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A list of all pages that have property "Bio" with value "1708. founds bkra shis 'khyil rgyal rabs lo tshigs shes bya mang 'dus mkhas pa'i spyi nor (p. 357) 1668. To Dbus and enters 'Bras-spungs Sgo-mang. 1674. Final ordination from 5th DL. 1676. Enters Rgyud Smad. 1680. Meditates at Ri-bo Dge-'phel. 1690. Becomes bla-ma [abbot] of 'Bras-spungs Sgo-mang. Attempts to make peace between the Sde-srid and Lha-bzang Khan. 1709. Founds the Bkra-shis-'khyil Monastery with the patronage of Ju-nang Dpon. 1720. Granted title PaNDi-ta-e-rti-no-min-han by the Gong-ma Khang-shis Rgyal-po. Year of death 1721 or 1722 (according to Ming mdzod); dates according to Tshad ma'i 'byung khungs: 1648-1722. Gsung-'bum in 15 volumes.". Since there have been only a few results, also nearby values are displayed.

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  • Jitāri  + (Jitāri. [alt. Jetāri] (T. Dgra las rnam rgJitāri. [alt. Jetāri] (T. Dgra las rnam rgyal) (fl. c. 940-980). Sanskrit proper name of the author of the ''Hetutattopadeśa'' and a number of short works on pramāṇa in the tradition that follows Dharmakīrti; later Tibetan doxographers (see siddhānta) characterize him as interpreting Dharmakīrti's works from a</br>Madhyamaka perspective, leading them to include him in a Yogācāra - Svātantrika - Madhyamaka school following the false aspect (alīkākara) position. A Jitāri also appears in the list of the eighty-four mahāsiddhas as a tantric adept; he is also listed as a teacher of Atiśa Dīpamkaraśrījñāna. (Source: "Jitāri." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 393. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Jizang  + (Jizang. (J. Kichizō; K. Kilchang) (549–623Jizang. (J. Kichizō; K. Kilchang) (549–623). In Chinese, "Storehouse of Auspiciousness"; Chinese Buddhist monk of originally Parthian descent and exegete within the San lun zong, the Chinese counterpart of the Madhyamaka school of Indian thought. At a young age, he is said to have met the Indian translator Paramārtha, who gave him his dharma name. Jizang is also known to have frequented the lectures of the monk Falang (507–581) with his father, who was also [an] ordained monk. Jizang eventually was ordained by Falang, under whom he studied the so-called Three Treatises (San lun), the foundational texts of the Chinese counterpart of the Madhyamaka school: namely, the ''Zhong lun'' (''Mūlamadhyamakārikā''), ''Bai lun'' (*''Śataśāstra''), and ''Shi'ermen lun'' (*''Dvādaśamukhaśāstra''). At the age of twenty-one, Jizang received the full monastic precepts. After Falang’s death in 581, Jizang moved to the monastery of Jiaxiangsi in Huiji (present-day Zhejiang province). There, he devoted himself to lecturing and writing and is said to have attracted more than a thousand students. In 598, Jizang wrote a letter to Tiantai Zhiyi, inviting him to lecture on the ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra''. In 606, Emperor Yang (r. 604–617) constructed four major centers of Buddhism around the country and assigned Jizang to one in Yangzhou (present-day Jiangsu province). During this period, Jizang composed his influential overview of the doctrines of the Three Treatises school, entitled the San lun xuanyi. Jizang's efforts to promote the study of the three treatises earned him the name "reviver of the San lun tradition." Jizang was a prolific writer who composed numerous commentaries on the three treatises, the ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra'', ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'', ''Vimalakīrtinirdeśa'', ''Sukhāvatīvyūhasūtra'', etc., as well as an overview of Mahāyāna doctrine, entitled the ''Dasheng xuan lun''. ("Jizang". In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 395. Princeton University Press, 2014)'', 395. Princeton University Press, 2014))
  • Halifax, J.  + (Joan Jiko Halifax (born July 30, 1942) is Joan Jiko Halifax (born July 30, 1942) is an American Zen Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, ecologist, civil rights activist, hospice caregiver, and the author of several books on Buddhism and spirituality. She currently serves as abbot and guiding teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a Zen Peacemaker community which she founded in 1990. Halifax-roshi has received Dharma transmission from both Bernard Glassman and Thich Nhat Hanh, and previously studied with the Korean master Seung Sahn. In the 1970s she collaborated on LSD research projects with her ex-husband Stanislav Grof, in addition to other collaborative efforts with Joseph Campbell and Alan Lomax. She is founder of the Ojai Foundation in California, which she led from 1979 to 1989. As a socially engaged Buddhist, Halifax has done extensive work with the dying through her Project on Being with Dying (which she founded). She is on the board of directors of the Mind and Life Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the relationship of science and Buddhism. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Halifax Source Accessed July 24, 2023])an_Halifax Source Accessed July 24, 2023]))
  • Heesterman, J.  + (Johannes Cornelis Heesterman (10 November Johannes Cornelis Heesterman (10 November 1925, Amsterdam – 14 April 2014, Leiden) was a Dutch Indologist and historian of religions and professor at the University of Leiden.</br></br>He graduated in Hindi and Indian cultures at the University of Utrecht where in 1957 he also took a master's degree under the supervision of J.Gonda.</br></br>From 1958 to 1961 he lived in India participating in the project of a historical dictionary in San Cristo. Then he returned to Utrecht to teach at the university, from 1964 to 1990 he was a professor at the University of Leiden of linguistic and cultural history of South Asia after the Islamic invasion. Until his death he was professor emeritus of that university.</br></br>His main works include: ''The Broken World of Sacrifice: Study on Ritual in Ancient India'', 1993, Chicago; Italian transl. Milano, Adelphi, 2007) and ''The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society'' (1985, Chicago)., Kingship, and Society'' (1985, Chicago).)
  • Reynolds, J.  + (John Myrdhin Reynolds, aka Vajranatha, stuJohn Myrdhin Reynolds, aka Vajranatha, studied History of Religions, Anthropology, Arabic, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, at the University of California at Berkeley, and at the University of Washington at Seattle. At the former he pursued Islamic Studies under Prof. Arthur Jeffrey and Iranian Studies under Prof. J. Duchesne-Guillemin. He did his PhD research in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Buddhist Philosophy under Prof. Edward Conze, the world-renowned scholar of the Buddhist Prajnaparamita literature.</br></br>He then spent more than ten years in India and Nepal doing field research at various Hindu Ashrams in South India and at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Nepal. At these latter locales, he researched the literature, rituals, and meditation practices of the Nyingmapa and Kagyudpa schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His Lama teachers included Dezhung Rinpoche, Kangyur Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Gyalwa Karmapa, and many others. His special study was Dzogchen and the Buddhist Tantras, both in their own terms, and in comparison with Gnosticism and other mystical traditions of the West. As a result, he translated into English many original Tibetan texts belonging to the Nyingmapa and Kagyudpa traditions, and more recently texts from the Bon tradition. In Nepal he researched the techniques and lore of Tibetan shamanism, including rites of exorcism and soul retrieval, employed and practiced among Ngakpa Lamas belonging to the Nyingmapa school. The thrust of this research was experiential and participatory, and not just restricted to texts. He has been initiated into both the Nyingmapa and the Kagyudpa orders of Tibetan Buddhism and in 1974 in Kalimpong he received ordination from HH Dudjom Rinpoche as a Ngakpa or Buddhist Tantric Yogin of the Nyingmapa order, receiving the name Vajranatha (Rigdzin Dorje Gonpo). With the inspiration and permission of His Holiness, he began in-depth research into the Ngakpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism stemming from Guru Padmasambhava and Nubchen Sangye Yeshe in the 8th century of our era.</br></br>Since then he has continued his researches and lectured widely in India, Europe, and America. He has taught History of Religions and Buddhist Studies at Shanti Ashram (South India), at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), at the University of California (Santa Cruz), and more recently at the College of New Rochelle in New York City. Furthermore, he has taught in various countries of Europe, lecturing and presenting seminars on Buddhism, meditation, Tibetan shamanism, and psychological development in Amsterdam, Den Haag, Groningen, Copenhagen, Malmo, Oslo, Devon, and London, as well as in Italy, Greece, Mallorca, Poland, Hungary, and Jugoslavia.</br></br>In the past two decades he has worked closely with Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, the foremost exponent of Dzogchen practice in the West, on a number of translations of important Nyingmapa Dzogchen texts. Since 1989, he has worked closely with Lopon Tenzin Namdak, the foremost scholar of the Bonpo tradition outside of Tibet, on the translation into English of a large number of ancient and rare Bonpo Dzogchen texts, including the Zhang-zhung Nyan-gyud, and also the Ma Gyud, the Bonpo Mother Tantra. As his principal focus, he continues his research into the historical origins of Dzogchen in both the Nyingmapa and the Bon traditions, and especially into the connections of Dzogchen and the Bon tradition with the Iranian religious culture of ancient Central Asia and the West, including Iranian Buddhism, Mithraism, and Gnosticism. This research into original texts in Tibetan and Sanskrit, as well as comparative studies in terms of religion, mysticism, and magic, and the producing of monographs thereon, is known as the Vidyadhara Project.</br></br>Publications</br>His publications include The Alchemy of Realization (1978, Simhanada Publications),</br></br>Tibetan Astrological Calendar and Almanac (1978, Kalachakra Publications),</br></br>The Cycle of Day and Night (1984, 1987, Station Hill Press),</br></br>The Golden Rosary of Tara (1985, Shang Shung Edizione), The Adamantine Essence of Life (1987, Vidyadhara Publications),</br></br>Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness (1989, 2000 Snow Lion),</br></br>The Secret Book of Simhamukha (1990, 2001, Vidyadhara Publications),</br></br>Wicca, Paganism, and Tantra (1994, Vidyadhara Publications),</br></br>Path of the Clear Light (forthcoming 2006- 2007),</br></br>The Golden Letters (1996, Snow Lion), and Space, Awareness, and Energy (forthcoming with Snow Lion).</br></br>As the Bonpo Translation Project of the Bonpo Research Foundation, he has privately published a series of monographs on Bonpo Dzogchen and Tantra, and as Simhanada Publications, he has privately published a series of monographs and practice texts (sadhanas) from the Nyingmapa and Kagyudpa traditions of Tibetan Buddhism relating to Dzogchen and Buddhist Tantra. In San Diego, California, he established the Vidyadhara Institute for Comparative Studies in Mysticism and the Esoteric Traditions which, in the near future, will publish or republish a series of monographs on Buddhist and Tibetan Studies and also on various topics from the History of Religions, focusing on a comparive study of Buddhism and Bon with other mystical traditions such as Gnosticism, Neo-Platonism, Early Christianity, Kabalah, and Sufism, as well as dealing with the questions of East-West Psychology and meditation practice.</br>([http://vajranatha.com/bio.html Source Accessed April 11, 2016])</br></br>Read more: </br>*http://vajranatha.com/</br>*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Myrdhin_Reynoldsn.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Myrdhin_Reynolds)
  • Zeitlin, J.  + (Judith T. Zeitlin (b. 1958; Chinese: 蔡九迪) Judith T. Zeitlin (b. 1958; Chinese: 蔡九迪) is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Her areas of interest are Ming-Qing literary and cultural history, with specialties in the classical tale and drama. In 2011 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.</br></br>She describes her personal interests on her academic page at the University of Chicago as follows:</br></br>I’m especially interested in combining literary concerns with other disciplines, such as visual and material culture, medicine, performance, music, and film. I have two books coming out next year, both coming out from the University of Hawaii Press in 2007. The first, called ''The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventeenth-Century Chinese Literature'' explores the representation of ghosts across the range of literary genres in the late Ming and early Qing, specifically the fantasy of a female corpse revived through love, the imagination of death through a ghostly poetic voice, the mourning of the historical past by the present, and the theatricality of the split between body and soul. The second book is an interdisciplinary volume of essays, co-edited with Charlotte Furth and Ping-chen Hsiung, entitled ''Thinking with Cases: Specialist Knowledge in Chinese Cultural History'' to which I contributed a piece on the literary self-fashioning of a famous and garrulous sixteenth-century physician named Sun Yikui. I’m currently co-editing another interdisciplinary volume of essays with Joseph Lam, tentatively entitled ''Musiking the Late Ming'', which grew out of a conference we co-organized in May 2006 at the University of Michigan. Two of my current research projects involve tracing the cultural biography of a rare musical instrument as a way to understand the role of things in Chinese literature, and exploring the pleasure quarters as a site of cultural production in music and print.</br></br>She is the daughter of classics scholar Froma Zeitlin and the sister of the economic historian Jonathan Zeitlin. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_T._Zeitlin Source Accessed June 19, 2023])T._Zeitlin Source Accessed June 19, 2023]))
  • Schober, J.  + (Juliane Schober is Director of the Center Juliane Schober is Director of the Center for Asian Research and professor of religious studies at Arizona State University. She directed the graduate program in religious studies (2009 -2012) and developed a doctoral track in the anthropology of religion.</br></br>Her primary areas of research include Theravada Buddhist practices in Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar (Burma), Anthropology of Religion; Material Culture, Media and Aesthetics; Icons; Ritual; Modernity, Politics and Religion; Colonial Studies; Conflict and Civil Society; Theravada Buddhism; and Sacred Biography. </br></br>She has held leadership positions in the Association for Asian Studies, the American Academy of Religion, and in the American Anthropological Association. She serves on several editorial boards, as a trustee of the Burma Studies Foundation and on the Academic Board of the Inya Institute, Yangon, Myanmar. In 2013, Professor Schober participated in the first IAPP delegation of U.S. universities to Myanmar, organized by the International Institute of Education (IIE). </br></br>In 2018, Juliane Schober became a Research Fellow of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation in Buddhist Studies. She founded the Theravada Studies Group, an academic organization affiliated with the Association for Asian Studies to promote comparative and scholarly exchanges in the social sciences and humanities about Theravada Buddhist traditions in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Southwest China and globally though pilgrimage and diaspora networks. With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Professor Schober has developed a collaborative project on Theravada Buddhist civilizations in Southeast Asia. This project brings together international scholars to chart new directions in this field and organizes annual workshops for dissertation writers. She is Principal Investigator on Title VI grants (NRC, FLAS and UISFL). Her work has been funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science Research Council, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. </br></br>Her book, "Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar: Cultural Narratives, Colonial Legacies and Civil Society," was published in 2011 (University of Hawai’i Press). She co-edited "Buddhist Manuscript Cultures" (Routledge, 2008) and edited "Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and Southeast Asia" (U. of Hawai'i Press, 1997). She has authored many book chapters, journal articles and essays in encyclopedias, such as "The Encyclopedia of Religion" ( Macmillan 2005), "The Encyclopedia of Buddhism" (edited by Buswell, Lopez and Strong, 2003) and "The Encyclopedia of Buddhism" (edited by Prebish and Keown, 2007). ([https://search.asu.edu/profile/44719 Source Accessed Feb 24, 2023])ofile/44719 Source Accessed Feb 24, 2023]))
  • Kalu Rinpoche  + (Kalu Rinpoche was one of the most prominenKalu Rinpoche was one of the most prominent Tibetan lamas of the twentieth century, active in both exile communities and in the West. As a young man he spent over a decade in isolated retreat, coming out only to serve as retreat master at Tsādra Rinchen Drak. Although never formally enthroned, he was commonly recognized as a reincarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul. In exile he settled in India, where he was a primary teacher to many contemporary Kagyu lamas and served as the main propagator of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. In the later decades of his life he traveled multiple times to Europe and North America, where he established dharma centers and three-year retreat centers and initiated the translation of Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge into English. (Source: [https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/kalu-rinpoche/12180 Treasury of Lives])ew/kalu-rinpoche/12180 Treasury of Lives]))
  • Liljenberg, K.  + (Karen Liljenberg was born in 1957, in BootKaren Liljenberg was born in 1957, in Bootle, Merseyside. She attended local state schools, where </br>she first developed her lifelong interest in ancient cultures, languages, and spiritual traditions. She went on to study Classics and Archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge, graduating in 1979. Having taught herself Welsh, she then moved to Wales where she learnt to play traditional music on various instruments while working in the fields of archaeology, lexicography, and language teaching. She also had some of her own poetry published, with a collection appearing in 1992 ("Bóand's Hostel", Sheela-na-gig Press).</br></br>In 1992 she became interested in Tibetan Buddhism, and began learning Tibetan. Attracted in particular to the Dzogchen teachings, she joined Rigpa and attended numerous retreats and teachings in the UK, Ireland and France. She went on a group pilgrimage to India and Sikkim in 1994. She then returned to India as a volunteer English teacher at Dzogchen Monastery, near Kollegal. She paid the monks a second visit the following year, spending about nine months there in total, gradually improving her Tibetan in the process.</br></br>Having obtained a CELTA certificate in London in 1996, she moved to Brussels where she worked as an English teacher. She also began doing Tibetan-English translation and interpreting work for various lamas.</br></br>After moving back to the UK she obtained an MA in Buddhist Studies in 2008, and in March 2013 she completed her AHRC-funded doctoral research and was awarded her PhD at SOAS, University of London.</br></br>Currently she is now writing up her research on a group of early Dzogchen texts with a view to publication. She is also translating sutras from the Tibetan canon for the 84000 Project. ([https://www.zangthal.co.uk/karen.html Adapted from Source Jan 10, 2023])en.html Adapted from Source Jan 10, 2023]))
  • Karma chags med  + (Karma Chakme, also known as Raga Asé (RāgāKarma Chakme, also known as Raga Asé (Rāgāsya), was one of the most highly realized and accomplished scholar-yogins of Tibet. An important Karma Kamtsang teacher, he was recognized by many as the incarnation of the ninth Karmapa (but not selected.) His teachers included the most famous masters of his time, both Nyingma and Kagyu. He was both the teacher and student of Tertön Mingyur Dorje. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Karma_Chakm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki])x.php?title=Karma_Chakm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Tupden, Yeshey  + (Kensur Yeshey Tupden (Ye-shes-thub-bstan, Kensur Yeshey Tupden (Ye-shes-thub-bstan, 1916-1988) was one of the most respected among the last generation of Gelukba scholars to complete their training in Tibet prior to the Chinese takeover in 1959. Kensur came into exile in India in the early 1960s, and during his ten years as abbot he oversaw the reestablishment of Loseling College, Drebung Monastery in Mundgod, India. ([https://www.namsebangdzo.com/Path-to-the-Middle-p/12807.htm Source Accessed Aug 9, 2023])-p/12807.htm Source Accessed Aug 9, 2023]))
  • Khang sar bstan pa'i dbang phyug  + (Khangsar Tenpa’i Wangchuk (1938–2014), akaKhangsar Tenpa’i Wangchuk (1938–2014), aka Tulku Tenpo, was a monk and tertön of the Nyingma school. A revered master of his own tradition, he was also learned in the rigorous Geluk scholastic curriculum. While imprisoned for twelve years during the Cultural Revolution, he continued his dedicated practice alongside other great masters. He studied with Palyul Choktrul Jampal Gyepe Dorje, Akyong Tokden Rinpoche Lodrö Gyatso, and others. In his later years, he focused on teaching, writing, and restoring the monasteries of Khangsar Taklung and Payak in the region of Golok (mgo log), Tibet. His collected writings include commentaries on ''The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva'' ([[gyal sras lag len so bdun ma]]), ''Rigdzin Düpa'' ([[rig 'dzin 'dus pa]]), ''Tsik Sum Né Dek'' ([[tshig gsum gnad brdegs]]), Longchenpa's ''Neluk Dzö'' ([[gnas lugs mdzod]]) and ''Chöying Dzö'' ([[chos dbyings mdzod]]), and Shabkar's ''Flight of the Garuda'' ([[mkha' lding gshog rlabs]]). ([https://www.shambhala.com/authors/u-z/khangsar-tenpa-i-wangchuk.html Source Accessed Feb. .4, 2022])gchuk.html Source Accessed Feb. .4, 2022]))
  • Khro ru tshe rnam  + (Khempo Tsenam was born in 1928 in the DergKhempo Tsenam was born in 1928 in the Derge Kingdom of DhoKhams in a place which is presently known as Troru Deshok, in the District of Terton, within the Chamdo region of the Autonomous Region of Tibet. From 1933-43 he lived as a monk in Troru monastery where he received his first tuition. Having learnt to read and write, he studied continuously and completed his training in the general skills related to monastic ritual. Under the guidance of the then Khempo (Professor) of Troru monastery, he received instruction in the three stages of Buddhist vows and in the most profound aspects of meditation of the Kagyu tradition. For the latter, he studied commentaries on the profound and secret yoga practices of Naropa and teachings on mahamudra, the meditation treasure of the Kagyu tradition which unveils the very nature of the human mind. From other teachers he received instruction in grammar and composition and teachings on both element-based and planetary astrology.</br>Having successfully completed this first phase of his education, he spent the years from 1943-46 in pilgrimage, going first to Lhasa and f rom there to India, Bhutan and Sikkim. In 1946 he returned to Eastern Tibet and after staying for a few months at his home. Throughout the earlier parts of his studies and his pilgrimage, the masters under whom he studied recognised a tremendous potential in him and encouraged him to carry his studies to their fullest conclusion. One of his traveling companions in particular, a Khempo (professor) of Katok monastery in Eastern Tibet, insisted that he pursue his education at Katok, as it was a very great seat of learning.</br></br>Shortly after his return to Tibet, Troru Tsenam did go to Katok monastic university where, for the five years up to 1951 he studied medicine, elemental and planetary astrology, poetic composition and the various fields of study proper to all the traditions of Buddhism, namely madhyamika, prajnaparamita, abhidharma and vinaya. Besides these, he received a thorough training in vajrayana Buddhism, becoming well-versed in both the Nyingma and the Kagyu traditions, whose theoretical teachings he mastered in their totality. In particular he became one of the rare person entrusted with the secret medicinal science of preparing "detoxified mercury". He received the latter teachings from Tachung Lama Tsering Chopel. Thus he became a physician-monk, learned in all domains and particularly gifted in medicine.</br>The monasteries in Tibet, like those of Europe in the Middle Ages, were major centres of learning and of medical study and practice. They served as bases from which lama-doctors would tour surrounding areas. The religious aspect of Tibetan medicine was a vital one: the whole science of medicine was presented as being teachings given by the Buddha, through his emanation as the Healing Buddha. The collecting of medicinal plants, their preparation and administration were all accompanied by prayer and performed as a semi-religious act. When medicines could not help the patient, specific healing religious ceremonies were performed. Besides providing this spiritual context to healing, the monasteries were important seats of medical study inasmuch as medical knowledge was seen as a key part of an overall education in the nature of the human condition and hence something which needed to be understood, in the Buddhist quest for a complete wisdom. Medicine forms the second of the five main fields of Buddhist study. ([https://www.khenpo.org/tara/khenpo.html Source Accessed Jan 27, 2023])khenpo.html Source Accessed Jan 27, 2023]))
  • Dawa Tsering, Drikung Khenpo  + (Khenpo Dawa Tsering was born in 1987 in TiKhenpo Dawa Tsering was born in 1987 in Tichurong Drigung Gonpa in the Dolpo region of Nepal. At 11, he started learning Tibetan and in 2000 he met H.H. Senge Tenzin and joined Drigung Monastery in India. He received his novice ordination from H.H. Drigung Kyapgon Thinley Lhundrup and undertook monastic education. In 2005, he joined Kagyu Buddhist University and finished his education in common sciences and Buddhist Studies in general and Kagyu systems, including the Single Intent, Five Verse Mahāmudra, etc., in particular under Khenchen Koncho Gyaltsen, Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen, and H.H. Nubri Rinpoche. Since grade seven, he also taught language and grammar, and in 2014 he finished his education and taught at Samtenling Nunnery for eight years. In 2019, he was conferred the Khenpo title. He currently serves as the disciplinarian at Drigung Jangchubling Monastery.inarian at Drigung Jangchubling Monastery.)
