11 Best Buddhism Courses Online
We compared 11 Buddhism courses currently listed on edX, Coursera and Udemy, priced from $19.99 to $199.99. 4 come from a named university or institution, including Columbia University, Harvard University and Yale University. They are ordered by our CourseAsk score, which is built from how thoroughly each course describes what it teaches, whether it comes from a named institution, and how it compares on price — not from star ratings, which our course data does not include.
- Courses compared
- 11
- Price range
- $19.99 – $199.99
- Providers
- edX, Coursera, Udemy
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2026
How these 11 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from edX, Coursera, Udemy, matched to "buddhism" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $19.99 to $199.99, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Indian & Tibetan River of Buddhism
Offered by Columbia University
Explore an overview of the history and philosophy of Buddhism throughout India, South and Southeast Asia, Tibet, and Central Asia, featuring the basics of the Buddhist view of reality and its educational principles of sc...
$49.99listed price -
2
Buddhism Through Its Scriptures.
Offered by Harvard University
Learn about the rich and diverse beliefs and practices of Buddhists across time and place. Experience Buddhism through its scriptures, both relationally as well as academically.
$149.00listed price -
3
China’s First Empires and the Rise of Buddhism
Offered by Harvard University
Learn about the Qin and Han dynasties, and how Buddhism and ideas of self-realization influenced the medieval period.
$149.00listed price -
4
East Asian Religions & Ecology
Offered by Yale University
At first glance the fields of religion and ecology may seem and unlikely pairing, but a deeper consideration reveals the two have a great deal to contribute to one another and are indeed inextricably linked. Religions re...
$49.00listed price -
5
Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han
Offered by The Chinese University of Hong Kong
This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focu...
$49.00listed price -
6
Religious Transformation in Early China: the Period of Division
Offered by The Chinese University of Hong Kong
This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focu...
$49.00listed price -
7
Sounds True Presents: Body and Mind are One, Part 1
This one-of-a-kind course is taught by Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh, who is accompanied by two of his senior Dharma instructors, Brother Phap Hai and Sister Lang Nghiem. Throughout this program, you’ll work on broadening y...
$199.99listed price -
8
Mindfulness 1 Course - Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that has grown in popularity in recent years. With the benefits of meditation becoming clearer with recent research, we are beginning to understand just how useful mindfulness may be. From...
$29.99listed price -
9
Certified Teacher-led Course on The Teaching of Buddha
"The Teaching of Buddha" Introduction: Welcome to the course on "Understanding The Teaching of Buddha" based on the timeless wisdom presented by Author Himani. This course is designed to provide a comprehensive explorati...
$199.99listed price -
10
How to Value Indian Art- A Step by Step Guide
Often, the culture and art of the countries of Asia and the East is incomprehensible to the mentality of a European person. Thanks to globalization and ease of travel, many people have discovered countries such as India,...
$19.99listed price -
11
Cultivating the Way: The Six Paramitas
Over 40 lectures walk you through the Six Paramitas—generosity, discipline, patience, energy, concentration, and wisdom—using Zen perspectives and broader Buddhist teachings. The course blends textual study with personal...
$79.99listed price
Best Buddhism Courses Online compared
| # | Course | Provider | Offered by | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian & Tibetan River of Buddhism | edX | Columbia University | $49.99 | View → |
| 2 | Buddhism Through Its Scriptures. | edX | Harvard University | $149.00 | View → |
| 3 | China’s First Empires and the Rise of Buddhism | edX | Harvard University | $149.00 | View → |
| 4 | East Asian Religions & Ecology | Coursera | Yale University | $49.00 | View → |
| 5 | Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han | Coursera | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | $49.00 | View → |
| 6 | Religious Transformation in Early China: the Period of Division | Coursera | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | $49.00 | View → |
| 7 | Sounds True Presents: Body and Mind are One, Part 1 | Udemy | — | $199.99 | View → |
| 8 | Mindfulness 1 Course - Introduction to Mindfulness | Udemy | — | $29.99 | View → |
| 9 | Certified Teacher-led Course on The Teaching of Buddha | Udemy | — | $199.99 | View → |
| 10 | How to Value Indian Art- A Step by Step Guide | Udemy | — | $19.99 | View → |
| 11 | Cultivating the Way: The Six Paramitas | Udemy | — | $79.99 | View → |
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 11 priced courses on this page run from $19.99 to $199.99, with the middle of the range around $49.99 — a spread of $180.00. That is a wide gap for one subject. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from edX, Coursera and Udemy. The platforms differ in how they sell: some charge once per course, others expect a subscription, and the listed price is not always what you pay at checkout after a promotion. 4 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including Columbia University, Harvard University and Yale University — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 18 September 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.