Mission:
Inspired by
the rich intellectual and experiential traditions of East and West,
Naropa University is North
America's leading institution of contemplative
education.
Naropa
recognizes the inherent goodness and wisdom of each human being. It educates the
whole person, cultivating academic excellence and contemplative insight in order
to infuse knowledge with wisdom. The University nurtures in its students a
lifelong joy in learning, a critical intellect, the sense of purpose that
accompanies compassionate service to the world, and the openness and equanimity
that arise from authentic insight and self-understanding. Ultimately, Naropa
students explore the inner resources needed to engage courageously with a
complex and challenging world, to help transform that world through skill and
compassion, and to attain deeper levels of happiness and meaning in their
lives.
Drawing on
the vital insights of the world's wisdom traditions, the University is
simultaneously Buddhist-inspired, ecumenical and nonsectarian. Naropa values
ethnic and cultural differences for their essential role in education. It
embraces the richness of human diversity with the aim of fostering a more just
and equitable society and an expanded awareness of our common
humanity.
A Naropa
education—reflecting the interplay of discipline and delight—prepares its
graduates both to meet the world as it is and to change it for the better.