  • Jorden, Ngawang  + (Khenpo Dr Ngawang Jorden was born in 1956 Khenpo Dr Ngawang Jorden was born in 1956 and grew up in Sikkim. He lived at Lachung, Sikkim until he was 12 then moved to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim where he began formal studies at Enchey School. At age 14 he joined Sa-Ngor-Choe-Tshok Monastery in Gangtok. After completing his monastic studies such as rituals, he then studied Buddhist Philosophy with the late Khenpo Lodro Zangpo.</br></br>In 1975 he went to Sakya College, Dehradun, India, where he studied the five branches of Buddhist philosophy under the late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche. He obtained the degree of Kachupa (equivalent to B.A.) and Loppon (equivalent to M.A.) in Buddhist Studies. Khenpo Jorden later taught at Sakya College before going to America to study at Harvard University where he completed his M.A. and then Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies.</br></br>His Holiness the Sakya Trizin and Khenchen Appey Rinpoche invited Khenpo Jorden to take up the position of Principal of IBA in Kathmandu and so he left his teaching post at the University of Chicago and joined IBA in 2009. As Principal of IBA he oversees the many projects IBA is involved in, teaches the Dharma to students from across the globe and engages in translation work. He also travels extensively to countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Europe to give teachings.</br></br>IBA has around 40 monastic scholars undertaking the five-year monastic leadership program and each year offers a summer program in Buddhist studies and practice to overseas students. IBA also has an active translation program, the Chödung Karmo Translation Group, with scholars and translators from many countries. Khenpo Jorden is currently managing a rebuilding program at IBA after significant damage to campus buildings in the earthquakes. ([http://internationalbuddhistacademy.org/about-us/khenpo-ngawang-jorden/ Source Accessed July 22, 2020])]g-jorden/ Source Accessed July 22, 2020])])
  • Brag g.yab blo gros rgyal mtshan  + (Khenpo Drayab Lodrö Gyaltsen (Tib. བྲག་གཡབKhenpo Drayab Lodrö Gyaltsen (Tib. བྲག་གཡབ་བློ་གྲོས་རྒྱལ་མཚན་, Wyl. brag g.yab blo gros rgyal mtshan) (d. early 1960s?) - He came from Drayab Sakya Monastery. His main teachers were Öntö Khyenrab Chökyi Özer, Gapa Khenpo Jamgyal and Gatön Ngawang Lekpa and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. He was the fifth khenpo at Dzongsar Shedra, from ca. 1939-1943.</br></br>He taught just like Öntö Khyenrab Chökyi Özer, who, it is said, taught exactly like Khenpo Shenga. He spent many years in prison, were he was tortured, but he taught his fellow inmates whenever he had an opportunity.</br></br><h5>Writings</h5></br>He composed a commentary on the ninth chapter of the ''Bodhicharyavatara''. He also wrote a commentary to Sakya Pandita's ''Treasury of Valid Reasoning'', which has not survived. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Khenpo_Drayab_Lodr%C3%B6 Rigpa Wiki])/index.php?title=Khenpo_Drayab_Lodr%C3%B6 Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Gyurme Tsultrim, Shechen Khenpo  + (Khenpo Gyurme Tsultrim was born in the MugKhenpo Gyurme Tsultrim was born in the Mugu district of western Nepal in 1969 where he studied reading and writing with his uncle. When he was thirteen, he met Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and became one of the first monks at Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal. In 1985, as the Shechen Philosophical College was not yet built, Khyentse Rinpoche sent him to the Dzongsar Monastic College in India for higher studies. He studied there for six years and then completed the last three years of his study at the Palyul Nyingmapa College in Mysore, India.</br></br>He became the first monk of Shechen Monastery, Nepal, to attain the rank of Khenpo, the equivalent of a Ph.D., in 1996. Presently, Khenpo Gyurme Tsultrim is the vice abbot of the monastery and teaches at its College. He has traveled to Europe a number of times to give teachings, and he oversees many of the activities of the monastery. (Source: Shechen https://shechen.org/spiritual-development/teachers/khenpo-gyurme-tsultrim/)elopment/teachers/khenpo-gyurme-tsultrim/))
  • Kunga Sherab Saljay, Khenpo  + (Khenpo Kunga Sherab Saljay Rinpoche is Vajra Master of Jonang Jamdha Monastery and Jonang Tsinang Monastery.)
  • Sangpo, Sherab  + (Khenpo Sherab Sangpo began his studies in Khenpo Sherab Sangpo began his studies in Tibet with the famed master Petsé Rinpoche, with whom he studied for over twenty years. He became a monk at the age of seven at Gyalwa Phukhang Monastery, a branch of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s Sechen Monastery. Under Petsé Rinpoche's guidance, he first studied Tibetan Buddhist ritual, eventually becoming one of the monastery's ritual leaders and chant masters. Even at a young age, he was renowned for his ability to memorize the vast number of texts used at the monastery and his command of Tibetan Buddhist ritual.</br></br>[Presently,] Khenpo Sherab Sangpo is the Spiritual Director of Bodhicitta Sangha, Heart of Enlightenment Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khenpo_Sherab_Sangpo Source Accessed Oct 7, 2020])</br></br>For a complete biography [https://www.bodhicittasangha.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Biography-of-Khenpo-Sherab-Sangpo.pdf click here]hy-of-Khenpo-Sherab-Sangpo.pdf click here])
  • Gyamtso, Khenpo Tsultrim  + (Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso is a noted scholarKhenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso is a noted scholar and teacher who was born in Eastern Tibet in 1935. After completing this early training, he spent five years wandering throughout Eastern and Central Tibet undertaking extensive solitary retreats in caves. When he reached Tsurphu Monastery, he received instruction from the head of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, the 16th Karmapa, who later named him a khenpo, which is a title of scholastic mastery. In 1977 he came to the West to teach Tibetan language and Buddhism. Known for his highly engaging teaching style, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso has been traveling and teaching in the West ever since, placing an emphasis on the careful training of Westerners. Some of his students include [[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche]], [[Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen]], [[Shenpen Hookham|Lama Shenpen Hookham]], [[Karl Brunnhölzl]], and [[Elizabeth Callahan]]. ([http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0661/2002152104-b.html Source Accessed July, 21 2020])</br></br>Visit his official site at [http://www.ktgrinpoche.org/ ktgrinpoche.org]tp://www.ktgrinpoche.org/ ktgrinpoche.org])
  • Khyung sprul pad+ma dbang chen bstan 'dzin phrin las  + (Khyungtrul Pema Wangchen Tendzin Trinley (Khyungtrul Pema Wangchen Tendzin Trinley (1870-?) was born in the khyung po area of eastern Tibet, met Dza Patrul Rinpoche, Orgyen Jigme Chokyi Wangpo (dpal sprul o rgyan 'jigs med chos kyi dbang po, 1808-1887), and his main teachers were Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820-1892) and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas, 1813-1899). He later became an influential teacher in central Tibet where he gave the transmission of the ''rin chen gter mdzod chen mo'' and other major ''rnying ma'' teachings. He was also a treasure discoverer (''gter ston''). </br>(Source: [[Khyung sprul pad+ma dbang chen bstan 'dzin phrin las kyi rnam thar]]: The Autobiography of Khyung Sprul Padma Dbang Chen Bstan 'Dzin Phrin Las. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1995.)n Las. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1995.))
  • Khri srong lde'u btsan  + (King Trisong Deutsen (742-c.800/755-797 acKing Trisong Deutsen (742-c.800/755-797 according to the Chinese sources) – the thirty-eighth king of Tibet, son of King Me Aktsom, second of the three great religious kings and one of the main disciples of Guru Rinpoche. It was due to his efforts that the great masters Śāntarakṣita and Guru Padmasambhava came from India and established Buddhism firmly in Tibet. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=King_Trisong_Detsen Rigpa Wiki]).hp?title=King_Trisong_Detsen Rigpa Wiki]).)
  • Maitreya  + (Known in Tibetan as the "Lord of Love" or Known in Tibetan as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One" <span class="tibetan-jomolhari font-size-130-em align-sub">འཕགས་པ་བྱམས་པ།</span> (Pakpa Jampa), the "Loving Protector" <span class="tibetan-jomolhari font-size-130-em align-sub">བྱམས་པའི་མགོན་པོ་</span> (Jampay Gonpo), in Chinese as 弥勒佛 (Mi Le Fo), Japanese as Miroku, and commonly as Maitreya throughout Asia and beyond. Maitreya is the bodhisattva called the "future Buddha" who resides in Tushita heaven until coming to the human realm to take the role of the next Buddha after Śākyamuni Buddha. According to tradition, Asaṅga received teachings from Maitreya and recorded them in the Five Dharma Treatises of Maitreya, which form the basis for buddha-nature teachings and the larger Yogācāra teachings in general.</br></br>The list of five is: Ornament of Clear Realization (Abhisamayālaṃkāra, mngon rtogs rgyan, 現觀莊嚴論); Ornament for the Mahāyāna Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, theg pa chen po mdo sde rgyan, 大乘莊嚴經論); Differentiation of the Middle and the Extremes (Madhyāntavibhāga, dbus mtha' rnam 'byed, 辨中邊論頌); Differentiation of Phenomena and Their Nature (Dharmadharmatāvibhāga, chos dang chos nyid rnam 'byed, 辨法法性論); and The Mahāyāna Treatise of the Highest Continuum (Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos, 分別寶性大乘無上續論).traśāstra, theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos, 分別寶性大乘無上續論).)
  • Shinohara, K.  + (Koichi Shinohara works on Buddhism in EastKoichi Shinohara works on Buddhism in East Asia. Before coming to Yale in 2004 he taught at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. He has written on a variety of topics including Chinese Buddhist biographies, monastic rules, and Buddhist story literature, with a focus on the works of a famous historian and a vinaya specialist Daoxuan (596-677) and his collaborator Daoshi (dates unknown). Daoshi was the compiler of the Fayuan zhulin, an encyclopedic anthology of scriptural passages and Chinese Buddhist miracle stories. Shinohara reads Buddhist biographies as a distinct type of religious literature and through the study of these biographies, he also became interested in sacred places and the stories told about them. Daoxuan's writings on monastic practices opened doors to unexpected readings of Chinese Buddhist miracle stories. More recently, he has been studying the evolution of early esoteric Buddhist rituals through Chinese sources. These rituals emerged in India and developed from simpler recitation of spells to elaborate rituals performed in front of images and mandalas. Though much of the early evidence for this development no longer exists in Indic languages, it has been preserved in Chinese dharani collections and translations, some of which can be dated fairly reliably. This study sheds some light on the relationship between ritual and images. ([https://mavcor.yale.edu/people/koichi-shinohara Source Accessed Nov 29, 2023])i-shinohara Source Accessed Nov 29, 2023]))
  • Kuiji  + (Kuiji. (J. Kiki; K. Kyugi 窺基) (632-682). SKuiji. (J. Kiki; K. Kyugi 窺基) (632-682). Scholar-monk of the Tang dynasty, commonly regarded as the founder of the Faxiang zong of Chinese Yogācāra Buddhism. Orphaned as a boy, Kuiji was ordained as a teenager and assigned to the imperial translation bureau in the Tang capital; there, he emerged as one of the principal disciples of Xuanzang, under whom he studied Sanskrit and Indian Buddhist abhidharma and Yogācāra scholasticism. He participated in Xuanzang's numerous translation projects and is closely associated with the redaction of the ''Cheng weishi lun'', which included extensive selections from ten Indian commentaries. Kuiji played a crucial role in selecting and evaluating the various doctrinal positions that were to be summarized in the text. Kuiji subsequently wrote a series of lengthy commentaries on Dharmapāla's doctrinally conservative lineage of Vijñaptimātratā-Yogācāra philosophy. His elaborate and technical presentation of Yogācāra philosophy, which came to be designated pejoratively as Faxiang (Dharma Characteristics), contrasted markedly with the earlier Chinese Yogācāra school established by Paramārtha. Because he resided and eventually died at Daci’ensi, he is often known as Ci’en dashi (J. Jion daishi; K. Chaǔn taesa), the Great Master of Ci'en Monastery. Kuiji commentaries include the ''Chengweishi lun shuji'' and the ''Dasheng fayuan yilin zhang''. (Source: "Kuiji." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 450. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Kumāralāta  + (Kumāralāta (3rd century) was an Indian fouKumāralāta (3rd century) was an Indian founder of the Sautrāntika school of Buddhism. He was a native of Taxila, in modern day Pakistan.</br></br>According to the Chinese sources, he moved to Kabandha, where the king of the country gave him a splendid monastery in an old palace. He was known all over the Buddhist world for his genius, great learning and abilities; he also had influence on the development of Japanese Buddhism. He was considered one of the "four Suns illuminating the world", other three being Aśvaghoṣa, Āryadeva and Nāgārjuna.</br></br>The founding of the Sautrāntika school is attributed to the elder Kumāralāta (c. 3rd century CE), author of a "collection of dṛṣtānta" (''Dṛṣtāntapaṅkti'') called the ''Kalpanāmaṇḍitīkā''. The Sautrāntikas were sometimes also called "disciples of Kumāralāta". According to the Chinese sources, Harivarman (250-350 CE) was a student of Kumāralāta who became disillusioned with Buddhist Abhidharma and then wrote the ''Tattvasiddhi-śāstra'' in order to "eliminate confusion and abandon the later developments, with the hope of returning to the origin". This writing then formed the basis of formation of Jōjitsu school of Japanese Buddhism.</br></br>Kumāralāta's work ''Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā Dṛṣṭāntapaṅkti'' (“Garland of Examples,” henceforth Kumāralāta’s Garland) reflects an urgent statement of the core values of Buddhist urban businesspeople. According to Loukota Sanclemente and Diego, it emphasize both religious piety and the pursuit of wealth, a concern for social respectability, a strong work ethic, and an emphasis on rational decision-making. These values inform Kumāralāta’s religious vision of poverty and wealth. His vision of religious giving conjugates economic behavior and religious doctrine, and the outcome is a model that confers religious legitimation to the pursuit of wealth but also an economic outlet for religious fervor and a solid financial basis for the monastic establishment, depicted by Kumāralāta in close interdependence with the laity and, most importantly, within the same social class. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kum%C4%81ral%C4%81ta Source Accessed Aug 31, 2023])ral%C4%81ta Source Accessed Aug 31, 2023]))
  • Lati Rinpoche  + (Kyabje Lati Rinpoche (1922 – 12 April 2010Kyabje Lati Rinpoche (1922 – 12 April 2010) Born in the Kham region of Eastern Tibet in 1922, Lati Rinpoche was identified as the reincarnation of a great practitioner by Gongkar Rinpoche and entered monastic life at the age of 10.</br></br>At the age of fifteen, he enrolled in Gaden Shartse Norling College, one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet.</br></br>In 1959, Lati Rinpoche sat for the Geshe Lharmapa examination and he was conferred as "Geshe Lharampa". In 1960, Lati Rinpoche joined the tantric college in Lhasa, and started intensive study in Tantra. In 1964, Lati Rinpoche left Tibet to join the 14th Dalai Lama in exile. On arrival in Dharamsala, he was appointed as the Spiritual Advisor to the 14th Dalai Lama.</br></br>From 1976, Lati Rinpoche taught at the Namgyal Gomba (the 14th Dalai Lama's personal monastery). In the same year, he was appointed as the Abbot of the Shartse Norling College of Gaden Monastery, a replacement university in the like of Gaden Shartse Norling College, for the monkhood in exile. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lati_Rinpoche Source Accessed July 24, 2023])i_Rinpoche Source Accessed July 24, 2023]))
  • Skyo ston smon lam tshul khrims  + (Kyotön Monlam Tsultrim, the abbot who led Kyotön Monlam Tsultrim, the abbot who led Narthang monastery at the peak of its history, was an illustrious figure of his time in Central Tibet. A resolute monk, a meditation master, a learned scholar, author, and public figure, he epitomized the high ideals, practices, and approaches of the Kadam school and championed its traditions of scriptural exegesis and meditation instructions. A Kadam luminary, he also left behind religious writings which hold great significance for Tibetan Buddhist scholarship and practice today.</br>(Source: Karma Phuntsho, ''The Life and Works of Kyotön Monlam Tsultrim'', iii)nd Works of Kyotön Monlam Tsultrim'', iii))
  • Chödrön, K.  + (Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön is a scholar, teaLama Karma Yeshe Chödrön is a scholar, teacher, and translator in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. She divides her time between the Rigpe Dorje Institute at Pullahari Monastery, Kathmandu, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before studying Buddhism, she completed graduate degrees in biology and law and worked as a litigator in Miami and Silicon Valley. With her husband, Lama Karma Zopa Jigme, she cofounded Prajna Fire and the Prajna Sparks podcast. She also co-hosts the Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC teachers podcast. ([https://www.lionsroar.com/author/lama-karma-yeshe-chodron/ Source Accessed April 25, 2024])-chodron/ Source Accessed April 25, 2024]))
  • Samdhong Rinpoche, 5th  + (Lobsang Tenzin, better known by the titlesLobsang Tenzin, better known by the titles Professor Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche (zam gdong rin po che) and to Tibetans as the 5th Samdhong Rinpoche (born 5 November 1939), was the previous prime minister (officially Kalon Tripa, or chairman of the cabinet), of the Central Tibetan Administration, or Tibetan government-in-exile, which is based in Dharamshala, India; Lobsang Sangay was elected to this position in April 2011.</br></br>A close associate of 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan leader, he was elected to his current position in 2001.</br></br>Lobsang Tenzin was born in Jol, in eastern Tibet. At the age of five, he was recognised, according to Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of the 4th Samdhong Rinpoche and enthroned in Gaden Dechenling Monastery at Jol. Two years later he took vows as a monk, started his religious training at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa and completed it at the Madhyamika School of Buddhism. But in 1950, after the Chinese invasion of Tibet,[citation needed] he was forced to go into exile in India along with the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.</br></br>From 1960 onwards Lobsang Tenzin worked as a teacher in Tibetan religious schools in India, first in Simla and later in Darjeeling. Between 1965 and 1970 he was the Principal of Dalhousie Tibetan School and between 1971 and 1988 he was the Principal of Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) at Varanasi (Benares), and from 1988 to 2001 he was the director. He is regarded as one of the leading Tibetan scholars of Buddhism and is also an authority on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. He is fluent in Hindi and English, Tibetan being his mother tongue.</br></br>In 1991 Lobsang Tenzin was appointed by the Dalai Lama as a member of the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, and later was unanimously elected as its chairman. Between 1996 and 2001 he was an elected member of the Assembly representing exiled Tibetans from Kham province and also its chairman.</br></br>In 2000 the Dalai Lama decided that the Tibetan people in exile should elect their own Prime Minister, and in July 2001 Lobsang Tenzin was elected with about 29,000 votes, or about 84% of those cast, which is about 25% of the exile Tibetan population. Juchen Thubten Namgyal, the other candidate, won the remainder.[1] Since 2001 he has travelled extensively to gain support for the cause of Tibetan autonomy and raise awareness of the Dalai Lama's proposals for negotiating autonomy with the Chinese government.</br>( [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Tenzin Source Accessed May 29, 2015] )ang_Tenzin Source Accessed May 29, 2015] ))
  • Renou, L.  + (Louis Renou (French: [ʁənu]; 26 October 18Louis Renou (French: [ʁənu]; 26 October 1896 – 18 August 1966) was the pre-eminent French Indologist of the twentieth century.</br></br>After passing the agrégation examination in 1920, Louis Renou taught for a year at the lycée in Rouen. He then took a sabbatical, read the works of Sanskrit scholars and attended the classes of Antoine Meillet. Henceforth he opted exclusively for the study of Sanskrit. He attended the lectures of Jules Bloch at the École des hautes études. The work he did at this time gave rise to Les maîtres de la philologie védique (1928). His doctoral thesis, submitted in 1925, was La valeur du parfait dans les hymnes védiques. After a short time at the Faculté de lettres in Lyon, he moved to L'École des hautes études and then to the Sorbonne where he succeeded Alfred A. Foucher. In 1946 he was elected to the Académie des Inscriptions.</br></br>In the following years he undertook three journeys: India in 1948-1949, Yale University in 1953, and Tokyo in 1954-1956 where he was director of the Maison franco-japonaise. He hardly travelled after this.</br></br>He had settled on his line of study early on and never wrote about any subject other than India. He left to one side archaeology, political history and Buddhism and concentrated firmly on the tradition that, beginning with the Rig Veda, runs through all aspects of belief and practice right up to the present. For forty years he regularly published articles and books that were often voluminous, were based on original research, and are of considerable merit. The study of the Indian theory of grammar lies at the heart of his work. This can be seen in the Études védiques et paninéennes published between 1955 and 1966. The Études consist of more than two thousand pages of translation and commentary of Vedic hymns. The Études covered two thirds of the Rig Veda by the time of his death.</br></br>He, in his 1953 lectures on the religions of India, observed that "the Jaina movement presents evidence that is of great interest both for the historical and comparative study of religion in ancient India and for the history of religion in general. Based on profoundly Indian elements, it is at the same time a highly original creation, containing very ancient material, more ancient than that of Buddhism, and your highly refined and elaborated."</br></br>Louis Renou was director of the Institut de civilisation indienne and attended regularly meetings of the Académie and the Societé Asiatique. He died in 1966. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Renou Source Acessed Aug 29, 2023])/Louis_Renou Source Acessed Aug 29, 2023]))
  • La Vallée Poussin, L.  + (Louis Étienne Joseph Marie de La Vallée PoLouis Étienne Joseph Marie de La Vallée Poussin was born on 1. January, 1869 in Liège, where he received his early education. He studied at the University of Liege from 1884 to 1888, receiving his doctorate at the age of nineteen. He studied Sanskrit, Pali, and Avestan under Charles de Harlez and Philippe Colinet from 1888 to 1890 at the University of Leuven, receiving a docteur en langues orientales in July 1891. Moving to Paris, he began his studies at the Sorbonne that same year under Victor Henri and [[Lévi, S.|Sylvain Lévi]]. During this time (1891-1892), he also occupied the chair of Sanskrit at the University of Liege. He continued his study of Avestan and the Zoroastrian Gathas under Hendrik Kern at Leiden University, where he also took up the study of Chinese and Tibetan. In 1893, he attained a professorship at the University of Ghent teaching comparative grammar of Greek and Latin, a position which he held until his retirement in 1929. Louis de La Vallée Poussin died in Brussels on 18 February, 1938. ([https://www2.hf.uio.no/polyglotta/index.php?page=person&vid=92&entity=92 Source Accessed July 27, 2020])d=92&entity=92 Source Accessed July 27, 2020]))
  • Eckel, M.  + (Malcolm David Eckel is Professor of ReligiMalcolm David Eckel is Professor of Religion and Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Religion at Boston University. He received a B.A. from Harvard, a B.A. and M.A. from Oxford, and a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion from Harvard. His scholarly interests include the history of Buddhist philosophy in India and Tibet, the relationship between Buddhism and other Indian religions, the expansion and adaptation of Buddhism in Asia and the West, Buddhist narrative traditions and their relationship to Buddhist ethics, and the connection between philosophical theory and religious practice. His teaching at Boston University has been recognized by the Metcalf Award for Teaching Excellence (1998), and he has served as the Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Humanities (2002-5). He also has served as Assistant Dean and Director of the Core Curriculum (2007-13), an integrated program in the liberal arts for first- and second-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences.</br></br>His publications include ''Bhāviveka and His Buddhist Opponents'' (Harvard); ''Buddhism: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places'' (Oxford); ''To See the Buddha: A Philosopher’s Quest for the Meaning of Emptiness'' (Princeton); ''Jñānagarbha’s Commentary on the Distinction Between the Two Truths: An Eighth-Century Handbook of Madhyamaka Philosophy'' (State University of New York); and “Is There a Buddhist Philosophy of Nature?” in ''Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Buddhism and Ecology'' (Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions). He is the editor of two volumes of essays: ''India and The West: The Problem of Understanding'' (Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions) and ''Deliver Us from Evil'' (Continuum).</br></br>Before joining the faculty at Boston University, he served as Associate Professor at Harvard Divinity School and as Administrative Director of the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions. He recently returned to Harvard to serve on the Visiting Committee of Harvard Divinity School. In 2013, he was invited to deliver a series of lectures entitled “Modes of Recognition: Aspects of Theory in Mahayana Buddhist Narrative” as Visiting Professor in Buddhist Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. ([https://www.bu.edu/religion/faculty/m-david-eckel/ Source Accessed July 14, 2023])vid-eckel/ Source Accessed July 14, 2023]))
  • Man+dA ra ba  + (Mandarava was one of the five principal coMandarava was one of the five principal consorts of Guru Rinpoche, she was an emanation of Dhatvishvari and a princess of Zahor. After leaving the palace out of disgust for samsara, and joining a nunnery, she met Guru Rinpoche who gave her teachings. When the king found out, he cast her into a pit of thorns and tried to burn Guru Rinpoche alive. But through his magical powers, Guru Rinpoche transformed the pyre into a lake. When the king had repented his actions and granted them pardon, Mandarava accompanied Guru Rinpoche to the Maratika cave, where through their accomplishment of long-life practice, they saw the Buddha Amitabha face to face and attained the level of a vidyadhara with power over life. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Mandarava Rigpa Wiki])org/index.php?title=Mandarava Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Perman, M.  + (Marcus Perman is the Executive Director ofMarcus Perman is the Executive Director of Tsadra Foundation, where he has worked for 14 years. He graduated from St. Lawrence University with honors in Psychology and Philosophy and graduated from Naropa University with an MA in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism focused on Tibetan and Sanskrit languages. From 2007-2008 Marcus studied at Tibet University in Lhasa, Tibet and Rumtek, Sikkim, India. His early interests lay primarily in philosophical interpretations of Tibetan Buddhism, but his current work focuses on online educational resources and digital resources for translators and scholars. With Tsadra Foundation, Marcus developed the Translation & Transmission Conference series and the Lotsawa Workshops and regularly hosts online events and other workshops. Other interests include comparative philosophy, writing, Vladimir Nabokov, and rock climbing.</br></br>===Published Works===</br>*Tricycle Magazine Review of ''Contemplating Reality: A Practitioner's Guide to the View in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism'' by Andy Karr. Tricycle Summer 2007. <br> http://www.tricycle.com/reviews/balancing-act</br>*"Appreciating all Sentient Beings." in Heart Advice. Dharamsala, India: Altruism Press, 2008.</br>*Mind Only Tenet System. Translation of ''sems tsam pa'i grub mtha''' by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen. Seattle: Nitartha Institute Publications, 2009.</br></br>===Unpublished Works (completed)===</br>M.A. Thesis: “Tshad Ma Literature: Towards a History of Tibetan Buddhist Epistemology” <br></br>B.S. Honors project: “Neurofeedback: The effect of training attentional abilities in female college students” Advisor: Dr. Artur Poczwardowski.female college students” Advisor: Dr. Artur Poczwardowski.)
