Wilkinson, Christopher
Wilkinson, Christopher on the DRL
Tibetan calendar dates
- Primary Affiliation (Workplace)
- Leiden University
- Religious Affiliation
- Sakya
Biographical Information
Christopher Wilkinson began his career in Buddhist literature at the age of fifteen, taking refuge vows from his guru Dezhung Rinpoche. In that same year he began formal study of Tibetan language at the University of Washington under Geshe Ngawang Nornang and Turrell Wylie. He then received many instructions from Kalu Rinpoche, completing the traditional practice of five hundred thousand Mahamudra preliminaries. In his later life he completed several lengthy meditation retreats. He became a Buddhist monk for three years, beginning at the age of eighteen, living in the home of Dezhung Rinpoche while he continued his studies at the University of Washington. He graduated in 1980 with a B.A. degree in Asian Languages and Literature and another B.A. degree in Comparative Religion (College Honors, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). After a two year tour of Buddhist pilgrimage sites throughout Asia he worked for five years in refugee resettlement in Seattle, Washington, then proceeded to the University of Calgary for an M.A. in Buddhist Studies where he wrote a groundbreaking thesis on the Yangti transmission of the Great Perfection tradition titled “Clear Meaning: Studies on a Thirteenth Century rDzog chen Tantra.” He proceeded to work on a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of the 20,000 line Perfection of Wisdom in Berkeley, California, followed by an intensive study of Burmese language in Hawaii. In 1990 he began three years’ service as a visiting professor in English Literature in Sulawesi, Indonesia, exploring the remnants of the ancient Sri Vijaya Empire there. He worked as a research fellow for the Shelly and Donald Rubin Foundation for several years, playing a part in the early development of the famous Rubin Museum of Art. In the years that followed he became a Research Fellow at the Centre de Recherches sur les Civilisations de l'Asie Orientale, Collège de France, and taught at the University of Calgary as an Adjunct Professor for five years. He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation, a study of the Yoginitantra first translated into Tibetan during the Eighth century of our era, at the University of Leiden’s Institute for Area Studies. Wishing to bring the literature which has inspired him through his many years of Buddhist study and practice into fruition he has spent the years from 2009 to the present translating the works of the Sakya Founders, a portion of which forms the contents of the present volume. (Source = Chris Wilkinson person communication)
- Wiki Pages
Other Information[edit]
I am best known for my daily Public postings of translations of works by the Sa skya Khong ma on Facebook, on my personal page, which is here:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.wilkinson84000/about
My personal C.V., which includes my publications, looks like this:
Resume Christopher Wilkinson Wilkinson.christopher01@gmail.com Education:
Universiteit Leiden Institute of Area Studies (L.I.A.S.) Doctoral Candidate (2012 to Present) http://www.hum.leiden.edu/lias/organisation/phd-asian/wilkinsonc.html
University of Virginia; Virginia (1994-95) Post Graduate Research Department of Religious Studies (Tibetan Textual Studies)
University of Hawaii at Manoa; Hawaii 1989 Intensive Burmese: S.E.A.S.S.I. Program. (Competency passed) United States Department of Education Foreign Language Acquisition Scholar (F.L.A.S.)
University of California, Berkeley; California 1988-89 Post Graduate Research -- Newhouse Fellow Department of South and Southeast Asian Languages and Literature
University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta; Canada Religious Studies (M.A.) 1988, Eastern Stream. Thesis: Clear Meaning: A Study of 13th Century Tibetan Religious Traditions.
University of Washington; Seattle, Washington, Phi Beta Kappa Asian Languages and Literature (B.A.) 1980 Magna Cum Laude Full competency in both Sanskrit and Tibetan Language & Literature
Comparative Religion (B.A.) 1980 Magna Cum Laude, Specialization in Eastern Traditions. Honors Thesis: Ganesha: Canonical and Extra-Canonical Literature on a Pan- Asiatic Deity Preserved in Tibetan Translation. Related Professional Experience:
Research Fellow
Centre de Recherches sur les Civilisations de l'Asie Orientale (C.R.C.A.O; UMR 8155); Collège de France; 52 rue du Cardinal Lemoine; 75005 Paris. (2002-2012)
Adjunct Professor University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Taught courses on Introduction to World Religions, Sanskrit and Tibetan Language courses, History of Religions in Asia, Buddhist Traditions in Tibet, and Introductions to Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. (1999- 2005)
Research Associate The Shelly and Donald Rubin Foundation, 115 5th Ave., N.Y., N.Y. Interpretation and cataloguing of artifacts and art works from Tibet, India, and Central Asia. I contributed to the understanding of Central Asian Art and the development of the Rubin Museum. (1995-1998)
Professor of English (Native Speaker), Faculty of Letters, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Sulawesi; Indonesia. This University had 32,000 students, where I was the only native English speaker. Taught courses in History of English Literature, Shakespere, English History. T.O.E.F.L. preparation, Linguistics, and English for Special Purposes. (1991-1993)
Languages:
Tibetan, Sanskrit, Indonesian/Malay.
Publications:
“The Mi nub rgyal mtshan Nam mkha' che and the Mahā Ākāśa Kārikās: Origins and Authenticity.” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, Editor: Jean-Luc Achard, numéro vingt-quatre— Octobre 2012, pp. 21-81
Clear Meaning: Studies on a Thirteenth Century rDzogs-chen Text. National Library of Canada: Ottawa, Canada. 1988. ISBN: 0315425148. Pp. 340.
“The Tantric Ganesha: Texts Preserved in the Tibetan Canon,” Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God, Ed. Robert L. Brown. SUNY Series in Tantric Studies; Paul E. Muller-Ortega, editor. State University of New York Press; 1991; pp. 235-276.
“History and Significance of a Lost Mahāyana Sutra: The Sangs rgyas Thams cad kyi dGongs pa 'Dus pa'i mDo,” A paper delivered to the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion at the year 2000 Annual Meeting. Edmonton, Alberta.
Wilkinson, Christoph. "The Pure Land on Earth: The Chronicles of Amoghapaśa ’Phags pa Don yod zhags pa’i Lo rgyus." Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, third series, no. 14 (2012): 179–185.
Sakya Pandita's Poetic Wisdom Sakya Kongma Series, Volume 1 Translations by Christopher Wilkinson Suvarna Bhasa Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2014, 224 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1499526752.
Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsan: The Hermit King
Sakya Kongma Series, Volume 2
Translations by Christopher Wilkinson
Suvarna Bhasa Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2014, 236 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-1499779011
Admission at Dharma's Gate by Sonam Tsemo
Sakya Kongma Series, Volume 3
Translations by Christopher Wilkinson
Suvarna Bhasa Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2014, 160 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-1500224943
An Overview of Tantra and Related Works By Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Dragpa Gyaltsan, and Sakya Pandita; Sakya Kongma Series, Volume 4 Translations by Christopher Wilkinson Suvarna Bhasa Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2014, 206 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1500697969
Chogyal Phagpa: The Emperor’s Guru
By Chogyal Phagpa
Sakya Kongma Series, Volume 5
Translations by Christopher Wilkinson
Suvarna Bhasa Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2014, 254 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-1500727338