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Dhammakaya Open University or DOU is an open university for the study of Buddhism by distance-learning. It is based in Azusa, California but distributes its courses via liaison centres at branches of the Dhammakaya Foundation in many countries around the world. It offers courses in English and Thai languages.

History
The university was founded in 2003 and has provided distance-learning training for its students since September 2004.

Philosophy
Lifelong learning without boundaries has been the core of DOU's philosophy. The ultimate goal of DOU is to shape, complete and perfect human beings refers to a person whose life is full of merit, who can live happily without causing problems to others and to society. It is a person who has attained true happiness, and who is able to help and give proper advice to others. Upon completion of DOU coursework and programs, students should have developed a thorough understanding of Dhamma, and gained experiences in practising Dhamma. Moreover, students should display a deep comprehension and appreciation of the ways in which people conduct their lives. They should realize that the ultimate goal for human beings is to bring peace into their lives and into the lives of those around them.

Goals

 * to provide students with full theoretical and practical knowledge of Dhamma as given by the Lord Buddha
 * to ensure each student has a sufficient understanding of Dhamma and Buddhism to be a successful kalyanamitta to others and to society
 * to shape future young leaders who can serve as role-models for society and advance world peace

Courses in English
The university has only one faculty - the Faculty of Buddhist Studies. This faculty provides a selection of course units which count towards the 26 core units which are required to receive a four-year Bachelor of Buddhism (B.B.) degree from the university. The courses in English include:


 * MD101E Meditation 1: Basic Knowledge of Meditation
 * GL101E Buddhist cosmology
 * GL102E The Hereafter
 * GL203E Law of Karma
 * GB203E Recipe for Success in World Social-Development
 * SB304E Monastic Lifestyle