  • Silverstone, M.  + (Marilyn Rita Silverstone (9 March 1929 – 2Marilyn Rita Silverstone (9 March 1929 – 28 September 1999) was an English photojournalist and ordained Buddhist nun.</br></br><h5>Youth:</h5></br>The eldest daughter of Murray and Dorothy Silverstone was born in London. Her father, the son of Polish immigrants to America, rose to become managing director, and president, international, respectively, of United Artists and 20th-Century Fox, working with Charlie Chaplin and other early film stars in London. The family returned to America just before the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe.</br></br>Silverstone grew up in Scarsdale, New York. After graduating from Wellesley College, she became an associate editor for Art News, Industrial Design and Interiors in the early 1950s. She moved to Italy to make documentary art films.</br></br><h5>Photojournalist:</h5></br>Silverstone became a working photojournalist in 1955, traveling and capturing the range of images that her vision led her to find in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.</br></br>In 1956, she travelled to India on assignment to photograph Ravi Shankar. She returned to the subcontinent in 1959; what was intended to be a short trip became the beginning of a fascination with India which lasted for the rest of her life.[5] Her photographs of the arrival in India of the Dalai Lama, who was escaping from the Chinese invasion of Tibet, made the lead in Life.</br></br>In that period, she met and fell in love with the journalist Frank Moraes. Moraes was then editor of The Indian Express. The couple lived together in New Delhi until 1973, socializing with politicians, journalists and intellectuals, and diplomats. A number of Moraes' editorials had earned the ire of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the situation deteriorated to the point that a retreat to London became the best course.</br></br>Over the years, Silverstone's reputation as a photographer grew. In 1967, she joined Magnum Photos,[6] in which she was only one of five women members.[4] Silverstone's work for Magnum included photographing subjects ranging from Albert Schweitzer to the coronation of the Shah of Iran.</br></br>At the time of Silverstone's death, preparation of an exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery featuring her work and that of other Magnum photographers was nearing completion. The University of St Andrews hosted a seminar in conjunction with this exhibition, and as Silverstone had just recently died, the seminar became an opportunity for her peers to celebrate her life and career.</br></br><h5>Buddhist nun:</h5></br>Silverstone's conversion to Buddhist nun was said to have begun when she was an teenager suffering from the mumps. She later explained that during this conventional childhood illness, she read Secret Tibet by Fosco Maraini and she said the book provided a key she long carried in her subconscious.</br></br>In the late 1960s, Silverstone had worked on a photography assignment about a Tibetan Buddhist lama in Sikkim named Khanpo Rinpoche and, when the lama came to London for medical treatment in the 1970s, Rinpoche stayed with the couple. At this point, Silverstone decided to learn Tibetan in order to study Buddhism with him. After Moraes's death in 1974, Silverstone decided to join the entourage of another celebrated lama, Khentse Rinpoche, who left London for a remote monastery in Nepal.</br></br>In 1977, she took vows as a Buddhist nun. Her Buddhist name was Bhikshuni Ngawang Chödrön,[9] or Ani Marilyn to her close friends. In her new life in Kathmandu, she researched the vanishing customs of Rajasthan and the Himalayan kingdoms.</br></br>In 1999, Ngawang Chödrön returned to the United States for cancer treatment and she learned that she was terminally ill. She was clear that she wanted to die in Nepal, her home for the past 25 years. However, no airline would carry a passenger in her fragile condition. She resolved the impasse by persuading a doctor on vacation to accompany her on the return to Kathmandu. The journey was fraught with difficulties. She was barely conscious during the trip and a stopover was necessary in Vienna. She died in 1999 in a Buddhist monastery near Katmandu where she had worked to establish and maintain. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Silverstone Source Accessed July 25, 2023])ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Silverstone Source Accessed July 25, 2023]))
  • Batchelor, M.  + (Martine Batchelor was born in France in 19Martine Batchelor was born in France in 1953. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Korea in 1975. She studied Zen Buddhism under the guidance of the late Master Kusan at Songgwang Sa monastery until 1984. From 1981 she served as Kusan Sunim's interpreter and accompanied him on lecture tours throughout the United States and Europe. She translated his book 'The Way of Korean Zen'. Following Master Kusan’s death she returned her nun’s vows and left Korea. She returned to Europe with her husband, Stephen, in 1985. She has worked as a lecturer and spiritual counsellor both at Gaia House and elsewhere in Britain. She was also involved in interfaith dialogue and was a Trustee of the International Sacred Literature Trust until 2000. Her latest book is ‘The Spirit of the Buddha’. With her husband she co-leads meditation retreats worldwide. She now lives in France. She speaks French, English and Korean and can read Chinese characters. She has written various articles for magazines on the Korean way of tea, Buddhism and women, Buddhism and ecology, and Zen cooking. She is interested in meditation in daily life, Buddhism and social action, religion and women's issues, Zen and its history, factual and legendary. ([https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Ecology-Martine-Batchelor/dp/8120812468/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Source Accessed Feb 22, 2023])F8&qid=&sr= Source Accessed Feb 22, 2023]))
  • Kapstein, M.  + (Matthew T. Kapstein specializes in the hisMatthew T. Kapstein specializes in the history of Buddhist philosophy in India and Tibet, as well as in the cultural history of Tibetan Buddhism more generally. He regularly teaches Contemporary Theories in the Study of Religion in the History of Religions program, and Introduction to the Philosophies of India in Philosophy of Religions. His seminars in recent years have focused on particular topics in the history of Buddhist thought, such as Buddha Nature, idealism, and epistemology (''pramāṇa''), or on broad themes in the study of religion including the problem of evil, death, and the imagination. Kapstein has published over a dozen books and numerous articles, among the most recent of which are a general introduction to Tibetan cultural history, ''The Tibetans'' (Oxford 2006), an edited volume on Sino-Tibetan religious relations, ''Buddhism Between Tibet and China'' (Boston 2009), and a translation of an eleventh-century philosophical allegory in the acclaimed Clay Sanskrit Series, ''The Rise of Wisdom Moon'' (New York 2009). With Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia) and Gray Tuttle (Columbia), he has completed ''Sources of Tibetan Traditions'', published in the Columbia University Press Sources of Asian Traditions series in 2013. Kapstein is additionally Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris. In 2018 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ([https://divinity.uchicago.edu/directory/matthew-kapstein Source Accessed Sep 17, 2019])ew-kapstein Source Accessed Sep 17, 2019]))
  • Sheehy, M.  + (Michael R. Sheehy is a Research Assistant Michael R. Sheehy is a Research Assistant Professor in Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Director of Scholarship at the Contemplative Sciences Center, and affiliated faculty with the Tibet Center at the University of Virginia. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Tibet, including three years training in a Buddhist monastery in the far eastern cultural domain of Golok. Michael’s research interests include Buddhist philosophy of mind, practices of contemplation, and the history of thought and science in Tibet. His writings and translations have given attention to histories of marginalized lineages in Tibet, most notably the ''zhentong'' (''gzhan stong'') and Kālacakra lineages of the Jonang order of Tibetan Buddhism. </br></br>For over a decade, through extensive collaborations with monastic communities, Michael worked on-the-ground to digitally preserve rare Tibetan manuscripts across the plateau. From 2008 to 2016, he was the editor-in-chief and research director at the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (formerly the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center, TBRC). He worked closely with the late Tibetologist E. Gene Smith (1936-2010) to digitize Tibetan literature, develop scholarly resources, and architect the encyclopedic digital library. In 2004, together with Jonangpa exemplars, he founded the Jonang Foundation, an international nonprofit that preserves and promotes research on the Jonang order of Tibetan Buddhism. </br></br>Michael’s current research focus is contexts and dynamics of Tibetan contemplative practices. Most broadly, his interest lies in questions about how Buddhism, and Tibetan contemplative traditions more specifically, can contribute to discourses in the humanities, cognitive science, and cultural psychology about consciousness and its transformations. He is particularly interested in Tibetan contemplative practices of attention, dream, imagination and visualization, and embodiment as detailed in Tibetan yoga and meditation manuals. </br></br>He recently coedited with Klaus-Dieter Mathes (Vienna University) the book, ''The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet'' (SUNY Press 2019), an anthology of scholarship on the history, literature, and philosophy of zhentong in Tibet. With David Germano, he is Series Editor of the ''Traditions and Transformations in Tibetan Buddhism'' and the ''Contemplative Sciences'' book series published by the University of Virginia Press.</br></br>Recent publications include: </br></br>* "The Philosophical Grounds and Literary History of Zhentong." 2019. Co-authored with Klaus-Dieter Mathes. In ''The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet''. Edited by Michael R. Sheehy and Klaus Dieter-Mathes. State University of New York Press. ([http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/64101.pdf Click here to read])</br></br>* "The Dharma of the Perfect Eon: Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsan’s (1292-1361) Hermeneutics of Time and the Jonang Doxography of Zhentong Madhyamaka." 2019. In ''The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet''. Edited by Michael R. Sheehy and Klaus Dieter-Mathes. State University of New York Press.</br></br>* "The Zhentong Lion Roars: Dzamthang Khenpo Lodro Drakpa (1920-1975) and the Jonang Scholastic Renaissance." 2019. In ''The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet''. Edited by Michael R. Sheehy and Klaus Dieter-Mathes. State University of New York Press.</br></br>* "Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen on Refraining from Meat." 2019. In ''The Faults of Meat: Tibetan Buddhist Writings on Vegetarianism''. Edited by Geoff Barstow. Boston: Wisdom Publications.</br></br>* "Traversing the Path of Meditation." 2017. In ''A Gathering of Brilliant Moons: Practice Advice from Rimé Masters of Tibet''. Ed. Holly Gayley and Joshua Schapiro. Wisdom Publications: Boston, MA.Schapiro. Wisdom Publications: Boston, MA.)
  • Cross, C.  + (Mike Chodo Cross was born in Birmingham inMike Chodo Cross was born in Birmingham in 1959, and graduated from Sheffield University. With Gudo Nishijima, he is the co-translator into English of Master Dogen’s ''Shobogenzo'' in four volumes. He now divides his time between England and France. Together with his wife Chie, who is also an Alexander Technique teacher and Zen practitioner, he runs the Middle Way Re-education Centre in Aylesbury, England. At a small country retreat on the edge of La Foret Des Andaines in northern France, he indulges selfishly in sitting-Zen, amid sounds of a valley stream and abundant singing of birds. ([http://www.zen-occidental.net/enseignements/cross1.html Source Accessed July 13, 2023])ross1.html Source Accessed July 13, 2023]))
  • Bryant, B.  + (Mr. Bryant was a painter and musician stroMr. Bryant was a painter and musician strongly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. In 1973 he founded the Samaya Foundation in Manhattan, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading Tibetan culture in the United States. (Samaya is the Sanskrit word for vow or commitment.)</br></br>In the spring of 1988, the foundation brought Tibetan monks to New York City from the Namgyal monastery in India to create the Wheel of Time sand mandala at the American Museum of Natural History. The mandala -- a large, colorful, circular meditational image of intricate design -- was made entirely of sand painstakingly poured from small funnels. It took over two weeks to complete; it was then ritually destroyed, its contents carried in procession to the banks of the Hudson and scattered on the water.</br></br>The mandala was recreated in other cities in the United States and Europe thereafter. In 1993, Mr. Bryant published a book, ''The Wheel of Time Sand Mandala: Visual Scripture of Tibetan Buddhism,'' to which the Dalai Lama contributed a foreword. ([https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/25/arts/barry-bryant-56-a-proponent-of-the-tibetan-buddhist-culture.html Source Accessed Mar 22, 2023])ulture.html Source Accessed Mar 22, 2023]))
  • Ichien, M.  + (Mujū lchien. (無住一円) (1227-1312). A JapanesMujū lchien. (無住一円) (1227-1312). A Japanese monk during the Kamakura period; also known as Mujū Dōgyō. He was born into a warrior family and became a monk at the age of eighteen. Mujū studied the doctrines of various sects, including the Hossōshū, Shingonshū, Tendaishū, and Jōdoshū, and received Zen training from the Rinzaishū monk Enni Ben'en (1202-1280). In 1262, Mujū built Chōboji (Matriarchal Longevity Monastery) in Owari (present-day Nagoya, a port city in the center of the main Japanese island of Honshū), where he spent the rest of his life. Although affiliated with the Rinzaishū, Mujū took an ecumenical approach to Buddhism, arguing that all the different teachings of Buddhism were skillful means of conveying the religion's ultimate goal; he even denounced Nichiren (1222-1382) for his contemporary's exclusivist attitude toward his own eponymous sect. Mujū was also famous for his collections of Japanese folklore, such as the ''Shasekishū'' ("Sand and Pebbles Collection"), written between 1279 and 1283; his ''Tsuma kagami'' ("Mirror for Wives") of 1300; and his 1305 ''Zōdanshū'' ("Collection of Random Conversations"). In particular, in the ''Shasekishū'', Mujū introduced the idea of the "unity of spirits and buddhas" (shinbutsu shūgō) , describing the Japanese indigenous gods, or Kami, as various manifestations of the Buddha. (Source: "Mujū lchien." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 552. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Caine-Barrett, M.  + (Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, stands as a Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, stands as a beacon of pioneering spirit, being the first American woman and the first of African Japanese descent to attain full ordination as a Nichiren priest. She holds the esteemed position of bishop for the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Order of North America, the first woman and westerner to do so. Her guidance emanates from Houston, where she leads as the principal teacher of Myoken-ji Temple. She is among the few westerners, specifically one of three, to undertake and complete the rigorous Aragyo [ascetic practice] at Saijo Inari in Okayama, Japan.</br></br>Passionate about bringing Buddhism beyond temple walls, Myokei Shonin actively supports three prison sanghas within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system. Her interfaith endeavors have seen her as a Fellow with Interfaith America, championing dialogue between Buddhists and Muslims in incarceration. Her roles extend to being a board member of Lion’s Roar Magazine and Dharma Relief 2: Healing Racial Trauma.</br></br>She's actively engaged in programs such as Healing Warrior Hearts, Texas for Heroes, The Gathering, and the International Western Dharma Teachers Gathering. Beyond these, her contributions span across various socio-religious platforms, underlining her commitment to spreading compassionate teachings. As a writer, her voice echoes through publications in Lion’s Roar and Tricycle magazines, and she has made notable contributions to The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women. ([https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/myokei-caine-barrett Source Accessed April 25, 2024])e-barrett Source Accessed April 25, 2024]))
  • Jinpa, Gelek  + (NAGRU GESHE GELEK JINPA was born in Kham, NAGRU GESHE GELEK JINPA was born in Kham, East Tibet in 1967. He grew up in a nomad family, spending his childhood much as any young Tibetan would, tending the animals and working on the farm. Geshe Gelek also attended a local school, where he learnt to read and write. In 1986 H. E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche visited East Tibet, and it was then that Geshe Gelek made up his mind to take vows from him and become a monk; he was nineteen at the time.</br>As a novice, he began his monastic studies in Thongdrol Ritröd Monastery, starting with the Preliminary practices, and going on to receive teachings on Dzogchen as well as many other aspects of the Bön tradition. He later stayed in Tsedrug Gompa for a year and studied philosophy with the renowned scholar Lopon Drangsong Yungdrung in Lungkar Gompa for two years. Geshe Gelek completed several personal retreats, including a 49 day dark retreat and a 100 day Tummo retreat. He also practised Trekchö and Thögal.</br> </br>In 1988 he began studying Bön philosophy, alongside Tantra and Dzogchen. Having begun studying Bön philosophy in 1988, Geshe Gelek decided to continue his studies with the great Bön masters in exile in India and Nepal. In 1992 he managed to travel from Tibet to</br>Nepal where he spent some time with Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche before transferring to the new Menri monastery in Dolanji, India, where he continued his studies under the guidance of Menri Tridzin Lungtok Tenpi Nyima Rinpoche.</br></br>In 1994 Geshe Gelek returned to Nepal to the newly-established Triten Norbutse Monastery where he was able to receive many extremely important Dzogchen teachings from Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. It was during this time that Geshe Gelek began researching and writing his own books, including a treatise on Bön Vinaya, the History of Zhang Zhung (currently being translated into English by Prof. Charles Ramble), and the Bön Kanjyur (canon). The latter was published in Nepal in 2001. </br></br>From 1999-2000 Geshe Gelek collaborated with Prof. Nagano of the National Museum of Ethnology Osaka, Japan and Prof. Samten G. Karmay of INRS on a major project to catalogue the Bön canon. </br>Geshe Gelek received his Geshe degree from Triten Norbutse in 2001; his class was the first to graduate in Nepal for many centuries, and the final exam were held in the presence of H. H. Lungtok Tenpi Nyima Rinpoche, H.E. Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung. Like the others in his class, Geshe Gelek received his degree certificate from a representative of H. H. the Dalai Lama. </br></br>Later that year Geshe Gelek was invited to France by the Kalpa Group to participate in a scientific study of Tummo for Harvard University, USA. Together with two other Bönpo monks, he completed a full 100 day retreat during which he was monitored regularly by physicians and scientists to establish the physical effects of this practice of inner heat. It was during that time that Geshe Gelek struck up what was to become a lasting friendship with Dr. Charles Ramble, then head of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Oxford University, UK (now professor at École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris).</br></br>In 2003-2005 Geshe Gelek collaborated with Dr. Ramble and the Kalpa Group on research into the history and culture of Zhang Zhung, and this led to a fieldtrip in the Mount Kailash region which culminated in the production of a documentary film In Search of Zhang Zhung (featured om this site) and a book The Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage in Tibet; In Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bön, Abbeville Press, New York, London, 2005. </br></br>Further research followed in 2008 when the newly-formed Bönpo Mahasangha of Nepal, headed by Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, asked him to undertake a survey of Bön peoples, temples and customs in various regions of Nepal. This led to the production of a documentary film Secrets of Mustang: Treasure of Bön (featured on this website) and a book, BÖN IN NEPAL: Traces of the Great Zhang Zhung Ancestors - The Light of the History of Existence (forthcoming).</br></br>In 2003/4 Geshe Gelek studied English in Oxford and in 2008 he was invited to participate at Hope University's Big Hope conference in Liverpool, UK. He has made invaluable contributions to several recent publications, such as Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyud, Heart Essence of the Khandro: Experiential Inistructions on Bönpo Dzogchen - Thirty signs and Meanings from Women Lineage-Holders and other yet unpublished texts.</br></br>Since the establishment of Shenten Dargye Ling, Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche's international centre in France, in 2005, Geshe Gelek has spend many months based in Europe; he travels regularly to teach a growing number of students throughout Europe, as well as in the US. His lively, energetic teaching style and easy-going, compassionate nature are much appreciated by his Western students.</br></br>In 2013 he was inaugurated as Khenpo (Abbott) of Shenten Dargye Ling at a ceremony held in Triten Norbutse Monastery, Kathmandu.</br></br>Source: [http://www.yungdrungbon.co.uk/GesheGelekJinpa.html]w.yungdrungbon.co.uk/GesheGelekJinpa.html])
  • Norbu, Namkhai  + (Namkhai Norbu (Tibetan: ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནNamkhai Norbu (Tibetan: ཆོས་རྒྱལ་ནམ་མཁའི་ནོར་བུ་; Wylie: nam mkha’I nor bu, 8 December 1938 – 27 September 2018) was a Tibetan Buddhist master of Dzogchen and a professor of Tibetan and Mongolian language and literature at Naples Eastern University. He was a leading authority on Tibetan culture, particularly in the fields of history, literature, traditional religions (Tibetan Buddhism and Bon), and Traditional Tibetan medicine, having written numerous books and scholarly articles on these subjects.</br></br>When he was two years old, Namkhai Norbu was recognized as the 'mindstream emanation', a tulku, of the Dzogchen teacher Adzom Drugpa (1842–1924). At five, he was also recognized as a mindstream emanation of an emanation of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594–1651). At the age of sixteen, he met master Rigdzin Changchub Dorje (1863–1963), who became his main Dzogchen teacher.</br></br>In 1960, he went to Italy at the invitation of Giuseppe Tucci and served as Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian Language and Literature from 1964 to 1992 at Naples Eastern University. In 1983, he hosted the first International Convention on Tibetan Medicine, held in Venice, Italy.</br></br>In 1976, Namkhai Norbu began to give Dzogchen instruction in the West, first in Italy, then in numerous other countries. He became a respected spiritual authority among many practitioners, and created centers for the study of Dzogchen worldwide. Namkhai Norbu taught Dzogchen for more than fifty years and was considered by the Tibetan government in exile as "the foremost living Dzogchen" teacher at the time of his death, in 2018. Norbu founded the Dzogchen Community, which today has centers around the world, including in the US, Mexico, Australia, Russia, and China. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namkhai_Norbu Source Accessed Mar 17, 2022])mkhai_Norbu Source Accessed Mar 17, 2022]))
  • Lethcoe, N.  + (Nancy Jane Ramey (born June 29, 1940), latNancy Jane Ramey (born June 29, 1940), later known by her married name Nancy Lethcoe, is an American former competition swimmer, 1956 Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in two events. After the Olympics, Ramey earned her doctorate and became a college instructor, environmental activist and political candidate. She and her husband Jim Lethcoe founded Prince William Sound Books. She authored books about Prince William Sound: ''Valdez Gold Rush Trails of 1898-99'', ''History of Prince William Sound'', 'Cruising Guide to Prince William Sound'', and ''Habitats of Change''.</br></br>Ramey was born in Seattle and grew up on Mercer Island, Washington. At time of the 1956 Olympics, she was a student at Mercer Island High School.</br></br>As a 16-year-old, Ramey represented the United States at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly event. In 1958 she set two world records in the 100 m and one in the 200 m butterfly; the same year she won five American and one Canadian national title. In 1959 she won a silver medal in the 100 m butterfly at the Pan American Games.</br></br>Later Ramey graduated from the University of Washington and earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. In the 1970s she worked as an assistant professor of religious studies at Stanford University. After that she organized Alaskan wilderness safaris, together with her husband Jim Lethcoe. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Ramey Source Accessed July 24, 2023])ancy_Ramey Source Accessed July 24, 2023]))
  • Nanyue Huisi  + (Nanyue Huisi. (J. Nangaku Eshi; K. Namak HNanyue Huisi. (J. Nangaku Eshi; K. Namak Hyesa 南嶽慧思) (515-577). Chinese monk in the Tiantai school and teacher of Tiantai Zhiyi (538-597); also known as Great Master Nanyue and Great Master Si. Huisi was a native of Yuzhou in present-day Anhui province. According to his biography in the Liang-era Gaoseng zhuan, Huisi was obsessed with the prospect of death in his youth and assiduously pursued a means of attaining immortality. Studying with his teacher Huiwen (d.u.), about whom next to nothing is known, Huisi is said to have learned a meditative technique based on Nāgārjuna's premise of the identity of emptiness, provisionality, and their mean (see sandi), which he later taught to his own students. Monks who disagreed with his teachings tried to poison him, so Huisi left northern China for the south, but his popularity there prompted jealous monks to brand him a spy. This charge was rejected by the Chen-dynasty emperor, and Huisi continued to teach in the south, where he attracted many students, including the renowned Tiantai Zhiyi. Huisi's meditative teachings on the suiziyi sanmei ("cultivating samādhi wherever mind is directed," or "the samādhi of freely flowing thoughts") were recorded in Zhiyi's ''Mohe Zhiguan''. In this type of meditation, the adept is taught to use any and all experiences, whether mental or physical, whether wholesome or unwholesome, as grist for the mill of cultivating samādhi. Huisi is credited with the compilation of several treatises, such as the ''Dasheng zhiguan'', ''Cidi chanyao'', ''Fahua jing anle xingyi'', and others. (Source: "Nanyue Huisi." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 573. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Ducor, J.  + (Né et vivant à Genève, Jérôme Ducor s'est Né et vivant à Genève, Jérôme Ducor s'est initié aux études bouddhiques à l'Université de Lausanne, avant de poursuivre par une licence en histoire des religions et un doctorat en japonologie à l'Université de Genève. Il s'est spécialisé dans le bouddhisme japonais, notamment à l'Université Ryukoku (Kyoto), où il est chercheur invité permanent du Bukkyô-bunka-kenkyûsho.</br></br>En outre, il a reçu l'ordination et la maîtrise de l'école bouddhique Jodo-Shinshu, au Hompa-Honganji (Kyôto). Il est actuellement le résident du temple Shingyoji de Genève.</br></br>De 1992 à 1993, il a enseigné les religions extrême-orientales à l'Université McGill (Montréal). Privat-docent à la section de langues et civilisations orientales de l'Université de Lausanne (UNIL) depuis 1993, il est le conservateur du département Asie du Musée d'ethnographie de la Ville de Genève (MEG) depuis 1995. [http://www.pitaka.ch/ducbio.htm Source]</br></br>Born and living in Geneva, Jerome Ducor studied Buddhism at Lausanne University. He graduated thereafter in religious studies and passed his doctorate in japonology at Geneva University. He specialized in japanese Buddhism at Ryukoku University and received ordination and master in the Jodo-Shinshu school of Buddhism at Hompa-Honganji (Kyoto). He presently acts as the resident minister at Shingyoji temple in Geneva.</br></br>From 1992 to 1993 he has been teaching East-Asian religions at McGill University (Montreal).</br></br>Teaching as a privat-docent at the Department of Oriental Languages and Civilizations of Lausanne University since 1993, he is the curator of the Asia Department of Geneva's Ethnographic Museum since 1995.f Geneva's Ethnographic Museum since 1995.)
