DHARMA REALM BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION INC

What DHARMA REALM BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION INC does

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Inc (DRBA) is a nonprofit religious organization founded in 1962 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who brought authentic Mahayana Buddhist teachings from China to the West. The organization operates a global network of more than 24 monasteries and practice centers across North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia, anchored by the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB), a residential monastic community in Ukiah, California. DRBA delivers Buddhist education, meditation retreats, ceremonies, and translation of classical sutras through both in-person and online channels (Zoom and YouTube live streaming), with multilingual support in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

The organization's service portfolio spans a vertically integrated religious-education-publishing ecosystem. Educational offerings include Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) for higher Buddhist studies, Instilling Goodness and Developing Virtue Schools (IGDVS) for K-12 moral education, and structured monastic, lay, and young adult training programs. The Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS), founded by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, has produced decades of English-language sutra translations distributed through the Dharma Realm Buddhist Books Distribution Association in Taipei. Additional sub-brands include specialized monastery locations such as Gold Mountain (San Francisco), Gold Sage (San Jose), Gold Wheel (Los Angeles), Long Beach Monastery, Gold Summit (Seattle), Avatamsaka Vihara (Bethesda), Snow Mountain (Washington), and international branches in Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, France, and Australia.

DRBA's business model is donations-based: events, retreats, and educational programs are generally offered free of charge, with operating costs supported by voluntary contributions from members and the public. The organization does not have a stock listing, has no disclosed parent company or venture backing, and operates under monastic governance led by senior disciples of the founder. With only six listed corporate employees but a substantial operational footprint spanning owned monastery properties and a residential community of monks, nuns, and lay practitioners, DRBA functions more as a religious movement than a commercial enterprise. Revenue and financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

DHARMA REALM BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION INC

Legal name

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Inc

Website

https://drba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Inc is a nonprofit religious organization that operates a global network of Buddhist monasteries, retreat centers, and educational institutions delivering Mahayana teachings, meditation retreats, sutra translation, and K-12-to-university Buddhist education to practitioners and the public worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Buddhist Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Buddhist Monastic Universities & Dharma Colleges (EDAHAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Buddhist Broadcasting (MPABALAI)

Keywords

• Buddhist teaching services
• Meditation retreat programs
• Buddhist text translation
• Monastic education network
• Religious nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ukiah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: DRBA operates as a nonprofit religious organization supported primarily by donations from members and the public. Events and retreats are generally offered free of charge, supported by voluntary contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Inc (DRBA) operates the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a residential monastery and lay community in Ukiah, California, along with a global network of branch monasteries and practice centers. It provides Buddhist teachings, meditation retreats, chanting and ceremony programs, and religious education for the public, supplemented by affiliated Dharma Realm Buddhist University and K-12 schools and by a Buddhist Text Translation Society that translates canonical Chinese texts into English and other languages. Programming is delivered both in person at its physical centers and online via Zoom and YouTube livestreams to a worldwide audience.

Product overview

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA) operates as a unified religious and educational organization rather than a technology product company. The core offering is the network of monasteries and practice centers headed by the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (DRBA's main center in Ukiah, CA). Supporting offerings include Dharma Realm Buddhist University (higher education), K-12 schools (IGDVS), monastic and lay training programs, young adults programs, and online platforms including the Online Lecture Hall, audio recordings, and translations. Events and retreats are delivered via live webcast using Zoom and YouTube. The organization does not offer a technology product in the traditional sense; all offerings are religious, educational, and spiritual services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas: DRBA's main center in Ukiah, California containing a residential community of monks, nuns, laity, families, teachers, and students.
• Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU)
• Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS)

