MWE DOMAINS
What students will Know, Understand, and Do through a Middle Way Education
The MWE Curriculum Framework is made up of over 175 learning Indicators grouped into five domains: Logic and Reason, Cultural Preservation and Celebration; Embodied Dharma; Personal Practice; and The Art of Play. Each domain is a distinct area of core knowledge and practice that leads students to embody the guiding principles, which shape the way they manifest in the world.
LOGIC AND REASON
Logic and Reason develops students’ analytical and philosophical skills to understand reality through Buddhist concepts, texts, and contemplative inquiry. Students examine core concepts like impermanence (anicca), dependent origination, emptiness (sunyata), and the nature of mind through critical inquiry and contemplation. Through studying key texts like the Heart Sutra and analyzing Buddhist epistemology, students develop the ability to discern between relative and ultimate truths while cultivating tolerance for paradox and ambiguity. This domain emphasizes the complementary relationship between analytical understanding and direct experience, encouraging students to investigate phenomena through both intellectual examination and meditation. Students learn to apply Buddhist analytical frameworks to their experience of self, others, and the natural world, developing greater insight into the causes of suffering and the path to liberation.
CULTURAL PRESERVATION & CELEBRATION
Cultural Preservation and Celebration explores Buddhism’s historical transmission across cultures, developing appreciation for tradition while fostering cross-cultural dialogue and thoughtful stewardship. Students examine how Buddhist wisdom has been transmitted through lineages, languages, texts, art, and ritual practices, developing appreciation for both indigenous influences on Buddhism and Buddhism’s contributions to world cultures. Through studying Buddhist cosmology, iconography, and sacred architecture, they understand how these expressions embody core teachings and values. This domain emphasizes critical engagement with tradition, encouraging students to discern what aspects to preserve, adapt, or transform while fostering respectful cross-cultural dialogue. Students develop the capacity to be thoughtful stewards of living traditions that can continue to offer wisdom in contemporary contexts.
EMBODIED DHARMA
Embodied Dharma teaches practical application of Buddhist principles in society through ethical frameworks, mindful engagement, and responsible leadership. Students develop the ability to engage mindfully with society at personal, interpersonal, and systemic levels, beginning with examining their motivations and expanding to responsible leadership and social transformation. Through studying foundational ethical frameworks—including the Four Noble Truths, Five Precepts, Ten Virtuous Actions, and concepts like ahimsa (non-violence)—students learn to act with discernment, balancing self-awareness with social responsibility. They cultivate essential practices like meditation, ritual, and contemplative arts that strengthen their capacity to respond compassionately to suffering while developing skillful means to create harmony within increasingly diverse communities.
PERSONAL PRACTICE
Personal Practice cultivates awareness and wisdom through contemplative techniques, including meditation, mindfulness integration, and study of transformative Buddhist paths. Students learn various meditation approaches, including shamatha (concentration), vipassana (insight), visualization, and the practices of the Four Immeasurables (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity). This domain explores how mindfulness can be integrated into daily activities—from eating and walking to using speech and managing emotions. Students examine the Buddhist understanding of mind, habit formation, neurological processes, and the relationships between mental and physical well-being. Through studying the Paramitas (transcendent virtues) and the Eightfold Path, students develop a comprehensive framework for personal transformation that addresses how to work with obstacles, strengthen positive qualities, and create sustainable practice routines. Students learn to balance effort with relaxation while cultivating genuine contentment in a world of change.
THE ART OF PLAY
The Art of Play integrates creativity, spontaneity, and contemplative awareness in artistic expression as vehicles for both self-expression and spiritual development. Students learn to approach creative activities with a balance of disciplined technique and spontaneous freedom, cultivating qualities such as non-attachment to outcomes, present-moment awareness, and joyful effort. This domain examines the relationship between artistic practice and Buddhist concepts such as non-self, impermanence, and the paramitas (transcendent virtues). Students engage with contemplative arts across cultures—including music, visual arts, movement, and performance—as vehicles for both self-expression and spiritual development. Through practicing art as offering rather than ego-enhancement, students discover how creativity can be a form of meditation that develops sensitivity to beauty while transforming habitual patterns into awakened expression.