Laity Training Program
Brief Description
The Laity Training Program is a Seminary program for Buddhist laymen and laywomen. This Program emphasizes the application of traditional moral, spiritual, and intellectual principles to the formation of character and to one’s daily life and work in the modern world. Learning through actual practice in this way requires a serious commitment.
Purpose of the Program
The purpose of the Program is to provide a solid foundation in advanced Buddhist studies and practice for those whose goal is an occupation in Buddhist institutions or community settings. This course of study came in response to the growing number of Buddhist institutions in America and in other countries—temples, monasteries, convents, schools, colleges and universities, and health centers—that require their staff to be knowledgeable and proficient in Buddhist doctrine and practice.
Outcomes of the Program
Graduates of the Laity Training Program who possess additional professional training and education may qualify for employment in Buddhist religious communities, schools, universities, health centers, and related social service activities, in administrative or special capacities where inter-cultural skills are required.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes:
21-2011 Clergy
21-2020 Directors, Religious Activities and Education
21-2090 Miscellaneous Religious Workers
Length of Course and Requirements for the Laity Diploma
Applicants to the Laity Training Program must be individuals of good character with a sincere desire to gain the knowledge necessary to benefit the world and be models among the Buddhist laity.
The Laity Training Program leads to the Buddhist Laity Training Diploma and entails a four-year course of study, comprising 200 weeks of academic instruction (1,700 clock hours) and religious practicum (5,500 clock hours) averaging 40 hours per week, for a total of 8,000 hours, combining residence in a Buddhist Seminary, covering six areas as follows:
| Area of Training | Clock hours required |
| Ceremony & Ritual (C&R) | 2500 |
| Practice (P) | 3000 |
| Doctrine (D) | 1500 |
| Vinaya (V) | 200 |
| Electives (E) | 300 |
| Apprenticeship (A) | 500 |
| 8000 |
Students learn how to lead the ceremonies, and to perform the basic, daily morning, noon, and evening liturgies, as well as special ceremonies held throughout the year. C&R classes include:
- Buddhist Liturgy
- Dharma Instruments
- Daily Ceremonies
- Heart Mantra
Required Texts:
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas Daily Recitation Hand book (bilingual), Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS).
The (Avatamsaka) Flower Adornment Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
The Brahma Net Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Repentance, recitation, mantras, chan meditation, group practice, and supervised independent practice. Classes include:
- Buddhist Pilgrimage
- Mantra Practice
- Chan Practice
- Mantra Retreats
- Recitation Practice
- Repentance Practice
- Recitation Retreats
- Repentance Retreats
- Universal Bowing
- Special Ceremonies
Required Readings:
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
The (Avatamsaka) Flower Adornment Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Sutra of the Buddha Speaks the Names of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Chinese with English transliteration, BTTS.
Instructional Talks by Venerable Master Hua, Volumes 1-8, bilingual (Chinese/English), BTTS.
Chan & Pure Land Talks, Venerable Master Hua. English. BTTS.
Listen to Yourself, Think Everything Over, Volumes 1-2, Venerable Master Hua. English. BTTS.
Recommended Readings: To be arranged by instructor.
Doctrine refers to the Sutras and Shastras (treatises), two of the three major divisions of the Buddhist scriptures, as well as to selected Buddhist texts and commentaries, including:
- General Buddhism
- Chan Study
- Mantra Study
- Repentance Study
- Recitation Study
- Developing Inherent Wisdom
- Memorization
- Topics in Sutra Studies
- Fundamental Shastras
- Shurangama Sutra
- Dharma Flower Sutra
- Flower Adornment Sutra
Required Readings:
Dharma Flower Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Flower Adornment Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Shurangama Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Sutra in Forty-two Sections, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Chinese with Translation, BTTS.
Exhortation to Bring Forth the Bodhi Mind, with Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Selected readings in Buddhist scriptures and selected commentaries.
Vinaya is the third major division of the Buddhist scriptures, which details the moral discipline that forms the basis for all the areas of training. The Vinaya also discusses the proper aspects of deportment when walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Scholarly study of the details of the various categories of Precepts and how to uphold them is discussed in the Vinaya. Vinaya studies for the laity include:
- Laity Precepts & Deportment
- Lives of the Great Masters
- Bodhisattva Precepts for Laity
Required Readings:
Records of High Sanghans, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
The Brahma Net Sutra, Chinese with English Translation, BTTS.
Selected commentaries on the Five Precepts, the Eight Precepts, and Bodhisattva Precepts for Laity.
Through consultation with faculty advisors, students may select a specialized area of study. For students with adequate skills, this may include training in one or more of the four committees involved in the translation of Buddhist texts: (1) translation; (2) review; (3) editing; and, (4) certification.
Students may also elect to train in basic language skills or various levels of scriptural and modern languages, including training in delivering explanations of the principles of Buddhism and learning to use the traditional methods of lecturing on the scriptures.
Alternatively, electives may be taken as additional clock hours beyond the required number in any of the other areas of training (C&R, Practice, Doctrine, Vinaya, or Apprenticeship), or where appropriate, in conjunction with classes offered by Dharma Realm Buddhist University.
Required & Recommended Readings: To be selected in consultation with instructor.
This area provides qualified students in their fourth year of study the opportunity to apprentice in diverse aspects of monastic administration and community service. This may include classroom teaching-assistant training; learning to make curriculum aids and teaching materials; training in the management of worship halls, dormitories, libraries, and religious centers, such as temples, translation institutes, educational facilities, and retreat locations; greeting, providing for, and handling matters for guests; directing reception centers, and administering delegations and special events; counseling elementary and high school students; and offering programs that provide companionship, physical care, and moral support for the elderly. Students are assigned counselors, and each student conducts his or her training under the supervision of at least one certified instructor. Students may choose to conduct their apprenticeship on campus, or at a DRBA-authorized religious center.