Products and services

• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) Residential Monastery A residential Mahayana Buddhist monastery in Ukiah, California, offering a combined monastic and lay community with daily chanting, meditation, dharma study, and precept ceremonies for visiting practitioners and residents.
• Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) An affiliated Buddhist university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs that integrate academic study with daily meditation, Buddhist ethics, and monastic life on the CTTB campus.
• Instilling Goodness School and Developing Virtue Secondary School (IGDVS K-12) Affiliated K-12 schools (elementary through high school) on the CTTB campus that pair standard academics with daily meditation, dharma classes, and ethical instruction for enrolled students.
• Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS) Translation and Publication Services The affiliated translation society that translates Chinese Mahayana Buddhist sutras and dharma texts into English and other languages, and distributes printed Buddhist books and recordings.
• Online Lecture Hall (Live and Recorded Dharma Webcasts) A free public online service that streams live dharma lectures, ceremonies, and teachings via Zoom and YouTube, with recorded archives accessible on the DRBA website.
• Meditation Retreats and Dharma Assemblies Scheduled meditation retreats, chanting sessions, and dharma assemblies hosted at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and online for individual practitioners and visiting guests.
• Monastic and Lay Training and Ordination Program Residential training program for lay disciples and aspiring monastics that progresses through formal refuge, Five Precepts, Shramana precepts, Bodhisattva precepts, and full Bhikshu/Bhikshuni ordination within the DRBA lineage.
• Global Branch Monasteries and Practice Centers Network An affiliated global network of branch monasteries, nunneries, and lay practice centers extending CTTB's programming to local communities across Asia, North America, Europe, and Australasia.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wat Pah Nanachat / Ajahn SumedhominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2014Interfaith collaboration with Theravada tradition. Venerable Ajahn Sumedho, who worked alongside Venerable Master Hsuan Hua to bring Mahayana and Theravada lineages together in the West, gave a talk at CTTB in July 2014.
• Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRBU is a related educational institution that conducts additional orientation, classes, and Q&A in English for retreat programs held at DRBA monasteries. The two organizations work closely together on educational programming.
• Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTTS, founded by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, handles the translation of Buddhist sutras and texts, making them available in English and other languages through DRBA's publishing efforts.
• Instilling Goodness & Developing Virtue Schools (IGDVS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 educational institutions under the DRBA umbrella providing Buddhist-influenced moral education from elementary through high school.
• City of 10,000 Buddhas WebsiteminorOthersRelated website (cttbusa.org) providing information about the main DRBA center in Ukiah, California.
• The International Institute of Philosophy and EthicsminorOthersRelated research institute under DRBA focused on philosophy and ethics.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shambhala International: A global Buddhist-inspired organization founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche with meditation centers, educational programs, and residential communities. Comparable as a Western-rooted Buddhist organization with global physical footprint and educational offerings.
• Plum Village: International Zen Buddhist community founded by Thich Nhat Hanh with multiple monasteries across Europe and North America, donation-supported, and offering retreats, online teachings, and a global community-led model.
• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: A prominent Insight Meditation (Theravada) center in Northern California offering residential retreats, online programs, and teacher training. Comparable as a donor-supported Buddhist retreat and educational organization in North America.
• Fo Guang Shan: One of the largest Chinese Mahayana Buddhist organizations globally, founded by Master Hsing Yun, with temples, universities (Fo Guang University), and educational initiatives spanning multiple continents. Comparable in scale, tradition, and educational mission.
• Insight Meditation Society: A Buddhist meditation retreat center in Barre, MA founded by Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, offering residential retreats, online teachings, and teacher training. Comparable as a major Buddhist retreat and educational organization.
• Dharma Drum Mountain: A major Chinese Mahayana Buddhist organization founded by Master Sheng Yen with centers in North America, Asia, and Europe. Comparable as a global Chinese-Mahayana Buddhist organization with educational programs and retreat facilities.
• Zen Mountain Monastery: A Zen Buddhist monastery and training center in Mt. Tremper, NY, affiliated with the Mountains and Rivers Order, offering residential monastic training, retreats, and online teachings. Comparable as a Mahayana-rooted American Buddhist monastery with monastic training programs.
• Tzu Chi Foundation: A major international Buddhist humanitarian organization founded by Master Cheng Yen, also based in Asian Mahayana tradition, with extensive global operations including North America. Directly comparable as a donation-funded Buddhist nonprofit with monasteries, educational programs, and global footprint.
• City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB): DRBA's own main center and residential monastic community in Ukiah, CA. Listed as a subsidiary peer to illustrate the central facility that anchors the broader organization.

Broad incumbents

• Soka University of America: A Buddhist-affiliated liberal arts university founded on Nichiren Buddhism principles by the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) organization. Comparable as a Buddhist educational institution with institutional scale and Western-facing programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/dharmarealmlive
• Facebookfacebook.com/drba.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dharma-realm-buddhist-association-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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