Who are Tushita’s Students?
We’ve been keeping records of the demographics of our residential students since 2009, so please rejoice in some pretty amazing statistics!
In the 7-year period 2009 – 2015:
- We had over 9,500 residential students, from 93 countries
- Their age range was between 16 and 81
- We also had more than 50,000 attendances on our Non-Residential Courses and Drop-In Sessions
- Making a total of 62,967 participants in 7 years!
Since 2009 we have been offering 3 different Dharma activities at the same time!
In 2008 we finished the rebuilding of our Main Gompa, which means we have 3 meditation halls available. With so many students coming to Tushita we can fill them easily! And if we had more space and resources, we would love to do even more…
Introduction to Buddhism Courses (residential)
For many decades introducing new students to the Dharma was our main function, and our very popular Introduction to Buddhism course used to be the emphasis of our programme. They are still hugely popular with the highest student numbers (an average of 80 students per course in 2015) and long waiting list all year around. However, since 2009 we have been offering also a wide range of intermediate courses.
Intermediate / Advanced Courses and Group Retreats (all residential)
Many students after having done an introductory course would like to deepen their studies and practice. To fulfil this growing demand we started to offer intermediate and advanced courses on a regular basis in 2009. They have been hugely successful, with students coming back again and again and courses often booked out many months in advance.
Tushita started in 1974 as a retreat centre and although since then we have changed into quite a busy teaching centre, we haven’t forgotten our roots. We are still offering 6 annual group and other retreats.
Experienced meditators also have the opportunity to use our personal retreat facilities. In mid 2015 we finished rebuilding our 3 retreat huts in the forest, which enables us to offer beautiful and comfortable retreat space in a very blessed and conducive environment.
Drop-In Activities (daily guided meditation sessions, video days, pujas etc.)
Since 2010 we have been offering our daily guided meditation sessions all year around and they are so popular that we often have to squeeze more than 100 people tightly into our gompa. In the past 7 years, our drop-in sessions have amassed almost 50,000 “cushion units”!
That’s to say that the same people often attend these sessions frequently, so it wouldn’t be accurate to say that this many individuals had attended. However, no matter how you interpret the figures, our drop-in sessions are definitely well attended!
In 2015 alone Tushita Meditation Centre hosted:
| NUMBER | NAME | LENGTH | STUDENTS |
| 17 | Introduction to Buddhism Courses | Mostly 10 days | 1370 – Average of 80 students per course! |
| 5 | Intermediate/ Advanced Courses | 7 – 13 days | 149 |
| 6 | Group Retreats | 9 – 95 days | 95 |
| 1 | Pre-Ordination Course | 18 days | 7 |
| TOTAL: 29 | TOTAL: 1621 | ||
| 4 | Short Non-Residential Courses with Special Guest Teachers | 2 – 4 days | HUNDREDS |
As you can see all total there were 33 courses & group retreats held in 2015!
Our residential courses alone were attended by a total of 1621 students and hundreds more attending our non-residential courses and special events. AMAZING!
ALL YEAR AROUND we offered drop-in activities such as daily morning meditations, twice weekly video showings, regular pujas, and the occasional sutra reading.
The daily morning meditations alone received over 12,000 attendances!!!
On top we had many of our precious lamas visiting, giving teachings and advice, consecrating statues etc. Please have a look at our 2015 newsletter for some truly inspirational reading!
WOW WOW WOW!!!
But who are these people who come on Tushita courses?
Where are Tushita’s Students from (2015)?
Between 2009 – 2015, we had students on our residential courses from 93 different countries!
In “Table A” you can see a list of the top ten nationalities over that 7-year period, and below a chart showing these top ten nationalities (and the 84 others!) by percentage.
If you would like to see the full list of 94 countries, please click here. See if your country is represented. If not: come, we need you!
One of the most significant changes we’ve noticed over the past 7 years is the shift in national patterns of participation, primarily – The Rise of India!!!
In Table B you can see the top ten countries in 2015, with India having overtaken Israel to take the top position.
Participation among Indian citizens has increased more than 5 times in 7 years – from 60 students in 2009 to 325 students in 2015!
Here’s how that change has been happening – with India rising from the 6th most populous nationality in 2009, to the 2nd in 2014 and to 1st in 2015.
We rejoice – returning Buddha Dharma to the Motherland!
