About Us
.jpg/:/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true,m/cr=w:1209,h:605)
Asiana Institute: Graduate Diploma Studies
Asiana Institute is a pioneering graduate-level academic institute dedicated to training the next generation of Buddhist chaplains and consciousness-informed spiritual caregivers. Asiana Institute curates advanced academic programs into intensive, focused diploma courses designed to deliver knowledge and skillsets on a dana and low-cost basis.
Nestled in the spiritually vibrant city of Chiang Mai, Thailand — the historic heart of Theravada Buddhism and a global hub for meditation and mindful living — we serve as a bridge between ancient Eastern wisdom and contemporary approaches to human flourishing. At Asiana Institute, we bring together Buddhist-based academic institutions, scholars, and practitioners from around the world to share resources, deepen collaboration, and advance the professional development of Buddhist chaplains and nonmaterialist science studies.
We also pioneer rigorous study in the areas of psi abilities and non-materialist models of consciousness — examining exceptional human experiences, altered states, and the nature of mind through both contemplative practice and critical inquiry. This holistic approach equips our diploma candidates to meet people where they are, supporting them through transition and awakening with wisdom, presence, and ethical integrity.
Whether you are a chaplain, monastic, a lay practitioner, a mental health professional, or a student-scholar seeking to integrate engaged Buddhism into spiritual care and study, our programs foster not only professional competence but profound personal transformation.We are more than a new educational model— we are a growing international collaborative institute committed to elevating Buddhist chaplaincy and consciousness studies as an evidence-informed, and wisdom-centered vocation for the 21st century. By cultivating kalyāṇamitras (spiritual friends) who embody mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion), and paññā (wisdom), Asiana Institute contributes to a more awakened, science-based, and interconnected world.
A kind of "Noetic Chaplaincy" Perspective
Asiana Institute director Michael Roe
Noetic Chaplaincy is a contemplative and integrative spiritual formation path that equips chaplains to support others through profound questions of consciousness, meaning, suffering, and what lies beyond physical life. Rooted in the Buddha’s teachings as preserved in the Pali Canon, it draws on rigorous study of early Buddhist texts alongside emerging evidence from nonmaterialist approaches to consciousness, empirical research on near-death experiences (NDEs), children’s memories suggestive of rebirth, and broader inquiries into nonhuman forms of intelligence and awareness.
Practitioners of noetic chaplaincy cultivate both traditional Buddhist wisdom—emphasizing mindfulness, compassion, ethical conduct, and insight into impermanence and non-self—and a scientifically informed openness to the nature of mind that transcends reductive materialism.
