical idea of Buddhism and its practical ways in analysing development issues of our society, and thus become capable of finding and executing solutions in a peaceful, non-violent and sustainable way. 
• To inculcate and demonstrate knowledge and understanding in their major areas of study, including the insights into current research and development works 

Learning Outcomes and Competencies  

Upon completion of the MBSSD courses of study, students must be able to:  

• demonstrate an ability to critically and systematically conceptualize and analyse the issues and ideas of development from Buddhist perspective of view, meditation and conduct. 
• become a dedicated learner of Buddhist practice of meditation following the ethical values and the Sīlas of the Buddhist teachings 
• identify the challenges and opportunities of sustainability of development works, human integrity and peaceful life considering the present needs without compromising the needs and aspirations of future generations; 
• exhibit an ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate issues of sustainability and to plan and manage the diversities and complexities using appropriate methods including selfless leadership;  
• show an ability to present and discuss their conclusion and the knowledge and arguments behind them in good dialogue with different groups, orally and in writing, in national and international contexts 

Approaches and Strategies to the Courses of Study 

• The Buddhist Philosophy (based on right view, right meditation and right conduct) and sustainability approach (including ecological, social and economic issues, and the art and science of sukha) will be taken into academic discourse and class-room sessions.  
• Both faculty members and students will commit to observe Pañcaśīla (five precepts) every day, and each class will initiate with a mandatory meditation session. 
• A peer review research journal will be published by the SKB annually to promote Buddhist philosophy, principles, practices and sustainable development and to disseminate related scientific knowledge to the potential audience widely.  
• The Buddhist philosophy, precepts and practices (3-Ps) is a cross-cutting issue in order to transform the learning motivation of the students and teachers towards sustainable development and lasting inner peace, prosperity and contentment in the society.  
• The development process and products cannot be sustainable unless they are culturally rooted in the heads, hearts and hands of the students, teachers and local people. The Buddhist teachings constitute the original ideology and civilization of Nepal, and it has the capacity and potential to drive the society in the right path sustainably. 
• Sulakshan Kirti Bihar (SKB) will create a conducive environment for the carrying out of teaching, learning and innovative research activities by the students and teachers. The Bihar will organize orientation programmes for teachers and students about Buddhist teachings and their significance in the teaching and learning process to capture the core spirit of the courses of study. The LBU will offer support to encourage the teachers, students and the management team to unfailingly adopt the Buddhist and SD principles and practices in their day-to-day life.  

Pedagogical Approach 

The MBSSD follows methodological approach of the art and science of learning, based on Buddhist hermeneutics and pedagogy, allowing intellectual knowledge to be questioned, tested and then incorporated if deemed valid and pragmatic in the unveiling of embodied and engaged wisdom. With an increasing trend of using technology in education, the following pedagogical approaches will be followed in the course of study: 

1. Multi-sensory or embodied learning: (Exploring methods of learning that will incorporate not only verbal but non-verbal means of teaching and learning exemplified by the Buddha and many Buddhist luminaries from the past and the present, thereby emphasizing the embodiment (or realization) of what one has learnt rather than just intellectualizing it) 
2. Inquiry learning (exploring conceptual and theoretical issues, and critiques of development and the ways of sustainability from Buddhist perspective) 
3. Problem-based Learning (problematizing the empirical issues of development and engaging to explore the ways of sustainability from Buddhist perspective) 
4. Collaborative learning (participatory learning, knowledge sharing, active interaction and collaborative practicum) 
5. Workplace learning (learning at field work with communities in a real workplace-environment) 

• Class learning and intuitive interaction (having acquainted with Buddhist lifestyle) 
• Field Experience in at the community level (exposure on projects/programs, and thesis works) 
• Outreach Program (serving the community with Pañcaśīla; doing internship in particular organization/ sangha) 

Method of Evaluation   

1. Academic performance of students shall be evaluated on the basis of individual course for all the courses registered for the program. The final grade will be determined by aggregating the course-wise grades.   

2.      Performance of a student shall be judged by: 

• 1. Continuous internal semester assessment carried out by the concerned course teacher (including term paper and project work for each subject in each semester), and; 
  2. External semester examination carried out by the University. 
     
     3.      In any semester a student shall register for all the courses offered by the University in that semester as per the approved curriculum of the concerned program. 
     
     4       The course-wise weights for the continuous internal semester assessment and external semester examination shall be as given below.   

7.      The continuous internal semester assessment shall be taken by the concerned course tutor in any of the following ways: 

• 1. Written test  
  2. Workshop practice 
  3. Project work 
  4. Viva-voce 
  5. Home assignment 
  6. Power Point Presentation in concerned topics 
  7. Community-based studies 
  8. Institution-based studies 
  9. Case studies of best practices or failure cases 
  10. Publications of research article in the peer review journal  
  11. Social works  
  12. Meditation practice in the home 
  13. Innovations etc. 
      
       
      
      8.      The evaluation system (both internal and external) has been categorized with the weightage as presented in the Table below: 
      
       

[NOTE: The mode of both type of evaluation/ examination and the weightage of different components in these systems can be a subject of change depending upon the external environment or adverse academic environment. The decision would be accommodated as per the instruction of the University and the Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU] 

9.     A student must secure minimum 50 percent marks in the internal assessment for him/ her to be eligible for sitting in the end-semester examination.   Similarly, a student must obtain minimum 50 percent marks in the external examination to pass a course.   

10.    A student who has secured 50 percent or more marks in the continuous internal semester assessment (and 50 percent or more in the practical courses) but fails to obtain a passing grade in the external semester examination can re-sit in the compartmental examination and in the external semester examination of the same course.    

 11.   In each course a student shall be evaluated on a four point scale by giving letter grades representing grade values as follows: 

13.    The combined total marks obtained by the students in both the internal semester assessment and the external semester examination shall be converted into letter grades as per the University rule of LBU. 

14.  A student who has abstained from or not completed the final examination or has been expelled from the examination hall by the university authority will be considered to have failed the examination.   

15.    The maximum duration for completion of the master level program for a student is five years from the date of admission in that program.  The student must clear all the course requirements, including all the provisions of this evaluation scheme within this period.    

16. First compartment examination will be held after one month of the publication of result. If he/she fails in the exam, they will appear again in regular exam with regular student. 

Strategies for practicum 

The course of study will entail 40 percent practical (as to be covered by internal evaluation, and the thesis work) and 60 percent theoretical (covered by external evaluation) sessions in order to enrich the quality of education focusing to engaged research works, and the sustainable ways of livelihood and entrepreneurship. The total course of study has been divided into three categories of practicum that include:  

• Regular practicum or assignments module—to be defined in each chapter of the each subjects with specific methods 
• End-semester practicum—to be defined in each subject with specific methods including a project work, community service and academic writing (term paper or report writing) 
• End-course practicum, including a Thesis for each student to be graduated (mandatory)