  • Ngawang, T.  + (Originally from Florida, Venerable ThubtenOriginally from Florida, Venerable Thubten Ngawang met the Dharma in 2012 when a friend gave him Venerable Chodron’s book, Open Heart, Clear Mind. After exploring Buddhism online for awhile, he began to attend talks at Drepung Loseling Monastery’s Center for Tibetan Studies in Atlanta, where he took refuge.</br></br>He first visited the Abbey in 2014 and then spent extensive time here in 2015 and 2016. After about six months of training as an anagarika, he decided to remain as a lay person to reassess his spiritual aspirations and moved to Spokane in early 2017.</br></br>During his time in Spokane, Ven. Ngawang worked at a non-profit in the affordable housing industry, facilitated classes on Nonviolent Communication at the local prison, and attended the weekly meditation class offered by Abbey monastics at the Unitarian Universalist Church. Coming up to the Abbey frequently to attend retreats and offer service sustained and increased his Dharma practice.</br></br>In 2020, with the pandemic interrupting many of these activities, Ven. Ngawang moved to Tara’s Refuge, a small house on the Abbey property, to focus more on Dharma. This situation proved very supportive and eventually led to him moving up to the Abbey in the summer of 2021.</br></br>After reflecting on the distractions of lay life and the disadvantages of following attachment, Ven. Ngawang resumed anagarika training in August, 2021. With more confidence in his ability to work with afflictions, and recognition of his improved ability to live happily in community, he requested ordination ten months later. He was ordained as a sramanera (novice monk) in September 2022.</br></br>Currently, Ven. Ngawang is a part of the Abbey’s prison program; facilitates SAFE and offering service; supports the grounds team and utilizes his architectural design background where needed. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/venerable-thubten-ngawang/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023])en-ngawang/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023]))
  • Pranke, P.  + (Patrick Pranke received his PhD at the UniPatrick Pranke received his PhD at the University of Michigan. Dr. Pranke holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Stuides from the University of Michigan, currently he is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Louisville. His area of specialization is Burmese Buddhism and Burmese popular cults, research for which he conducted over the course of several years in the Sagaing Hills, Upper Burma. In addition to his experiences in Burma, Dr. Pranke has been a teacher and administrator on the University of Wisconsin's College of the Year India Program, and Antioch College's Buddhist Studies Program in North India, and he maintains strong academic interests in Hindu fold traditions. ([https://louisville.edu/asianstudies/people/faculty/patrick-pranke Source Accessed June 2, 2023])rick-pranke Source Accessed June 2, 2023]))
  • Dpal sprul nam mkha' 'jigs med  + (Patrul Rinpoche's reincarnation, Patrul NaPatrul Rinpoche's reincarnation, Patrul Namkha Jigme (dpal sprul nam mkha' 'jigs med, 1888–1960), who was the seventh son of the renowned treasure revealer Dudjom Lingpa (bdud 'joms gling pa, 1835–1904), was Kunzang Wangmo's father. He was also know as Padma Khalong Yangpa Tsal and Tulku Namkha Jikmé. (Source: [https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Kunzang-Wangmo/13819 Treasury of Lives]). Patrul Namkha Jikmé’s two main teachers were his father Dudjom Lingpa, and Khenpo Kunpal. He revealed nine volumes of terma, and constructed a shedra at Dza Pukhung Gön and a Zabchö Shitro Gongpa Rangdrol drupdra at Dzagyal Monastery. His main dharma heir was his own daughter, Khandroma Kunzang Wangmo, a great-daughter of Dudjom Lingpa. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Patrul_Namkha_Jikm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki])itle=Patrul_Namkha_Jikm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Phywa pa chos kyi seng ge  + (Phywa pa [alt. Cha pa] Chos kyi Seng ge. (Phywa pa [alt. Cha pa] Chos kyi Seng ge. (Chapa Chökyi Senge) (1109–1169). The sixth abbot of Gsang phu ne’u thog, a Bka' gdams monastery founded in 1073 by Rngog Legs pa'i shes rab. Among his students are included the first Karma pa, Dus gsum mkhyen pa and the Sa skya hierarch Bsod nams rtse mo. His collected works include explanations of Madhyamaka and Prajñāpāramitā. With his influential ''Tshad ma'i bsdus pa yid kyi mun sel rtsa 'grel'' he continued the line of ''pramāṇa'' scholarship started by Rngog Blo ldan shes rab, one that would later be challenged by Sa skya Paṇḍita. He is credited with originating the distinctively Tibetan ''bsdus grwa'' genre of textbook (used widely in Dge lugs monasteries) that introduces beginners to the main topics in abhidharma in a peculiar dialectical form that strings together a chain of consequences linked by a chain of reasons. He also played an important role in the formation of the ''bstan rim'' genre of Tibetan Buddhist literature, the forerunner of the more famous ''lam rim''. (Source: "Phywa pa Chos kyi Seng ge." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 644. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27)ttp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27))
  • Bollée, W.  + (Prof. Bollée had a long-standing relationsProf. Bollée had a long-standing relationship with the South Asia Institute of the University of Heidelberg, where he habilitated in 1977 under Prof. Berger (studies on Sūyagaḍa 1977, Steiner, Wiesbaden) and taught for over two decades (1975-1997). During this time he also represented Prof. Sontheimer and Prof. Berger.</br></br>His teaching and research focused on Jainism and early Buddhism, with a special interest in Central Indian texts that had not yet been translated. In search of such texts, he also repeatedly went on research trips to South and Southeast Asia, for example to (present-day) Myanmar and Thailand in the early 1960s. He was happy to share this rich wealth of experience with his students in order to awaken their enthusiasm for South and Southeast Asian cultures and religions, in addition to providing a sound philological education.</br></br>Beginning with his dissertation on Ṣaḍviṃśa-brāhmaṇa (Utrecht, 1956), Prof. Bollée published numerous editions, translations, and indexes, including ''Vyavahāra bhāṣya pīṭhikā'' (2006, Hindi Granth Karyalay, Mumbai), Samantabhadra Deva's ''Ratnakaraṇḍaka Śrāvakācāra'' (2010, Sundara Prakashana, Bangalore) and ''A Cultural Encyclopaedia of the Kathāsaritsāgara in Keywords'' (2015, Universitätsverlag Halle-Wittenberg).</br></br>As a tireless academic, Prof. Bollée was scientifically active until the last day. Two of his works: ''Stylistic Repetition in Bāṇaʼs Harṣacaritam and Kādambarī'' (Feb. 2020) and the revised 2nd edition of his monograph ''Gone to the Dogs in Ancient India'' (Mar. 2020) are published this year by CrossAsia-Repository . . . </br></br>Prof. Dr. Willem Bollée received the prestigious Acārya Hemacandra Sūrī Award in recognition of his achievements and merits in the field of Jainism (2004) and [the] Prakrit Jñānabhāratī International Award (2005). ([https://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=158094 Source Accessed July 24, 2023])?id=158094 Source Accessed July 24, 2023]))
  • Reynolds, C.  + (Professor Craig J. Reynolds is a historianProfessor Craig J. Reynolds is a historian of Southeast Asia, particularly the mainland countries. His PhD and MA students have written on Burma, Japan, Laos, Malaya, Thailand and Vietnam. Many of these students have returned to teach and work in the countries of their birth.</br></br>Craig first encountered Asia as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand where he taught English from 1963-1965 in the southern provincial town of Krabi. His current research on the legendary policeman from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Khun Phantharakratchadet, has taken him back to southern Thailand. ([https://anu-au.academia.edu/CraigReynolds Source Accessed July 20, 2023])igReynolds Source Accessed July 20, 2023]))
  • King, W.  + (Professor Emeritus of Vanderbilt UniversitProfessor Emeritus of Vanderbilt University, having also taught at Grinnell and Oberlin Colleges and Colorado State University in the history of religions, specializing in Buddhism. His books include In the ''Hope of Nibbana'', ''A Thousand Lives Away'', ''Death was His Kōan'', and ''Zen and the Way of the Sword''.n'', and ''Zen and the Way of the Sword''.)
  • Badham, P.  + (Professor Paul Badham has been Head of theProfessor Paul Badham has been Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at University of Wales Lampeter since 1991. He was born in 1942 and educated at Jesus College Oxford (traditional Christian Theology); at Jesus College Cambridge (Modern Religious Thought); and at Westcott House (Anglican Ministry). He then went to Birmingham and for five years worked as a Curate while simultaneously writing a PhD under John Hick. Since 1973 he has been at Lampeter where he has gradually moved from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer to Reader and finally to Professor and Dean.</br></br>On his arrival at Lampeter he joined five other Anglican clergymen in a very traditional Department of Theology. One of his main concerns has been to transform the Department into a vibrant centre for the study of all world religions, with a particular emphasis on religion in the contemporary world and with an emphasis on the possibility of studying each religion from within. The Department now consists of 18 full-time and 12 part-time staff across the whole area of Religious Life and Thought, with specialists in each of the major faiths and with all disciplines of Religious Studies included.</br></br>Exploration of the arguments for and against belief in a life after death has been one of Paul Badham’s main academic concerns. This led to his books ''Christian Beliefs about Life after Death and Immortality or Extinction? as well as to his edited collections Death and Immortality in the Religions of the World''; ''Perspectives on Death and Dying''; ''Ethics on the Frontiers of Human Existence and Facing Death''. He has for many years directed a unique MA programme on Death and Immortality, taught jointly with the Philosophy Department at Lampeter, and he has always had a succession of research students working in this area from all over the world. He has contributed to seven television documentaries on the Near-death experience and is currently preparing for a major international conference on this in Washington.</br></br>Paul Badham is also deeply interested in issues of Modern Theology and Inter-faith Dialogue, and has contributed to a series of books in this area arising from Conferences in Claremont as well as his edited ''John Hick Reader''. He has also written a series of bilingual (England and Japanese) publications with Professor Daigan Lee Matsunaga on ''Near-Death Experiences, Interfaith Dialogue and Christian Beliefs About God and Christ in Relation to True Pure Land Buddhism'' (published in Japanese as Christianity for Buddhists). He is currently working on a Centenary volume for the Modern Church People’s Union on ''The Contemporary Challenge of Modernist Theology''.</br></br>Paul Badham’s other concern is the relationship between Religion and Politics. This has led to his edited work ''Religion, State and Society in Modern Britain'' and to an ongoing project with Vladislav Arzenukhin on ''Religion and Change in Eastern Europe''. This concern also helped to establish an MA degree on ''Religion Politics and International Relations'', jointly taught by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Lampeter and by the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth. ([https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/96773532.pdf Source Accessed Feb 14, 2023])6773532.pdf Source Accessed Feb 14, 2023]))
  • Felbur, R.  + (Rafal Felbur is Assistant to the Chair of Rafal Felbur is Assistant to the Chair of Buddhist Studies at the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies. He received his MA at Leiden University in The Netherlands and his PhD at Stanford University (2018). The title of his dissertation is "Anxiety of Emptiness: Self and Scripture in Early Medieval Chinese Buddhism, With a Focus on Sengrui." Prior to joining the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies, Rafal was a Postdoctoral Researcher in "The Composition of Buddhist Scriptures: Open Philology" project led by Professor Jonathan Silk at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies. ([https://buddhiststudies.stanford.edu/people/rafal-felbur Adapted from Source June 14, 2023])felbur Adapted from Source June 14, 2023]))
  • Thub bstan bshad sgrub rgya mtsho  + (Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso (Wyl. Rago Choktrul Tupten Shedrup Gyatso (Wyl. ''rag mgo mchog sprul thub bstan bshad sgrub rgya mtsho'') (1879–1972) — a prolific author of the Palyul tradition.</br></br><h5>Texts</h5></br></br>Vines of Amṛta: A Prayer to the Lineage of the Bodhicaryāvatāra (''spyod 'jug brgyud pa'i gsol 'debs bdud rtsi'i 'khri shing''). English translation: [https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/rago-choktrul-tupten-shedrup-gyatso/bodhicaryavatara-lineage-prayer Vines of Amṛta: A Prayer to the Lineage of the Bodhicaryāvatāra], translated by Adam Pearcey, 2019.</br></br>The Short Commentary on the Tantra of Twenty-one Homages to Tara called The Treasure Vase of Benefit and Happiness (''sgrol ma phyag 'tshal nyer gcig rgyud kyi 'grel chung phan bde'i gter bum mchog sbyin''). English translation: [https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/tag/21-homages-to-tara/ The Short Commentary on the Twenty-One Homages to Tara called The Treasure Vase of Benefit and Happiness], translated by Khenpo Tenzin Norgey, 2004.</br></br>Lute of Lotus Flowers: A Concise Fulfillment for the Female Practice of the Queen of Great Bliss, from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse ([https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:MW21957 ''klong chen snying gi thig le las/ yum bka' bde chen rgyal mo'i skong bsdus pad+ma'i rgyud mangs'']) ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Rago_Choktrul_Tupten_Shedrup_Gyatso Source Accessed Feb 9 2023])rul_Tupten_Shedrup_Gyatso Source Accessed Feb 9 2023]))
  • Steineck, R.  + (Raji C. Steineck, Ph.D. (1999), Bonn UniveRaji C. Steineck, Ph.D. (1999), Bonn University, is Professor of Japanology at the University of Zurich. He has published extensively on Japanese intellectual history and philosophy and pursues a long-term project on the ''Critique of Symbolic Forms'' (Frommann-Holzboog 2014, 2017). ([https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/32218?contents=editorial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023])ial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023]))
  • Rak ra thub bstan chos dar  + (Rakra Rinpoche (Rakra Thubten Choedar) wasRakra Rinpoche (Rakra Thubten Choedar) was born in 1925 (Fire Ox Year) to Gyurme Gyatso Tethong, then Governor of Derge (Derge chikyap) and Dolma Tsering nee Rong Dikyiling (d/o Dikyiling Sawang Tsering Rabten). The boy was named Rigzin Namgyal by Khenchen Ngawang Samten Lodroe (1868-1931) of the Great Monastery of Derge. At the age of two he was recognized as the 6th Rakra incarnate of Pakshoe monastery in Kham. His father was initially against having his child become a lama, but after the 13th Dalai Lama himself recognized the incarnation, Gyurme Gyatso had to give up his son. His Holiness named the boy Rakra Thubten Choedar.</br></br>Rakra was first schooled at Pakshoe monastery, but from 1935 he started his formal education at Drepung monastery, specifically Gomang college, Ghungru khamtsen (fraternity). He was a bright child and a fast learner. He was also very lucky to have as his principal teacher a geshe (doctor of divinity) who combined profound erudition with an unusual liberal disposition. This geshe seemed to have left a deep impression on the young Rakra. ([https://tibetanwhoswho.wordpress.com/2018/12/09/rakra-rinpoche/ Source Accessed Feb 10, 2023])a-rinpoche/ Source Accessed Feb 10, 2023]))
  • Weber, R.  + (Ralph Weber, Ph.D. (2007), University of SRalph Weber, Ph.D. (2007), University of St. Gallen, is Assistant Professor for European Global Studies at the University of Basel. His publications focus on Chinese and comparative philosophy as well as methodological and conceptual aspects of translinguistic and transcultural research. ([https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/32218?contents=editorial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023])ial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023]))
  • Ra se dkon mchog rgya mtsho  + (Rase Konchog Gyatso was born in 1968 in thRase Konchog Gyatso was born in 1968 in the village below the monastery of Drikung Thil in Tibet. Dagpo (or Gampo) Chenga is the 8th reincarnation of the heart son of Gampopa (1079-1153).</br></br>From his young age Dagpo Chenga revealed a virtuous personality as well as a sharp mind. He studied at Drikung Buddhist College and at the Tibetan College in Lhasa. Dagpo Chenga also attended the Medical and Astrological College. He studied the Ten Aspects of Knowledge, as well as natural sciences, social sciences, and history and became very erudite in many fields of knowledge. Already as a young student he began writing papers on many subjects of Tibetan history and Tibetan Buddhism under his name Rase Konchog Gyatso. Among his books is also a seven-volume publication entitled A Faithful Speech that shows how to develop, improve and spread the Dharma tradition of the Drikung Kagyu in the future. Dagpo Chenga is considered one of the most learned lamas of the Drikung tradition. ([https://www.garchen.de/index.php/en/spiritual-guidance/visiting-teachers Source Accessed Oct 6, 2022])ing-teachers Source Accessed Oct 6, 2022]))
  • Higa, B.  + (Rev. Blayne Higa is the Resident Minister Rev. Blayne Higa is the Resident Minister of the Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Kealakekua on the Big Island of Hawaii. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California with a focus on Shin Buddhist ministry and chaplaincy. He has been a contributor to Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, and Buddhadharma, and is a frequent speaker and seminar leader at Buddhist communities in Hawaii and around the nation.</br></br>Rev. Blayne received Tokudo ordination and Kyoshi certification from the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha in Kyoto, Japan. He is the Chair of the Committee on Social Concerns and Ministerial Training Committee for the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. He was also a co-planner for the 2022 Future of American Buddhism Conference.</br></br>Prior to entering ministry, he had careers in state government and the non-profit sector for over seventeen-years. He holds a Master of Public Administration and a certificate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He received a BA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Committed to civic engagement, Rev. Blayne serves on the boards of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii and Vibrant Hawaii. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Alliance Hawaii. You can learn more about his work at www.blaynehiga.com. ([https://www.blaynehiga.com/about Source Accessed April 25, 2024])com/about Source Accessed April 25, 2024]))
  • Cardenas, K.  + (Reverend Konin Cardenas, also known as VenReverend Konin Cardenas, also known as Ven. Dhammadipa, started the practice of Zen in 1987 and was ordained as a nun in 2007. She has trained at Hosshinji in Japan, at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and at the Zen Center in San Francisco. She received Dharma Transmission in the Shunryu Suzuki lineage. Ven. Dhammadipa serves as the Principal Teacher of Ekan Zen Studies Center, a virtual sangha. She currently resides in Aloka Vihara Monastery of the Forest, a Theravada training center for nuns.</br></br>Konin Cardenas, también conocida como Ven. Dhammadipa, comenzó la práctica del Zen en 1987 y fue ordenada en 2007. Entrenó en el Templo Hosshinji en Japón, en el monasterio Zen de Tassajara y en el Centro Zen de San Francisco. Recibió la transmisión del Dharma en el linaje Shunryu Suzuki. Sirve como Maestra Principal de Ekan Centro de Estudios Zen, una Sangha virtual, y actualmente reside en Aloka Vihara Monasterio del Bosque, un centro de entrenamiento Theravada para monjas Budistas. ([https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/ven-dhammadipa-konin-cardenas Source Accessed April 25, 2024])-cardenas Source Accessed April 25, 2024]))
  • Barron, R.  + (Richard Barron is a Canadian-born translatRichard Barron is a Canadian-born translator who specializes in the writings of Longchenpa. He has served as an interpreter for many lamas from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including his first teacher, Kalu Rinpoche. He completed a traditional three-year retreat at Kagyu Ling in France and later became a close disciple of the late Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. He was engaged in a long-term project to translate ''The Seven Treasuries'' of Longchenpa.</br></br>His other translations include ''Buddhahood Without Meditation'', ''The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul: A Gem of Many Colors'', and ''A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage'' by Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. ''The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul'' was his first translation in the Tsadra Foundation Series published by Snow Lion Publications.eries published by Snow Lion Publications.)
