Naropa University

Activities: Animal Volunteer Projects / Arts Courses / Literature Courses / Music Courses / Psychology Courses / Religious Studies Courses
Country: United States

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, education, environmental studies, peace studies, psychology and religious studies.

Buddhist-inspired and nonsectarian, Naropa University is rooted in contemplative education, a teaching and learning approach that integrates Eastern wisdom studies and the arts with traditional Western scholarship. Naropa was the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement.

Mission & Values

Eastern and Western studies. Contemplative practice. Experiential learning. And a deep commitment to inclusivity in the most expansive sense of the word.

Contemplative Education

Naropa University is the first and only accredited university in North America that is completely based on Contemplative Education. Contemplative Education combines traditional academics, experiential learning, and contemplative practice to inspire critical thinking, the acquisition of new skills, and unprecedented self-awareness.

Founding Vision

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's aspiration for Naropa was to "reignite the pilot light" of wisdom which he believed had been extinguished in the world. For Naropa University, the key to relighting the pilot light has been honoring the wisdom traditions of the East and West, and joining them with the discovery of our inner wisdom through contemplative practice.

History

Naropa University has a storied history that dovetails with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, the Outrider poetry movement, and the legacy of the counterculture.

Growing Movement

Today, mindfulness is everywhere. But at Naropa University, it’s a way of life and a central pillar of our Contemplative Education model of higher education.

Center For The Advancement of Comtemplative Education

Naropa University’s newly established Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education serves as an international hub for research, collaboration, contemplative teaching, and collaboration in the field of Contemplative Education.