Also for intermediate courses, which show a much more even spread in nationality (and age), India has now risen to our biggest nationality!
| # | Native Country | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2009-15 | 2009-15 |
| 1 | Israel | 166 | 151 | 233 | 230 | 260 | 245 | 251 | 1536 | 16% |
| 2 | USA | 178 | 201 | 200 | 165 | 175 | 142 | 180 | 1241 | 13% |
| 3 | India | 60 | 94 | 106 | 142 | 202 | 228 | 325 | 1157 | 12% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 129 | 103 | 145 | 103 | 100 | 81 | 103 | 764 | 8% |
| 5 | Germany | 82 | 79 | 73 | 85 | 79 | 71 | 100 | 569 | 6% |
| 6 | Canada | 59 | 95 | 67 | 73 | 69 | 54 | 69 | 486 | 5% |
| 7 | Australia | 81 | 74 | 81 | 77 | 49 | 44 | 57 | 463 | 5% |
| 8 | France | 25 | 44 | 68 | 63 | 67 | 76 | 48 | 391 | 4% |
| 9 | Spain | 25 | 35 | 33 | 35 | 38 | 27 | 35 | 228 | 2% |
| 10 | Netherlands | 40 | 24 | 32 | 42 | 22 | 23 | 36 | 219 | 2% |
| 11 | Sweden | 13 | 25 | 26 | 35 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 167 | 2% |
| 12 | Austria | 12 | 18 | 27 | 31 | 16 | 10 | 25 | 139 | 1% |
| 13 | Brazil | 10 | 18 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 26 | 24 | 133 | 1% |
| 14 | Switzerland | 15 | 26 | 14 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 121 | 1% |
| 15 | Italy | 14 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 13 | 23 | 119 | 1% |
| 16 | Mexico | 17 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 114 | 1% |
| 17 | Ireland | 19 | 16 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 112 | 1% |
| 18 | Russia | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 104 | 1% |
| 19 | Argentina | 7 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 99 | 1% |
| 20 | Belgium | 11 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 18 | 89 | 1% |
| 21 | New Zealand | 18 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 86 | 1% |
| 22 | Denmark | 15 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 79 | 1% |
| 23 | Finland | 14 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 73 | 1% |
| 24 | Poland | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 73 | 1% |
| 25 | South Korea | 9 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 69 | 1% |
| 26 | South Africa | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 60 | 1% |
| 27 | Chile | 1 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 59 | 1% |
| 28 | Colombia | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 57 | 1% |
| 29 | Japan | 11 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 56 | 1% |
| 30 | Portugal | 6 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 55 | 1% |
| 31 | Taiwan | 4 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 0.40% |
| 32 | Slovenia | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 38 | 0.40% |
| 33 | Czech Republic | 4 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 34 | 0.40% |
| 34 | Singapore | 2 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 35 | 0.40% |
| 35 | Turkey | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 32 | 0.30% |
| 36 | Norway | 2 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 0.30% |
| 37 | Ukraine | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 0.30% |
| 38 | Hungary | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 0.30% |
| 39 | Romania | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 0.30% |
| 40 | China | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 0.20% |
| 41 | Slovakia | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 0.20% |
| 42 | Greece | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 0.20% |
| 43 | Estonia | 5 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0.20% |
| 44 | Tibet | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0.20% |
| 45 | Malaysia | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0.20% |
| 46 | Indonesia | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0.20% |
| 47 | Vietnam | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0.20% |
| 48 | Thailand | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 0.20% |
| 49 | Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 0.10% |
| 50 | Latvia | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0.10% |
| 51 | Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 0.10% |
| 52 | Mauritius | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0.10% |
| 53 | Malta | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0.10% |
| 54 | Belarus | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0.10% |
| 55 | Luxembourg | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.10% |
| 56 | Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0.10% |
| 57 | Iran | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0.10% |
| 58 | Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.10% |
| 59 | Nepal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.10% |
| 60 | Peru | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.10% |
| 61 | Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0.00% |
| 62 | Cyprus | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.04% |
| 63 | Philippines | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.04% |
| 64 | Iceland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.03% |
| 65 | Morocco | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.03% |
| 66 | Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.03% |
| 67 | Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 68 | Guatemala | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 69 | Jamaica | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 70 | Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 71 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 72 | Mongolia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 73 | Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 74 | Botswana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.02% |
| 75 | Palestine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 76 | Bhutan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 77 | Uganda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 78 | Myanmar | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 79 | Panama | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 80 | Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 81 | Serbia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 82 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 83 | Syria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 84 | Lebanon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 85 | Nicaragua | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 86 | Cambodia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 87 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 88 | Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 89 | Costa Rica * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 90 | Kazakhstan * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 91 | Moldova * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 92 | Yemen * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 93 | Croatia * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1122 | 1243 | 1423 | 1411 | 1424 | 1340 | 1568 | 9531 |
How old are the students on Tushita’s courses?
Between 2009 – 2015, our youngest student was 16 years old and our oldest was 81; that’s 65 years of diversity!
As you can see from this graph, there’s a predominance of students in their 20’s on our Introduction to Buddhism courses. However it also shows good coverage across age groups. The ring chart below left shows that 60% of students are under 30, 26% aged between 30 – 40, and 14% over 40.
The mix of age groups among Intermediate Level students is much more even however, despite representing almost exactly the same age range, as you can see in green in the chart comparing the 2 types of courses below.
How many Men & Women take part in your courses?
Over the 7 years we’ve been studying our records, the gender balance of students has remained very stable, with always 5-10% more women than men taking part. This balance stays the same across all our courses.