  • Aitken, R.  + (Robert Baker Dairyu Chotan Aitken Rōshi (JRobert Baker Dairyu Chotan Aitken Rōshi (June 19, 1917 – August 5, 2010) was a Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He co-founded the Honolulu Diamond Sangha in 1959 together with his wife, Anne Hopkins Aitken. Aitken received Dharma transmission from Koun Yamada in 1985 but decided to live as a layperson. He was a socialist advocating social justice for homosexuals, women and Native Hawaiians throughout his life, and was one of the original founders of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baker_Aitken Source Accessed Feb 10, 2023])aker_Aitken Source Accessed Feb 10, 2023]))
  • Gassmann, R.  + (Robert H. Gassmann is Professor emeritus oRobert H. Gassmann is Professor emeritus of Sinology at Zurich University (Switzerland). He presided the Swiss Asia Society and was chief-editor of the quarterly ''Asiatische Studien/Etudes Asiatiques''. His fields of interest were language, history, and thought of Early China. ([https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/32218?contents=editorial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023])ial-content Source Accessed July 6, 2023]))
  • Mayer, R.  + (Robert Mayer joined the Oriental InstituteRobert Mayer joined the Oriental Institute in 2002, where he holds the posts of University Research Lecturer and Research Officer. He completed his BA (Hons) at Bristol, and his PhD at Leiden. His first job was Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Wales, followed by a Visiting Chair in Tibetology at the Humboldt University of Berlin from 1999 to 2001, and after a year in the Anthropology Department at Kent, he came to Oxford in October 2002. He has also twice been a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College. He is a specialist in the rNying ma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and has published a number of books, monographs and articles, over twenty of them since 2006 for the current REF period, and mostly together with his wife and co-worker, Dr Cathy Cantwell. One of his goals is to clarify the early rNying ma period by studying the Dunhuang texts in context. Another goal is to improve the standards of philology and critical editing within Tibetan Studies. A third goal is to preserve, protect and describe the few surviving witnesses of the once much more plentiful ‘Ancient Tantra Collection’, or rNying ma’i rgyud ‘bum. A researcher by vocation, he and his wife Dr Cathy Cantwell have designed and directed several large research projects, mainly funded by the AHRC. However, he also occasionally teaches and takes graduate students, particularly if their interests overlap with his. Source: [https://ocbs.org/robert-mayer/ Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies]mayer/ Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies])
  • Devenish, R.  + (Rodney P. Devenish (Karma Kunzang Palden RRodney P. Devenish (Karma Kunzang Palden Rinpoche) and his wife Lisa Devenish are co-founders of the Hermitage, and Lama has been teaching meditation there from the start, personally guiding individuals as they develop their meditation practice. His specialty is the Kagyü teaching of Mahāmudrā, which he received chiefly from his root master Karma Namgyal Rinpoche, but also from Trungpa Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche and a number of other Lamas. From those Lamas, and from His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, he received an array of Kagyü empowerments--particularly the Marpa lineage full crown empowerments of Śrī Vajradhara and Hevajra-ḍākiṇī-jālasaṃvara. Having completed both the Kagyü and Nyingma preliminary practices, he has further received the crowning empowerment of the Gūhyagarbha from Penor Rinpoche, late head of the Nyingmapa school, the Mindrolling Vajrasattva-cycle and Dzogchen instruction from Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche, and the transmission of Vajrakīlāya from Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche (1933-2004). The Chöd practice of Jigme Lingpa was given by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. During a ten year period as a celibate Buddhist monk, Lama Rodney spent his long winters in isolated meditation retreat in the snowy wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, where he completed the Kagyü practices given him by his teacher Namgyal Rinpoche, with particular focus on the Six Yogas of Nāropa and Mahāmudrā.</br></br>As a Western Lama inspired by the broad interests of his teacher Karma Namgyal Rinpoche, Lama's teaching style is ecumenical and universalist, while remaining deeply rooted in the Kagyü tradition. Originally trained as an artist, he has studied many subjects extensively, including analytical psychology, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, comparative religion, philosophy and classical metaphysics. He takes a non-dogmatic approach, believing that the essence of Dharma chiefly consists of personal self-enquiry, investigation of the nature of consciousness and the world in which we find ourselves, coupled with a persistent effort to establish love in the heart. Many students at the Hermitage have found Lama's method especially conducive for the rapid induction of blissful one-pointedness, the deep meditative state known as Samādhi. Students practice on their own, in the midst of nature, supported by frequent personal interviews with the teacher.uent personal interviews with the teacher.)
  • Conlon, R.  + (Ryan Conlon is a doctoral student of ClassRyan Conlon is a doctoral student of Classical Indology at Hamburg University, where he studies Sanskrit and Tibetan tantric literature. From 2006 to 2019 he studied in Nepal at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute and in the Sangye Yeshe Shedra of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. He has contributed translations to the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Samye Translations, and the scholarly collective known as the Yakherds.cholarly collective known as the Yakherds.)
  • Ryōgen  + (Ryōgen (良源, 912 – January 31, 985) was theRyōgen (良源, 912 – January 31, 985) was the 18th chief abbot of Enryaku-ji in the 10th century. He is considered a restorer of the Tendai school of Mahayana Buddhism, and credited for reviving Enryaku-ji. His supposed role as a precursor of the sōhei, or "warrior monks," is questionable and seems to be a later invention (see Adolphson 2007).<br>      Ryōgen was born in the Omi Province in 912, and he began his practice at Mount Hiei in 923, becoming chief abbot in 966. Over the course of the 10th century, there had been a number of disputes between Enryaku-ji and the other temples and shrines of the Kyoto area, many of which were resolved by force. In 970, Ryōgen formed a small army to defend Enryaku-ji and to serve its interests in these disputes. Records are not fully clear on whether this army consisted of hired mercenaries, or, as would be the case later, trained monks. Most likely, this first temple standing army was a mercenary group, separate from the monks, since Ryōgen forbade monks from carrying weapons. In addition to the prohibition on carrying weapons, Ryōgen's monks were subject to a list of 26 articles released by Ryōgen in 970; they were forbidden from covering their faces, inflicting corporal punishment, violently interrupting prayer services, or leaving Mount Hiei during their twelve-year training. In 981 Ryōgen was appointed general administrator, the most important rank in priesthood. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%8Dgen Source Accessed June 4, 2020])sed June 4, 2020]))
  • Beal, S.  + (Samuel Beal (27 November 1825, in DevonporSamuel Beal (27 November 1825, in Devonport, Devon – 20 August 1889, in Greens Norton, Northamptonshire) was an Oriental scholar, and the first Englishman to translate directly from the Chinese the early records of Buddhism, thus illuminating Indian history. [Beal] was born in Devonport, Devon, and went to Kingswood School and Devonport. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1847. He was the son of a Wesleyan minister, reverend William Beal; and brother of William Beal and Philip Beal who survived a shipwreck in Kenn Reef. From 1848 to 1850 he was headmaster of Bramham College, Yorkshire. He was ordained deacon in 1850, and priest in the following year. After serving as curate at Brooke in Norfolk and Sopley in Hampshire, he applied for the office of naval chaplain, and was appointed to H.M.S. ''Sybille'' (1847) during the China War of 1856–58. He was chaplain to the Marine Artillery and later to Pembroke and Devonport dockyards 1873–77. In 1857, he printed for private circulation a pamphlet showing that the Tycoon of Yedo (i.e. Tokugawa shōgun of Edo), with whom foreigners had made treaties, was not the real Emperor of Japan. In 1861 he married Martha Ann Paris, 1836–81. In September 1872 he was appointed to examine the Buddhist Chinese books in the India Office Library, London. Of the Chinese language books held by the library, Beale found 72 Buddhist compilations across 112 volumes. His research illustrated key philosophical differences between Indian and Chinese Buddhism. An example was the Chinese version of the Indian Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta. Beale's exegesis of the Chinese narrative revealed a key doctrinal divergence from the Indian version, and therefore between Northern and Southern Asian Buddhism, namely that Nirvana is not the cessation of Being but its perfection. He retired from the navy in 1877, when he was appointed Professor of Chinese at University College, London. He was Rector of Falstone, Northumberland 1877–80; Rector of Wark, Northumberland 1880–88; and of Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, 1888–89. He was awarded DCL (Durham) in 1885 "in recognition of the value of his researches into Chinese Buddhism." Beale's reputation was established by his series of works which traced the travels of the Chinese Buddhists in India from the fifth to the seventh centuries AD, and by his books on Buddhism, which have become classics.</br></br>In 1874, Beale requested a Japanese copy of the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka, the sacred books of Chinese and Japanese Buddhists, from Japanese ambassador Iwakura Tomomi. The copy was deposited at the India Office Library in 1875. This was the first time that the work became available in the West. Beal finished cataloging the books in June 1876. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Beal Source Accessed Aug 16, 2021])Samuel_Beal Source Accessed Aug 16, 2021]))
  • Thévoz, S.  + (Samuel Thévoz received a Ph.D. in literatuSamuel Thévoz received a Ph.D. in literature from the University of Lausanne and leads a three-year stand-alone project as an advanced researcher supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. He is the author of ''Un horizon infini: Explorateurs et voyageurs français au Tibet, 1846–1912''. Paris: University Press of Paris-Sorbonne, 2010. He recently edited Marie de Ujfalvy-Bourdon, ''Voyage d’une Parisienne dans l’Himalaya'', Paris: Transboréal, 2014. ([https://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/transcultural/article/view/23541 Source Accessed Mar 8, 2023])e/view/23541 Source Accessed Mar 8, 2023]))
  • Harding, S.  + (Sarah Harding was born in Malibu in 1951 aSarah Harding was born in Malibu in 1951 and educated in Los Angeles, California. She studied English literature and anthropology at Prescott College in Arizona and earned a degree in Religious Studies from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Sarah spent three years traveling through Europe, Africa, and Asia, and while abroad, she studied Tibetan language and culture for two years in Darjeeling, India, and in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1974, Sarah returned to the United States to continue her studies in Tibetan culture and language. Her interests in Tibetan and Buddhist studies culminated in her participation in the first traditional three-year meditation and study retreat for Westerners, which was conducted entirely in Tibetan, under the guidance of Venerable Kalu Rinpoche, near Dijon, France.</br></br>Between 1980 and 1992, Sarah served as a resident Dharma teacher and translator in Los Angeles and later in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has done extensive oral translation internationally for such renowned teachers as Kalu Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku, Tenga Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, and Gangteng Rinpoche. Sarah is a founding member of the International Buddhist Translation Committee and a member of the Nalanda Translation Committee. Her prolific career as a translator includes more than thirty-five translations of traditional Buddhist texts, as well as the Tibetan Language Correspondence Course, co-authored with Jeremy Morrelli. From 1992 she was a faculty member in Buddhist Studies at Naropa University and is recently retired. Sarah continues to make her home in Boulder, where she is currently working on her next book. She has been a Tsadra Fellow since 2000. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=eBhgB0Xqr24C&pg=PA193&lpg=PA193&dq=Sarah+Harding+was+born+in+Malibu+in+1951+and+educated+in+Los+Angeles,+California.+She+studied+English+literature+and+anthropology+at+Prescott+College+in+Arizona+and+earned+a+degree+in+Religious+Studies+from+Naropa+University+in+Boulder,+Colorado.+Sarah+spent+three+years+traveling+through+Europe,+Africa,+and+Asia,+and+while+abroad,+she+studied+Tibetan+language+and+culture+for+two+years+in+Darjeeling,+India,+and+in+Kathmandu,+Nepal.+In+1974,+Sarah+returned+to+the+United+States+to+continue+her+studies+in+Tibetan+culture+and+language.+Her+interests+in+Tibetan+and+Buddhist+studies+culminated+in+her+participation+in+the+first+traditional+three-year+meditation+and+study+retreat+for+Westerners,+which+was+conducted+entirely+in+Tibetan,+under+the+guidance+of+Venerable+Kalu+Rinpoche,+near+Dijon,+France.&source=bl&ots=aeYb7bOnh-&sig=ACfU3U0wbLUpmQYmQ8kGJrpCPhiuFrEe9g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihnZCTuuHqAhXIbc0KHZQ_AP8Q6AEwAXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Sarah%20Harding%20was%20born%20in%20Malibu%20in%201951%20and%20educated%20in%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20California.%20She%20studied%20English%20literature%20and%20anthropology%20at%20Prescott%20College%20in%20Arizona%20and%20earned%20a%20degree%20in%20Religious%20Studies%20from%20Naropa%20University%20in%20Boulder%2C%20Colorado.%20Sarah%20spent%20three%20years%20traveling%20through%20Europe%2C%20Africa%2C%20and%20Asia%2C%20and%20while%20abroad%2C%20she%20studied%20Tibetan%20language%20and%20culture%20for%20two%20years%20in%20Darjeeling%2C%20India%2C%20and%20in%20Kathmandu%2C%20Nepal.%20In%201974%2C%20Sarah%20returned%20to%20the%20United%20States%20to%20continue%20her%20studies%20in%20Tibetan%20culture%20and%20language.%20Her%20interests%20in%20Tibetan%20and%20Buddhist%20studies%20culminated%20in%20her%20participation%20in%20the%20first%20traditional%20three-year%20meditation%20and%20study%20retreat%20for%20Westerners%2C%20which%20was%20conducted%20entirely%20in%20Tibetan%2C%20under%20the%20guidance%20of%20Venerable%20Kalu%20Rinpoche%2C%20near%20Dijon%2C%20France.&f=false Adapted from Source July 22, 2020])</br></br>'''Online Publications''': </br>*[http://tsadra-wp.tsadra.org/2016/07/13/pha-dampa-sangye-and-the-alphabet-goddess/ Pha Dampa Sangye and the Alphabet Goddess: A Preliminary Study of the Sources of the Zhije Tradition]. Presented by Sarah Harding at the 2016 meeting of the International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS) in Bergen, Norway</br>*[http://magazine.naropa.edu/wisdom-traditions-fall-2017/features/glorious-naropa.php Nāropa’s Life of Liberation and Spiritual Song]</br>*[http://tsadra-wp.tsadra.org/2014/04/28/did-machik-really-teach-chod/ Did Machik Lapdrön Really Teach Chöd? A Survey of the Early Sources]eally-teach-chod/ Did Machik Lapdrön Really Teach Chöd? A Survey of the Early Sources])
  • Lakshmikara  + (Scholar who assisted in producing the first complete translation of the ''Mirror'' in about 1270, collaborating with Shong ston rdo rje rgyal mtshan. ([https://academic.oup.com/book/45656/chapter/398026442 Source Accessed Feb 2, 2024]))
  • Seizan, Y.  + (Seizan Yanagida (聖山 柳田, 19.12.1922 - 08.09Seizan Yanagida (聖山 柳田, 19.12.1922 - 08.09.2006) was one the most important Japanese Buddhologists in the 20th century. He was born in a small mountain temple of the Rinzai-Zen School in the hamlet Inae near Kyōto (Japan). His major area of work was the research of Chinese Chan-Buddhism. Since the year 1960 he taught as a professor at the Institute for Buddhist Studies at Hanazono-University in Kyōto and after his retirement in 1986 he founded the IRIZ (International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism) in Kyōto, that became an important research institution for many Western Buddhologists, as well. In the course of his life Prof. Yanagida published 50 books and several hundred research papers. ([https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/YanagidaSeizan.html Source Accessed June 14, 2023])eizan.html Source Accessed June 14, 2023]))
  • Sengchou  + (Sengchou 僧稠 (480-560), lived in monastery Sengchou 僧稠 (480-560), lived in monastery by the name of Xianjusi (Tranquil Dwelling Monastery), which</br>had once been the private villa of Emperor Xuanwudi (r. 499-515) of the Northern Wei dynasty. Seng Chou's meditation accomplishments were legendary and he had a profound influence on Chinese Buddhist history as a whole. He was a disciple of Buddhabhadra. whole. He was a disciple of Buddhabhadra.)
