CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES

CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES

Before 1959, Ladakhi scholars, novices and monks used to go to Tibet in pursuit of higher monastic Buddhist education and to do extensive research in the famous Mahaviharas and other monastic centres. In the 1950s, this practice came to an abrupt end because of the political situation in Tibet. The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies was established in 1959 with the holy rituals performed by H.E. Skyabje Ling Rinpoche, the senior tutor of His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama. The University Grants Commission (UGC), conferred the status of ‘Deemed to be University’ to CIBS in 2016. The emblem of the university has a dharma chakra kept on a lotus shaped pedestal and is supported by a lotus. On each side of the chakra a deer is sitting and supporting it. The chakra is decorated by flowery creepers on both the sides. All these are ensconced by a four petalled lotus. At the bottom, on a banner the name of the institute is written in Bhoti language. The word dharma chakra or the wheel of the law, is often used to describe the teachings in Buddhism. Chakras are also thought of as energy centres in the body in Buddhism. The lotus flower is associated with enlightenment. It grows in muddy water, but its petals remain clean and unblemished. It emerges from the darkness and rises above the surface of the water, representing the dawning of enlightenment and it represents detachment from the material world. Although its flowers bloom in mud, the lotus is not affected by dirty water. In Buddhism, deer symbolise peace, harmony and longevity. They are by nature gentle and serene and their presence represents the purity of a sacred place, bereft of fear.