Our Nalanda Program is designed for college-aged students. While ideal for those interested in a Buddhist Studies program, it is open to all those interested in a program that is both academic and experiential, offering study of Buddhist texts and traditions, but in a contemplative environment that emphasizes the importance of meditation as a tool for Buddhist studies and as a means of nurturing one’s own personal growth and well-being. It includes five days of close study of the classical Buddhist texts of the Pali canon, as preserved in the Theravada tradition, followed by two days of silent meditation with instruction, and finally five days of study in later Buddhist traditions and philosophical movements (Mahayana, Madhyamaka and Yogacara, Ch’an/Zen). Study days also include meditation practice in mornings and evenings along with six hours of classroom work. All participants are expected to agree to behave within the parameters of the Buddhist tradition’s five precepts for the duration of the program: 1) refraining from killing or harming living beings; 2) refraining from taking what has not been given; 3) refraining from speaking falsely or harshly; 4) refraining from sexual activity; 5) refraining from the use of intoxicants.