  • Thrangu Rinpoche  + (Short Biography of the Ninth Khenchen ThraShort Biography of the Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Maway Senge: </br></br></br>The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche was born in Kham, Tibet, in 1933. At the age of five, he was formally recognized by His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa and Tai Situpa as the ninth incarnation of the great Thrangu tulku. He entered Thrangu monastery, where, from the ages of seven to sixteen, he studied reading, writing, grammar, poetry, and astrology, memorized ritual texts, and completed two preliminary retreats. At sixteen, under the direction of Khenpo Lodro Rabsel, he began the study of the three vehicles of Buddhism while in retreat. At twenty-three he received full ordination from the Karmapa.</br>Because of the Chinese military takeover of Tibet, Thrangu Rinpoche, then twenty-seven, was forced to flee to India in 1959. He was called to Rumtek monastery in Sikkim, where the Karmapa has his seat in exile. Because of his great scholarship and unending diligence, he was given the task of preserving the teachings of the Kagyu lineage; the lineage of Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa, so that one thousand years of profound Buddhist teachings would not be lost.</br></br>He continued his studies in exile, and at the age of thirty-five he took the geshe examination before 1500 monks at Buxador monastic refugee camp in Bengal and was awarded the degree of Geshe Lharampa. Upon his return to Rumtek, he was awarded the highest Khenchen degree. Because many of the Buddhist texts in Tibet were destroyed, Thrangu Rinpoche helped in beginning the recovery of these texts from Tibetan monasteries outside of Tibet. He was named Abbot of Rumtek monastery and the Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies at Rumtek. Thrangu Rinpoche, along with Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, was one of the principal teachers at the Institute, training all the younger tulkus of the lineage, including The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who was in the first class. He was also the personal tutor of the four principal Karma Kagyu tulkus: Shamar Rinpoche, Situ Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Thrangu Rinpoche established the fundamental curriculum of the Karma Kagyu lineage taught at Rumtek. In addition, he taught with Khenpo Karthar, who had been a teacher at Thrangu Rinpoche's monastery in Tibet before 1959, and who is now head of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, the seat of His Holiness Karmapa in North America.</br></br>After twenty years at Rumtek, in 1976 Thrangu Rinpoche founded the small monastery of Thrangu Tashi Choling in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal. Since then, he has founded a retreat center and college at Namo Buddha, east of the Kathmandu Valley, and has established a school in Boudhanath for the general education of Tibetan lay children and young monks in Western subjects as well as in Buddhist studies. In Kathmandu, he built Tara Abbey, which offers a full dharma education for Tibetan nuns, training them to become khenpos or teachers. He has also established a free medical clinic in an impoverished area of Nepal.</br></br>Thrangu Rinpoche recently completed a large, beautiful monastery in Sarnath, India, overlooking the Deer Park where the Buddha gave his first teaching on the Four Noble Truths. This monastery is named Vajra Vidya after the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, and it is now the seat for the annual Kagyu conference led by His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa. In January of this year, His Holiness the Dalai Lama came to Sarnath to perform a ceremony in the Deer Park with the Karmapa, Thrangu Rinpoche, and other high lamas.</br></br>Around 1976, Thrangu Rinpoche began giving authentic Buddhist teachings in the West. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. In 1984 he spent several months in Tibet where he ordained over one hundred monks and nuns and visited several monasteries. In the United States, Thrangu Rinpoche has centers in Maine and California, and is currently building the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado. Highly qualified monks and nuns from Thrangu Rinpoche's monastery will give retreatants instruction in various intensive practices. He often visits and gives teachings in centers in New York, Connecticut, and Seattle, Washington. In Canada, he gives teachings in Vancouver and has a center in Edmonton. He is the Abbot of Gampo Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in Nova Scotia. He conducts yearly Namo Buddha seminars in the United States, Canada, and Europe, which are also part of a meditation retreat.</br></br>Rinpoche has now taught in over twenty-five countries and has seventeen centers in twelve countries. He is especially known for making complex teachings accessible to Western students. Thrangu Rinpoche is a recognized master of Mahamudra meditation.</br></br>Because of his vast knowledge of the Dharma and his skill as a teacher, he was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be the personal tutor for His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa.</br></br>(Source: [http://www.rinpoche.com/bio1.htm Rinpoche.com, Official Site of the 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche])</br></br>For ''The Life of Thrangu Rinpoche with Pictures'' [http://www.rinpoche.com/life_of_TR_11_11_2015.pdf Click here].com/life_of_TR_11_11_2015.pdf Click here])
  • Śrīsiṃha  + (Shri Singha was the chief disciple and sucShri Singha was the chief disciple and successor of Manjushrimitra in the lineage of the Dzogchen teachings. He was born in the Chinese city of Shokyam in Khotan and studied at first with the Chinese masters Hatibhala and Bhelakirti. In his Ocean of Wondrous Sayings, Guru Tashi Tobgyal adds that Shri Singha received a prophesy from Avalokiteshvara while traveling to Serling, telling him to go to the Sosaling charnel ground in order to be sure of the ultimate attainment. After many years Shri Singha met Manjushrimitra in the charnel ground of Sosaling, and remained with him for twenty-five years. Having transmitted all the oral instructions, the great master Manjushrimitra dissolved his bodily form into a mass of light. When Shri Singha cried out in despair and uttered songs of deep yearning, Manjushrimitra appeared again and bestowed him a tiny casket of precious substance. The casket contained his master's final words, a vital instruction named Gomnyam Drugpa, the Six Experiences of Meditation. Having received this transmission, Shri Singha reached ultimate confidence. In Bodhgaya he found the manuscripts of the tantras previously hidden by Manjushrimitra which he took to China where he classified the Instruction Section into four parts: the outer, inner, secret, and the innermost unexcelled sections. Among Shri Singha's disciples were four outstanding masters: Jnanasutra, Vimalamitra, Padmasambhava and the Tibetan translator Vairotsana. (Source: [https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Shri_Singha RY wiki])tsadra.org/index.php/Shri_Singha RY wiki]))
  • Balsys, B.  + (Since the late 1960s Bodo Balsys has dedicSince the late 1960s Bodo Balsys has dedicated his life to understanding the nature of consciousness and sharing his unique insights with others. He is a writer, a poet, an artist, a meditation teacher and healer. He has studied extensively across multiple fields of life. These include Esoteric science, meditation, healing, cosmology, Christianity, Buddhism, natural science, art, politics and history.</br></br>Bodo has published multiple books. His first series, The Revelation (three volumes), was concerned with providing insights into fundamental esoteric subjects, and specifically providing an esoteric understanding of the Christian Bible. His more recent books focus on providing new insights into Buddhism and particularly their alignment with esoteric science. Bodo also holds a science degree from the University of Western Sydney. He is currently teaching at the School of Esoteric Sciences (near Sydney), which he established. ([https://www.universaldharma.com/about-us/our-teacher-bodo-balsys/ Source Accessed July 19, 2023])do-balsys/ Source Accessed July 19, 2023]))
  • Srong btsan sgam po  + (Songtsen Gampo was the first of Tibet's thSongtsen Gampo was the first of Tibet's three great religious kings and was an emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. It was during his reign that the first Buddhist temples in Tibet, the Rasa Trulnang (future Jokhang) and the Ramoche, were built. He married the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti and the Chinese princess Wencheng. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Songtsen_Gampo Rigpa Wiki])ndex.php?title=Songtsen_Gampo Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Zacchetti, S.  + (Stefano Zacchetti (1968 – April 29, 2020) Stefano Zacchetti (1968 – April 29, 2020) was an Italian academic specialising in Buddhist studies. From 2012 until his death in 2020 he was Yehan Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Oxford and a professorial fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.</br></br>Born in 1968, Zacchetti studied Chinese and Sanskrit at Ca' Foscari University of Venice from 1986 to 1994, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree; this included two years of study abroad, at Sichuan University (1990–92). He then carried out doctoral studies at Venice and spent time studying at the Sinologisch Instituut and the Kern Institute at Leiden University. Ca' Foscari University of Venice awarded him a PhD in Asian Studies in 1999.</br></br>Zacchetti taught Sinology at University of Padua for the 1999–2000 academic year. In 2001, he was appointed an associate professor at the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Sōka University in Tokyo. He returned to Ca' Foscari University of Venice in 2005 to take up a tenured lectureship in the Department of Asian and North African Studies. In the autumn of 2011 he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2012, he was appointed Yehan Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Oxford and a professorial fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.</br></br>Zacchetti died on 29 April 2020 from COVID-19. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefano_Zacchetti Source Accessed Aug 11, 2023])o_Zacchetti Source Accessed Aug 11, 2023]))
  • Teiser, S.  + (Stephen F. Teiser is D. T. Suzuki ProfessoStephen F. Teiser is D. T. Suzuki Professor in Buddhist Studies and Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion at Princeton University. His work traces the interaction between cultures using textual, artistic, and material remains from the Silk Road, specializing in Buddhism and Chinese religions. His forthcoming monograph from Sanlian Publishers, based on the 2014 Guanghua Lectures in the Humanities at Fudan University, is entitled 儀禮與佛教研究 (Ritual and the Study of Buddhism). He also serves as Director of Princeton’s interdepartmental Program in East Asian Studies, and in 2014 he received the Graduate Mentoring Award in the Humanities from Princeton University’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning,</br></br>Teiser’s previous work appeared in three monographs: ''Reinventing the Wheel: Paintings of Rebirth in Medieval Buddhist Temples'' (2006), awarded the Prix Stanislas Julien by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, Institut de France; ''"The Scripture on the Ten Kings" and the Making of Purgatory in Medieval Chinese Buddhism'' (1994), awarded the Joseph Levenson Book Prize (pre-twentieth century) in Chinese Studies by the AAS; and ''The Ghost Festival in Medieval China'' (1988), awarded the prize in History of Religions by the ACLS. He has also edited several books, including ''Readings of the Platform Sūtra'' (2012) and ''Readings of the Lotus Sūtra'' (2009).</br></br>He is currently Co-Principal Investigator on “Dunhuang Art and Manuscripts,” a four-year project of conferences and publications on Buddhist art and manuscripts of the Silk Road, with primary funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, and he serves on the Steering Committee of “From the Ground Up: East Asian Religions through Multi-media Sources and Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” a SSHRC/Canada partnership grant based at University of British Columbia. From 2005 to 2008 he was Director of the Tibet Site Seminar, an interdisciplinary project for teaching Ph.D. students in the fields of Art History and Buddhist Studies. Prior to that he was a member of the research project on “Merit, Opulence, and the Buddhist Network of Wealth,” sponsored by Northwestern University and the Dunhuang Research Academy in 1999-2001; and a member of the research group on Buddhist texts, Centre de Recherche sur les Manuscrits, Inscriptions, et Documents Iconographiques de Chine, sponsored by CNRS, Paris, 1996-2005.</br></br>Stephen F. Teiser studied for his A.B. at Oberlin College (Ohio) and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton University. He has held teaching appointments at Middlebury College and University of Southern California, and has been visiting professor at École pratique des Hautes Études (Paris), Heidelberger Akadamie der Wissenschaften, and Capital Normal University 首都師範大學 (Beijing). He has received fellowships and grants from American Council of Learned Societies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation, Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Silkroad Foundation, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Social Science Research Council.nada, and Social Science Research Council.)
  • Gethin, S.  + (Stephen Gethin studied veterinary medicineStephen Gethin studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, where he was also awarded a choral exhibition. After a number of years in professional practice, he spent much of the 1980s undertaking two three-year retreats in France, where he now lives and, as a founding member of the Padmakara Translation Group, continues to translate. He became a Tsadra Foundation Translation Fellow in 2005. His published translations include Nagarjuna’s ''Letter to a Friend'', ''Zurchungpa’s Testament'', Dudjom Rinpoche’s ''A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom'', and Jamgön Mipham’s commentaries on Padmasambhava’s ''Garland of Views'' and the ''Mahāyāna-sūtrālaṃkāra''. He is currently working on a detailed preliminary practice commentary by Shechen Gyaltsap and on a volume of Jamgön Kongtrul’s ''Treasury of Precious Instructions''. ([https://www.colorado.edu/event/lotsawa/presenters/stephen-gethin Source Accessed Sept 18, 2020])hen-gethin Source Accessed Sept 18, 2020]))
  • Surendrabodhi  + (Surendrabodhi (Wyl. lha dbang byang chub) Surendrabodhi (Wyl. lha dbang byang chub) was an Indian paṇḍita who came to Samye at the time of Trisong Deutsen. The following information has been complied by Dan Martin:</br></br>* One of the Indian teachers invited to Tibet in time of Emperor ral pa can (early 9th century). See the shorter Lde'u history (p. 135), where the name is spelled su len tra bo de.</br>* In list of South Asian pundits in bu ston's History (1989), p. 280.7.</br>* In list of imperial period pundits in Tibet contained in zhu chen, bstan 'gyur dkar chag, p. 158, line 19.</br>* Stog Palace catalogue, index.</br>* su randra bodhi. Translator in time of Emperor Ral pa can. Padma dkar po, Chos 'byung, p. 331.</br>* Biographical Dictionary of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, vol. 1, p. 565. Surendrabodhi — in Tibetan translation, Lha dbang byang chub — in time of Ral pa can. Mtshan tho, no. 18. ([http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Surendrabodhi Source Accessed Aug 18, 2020])endrabodhi Source Accessed Aug 18, 2020]))
  • Aranya, H.  + (Swami Hariharananda Aranya (1869–1947) wasSwami Hariharananda Aranya (1869–1947) was a yogi, author, and founder of Kapil Math in Madhupur, India, which is the only monastery in the world that actively teaches and practices Samkhya philosophy. His book, ''Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with Bhasvati'', is considered to be one of the most authentic and authoritative classical Sanskrit commentaries on the Yoga Sutras. Hariharananda is also considered by some as one of the most important thinkers of early twentieth-century Bengal.</br></br>Hariharananda came from a wealthy Bengali family and after his scholastic education renounced wealth, position, and comfort in search of truth in his early life. The first part of his monastic life was spent in the Barabar Caves in Bihar, hollowed out of single granite boulders bearing the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka and very far removed from human habitation. He then spent some years at Tribeni, in Bengal, at a small hermitage on the bank of the Ganges and several years at Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Kurseong.</br></br>His last years were spent at Madhupur in Bihar, where according to tradition, Hariharananda entered an artificial cave at Kapil Math on 14 May 1926 and remained there in study and meditation for last twenty-one years of his life. The only means of contact between him and his disciples was through a window opening. While living as a hermit, Hariharananda wrote numerous philosophical treatises. Some of Hariharananda's interpretations of Patañjali's Yoga system had elements in common with Buddhist mindfulness meditation. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Hariharananda_Aranya Source Accessed May 1, 2023])nanda_Aranya Source Accessed May 1, 2023]))
  • Yamasaki, T.  + (Taiko Yamasaki . . . is abbot of Jokoin TeTaiko Yamasaki . . . is abbot of Jokoin Temple in Kobe, Japan, and Dean of the Department of Esoteric Instruction at Shuchi-in University in Kyoto, Japan. He is one of the worlds recognized experts in Ajikan and other forms of Meditation. ([http://www.shingon.org/sbii/books/ShingonJEB.html Adapted from Source Nov 20, 2023])EB.html Adapted from Source Nov 20, 2023]))
  • Bardor Rinpoche, 1st  + (Terchen Barway Dorje (1st Bardor Rinpoche,Terchen Barway Dorje (1st Bardor Rinpoche, 1836-1918) was a student of the 9th Tai Situ Rinpoche, the 14th Karmapa, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, and many other masters of his time.</br></br>Initially associated with Surmang Monastery of which he was a recognized tulku (Shartse Rinpoche of Surmang), Terchen Barway Dorje devoted a good portion of his life to reviving of the lost teachings of the Barom Kagyu. He was also known as a revealer of terma (treasures) of which he discovered nine volumes.</br></br>The treasures discovered by Terchen Barway Dorje had been concealed by two of Guru Rinpoche’s principal disciples—Nupchen Sangye Yeshe and Yeshe Tsogyal. Terchen Barway Dorje was an emanation of both of them.</br></br>Toward the end of his life, Terchen Barway Dorje founded Raktrul Monastery in eastern Tibet.</br></br>The writings of Terchen Barway Dorje consist of fourteen volumes. Of these, nine volumes are his revelations or termas, three volumes are his collective writings or compositions, one volume is his autobiography, and the one volume is his collective songs of instruction.</br></br>The autobiography of Terchen Barway Dorje has been translated into English and published by KTD Publications as ''Precious Essence: The Inner Autobiography of Terchen Barway Dorje''. His collective songs of instruction have been published as ''Treasury of Eloquence: The Songs of Barway Dorje''.of Eloquence: The Songs of Barway Dorje''.)
  • Dzogchen Ponlop, The 7th  + (The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop (Karma Sungrap NgeThe 7th Dzogchen Ponlop (Karma Sungrap Ngedön Tenpa Gyaltsen, born 1965) is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, founder and spiritual director of Nalandabodhi, founder of Nītārtha Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master. He is one of the highest tülkus in the Nyingma lineage and an accomplished Karma Kagyu lineage holder.</br></br>Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche was born in 1965 at Rumtek Monastery (Dharma Chakra Center) in Sikkim, India. His birth was prophesied by the supreme head of the Kagyu lineage, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa, to Ponlop Rinpoche's parents, Dhamchö Yongdu, the General Secretary of the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, and his wife, Lekshey Drolma. Upon his birth, he was recognized by the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa as the seventh in the line of Dzogchen Ponlop incarnations and was formally enthroned as the Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop at Rumtek Monastery in 1968.[1]</br></br>After receiving Buddhist refuge and bodhisattva vows from the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Dzogchen Ponlop was ordained as a novice monk in 1974. He subsequently received full ordination and became a bhikṣu, although he later returned his vows and is now a lay teacher.</br></br>Rinpoche received teachings and empowerments from the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse, Kalu Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (chief Abbot of the Kagyu lineage), Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, his root guru.</br></br>Ponlop Rinpoche began studying Buddhist philosophy at the primary school in Rumtek at age 12. In 1979 (when Rinpoche was fourteen), the 16th Karmapa proclaimed Ponlop Rinpoche to be a heart son of the Gyalwang Karmapa and a holder of his Karma Kagyu lineage. In 1980 on his first trip to the West, he accompanied the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa to Europe, United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia. While serving as the Karmapa's attendant, he also gave dharma teachings and assisted in ceremonial roles during these travels.[2]</br></br>In 1981, he entered the monastic college at Rumtek, Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies where he studied the fields of Buddhist philosophy, psychology, logic, and debate. During his time at Rumtek, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche worked for the Students' Welfare Union, served as head librarian, and was the chief-editor of the Nalandakirti Journal, an annual publication which brings together Eastern and Western views on Buddhism. Rinpoche graduated in 1990 as Ka-rabjampa from Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies in Rumtek Monastery. (Ka-rabjampa means "one with unobstructed knowledge of scriptures", the Kagyu equivalent of the Sakya and Gelug's geshe degree.) He simultaneously earned the degree of Acharya, or Master of Buddhist Philosophy, from Sampurnanant Sanskrit University. Dzogchen Ponlop has also completed studies in English and comparative religion at Columbia University in New York City. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzogchen_Ponlop_Rinpoche Source Accessed Nov 19, 2019])</br></br>For further information about Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, visit his [https://dpr.info/ Official Website]t his [https://dpr.info/ Official Website])
  • Adeu Rinpoche  + (The Eighth Adeu Rinpoche was born on the fThe Eighth Adeu Rinpoche was born on the fourth day of the 12th Tibetan month in the Iron Horse year of the fifteenth calendrical cycle, in the middle of a freezing winter. As the 16th Karmapa and the Eighth Choegon Rinpoche recognized the child as the authentic reincarnation of the Seventh Adeu Rinpoche, he was taken to Tsechu Gompa for enthronement at the age of seven. Immediately after this, he began his traditional education in writing, calligraphy, poetry, astrology, mandala painting, spiritual practice and text recitation. At the same time, the young Adeu Rinpoche also received many teachings and pith-instructions based on the old and new traditions, but primarily on the Drukpa lineage from the Eighth Choegon Rinpoche, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö and many other great masters. After this, Rinpoche entered into a seven-year retreat, during which he practised the sadhanas of different deities and trained in tsa-lung, following the Six Yogas of Naropa and the liberating Mahamudra mind-training practices. He also learnt philosophy. Adeu Rinpoche later wrote a precise commentary on the three sets of vows, the root of heart-essence of Nyingmapa lineage, and on the various mandala deities.</br></br>In 1958, all the sacred texts, statues and precious objects were completely destroyed, and Rinpoche was imprisoned for fifteen years. Although Adeu Rinpoche suffered a great deal, the period in prison gave him an opportunity to meet many accomplished masters, who had also been imprisoned, especially Khenpo Munsel from whom he received instructions on Dzogchen, and under whose guidance, he practised the rare and precious teachings of the aural lineage (Nyengyü) of the Nyingma school, and studied the various Nyingmapa terma teachings.</br></br>Adeu Rinpoche was an extremely important master of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage, especially following the Cultural Revolution, during which many great Drukpa lineage masters passed away. When teachings of the Drukpa lineage were faced with extinction, Adeu Rinpoche was the only remaining lineage holder of the Khampa tradition of the Drukpa lineage.</br></br>At the end of 1980, Adeu Rinpoche went to Tashi Jong in India to pass on the entire lineage of the Khampa Drukpa tradition to the present Khamtrul Rinpoche Dongyü Nyima, Choegon Rinpoche Choekyi Wangchuk and many other great tulkus of the Drukpa lineage.</br></br>In 1990, Adeu Rinpoche also gave the complete empowerments of the Drukpa lineage to the local tulkus in Nangchen. About 51 tulkus and 1600 monks and nuns were present to receive the empowerments and oral transmissions. In this way, Adeu Rinpoche became the main lineage master of the Khampa Drukpa tradition for all the Drukpa tulkus. Thereafter, Adeu Rinpoche went to Bhutan and exchanged initiations with Je Khenpo, Jigme Chodrak Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and many other enlightened masters, thus becoming a representative of the Drukpa lineage.</br></br>Adeu Rinpoche also took responsibility for restoring Tsechu Gompa, and at the same time collecting, correcting and editing all the Drukpa teachings, tantras and practices.</br></br>Adeu Rinpoche passed away in July 2007, in Nangchen, Tibet.</br></br>His reincarnation has recently been identified, in Tibet, by Choegon Rinpoche Chökyi Senge. (Source:[https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Adeu_Rinpoche])pawiki.org/index.php?title=Adeu_Rinpoche]))
  • Dhargyey, Ngawang  + (The Most Venerable Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey The Most Venerable Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey was born on the 13th of the fifth Tibetan month in the year of the Iron-Bird (1921) in the town of Yätsak (or Ya Chak) in the Trehor district of Tibet's eastern province Kham. He was soon enrolled in the large local Dhargyey Monastery of the Gelug tradition, where he took pre-novice ordination vows. Although he was enrolled there he studied mainly in the village Sakya monastery, Lona Gonpa where he received instruction in reading, writing, grammar etc, and learned numerous texts and practices by heart. His teachers there included two of his uncles, as well as Kushu Gonpä Rinpoche, who was a master of all the five major fields of learning.</br></br>Image of Gen RinpocheAt the age of eighteen Gen Rinpoche left his home country to further his spiritual education at Sera Monastery, the great monastic university in Lhasa. There he underwent extensive training in all the five divisions of Buddhist philosophical study: Logic, Perfection of Wisdom, the Middle View, Metaphysics, and Ethical Discipline. This was interspersed with periods of intensive retreat at some of the many hermitages near Sera. By the time he was nineteen he had already mastered his studies sufficiently to become a scriptural teacher, and he began to have many students of his own. At the age of 21, he took full ordination vows of a Bhikshu from the widely renowned Purchog Jamgön Rinpoche. He also received numerous teachings, initiations and commentaries from the great Lamas of that time such as Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang (His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Tutor), Bakri Dorje Chang, Lhatsün Dorje Chang, Gönsar Dorje Chang and others. His monastic teachers were the great scholar- practitioners Gen Sherab Wangchuk, Gen Chöntse, and the now Gyume Kensur Ugyän Tseten.</br></br>He studied in Sera in Tibet for twenty years until, in 1959, Chinese oppression forced him to leave Tibet. Two years earlier he had been appointed tutor to two high incarnate lamas, Lhagön Rinpoche and Thupten Rinpoche. The three escaped from Chinese occupied Tibet together taking a long and dangerous journey of nine months under Chinese gunfire and snowstorms until they reached the Mustang region of Nepal. From Mustang it was a comparatively easy journey to India, where they joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some of Gen Rinpoche's other teachers.</br></br>In India, after a brief pilgrimage to the sacred Buddhist sites, he took up his studies once again, and for several continued tutoring the tulkus (incarnate lamas). In the mid 1960s, he was chosen along with fifty-five other scholars to attend an Acarya course at Mussourie (north of Delhi). During his year in Mussourie, he and the other scholars wrote textbooks for the Tibetan refugee schools being established in India at that time. He then returned to Dalhousie where, over various periods, he continued to teach another seven incarnate lamas. He also finished his Geshe studies and, in oral examinations held at the Buxador refugee camp in Assam in eastern India (the seat of Sera monastery at that time) he gained the highest grade (First Class) Lharampa Geshe.</br></br>In 1971 he was asked by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to start a teaching program for westerners at the newly constructed Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, northern India. Two of his incarnate lama disciples, Sharpa Rinpoche and Kamlung Rinpoche, acted as translators. He stayed there, teaching very extensively to thousands of Westerners, until 1984. During this time he himself received extensive and often exclusive teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and from both of the tutors, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche.</br></br>In 1982 he travelled to the West for the first time to take up a one-semester visiting professorship for at the University of Washington in Seattle. This was followed by a year-long extensive tour of Buddhist teaching centres all over North America, Europe and Australasia.</br></br>He spent six weeks in New Zealand during this tour, and at the end of the visit he was requested to establish a Buddhist centre here. In 1985 His Holiness advised Gen Rinpoche to come to New Zealand, initially for one and a half years, to establish a centre. After a six month tour of Australia, he arrived in Dunedin in mid 1985. Due to the success of the Buddhist centre he remained here, occasionally travelling to other parts of New Zealand and to Australia on teaching tours.</br></br>Gen Rinpoche was a wonderful teacher who loved to teach the great treatises, as well as experiential teachings which distilled their essence. He gave his last formal teaching in February 1995 in Dunedin. Gen Rinpoche entered into the death process on the 11th August 1995 (the 16th of the 6th Tibetan month) remaining in meditation for of three days.</br></br>His body was cremated with full traditional Tibetan funerary rites at Portobello, near Dunedin on 17th August (22nd of the 6th Tibetan month). Kushu Lhagön Rinpoche, one of Gen Rinpoche's tulku disciples, presided over the Great Offering to His Holy Body Ceremony at a specially built cremation stupa. ([https://dbc.dharmakara.net/GNDBiography.html Source Accessed Feb 24, 2023])graphy.html Source Accessed Feb 24, 2023]))
  • Gung thang dkon mchog bstan pa'i sgron me  + (The Third Gungtang Lama Konchok Tenpai DroThe Third Gungtang Lama Konchok Tenpai Dronme was identified as reincarnation of the Second Guntang Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen. He studied in Drepung Gomang College near Lhasa and Labrang Tashikhyil in Amdo, and later he served as the twenty-first abbot of the monastery. He also served as the first abbot of Ngawa Gomang Monastery. Familiar with Chinese and Mongolian languages, he spent most of his life in teaching and composing texts on many subjects such as ethics and medicine as well as religion. ([https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Konchok-Tenpai-Dronme/4730 Source Accessed Feb 3, 2022])-Dronme/4730 Source Accessed Feb 3, 2022]))
  • Bardor Rinpoche, 2nd  + (The first rebirth of Terchen Barway Dorje The first rebirth of Terchen Barway Dorje was recognized by the 15th Karmapa, but lived only a short time and, in fact, died before he was reached by the search party seeking him. The Karmapa later explained what happened: Terchen Barway Dorje had promised a great sinner named Changkyi Mingyur that he would not be reborn in a lower state. Changkyi Mingyur died shortly before the new incarnation of Terchen Barway Dorje was discovered and was about to be reborn in a lower state. In desperation, he called on Barway Dorje and it was therefore necessary for Bardor Rinpoche to depart his new body in order to fulfill his promise.</br></br>The 15th Karmapa decided to perform another recognition of the 2nd Barway Dorje, but before the time for recognition arrived, the 15th Gyalwang Karmapa departed this realm for the benefit of beings in other places.</br></br>For this reason, the rebirth of Terchen Barway Dorje—the 2nd Bardor Rinpoche—was recognized by the 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche, Padma Wangchok Gyalpo.</br></br>The 2nd Bardor Rinpoche was born at the end of 1920 and many auspicious signs accompanied his birth. He was enthroned at Raktrul Monastery at the age of five but received his training and transmissions at Surmang and Kyodrak monasteries.</br></br>In his thirteenth year, the 2nd Bardor Rinpoche met the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa. Because the Gyalwang Karmapa had been Bardor Rinpoche’s karmically destined guru in many lives, Bardor Rinpoche felt great devotion for the Karmapa upon meeting him.</br></br>The 2nd Bardor Rinpoche spent much of his life serving the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, although he occasionally traveled back to Raktrul Monastery to look after its needs. Toward the end of his life, he made an aspiration to be able to serve both the Karmapa and Raktrul Monastery in his future lives. As a result of that aspiration we now have two incarnations of the 3rd Bardor Rinpoche—one who has devoted most of his life to the service of both the 16th and 17th Karmapas and has founded Kunzang Palchen Ling in the US, and one who remains in Tibet and looks after Raktrul Monastery.</br></br>A detailed account of the life of the 2nd Bardor Rinpoche is available in English translation as ''The Light of Dawn'' composed by Karma Tupten. ([https://www.kunzang.org/treasure-lineage/2nd-bardor-rinpoche/ Source Accessed June 28, 2023])-rinpoche/ Source Accessed June 28, 2023]))
  • Khyentse, Dzongsar  + (The present Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse RinpThe present Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Thubten Chökyi Gyamtso, was born in 1961 in eastern Bhutan. He was recognized as a tulku by H.H. Sakya Trizin, and received empowerments and teachings from many of the greatest masters of Tibetan Buddhism, including H.H. the 16th Karmapa; H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and Lama Sonam Zangpo (his paternal and maternal grandfathers); Chatral Rinpoche; Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, Khenpo Appey, and many others. His root guru was Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who began training Rinpoche from the age of 7.</br></br>While still a teenager, Rinpoche built a small retreat center in Ghezing, Sikkim and soon began traveling and teaching around the world. In the 1980s, he began the restoration of Dzongsar Monastery in Derge, the responsibility of which he had inherited from his previous incarnation, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. He established Dzongsar Institute in Bir, India, (now DKCLI in Chauntra), which has grown to be one of the most respected institutions for advanced dialectical study. He also oversees two monasteries in Bhutan and has established dharma centres in Australia, Europe, North America, and Asia. He has written several books and made award-winning films. Rinpoche continuously travels all over the world, practicing and teaching the Dharma. (Source: [https://khyentsefoundation.org/about-dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/ Khyentse Foundation.org])yentse-rinpoche/ Khyentse Foundation.org]))
  • Vairocanarakṣita  + (There are at least two Indian authors knowThere are at least two Indian authors known by the name Vairocanarakṣita, as well as being the full ordination name of the famous Tibetan translator Vairocana (bai ro tsa na). Of the two Indians, the first was an 11th century scholar from Vikramaśīla, while the second, known also as Vairocanavajra, lived about a century later and spent time in Tibet in the mid-12th century. Based on the literary output of these two figures, with the former producing works on sūtra and the latter more focused on tantra and mahāmudrā, Brunnhölzl suggests the 11th century Vairocanarakṣita as the most likely candidate for the authorship of the ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstraṭippanī''. However, BDRC seems to conflate these two figures, perhaps even all three, with attributions of their individual works and translations included in the Tibetan canon linking to a single page. Though, it is clear that some of these texts, such as the commentaries on the works of Śāntideva belong to the 11th century Vairocanarakṣita, as they were translated by Ngok Lotsāwa who predates the 12th century Vairocanarakṣita. While, others works linked to the same page should certainly be attributed to this second Vairocanarakṣita, a.k.a. Vairocanavajra, as he was well known among early Kagyu masters for his teaching activities and his translations of several crucial ''dohas'' that helped form the basis of the Kagyu mahāmudrā tradition.he basis of the Kagyu mahāmudrā tradition.)
