About Us

Connecting East to West for more than a decade

We founded Dharma College to connect authentic Buddhist wisdom to the search for meaning in the uncertainty of everyday life.

Our doors are open to all. While rooted in ancient teachings, dharma continues to evolve with each new student and each new conversation. We invite you to find a path that’s right for you.

Our History

The story of Dharma College begins in Tibet. Born in 1935, Tarthang Tulku was one of the last traditionally trained Lamas in the Nyingma tradition. He received transmission of important Tibetan Buddhist lineages from nearly 40 masters, including… Read More

The Future

While grounded in ancient texts and a proud history, what’s next for Dharma College is up to you. As our community of Dharma College graduates grows, we continue to evolve how we both gather and explore personal and global transformation… Read More

Find Your Complete Path

hint: they’re all the right path

There is no single path to self-realization. Everyone brings their own perspective, hopes, and challenges. To help you forge your own way, Dharma college offers a wide variety of classes, workshops, and public talks. Our programs sit at the crossroads of Eastern spirituality and Western intellectual pursuits. While they're rooted in ancient teachings, they continue to evolve continuously with each new student and each new conversation.

How it works
Classes blend philosophy, psychology, and science, engaging all aspects of students’ own experiences. They’re highly interactive and discussion based. This open dialogue is balanced with self-directed awareness practices and contemplation. While grounded in Dharma, our programs aren’t subject to proselytizing or religious rituals. Students develop their own deep understanding of mind, reality, and self, transforming their way of being.

Your journey at Dharma
Dharma College offers five different program areas in 3 levels that together form an interconnected pathway to inner transformation and lifelong spiritual growth as illustrated by the Wisdom Tree to the left. They are:

Level 1
Living

Working

Wellness

Level 2
Understanding

Level 3
Wisdom

When you begin to work with us at Dharma College, all our Level one program areas are a good place to start. Programs in Living, Working, and Wellness have a designation in the '100's' in front of them. Each of these programs has a unique emphasis and different requirements for completion, but all provide a strong foundation for moving to the next level of teachings.

After a couple of terms of level 1 programs, if you are interested please apply for our level 2 program area, which takes mind as its central focus. This centers on Revelations of Mind, and its reading commentary, Searcher Reaches Land's Limits, a course that starts in September and January of each year. Courses at Level 2 have a designation in the '200's' in front of them.

The Level 3 program area, Wisdom, is for students who have completed Level 2. This program area offers programs in several different areas, such as The Lotus Trilogy and Time, Space, and Knowledge. Courses at Level 3 have a designation in the '300s' in front of them.

Please note that not all courses in the five program areas are offered every term, so it is best to review the dropdown menu entitled 'All Courses' to find out what is available at any particular time. If you have questions that are not answered on our website, we warmly invite you to contact our registrar at registrar@dharma-college.com.

Living

Begin developing practices for inner harmony Learn more.

Working

Learn methods for bringing life to work. Learn more.

Wellness

Perfecting good health with balance. Learn more.

Understanding

Waking up to the revelation of mind. Learn more.

Wisdom

Unfolding body, language, and mind. Learn more.

Our Building

Dharma College is housed in an outstanding landmark building in the heart of downtown Berkeley, California. Designed by architect Walter Ratcliff, the building was first occupied in 1923. Within walking distance of the University of California and the Berkeley BART station, Dharma College intends to bring together people of all ages and backgrounds. With newly-renovated classrooms that are suited for both large lectures and small seminars, a spacious reading room where students and faculty can work between classes, numerous staff and faculty offices, project rooms, and a generous dining room in which we serve wholesome, vegetarian meals, Dharma College is conducive to peaceful individual study and alive with vibrant ideas.

What Our Students Are Saying.

Clear Understanding Program
Absolutely phenomenal presentation of the material. Richard is a phenomenal teacher.
Okan February 2021
Searcher Reaches Land’s Limit
Mindful Working Program
I learned that awareness is the key to live a fulfilling life and how to operate my life mindfully. Now, I’m confident that I’m moving forward on the way I should go on!
Keisuke
Skillful Means Challenge
Active Wisdom Program
This class sets my mind ablaze with questions and thoughts, but in a good way! I was skeptical of the break-out class at first but it became my favorite part of the class in the end…Abbe is a wonderful instructor.
Cathleen E.
Introduction to the Lotus Path
I am a worrywart. I have been trying to break this habit by becoming enlightened, choosing the right and doing the right form of meditation. Since I have been studying with Richard Dixey, I have been breaking this worry habit by leaps and bounds. Richard is a very knowledgeable psychologist, scientist and historian. A lot of my progress has been due to simply learning how my mind operates and how I trap myself. Now I can stop! I get out of my conceptual mind. There's really no path because all my experiences are all here right in front of me. No big deal. In this place there is beauty. I still get carried away in worry these days, but now I always know how to quickly get out of it.
Jivan Ziesse

You can download our brochure here

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