MISSION + VISION
Middle Way School is an independent progressive school with nearly 100 students ages 3-12 enrolled in pre-K to sixth grade. As one of the first Buddhist schools for children, Middle Way is exploring the rich potential of integrating wisdom and compassion with progressive education. Our aspiration is to prepare students to take their places in the modern world with the noble qualities of intelligence, confidence and discipline, with an understanding of interdependence and a fundamental motivation of altruism.
Middle Way School is incorporated in the State of New York and recognized by the NYC Department of Education as a nonpublic school. We received our absolute charter from the New York State Board of Regents in 2024. It is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce. The research and development of the MWS model is overseen by Middle Way Education, a separate not for profit organization dedicated to creating pathways for traditional Buddhist wisdom and knowledge to enhance modern education for the benefit of this and future generations. We are grateful to the generous donors of Khyentse Foundation who have given significant financial support to the school.
Guided by a number of teachers and scholars, Middle Way is not tethered to one single Buddhist tradition or path. Nor do we blend them together until they are unrecognizable. Rather, we respect the variety of wisdom traditions, the lineages, and the varied paths that have helped individuals connect with the wakefulness of the dharma for 2,500 years.
We hire and enroll without discriminating against any identifying factor which may include race, age, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic background. We will make accessibility accommodations for individuals with disabilities to the fullest extent possible. As an institution and as individuals we recognize that we have the responsibility to actively change the power differences that perpetuate biases against historically underrepresented groups. Our inclusion efforts are a dynamic process. We welcome your experience and invite your input on how our school community can continue to evolve.
WHAT ARE THE NOBLE QUALITIES?
Children have profound intelligence, and inherent kindness and love of learning. We are developing an educational model that cultivates these natural qualities, which, along with a habit of examining before adopting anything as being true, are the hallmarks of a mind trained in the dharma. Middle Way School students are guided to be:
Aware
Disciplined
Unpretentious
Confident
Nonaggressive
Nonjudgmental
Discerning
Humble
Harmonious
Non-grasping
Curious
Respectful of the sacred
These are also qualities of successful innovators and leaders. When these qualities are cultivated with a wish to benefit others, we see a new kind of success. Helping others is therefore one of the core values of the school. This additional motivation of bodhicitta transforms innovation into much more than just a means to get rich.
The world needs the wisdom of non-duality and the Buddhadharma has that. Not to harm self and others, to help self and others, to discover and nurture the innate compassionate and awakened nature of mind is the wisdom of the Buddhadharma.
It has been tested for 2,500 years by wanderers and yogis, and by kings, queens, and professors.
This is a very sophisticated system that leads to liberation.