  • Sèngué, T.  + (This is the Dharma name and pen name of FrThis is the Dharma name and pen name of François Jacquemart.</br></br>Lama Cheuky Sèngué (François Jacquemart) was born in 1949 and had his first encounter with Tibetan Buddhism in 1976. He accomplished a 3-year Buddhist retreat in France in the beginning of the eighties. He became a close student of the late Bokar Rinpoche and served him as an interpreter for a long period.</br></br>In 1985, he founded (and still directs) Claire Lumière publications dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism, translating, editing, and publishing a considerable number of books in French, mainly for the Kagyu Lineage.</br></br>He is also in charge of a few small Dharma centres (Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, and Grenoble) and teaches in France and Spain.</br></br>His Holiness the Karmapa requested him to translate into French the Kagyu Monlam Books, a task which was completed under His direction at the Gyutö Monastery. ([https://karmapafoundation.eu/the-board/francois-jacquemart/ Source Accessed Feb 27, 2023])jacquemart/ Source Accessed Feb 27, 2023]))
  • Losang, T.  + (Thubten Losang became interested in BuddhiThubten Losang became interested in Buddhism during the 1990s and sporadically read books on Buddhism and practiced sitting meditation. He first came to Sravasti Abbey in April 2013 for a Sharing the Dharma Day. After that, he began to visit the Abbey almost every month.</br></br>In the summer of 2014, he spent 10 days of every month at the Abbey to work in the forest and joined in the Exploring Monastic Life program. Receiving teachings from a qualified teacher (Ven. Chodron), being around other practitioners, being guided and inspired by the monastic community, and establishing a regular meditation schedule turned his sporadic and confused spiritual seeking into a serious and consistent practice.</br></br>Ven. Losang moved to the Abbey in December 2014 and took the anagarika precepts the following month. He received śrāmaṇera (novice) ordination on August 10, 2015. See his ordination photos. He received full ordination in Taiwan in 2017. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/sramanera-thubten-losang/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023])ten-losang/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023]))
  • Brekke, T.  + (Torkel Brekke works part-time as a religioTorkel Brekke works part-time as a religious historian in Civita and head of the Civita Academy. Brekke is professor of cultural and religious diversity at the Institute for International Studies and Interpreter Education at OsloMet. Brekke is also associated with the Institute for Peace Research (PRIO). In 2007, Brekke became professor of religious history and South Asian area studies at the Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo. He has a PhD from the University of Oxford, and has written and edited a number of books and articles on the relationship between culture and politics. He has worked as an adviser in the Ministry of Defence, and has had several types of engagements for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a regular writer for Dagbladet, and sits on the Swedish Science Council. ([https://civita.no/person/torkel-brekke/ Source Accessed Mar 22, 2023])kel-brekke/ Source Accessed Mar 22, 2023]))
  • Tsoknyi Rinpoche  + (Tsoknyi Rinpoche (Wylie: Tshogs gnyis rin Tsoknyi Rinpoche (Wylie: Tshogs gnyis rin po che), or Ngawang Tsoknyi Gyatso (born 13 March 1966), is a Nepalese Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author and the founder of the Pundarika Foundation. He is the third Tsoknyi Rinpoche, having been recognized by the 16th Karmapa as the reincarnation of Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche. He is a tulku of the Drukpa Kagyü and Nyingma traditions and the holder of the Ratna Lingpa and Tsoknyi lineages.</br></br>He began his education at Khampagar Monastery at Tashi Jong in Himachal Pradesh, India, at the age of thirteen. His main teachers are Khamtrul Rinpoche Dongyu Nyima, his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Adeu Rinpoche.</br></br>Rinpoche has overseen the Tergar Osel Ling Monastery, founded in Kathmandu, Nepal, by his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. His brothers are Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and Mingyur Rinpoche, and his nephews are Phakchok Rinpoche and the reincarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, known popularly as Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche. He has overseen the monastery's operations and introduced studies for non-Tibetans. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsoknyi_Rinpoche Source Accessed November 18, 2019])npoche Source Accessed November 18, 2019]))
  • Urgyen, Tulku  + (Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (Tib. སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ཨོ་རTulku Urgyen Rinpoche (Tib. སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་ཨོ་རྒྱན་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་, Wyl. ''sprul sku o rgyan rin po che'') (1920–1996) was one of the greatest teachers of Dzogchen and Mahamudra in recent times, whose lineage is now continued by his sons, including Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.</br></br>Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was born in Nangchen, in the province of Kham, eastern Tibet, in 1920. He began meditation practice at the early age of four, when he attended the teachings his father, Chime Dorje, would give to his many students. Already at four he had what is called a recognition of the nature of mind. Later he studied with his uncle Samten Gyatso, his root master, as well as with many other lamas of both Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the lineage masters from whom he drew his inspiration were Milarepa and Longchen Rabjam—on merely hearing their names, tears would come to his eyes.</br></br>In his youth he practised intensively, and stayed in retreat for a total of twenty years. He had four sons, each of whom is now an important Buddhist master in his own right: Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche.</br></br>When he left Tibet he went to Sikkim and then settled in Nepal at Nagi Gompa Hermitage, in the mountains above the Kathmandu valley. He was the first lama to spread the Tibetan Buddhist teachings to Malaysia. In 1980 Tulku Urgyen went on a world tour encompassing Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Great Britain, the USA, Hong Kong and Singapore. In his later years, however, he did not travel much and his many students, both Eastern and Western, would go to Nepal to visit him.</br></br>Tulku Urgyen accomplished a great deal in his life. He constructed and restored many temples, and established six monasteries and retreat centres in the Kathmandu region. He had over three hundred monks and nuns under his guidance. In particular he built a monastery and three-year retreat centre at the site of the sacred cave of Asura, the site of Padmasambhava’s famous retreat. He also re-established some traditional annual prayer gatherings in exile.</br></br>In his childhood he had been recognized by the Fifteenth Karmapa Khakhyap Dorje, as the reincarnation of the master Chöwang Tulku, and he was also an emanation of Nupchen Sangye Yeshe, one of the twenty-five main disciples of Padmasambhava. He was the lineage holder of many teaching transmissions, especially that of the terma teachings of his great grandfather Chokgyur Lingpa. He transmitted the Dzogchen Desum teachings to such masters as Sixteenth Karmapa, Dudjom Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as well as thousands of other disciples. Tulku Urgyen was especially close to the Karmapa—one of his root teachers—and to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, with both of whom there was a powerful bond of mutual respect.</br></br>Tulku Urgyen is the author of several books in English, including ''Repeating the Words of the Buddha'' and ''Rainbow Painting''. He also supervised many English translations of Tibetan texts and teachings carried out by his Western students, and gave the name Rangjung Yeshe to the publishing imprint established to make these and other Dharma works available in the West.</br></br>He was famed for his profound meditative realization and for the concise, lucid and humorous style with which he imparted the essence of the teachings. Using few words, he would point out the nature of mind, revealing a natural simplicity and wakefulness that enables the student to actually touch the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom mind. In this method of instruction, he was unmatched.</br></br>Tulku Urgyen passed away peacefully on 13th February 1996 (the 24th day of the 12th month of the Wood Pig year), at Nagi Gompa. At that time the sky overhead was clear and completely cloudless for two days, which is traditionally seen as a sign that a highly realized master is passing on.</br></br>The ''yangsi'' of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, named Urgyen Jigme Rabsel Dawa, was born in 2001. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Tulku_Urgyen_Rinpoche Rigpa Wiki])p?title=Tulku_Urgyen_Rinpoche Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Tarthang Tulku  + (Twenty-Four Years of Traditional Training Twenty-Four Years of Traditional Training in Tibet</br></br>Dharma Publishing was founded by Tarthang Rinpoche, commonly known as Tarthang Tulku. Rinpoche was born in in the mountains of Golok in the far northeast of Tibet as the son of Sogpo Tulku, Pema Gawey Dorje (b 1894), a highly respected physician and holder of the Nyingma Vidyadhara lineage. Before Rinpoche was two years old, he was recognized and given the name Kunga Gellek by the Sutrayana and Mantrayana master Tragyelung Tsultrim Dargye (b. 1866), who made predictions about Rinpoche’s future mission as a servant of the Dharma, and instructed his parents in the special treatment of young tulkus.</br></br>Rinpoche’s training began at a very early age, and his first teachers were his father and private tutors. After the age of nine, he resided at Tarthang Monastery where he was initiated into the teachings of the Palyul tradition by Tarthang Choktrul and given instruction in Mahayana view, meditation, and conduct by various expert khenpos. At the age of fifteen in the iron tiger year of 1950, Rinpoche departed from Tarthang Monastery to travel to the major monasteries of Kham in eastern Tibet. There he received blessings, teachings, and initiations from the greatest masters of the 20th century: Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Zhechen Kongtrul, Adzom Gyelsey, Bodpa Tulku, and others, altogether thirty-one teachers. For the next ten years, until the age of 24, Rinpoche was given intensive training in the three Inner Yogas of Maha, Anu, and Ati.</br></br>Nine Years of Retreat, Research, and Publishing in India</br></br>In 1958 Rinpoche departed from his homeland, traveling through Bhutan into Sikkim following in the footsteps of his root guru, Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. The next several years were devoted to pilgrimage and retreat at holy places in India. In 1963 he was appointed by Dudjom Rinpoche as the representative of the Nyingma tradition and given the position of research fellow at Sanskrit University in Benares. In that same year, he set up one of the first Tibetan printing presses in exile and began his life’s work of preserving sacred art and texts. After six years at Sanskrit University and some twenty publications, Rinpoche decided that this was not enough, and departed for America to bring Dharma to the West.</br></br>Forty-three Years of Dharma Work in the West</br></br>Arriving in America in late 1968, Rinpoche chose California as his headquarters, and established the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in early 1969. One of the first learned Tibetan exiles to take up residence in the West, he has lived continuously in America for over forty years. With the full support and blessings of Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tarthang Tulku began in the 1970s to unfold a vision of wisdom in action that would eventually encompass over twenty different organizations and make a significant impact on the transmission of Dharma to the West and the restoration of Dharma in Asia.</br></br>([http://dharmapublishing.com/about/our-founder/ Source Accessed August 26, 2015])founder/ Source Accessed August 26, 2015]))
  • Samten, T.  + (Ven. Samten met Ven. Chodron in 1996 when Ven. Samten met Ven. Chodron in 1996 when the future Ven. Chonyi, took the future Ven. Samten to a Dharma talk at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. The talk on the kindness of others and the way it was presented is deeply etched in her mind. Four Cloud Mountain retreats with Ven. Chodron, eight months in India and Nepal studying the Dharma, one month of offering service at Sravasti Abbey, and a two month retreat at the Abbey in 2008 fueled the fire to ordain on August 26, 2010.</br></br>Ven. Samten’s full ordination took place in Taiwan in March 2012, when she became the Abbey’s sixth bhikshuni. </br></br>Right after finishing a Bachelor of Music degree, Ven. Samten moved to Edmonton, Canada to pursue training as a corporeal mime artist. Five years later, a return to university to obtain a Bachelor of Education degree opened the door to becoming a music teacher for the Edmonton Public School board. Concurrently, Ven. Samten became a founding member and performer with Kita No Taiko, Alberta’s first Japanese drum group.</br></br>Ven. Samten is responsible for thanking donors who make offerings online, assisting Ven. Tarpa with developing and facilitating the SAFE online learning courses, assisting with the forest thinning project, tracking down knapweed, maintaining the database, answering email questions, and photographing the amazing moments that are constantly happening at the Abbey. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/ven-thubten-samten/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023])ten-samten/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023]))
  • Chonyi, T.  + (Ven. Thubten Chonyi began attending classeVen. Thubten Chonyi began attending classes with Venerable Thubten Chodron at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle in 1996 and has practiced steadily under Venerable’s guidance ever since.</br></br>She was a founder of Friends of Sravasti Abbey, which formed in 2003 to support Ven. Chodron’s dream to start a monastery. She moved to the Abbey in 2007 and took śrāmaṇerikā and śikṣamāṇā precepts in May 2008. See photos of her ordination.</br></br>Along with Ven. Jigme, Ven. Chonyi received bhikshuni (full) ordination at Fo Guang Shan temple in Taiwan in 2011. See the photos.</br></br>At the Abbey, Ven. Chonyi is involved with publicity and inviting generosity. She also shares Buddha’s teachings at the Abbey, online, and, occasionally, at Buddhist centers in the US and abroad. She has co-taught meditation and Buddhist ideas at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane for 13 years, and especially enjoys interfaith exchange and bringing Buddhist values into social justice issues.</br></br>Ven. Chonyi’s formal education was in theatre at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. She worked for many years as a performer, publicist, fundraiser, and producer in the performing arts. As a Reiki teacher and practitioner for 19 years, she co-founded two Reiki centers and the Reiki AIDS Project, and led classes and workshops in Europe and North America. She was communications director for the international The Reiki Alliance and served eight years as Managing Editor for ''Reiki Magazine International''. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/thubten-chonyi/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023])ten-chonyi/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023]))
  • Lamsel, T.  + (Ven. Thubten Lamsel began studying the DhaVen. Thubten Lamsel began studying the Dharma in 2011 at The Dhargyey Buddhist Centre in Dunedin, New Zealand. When she began exploring the possibility of ordination in 2014, a friend referred her to the Preparing for Ordination booklet by Venerable Thubten Chodron.</br></br>Soon after, Ven. Lamsel made contact with the Abbey, tuning in weekly for the livestreamed teachings and offering service from afar. In 2016 she visited for the month-long Winter Retreat. Feeling like she had found the supportive monastic environment she had been looking for, under the close guidance of her spiritual mentor, she requested to come back for training.</br></br>Returning in January 2017, Ven. Lamsel took anagarika precepts on March 31st. In the most fantastic circumstances, she was able to take her sramaneri and shikshamana vows during the Living Vinaya in the West course on February 4, 2018.</br></br>Ven. Lamsel previously worked as a university-based public health researcher and health promoter at a small non-governmental organization.</br></br>At the Abbey she is part of the video recording/editing team, helps with inmate outreach, and enjoys making creations in the kitchen. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/venerable-thubten-lamsel/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023])ten-lamsel/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023]))
  • Chodrak, Tenzin  + (Venerable Geshe Tenzin Chodrak (Dadul NamgVenerable Geshe Tenzin Chodrak (Dadul Namgyal) is a prominent scholar in Tibetan Buddhism. He has a doctorate (Geshe Lharampa) in Buddhism and Philosophy from the Drepung Monastic University earned in 1992. He also holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India.</br></br>Author of several articles on Buddhism, Geshe-la was also a professor of Philosophy at Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies at Sarnath, Varanasi, India for seven years. In addition, he has been the Spiritual Director of LSLK Tibetan Buddhist Center, Knoxville, USA.</br></br>Due to his facility in both Tibetan and English, he has served as interpreter and speaker for numerous conferences exploring the interface of Buddhism with modern science, Western philosophy and psychology, and other religious traditions on both a national and international level. His language ability has also enabled him to serve as an English language translator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama throughout the world.</br></br>As a published author and translator, Geshe-la’s credits include a Tibetan translation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s ''Power of Compassion'', a language manual, ''Learn English through Tibetan'', and a critical work on Tsongkhapa’s ''Speech of Gold''. He also serves as a Board Member for Tibet House, New York.</br></br>From 2010 until recently, he had served as Senior Resident Teacher at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta. Around the same time, he began full-time position as Senior Translator/Interpreter with the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-based Ethics at Emory University, Atlanta. There he was working in producing a six-year bilingual (English and Tibetan) science curriculum and preparing additional research & pedagogy materials in Modern Science for use in Tibetan monasteries and nunneries.</br></br>Geshe-la visited several times, inspiring us with his passion for Madhyamaka philosophy and his sheer joy in sharing Buddha’s teachings. See photos of Geshe-la teaching at Sravasti Abbey in 2016.</br></br>The Sravasti Abbey community is delighted that Geshe-la is now a resident teacher at the Abbey. He brings his abundant knowledge, compassion, and humility and acts as an excellent role model for new monastics at the Abbey. Since joining our community, he has decided to go by his ordination name, Venerable Tenzin Chodrak. (Source: [https://sravastiabbey.org/advisory-member/geshe-dadul-namgyal/ sravastiabbey.org])mber/geshe-dadul-namgyal/ sravastiabbey.org]))
  • Jigme, T.  + (Venerable Jigme met Venerable Chodron in 1Venerable Jigme met Venerable Chodron in 1998 at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center. She took refuge in 1999 and attended Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle, where Ven. Chodron was the resident teacher. She moved to the Abbey in 2008 and took śrāmaṇerikā and śikṣamāṇā vows with Venerable Chodron as her preceptor in March 2009. In 2011, along with Ven. Chonyi, she received bhikshuni ordination at Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan.</br></br>Before moving to Sravasti Abbey, Venerable Jigme worked as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in private practice in Seattle. In her career as a nurse, she worked in hospitals, clinics and educational settings.</br></br>At the Abbey, Ven. Jigme manages the prison outreach program and support the health of the community. In addition, she is a photographer, technical consultant, thanks donors, and creates flyers and other graphics. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/ven-thubten-jigme/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023])bten-jigme/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023]))
  • Tsepal, T.  + (Venerable Tenzin Tsepal was a student of VVenerable Tenzin Tsepal was a student of Venerable Chodron’s in Seattle from 1995 to 1999 and attended the Life as a Western Buddhist Nun conference in Bodhgaya as a lay supporter. Her interest in ordination surfaced after she completed a three-month Vajrasattva retreat in 1998.</br></br>She then lived in India for two years while continuing to explore monastic life. In 2001, Ven. Tsepal received sramanerika ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She received bhikshuni ordination at Fu En Si Temple in Taiwan in 2019.</br></br>While Venerable Tsepal was in India, some Australian friends introduced her to the five-year Buddhist Studies Program at Chenrezig Institute (CI), an FPMT center north of Brisbane, Queensland where she subsequently lived and engaged in intensive residential study from 2002-2015. As the Western Teacher at CI, she tutored weekend teachings and retreats, and taught the Discovering Buddhism courses, but always had her eye on what was happening at the Abbey.</br></br>In January 2016, Venerable Tsepal returned to the U.S. to participate in Sravasti Abbey’s winter retreat, and subsequently joined the community the following September.</br></br>Prior to ordaining, Ven. Tsepal completed a degree in Dental Hygiene, and then pursued graduate school in hospital administration at the University of Washington. Not finding happiness in 60 hour work weeks, she was self-employed for 10 years as a Reiki teacher and practitioner.</br></br>At the Abbey, Venerable Tsepal leads the Guest Care team. She is also compiling and editing the many years of Venerable Chodron’s teachings on monastic training, and leads reviews of philosophical tenets for the community. She helps out with painting and forest work too. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/venerable-tenzin-tsepal/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023])zin-tsepal/ Source Accessed May 16, 2023]))
  • Kunga, T.  + (Venerable Thubten Kunga grew up bi-culturaVenerable Thubten Kunga grew up bi-culturally as the daughter of a Filipino immigrant in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.</br></br>She received a BA in Sociology from the University of Virginia and an MA from George Mason University in Public Administration before working for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Refugees, Population, and Migration for seven years. She also worked in a psychologist’s office and a community-building non-profit organization.</br></br>Venerable Kunga met Buddhism in college during an anthropology course and knew it was the path she had been looking for, but did not begin seriously practicing until 2014. She was affiliated with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and the Guyhasamaja FPMT center in Fairfax, VA.</br></br>Realizing that the peace of mind experienced in meditation was the true happiness she was looking for, she traveled to Nepal in 2016 to teach English and took refuge at Kopan Monastery.</br></br>Shortly thereafter she attended the Exploring Monastic Life retreat at the Abbey and felt she had found a new home, returning a few months later to stay as a long-term guest, followed by anagarika (trainee) ordination in July 2017 and novice ordination in May 2019. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/venerable-thubten-kunga/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023])bten-kunga/ Source Accessed May 17, 2023]))
