Kathmandu, Nepal
Sowa Rigpa International College
The college campus lies a short walk behind the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Asia.
Sowa Rigpa International College (SRIC) is the first institution in Nepal offering an accredited degree in Sowa Rigpa – the Science of Traditional Himalayan and Tibetan Medicine in affiliation with Lumbini Buddhist University.
We have been working with the College since its inception in 2016. Our team has assisted SRIC with curriculum development, administrative assistance, and fundraising to support the college and its students.
The College Needs your Support
Drangsong Foundation helps to coordinate the international fundraising efforts needed to allow the college to flourish. As Nepal is a developing nation, the college relies on external support to carry out its activities. Many of the students come from remote Himalayan areas, relying on scholarships to be able to study.
Your generosity goes a long way to help ensure the future of Sowa Rigpa in Nepal
Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery from Lumbini Buddhist University
The 5.5 year program trains students to become fully qualified doctors of Sowa Rigpa. The first 4.5 years is classroom based, followed by a 1 year clinical internship with senior doctors in the Kathmandu area. Classes are taught primarily in English language, with much of the subject content in Tibetan.
Students learn other specialized subjects such as:
• Practical skills of herbal pharmacology, both on campus and via medicinal plant expeditions to the surrounding mountains.
• External therapies such as KuNye massage, moxibustion, bloodletting, and other skills from masters in Nepal and visiting guest teachers.
• Spiritual practices connected to the Sowa Rigpa tradition such as meditations and rituals from the Yuthok Nyingthik.
Courses follow international standards, equivalent to those of universities and medical colleges in Tibet and India. As a program within the Faculty of Development Studies & Applied Sciences of Lumbini Buddhist University, the BSRMS course is fully accredited in Nepal and internationally.
Nepal: Center of Cultural and Bio-diversity
From the high peaks of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau to the lush jungles of the Subcontinent, Nepal is a vital meeting point of Asia. Its land has been a natural place of exchange and cooperation: a unique convergence of traditional sciences, spiritual traditions, and cultures.
Nepal is home to extensive botanical resources, with traditions of natural medicine developed over countless generations. In the Himalayan areas, the system of Sowa Rigpa is widespread – a medical science incorporating the knowledge of alpine herbs, effective clinical therapeutics, and the profound wisdom of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Join us August 2024 to study Nepali herbal botany in Lower Mustang.