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2025 Maitripa College graduates and Chaplain Endorsees with President Yangsi Rinpoche and faculty. Photo by Chris Majors.
On May 17, the Maitripa College community, Portland, OR, USA, gathered to celebrate the 16th Commencement Ceremony honoring the 2025 graduates of the Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies and Master of Divinity programs. Dean of Education, Namdrol Miranda Adams shares a moving report of the ceremony:
On a warm spring day in Portland, Oregon this May, the Maitripa College community gathered in person and online to celebrate the 16th Commencement Ceremony, honoring the 2025 graduates of the Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies and Master of Divinity programs.
This milestone marks not only the culmination of rigorous academic and contemplative training, but also the beginning of lives deeply committed to service, wisdom, and compassion in the world. The diverse paths of this year’s graduates reflect the heart of Maitripa’s mission: integrating traditional Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice with the challenges and needs of modern life.
Our 2025 graduates have engaged deeply with Buddhist texts and teachings, developed their meditation practices, and completed intensive education and fieldwork. Now, they are stepping into the world as educators, caregivers, and community leaders. Among this years’ graduates are those working in special education, elder care, and suicide prevention—each embodying the union of spiritual depth and skillful means.
This year’s Commencement Address was delivered by esteemed Buddhist scholar and translator, and longtime Maitripa College friend Dr. Roger Jackson, who offered a spirited encouragement to seek wisdom not only in the texts and traditions of Buddhism but also in the world around us. With humor and heart, he reminded us that inspiration can be found everywhere—even in the words of the Beat Poets—and called on graduates to remain curious, courageous, and open in their journeys.
The ceremony was a joyful and moving gathering of faculty, students, friends, family, and supporters. It included traditional prayers and dedications, heartfelt reflections, and an offering of gratitude to the teachers and mentors who have guided the graduates on their paths.
As Maitripa College enters its 20th year, we are inspired by the example of this graduating class and all of our alumni who are manifesting the Dharma through lives of engaged, compassionate service. May the merit of their practice and study continue to benefit countless beings.
To learn more about Maitripa College and its programs, visit www.maitripa.org.
We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.