  • Scott, V.  + (Victoria R. M. Scott has an M.A. in BuddhiVictoria R. M. Scott has an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Yale University. She has freelance edited since 1984, with an emphasis on the history, religion, art, and literature of Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea; she also edits for scholars whose work delves into the history of Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world.</br></br>A longtime student of Her Eminence Jetsun Kusho and His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin, Victoria has edited all the Sapan Fund’s books to date (see Publications). She has also edited volumes published by the Library of Tibetan Classics, Dechen Ling Press, and Awakening Vajra Publications, as well as by Brill, Harvard, Stanford, and other academic presses. She edited ''Hermit of Go Cliffs'' (Wisdom, 2000), by Cyrus Stearns, and assisted with the publication of ''A Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche'' (Wisdom, 2003), by David P. Jackson. ([https://www.sapanfund.org/pages/about.php Source Accessed Aug 8, 2023])es/about.php Source Accessed Aug 8, 2023]))
  • Schubring, W.  + (Walter Schubring (10 December 1881 – 13 ApWalter Schubring (10 December 1881 – 13 April 1969) was a German Indologist who studied Jain canons written in Prakrit and wrote several major translations. Earlier western works on Jainism had mostly examined later texts in Sanskrit.</br></br>Schubring was born in Lübeck where his father Julius was headmaster of the Katharineum. He matriculated from the Katharineum in 1900. He discovered a dictionary of Sanskrit in the library of his father which imbued an early interest in oriental languages. He then went to Munich and Strassburg Universities, receiving a doctorate in 1904 under the supervision of Ernst Leumann with a dissertation on the Kalpasutra (rules for Jain monks). He then worked as a librarian at Berlin and habilitated in 1918 with a monograph on the Mahānisīha-Sutta. In 1920 he succeed Sten Konow as professor at the University of Hamburg. He cataloged Jain texts in European libraries, studied Śvetāmbara Jainism and wrote another work on the teaching of the Jainas in 1935 which was translated into English in 1962. Frank-Richard Hamm was one of his students. During World War II, he taught Sanskrit to Louis Dumont who was then a prisoner of war in Hamburg. Schubring edited the ''Journal of the German Oriental Society'' from 1922 and visited India in 1927-28 along with Heinrich Lüders spending time in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona. He retired in 1951 but continued research until his death from an accident at Hamburg.</br></br>In 1933 he was one of the signatories to the Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State.</br></br>Writings<br></br>Schubring's works include:</br></br>*Mahaviras. Kritische Übersetzung aus dem Kanon der Jaina. Verlag Vandenhoeck & Rubrecht, Göttingen 1926.</br>*Die Jainas. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr 1927</br>*Die Lehre der Jainas: Nach den alten Quellen. Berlin, Leipzig: de Gruyter 1935</br>*The Doctrine of the Jainas: Described After the Old Sources. Translated from the revised German edition by Wolfgang Beurlen. Reprint. First published in 1962. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass 1995. ISBN 81-208-0933-5.</br>*Die Jaina-Handschriften der Preussischen Staatsbibliothek: Neuerwerbungen seit 1891. Leipzig: Harrassowitz 1944</br>*Der Jainismus. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer 1964</br>*The Religion of the Jainas. Transl. from the German by Amulyachandra Sen; T. C. Burke. Calcutta: Sanskrit College 1966. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_Schubring Source Accessed Dec 7, 2023])wiki/Walther_Schubring Source Accessed Dec 7, 2023]))
  • Wayman, A.  + (Wayman joined Columbia in 1966 as a visitiWayman joined Columbia in 1966 as a visiting associate professor of religion. In 1967, he was appointed professor of Sanskrit in the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, a position he held until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure, Wayman taught classes in classical Sanskrit, Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit, Indian and Tibetan Religions and the history of astrology.</br></br>While at Columbia, he was a member of the administrative committee of the Southern Asian Institute. He also served as senior editor of The Buddhist Traditions Series (with 30 volumes to date) published by Motilal Banarsidass in Delhi, India.</br></br>Wayman authored 12 books, including ''Buddhist Tantric Systems'', ''Untying the Knots in Buddhism'', ''Enlightenment of Vairocana'', and ''A Millennium of Buddhist Logic''. He co-authored a translation of the 3rd-century Buddhist scripture ''Lion's Roar of Queen Shrimala'' with his wife, Hideko. Her knowledge of Chinese and Japanese sources complemented his research and translation of Sanskrit and Tibetan sources.</br></br>An honorary volume, titled ''Researches in Indian and Buddhist Philosophy (essays in honor of Prof. Alex Wayman)'', edited by Ram Karan Sharma, was published in 1993 to commemorate the many years that Wayman devoted to scholarly research on Indian topics. ([https://lists.h-net.org/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-asia&month=0411&week=b&msg=Mjh17lJ%2B2gHmOKM2On16yg&user=&pw= Source Accessed Aug 10, 2020])]2B2gHmOKM2On16yg&user=&pw= Source Accessed Aug 10, 2020])])
  • Magee, W.  + (William Magee received a Ph.D. in History William Magee received a Ph.D. in History of Religions from the University of Virginia in 1998.</br></br>Magee was the author of several books and articles including ''The Nature of Things: Emptiness and Essence in the Geluk World'', and is co-author of ''Fluent Tibetan: A Proficiency-Oriented Learning System''. He was an Associate Professor at Dharma Drum Buddhist College in Jinshan, Taiwan. He is currently teaching at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon.</br></br>Magee served as Vice-President of the UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies. ([https://uma-tibet.org/author-magee.html Source Accessed April 1, 2020])</br></br>'''OBITUARY FROM 22 FEBRUARY, 2023''' (by Paul Hackett on H-Buddhism):</br></br>It is with great sadness that I must inform you that William Magee passed away at his home in Portland (OR) last night, peacefully, and in the company of his friends and family.</br></br>Known as “Bill” to his friends and colleagues alike, Bill Magee began his studies of the Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy in the mid-1980s with the ven. Geshe Jampel Thardo, for whom he subsequently served as translator. Shortly afterward, Bill entered the Ph.D. program of studies in Tibetan Buddhism at the University of Virginia under Jeffrey Hopkins, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1998, writing his dissertation on the subject of “nature” (svabhāva / prakṛti) in the thought of Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and Tsong-kha-pa. </br></br>Over the years, Bill taught at the Namgyal Institute in Ithaca, New York, at Dharma Drum Buddhist College in Jinshan, Taiwan, and at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon. He is perhaps most well-known, however, for teaching the Summer Tibetan Language Intensive courses at the University of Virginia from 1988 to 2000, during which time he taught the fundamentals of the Tibetan language to hundreds of students, many of whom would go on to pursue advanced studies in the field.</br></br>Bill was renown for jovial disposition and his kindness and generosity toward others, routinely opening his home to students and monks alike, and with his wife, Rabia, generously cared for, fed, and housed any and all who appeared at their door.</br></br>Even after retiring from teaching the summer language intensives at UVa, throughout the years that followed, Bill’s passion for the Tibetan language remained, and during the COVID pandemic, Bill used his personal funds to revive the Dharma Farm institute (thedharmafarm.net) and began offering free classes online in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy.</br></br>Bill continued to translate and publish research on Buddhist philosophy, authoring several works on the thought of Jamyang Shepa (1648-1721), and publishing them freely online under the auspices of Jeffrey Hopkins’s UMA Institute (uma-tibet.org).</br></br>Bill is survived by his wife (Rabia), his son (Tristan), and his daughter (Meri). He was 72 years old. his daughter (Meri). He was 72 years old.)
  • De Bary, W.  + (William Theodore de Bary (Chinese: 狄培理; piWilliam Theodore de Bary (Chinese: 狄培理; pinyin: Dí Péilǐ; August 9, 1919 – July 14, 2017) was an American Sinologist and scholar of East Asian philosophy who was a professor and administrator at Columbia University for nearly 70 years.</br></br>De Bary graduated from Columbia College in 1941, where he was a student in the first year of Columbia's famed Literature Humanities course. He then briefly took up graduate studies at Harvard University before leaving to serve in American military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre of World War Two. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Columbia, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1953.</br></br>In order to create text books for the non-Western version of the Columbia humanities course, he drew together teams of scholars to translate original source material, ''Sources of Chinese Tradition'' (1960), ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', and ''Sources of Indian Tradition''. His extensive publications made the case for the universality of Asian values and a tradition of democratic values in Confucianism. He is recognized as training the graduate students and mentoring the scholars who created the field of Neo-Confucian studies. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wm._Theodore_de_Bary Source Accessed July 18, 2023])re_de_Bary Source Accessed July 18, 2023]))
  • Chos brdzu mkhan  + (Wrote an interlinear commentary on the ''BWrote an interlinear commentary on the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' titled ''Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa'i rnam par bshad pa dam pa'i zhal lung rmongs pa'i mun sel''. His commentary on chapter 9 has a separate title called ''Shes rab le'u'i brjed byang dam pa'i zhal lung rmongs pa'i mun sel''. dam pa'i zhal lung rmongs pa'i mun sel''.)
  • Huikai  + (Wumen Huikai. (J. Mumon Ekai; K. Mumun HyeWumen Huikai. (J. Mumon Ekai; K. Mumun Hyegae 無門慧開) (1183-1260). In Chinese, "Gateless, Opening of Wisdom"; Chan master in the Linji zong; author of the eponymous ''Wumen guan'' ("Gateless Checkpoint"), one of the two most important collections of Chan gong'an (J. kōan; K. kongan). A native of Hangzhou prefecture in present-day Zhejiang province, Huikai was ordained by the monk "One Finger" Tianlong (d.u.), who also hailed from Hangzhou (see also Yizhi Chan). Wumen later went to the monastery of Wanshousi in Jiangsu province to study with Yuelin Shiguan (1143-1217), from whom Huikai received the ''wu gong'an'' of Zhao zhou Congshen; Huikai is said to have struggled with this gong’an for six years. In 1218, Huikai traveled to Baoyinsi on Mt. Anji, where he succeeded Yuelin as abbot. He subsequently served as abbot at such monasteries as Tianningsi, Pujisi, Kaiyuansi, and Baoningsi. In 1246, Huikai was appointed as abbot of Huguo Renwangsi in Hangzhou prefecture, and it is here that the Japanese Zen monk Shinichi Kakushin studied under him. Emperor Lizong (r. 1224–1264) invited Huikai to provide a</br>sermon at the Pavilion of Mysterious Virtue in the imperial palace and also to pray for rain. In honor of his achievements, the emperor bestowed upon him a golden robe and the title Chan master Foyan (Dharma Eye). (Source: "Wumen Huikai." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 1002. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Wenhui, Y.  + (Yang Wenhui. (J. Yō Bunkai; K. Yang MunhoeYang Wenhui. (J. Yō Bunkai; K. Yang Munhoe 楊文會) (1837-1911). Chinese Buddhist layman at the end of the Qing dynasty, renowned for his efforts to revitalize modern Chinese Buddhism. A native of Anhui province, Yang fled from the Taiping Rebellion to Hangzhou prefecture. In 1862, he serendipitously acquired a copy of the ''Dasheng qixin lun'' ("Awakening of Faith According to the Mahāyāna") and became interested in Buddhism. In 1878, he traveled to England, where he served at the Chinese Embassy in London, befriending the Japanese Buddhist scholar Nanjō Bun’yū (1849-1927), who helped him to acquire Chinese Buddhist texts that had been preserved in Japan. After his return to China, Yang established a publishing press called the Jingling Kejing Chu and published more than three thousand Buddhist scriptures. In 1893, Anagārika Dharmapāla visited Yang in Shanghai. In 1894, Yang and the British missionary Timothy Richard translated the ''Dasheng qixin lun'' into English. In 1907, the Jingling Kejing Chu began to publish primers of Buddhism in various languages. In 1910, Yang also founded the Fojiao Yanjiu Hui (Buddhist Research Society), where he regularly lectured until his death in 1911. (Source: "Yang Wenhui." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 1022. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • O'Hearn, P.  + (Yeshe Gyamtso completed two three-year retYeshe Gyamtso completed two three-year retreats in the 1980s at Kagyu Thubten Chöling in Wappingers Falls, NY. Since then he has taught, interpreted for several Tibetan Buddhist teachers, translated a number of biographies of Buddhist historical figures, and written two books on Buddhist practice. Recent translations include Luminous Clarity (2016), Shower of Blessings (2015), and Siddhas of Ga (2013). (Source: 2017 Translation & Transmission Conference)017 Translation & Transmission Conference))
  • Ye shes mtsho rgyal  + (Yeshe Tsogyal was the principal consort ofYeshe Tsogyal was the principal consort of Guru Padmasambhava. She was Vajravarahi in human form and also an emanation of Tara and Buddhalochana.</br>She was born as a princess in the clan of Kharchen. According to some accounts her father was called Namkha Yeshe and her mother was Gewa Bum. In other histories, such as the Zanglingma and the biography revealed by Taksham Nüden Dorje, her father is named as Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk, who is otherwise said to have been her brother. Yet another version names her father as Tökar Lek and her mother as Gyalmo Tso.</br></br>She became the consort of King Trisong Detsen before being offered to Guru Rinpoche as a mandala offering during an empowerment. She specialized in the practice of Vajrakilaya and experienced visions of the deity and gained accomplishment. In Nepal, she paid a ransom for Acharya Salé and took him as her spiritual consort. Through the power of her unfailing memory, she collected all the teachings given by Guru Rinpoche in Tibet and concealed them as terma. At the end of her life, it is said, she flew through the air and went directly to Zangdokpalri. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Yeshe_Tsogyal Rigpa Wiki])index.php?title=Yeshe_Tsogyal Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Yijing  + (Yijing. (J. Gijō; K. Ǔijǒng 義淨) (635-713).Yijing. (J. Gijō; K. Ǔijǒng 義淨) (635-713). Chinese Buddhist monk and pilgrim. Ordained at the age of twenty, Yijing dreamed of following in the footsteps of the renowned pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang. He eventually set out for India in 671 via the Southern maritime route. After visiting the major Indian pilgrimage sites (see mahāsthāna), Yijing traveled to the monastic university at Nālandā, where he remained for the next ten years. On his return trip to China, Yijing stopped at Śrīvijaya (Palembang in Sumatra) to continue his studies. He praised the monks there for their high level of learning, describing them as primarily Hīnayāna in affiliation. It was in Śrīvijaya that he began to compose his record of his travels, the ''Nanhai jigui neifa zhuan'', which remains an important source on the practice of Buddhism in the many regions where he traveled and for understanding the various nikāya affiliations of the period. It was also during his time in Śrīvijaya that Yijing began his translation of the massive ''Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya''. When he ran out of paper and ink, he made a brief trip back to China in 689 to retrieve more writing supplies and then returned to Śrīvijaya. After a thirty=year sojourn overseas, Yijing finally returned to China in 695 with some four hundred Sanskrit texts and three hundred grains of the Buddha's relics (''śarīra''). Yijing was warmly welcomed in the capital of Luoyang by Empress Wu Zetian, who appointed him to the monastery of Foshoujisi. Later, from 695 to 699, Yijing participated in Śikṣānanda's new translation of the ''Avataṃsakasūtra'' and devoted the next decade or so to the translation of the scriptures that he had brought back with him from India. In addition to the ''Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya'', his translations also include several important Yogācāra treatises and tantras. His writings also include a collection of the biographies of renowned East Asian Buddhist pilgrims to India, the Da Tang xiyu qiufa gaoseng zhuan. (Source: "Yijing." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 1028. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Larson, Z.  + (Zach Larson is a practitioner in the LongcZach Larson is a practitioner in the Longchen Nyingthig lineage of the Nyingma School, who works as a translator, editor and author. He was born in 1978 in Wisconsin and received a BA in "Buddhism and Politics" at UW-Madison in 2001 after a year-long study-abroad program in Kathmandu, Nepal in which he met his first teacher, Changling Tulku Rinpoche of Shechen Monastery, with whom he studied the Longchen Nyinthig preliminaries for six months. While working on the research project "Nonviolence in Tibetan Culture: A glimpse at how Tibetans view and practice nonviolence in politics and daily life," he met and received profound blessings from Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche and offered to compile and translate teachings by him in the coming years. Chatral Rinpoche approved of the idea, and Larson returned to Wisconsin to study Tibetan language and Buddhism for three years at the UW-Madison Graduate School. He returned to Nepal in 2004 and compiled, edited, and translated Chatral Rinpoche's biography and teachings into the book ''Compassionate Action: The Teachings of Chatral Rinpoche'', which was published by Shechen Publications in New Delhi in 2005.</br></br>Larson attended the full Nyingma Kama Wang with Trulshik Rinpoche in the winter of 2004 in Boudha and received the Kunsang Lama'i Shelung empowerment from Tsetrul Rinpoche in January 2005.</br></br>Snow Lion Publications released an expanded and updated version of ''Compassionate Action'' in 2007. The book has since been translated into Spanish (2009), Indonesian (2009), and Russian (2010). ([https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Zachary_Larson Source Accessed Nov 21, 2023])hary_Larson Source Accessed Nov 21, 2023]))
  • Zaya Pandita  + (Zaya Pandita or Namkhaijamts (1599–1662) wZaya Pandita or Namkhaijamts (1599–1662) was a Buddhist missionary priest and scholar of Oirat origin who is the most prominent Oirat Buddhist scholar. Among his accomplishments is the invention of the Clear Script.</br></br>Zaya Pandita was the fifth son of Babakhan, a minor Khoshut prince. After Babakhan converted to Tibetan Buddhism in the early 17th century, he, like many other Oirat princes, wished for one of his sons to enter the Buddhist clergy. In pursuit of his wish, Babakhan chose Zaya to become a śrāmaṇera ("novice monk"). In 1615, Zaya journeyed to Lhasa where he would study and practice Buddhism, including study under the guidance of the Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, 4th Panchen Lama.</br></br>In 1638, Zaya Pandita left Tibet at the direction of the Panchen Lama to conduct missionary work among the Mongols. One year later in 1640, he assisted Erdeni Batur, Khun Taiyishi of the Choros (Oirats) tribe, in assembling a pan-Mongol conference between the Oirat and the Khalkha Mongols. The purpose of the conference was to encourage the formation of a united Mongolian front against potential external enemies, such as the Kazakhs, Manchus, and Russians and to settle all internal matters peacefully. The conference produced a code, which provided protection from foreign aggression to both the Oirat and the Khalkha and guaranteed the free movement of people throughout Mongol land.</br></br>When not engaged in diplomacy between the Oirat and the Khalkha, Zaya Pandita spread Tibetan Buddhism to the Oirats, the Khalkha and even the Kalmyk people in far away Russia. In furtherance of his missionary work, Zaya Pandita composed a new alphabet, based on the traditional Mongolian alphabet, called "Clear script" (''todo bichig'') to transcribe the Oirat language as it is pronounced. By doing so, Zaya Pandita eliminated the ambiguities of the traditional Mongolian alphabet.</br></br>From the time Zaya Pandita developed the Clear Script in 1648 until his death in 1662, he translated approximately 186 Buddhist texts from Tibetan language to the Oirat language while still serving the religious needs of the Oirat tribes in Dzungaria.</br></br>The todo bichig script is still used by Oirats in Xinjiang with slight revisions, and is taught alongside standard classical written Mongolian in that region. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaya_Pandita Source Accessed Oct 6, 2023])</br></br>According to Fredrick Liland, "The Oirat scholar Zaya Pandita (1599-1662) according to his biography made a new translation of the BCA. Zaya Pandita was influential in spreading the Buddhist faith also among the Kalmyks, a Mongolian people who migrated to the shore of the Caspian Sea in the 17th Century. He is said to have translated a large number of texts into the Oirat/Kalmyk language, so it is quite likely that the BCA was among these. The translation of Zaya Pandita has however not been found. (Source: Liland, Fredrik. "Later Editions and Translations." In "The Transmission of the Bodhicaryāvatāra: The History, Diffusion, and Influence of a Mahāyāna Buddhist Text," 49–58. MA thesis, University of Oslo, 2009.)–58. MA thesis, University of Oslo, 2009.))
  • Goddard, V.  + (Zuisei is a writer and lay Zen teacher basZuisei is a writer and lay Zen teacher based in Playa del Carmen in the south of Mexico. Zuisei lived and trained full time at Zen Mountain Monastery from 1995 to 2018, and was a monk for fourteen of those years. In 2018 she received ''shiho'' or dharma transmission (empowerment to teach) from Geoffrey Shugen Arnold Roshi, and after a short stint in New York City, moved back to Mexico, where she is originally from, and began teaching virtually.</br></br>She has served as the Teachings Editor at the Buddhist journal ''Tricycle'', and her dharma writing has been featured there as well as in ''Lion's Roar'', ''Buddhadharma'', and ''Parabola''. Her books include ''Still Running: The Art of Meditation in Motion'' and the children's book ''Weather Any Storm''. </br></br>As Ocean Mind Sangha's Guiding Teacher, Zuisei continues to welcome students for group and private teaching. ([https://www.oceanmindsangha.org/zuisei-goddard Source Accessed April 25, 2024])i-goddard Source Accessed April 25, 2024]))
  • Patel, P.  + ([Prabhubhai Bhikhabhai Patel] belonged to [Prabhubhai Bhikhabhai Patel] belonged to a peasant family of Kunabi caste and was born at Sarpor-Pardi of the district of Surat in 1906. He had one sister and five brothers, he himself being the fourth. His father was Sri Bhikhabhai and mother Srimati Benabai. His education began at the village school of Satem and</br>thence he was sent with his nephew Sri Govindaji Bhulabhai Patel, now a Homeopathic Physician at</br>Navasari, to the Central Boarding School of Supa. It was a village middle school. </br></br>After his reading up to Matriculation came the call of Mahatma Gandhi for triple boycott of schools and colleges, Government Law Courts and foreign cloths. This was in 1919. Having given up school he joined a National School at Surat and from that time till his death he used to put on ''khaddar'' [homespun cotton cloth of India].</br></br>After two years in 1921 he went to the Gujarat Vidyapith, the National University founded by Mahatma Gandhi, and plunged deep in Congress ideology. There he came under the influence of such leaders and thinkers as Principal A. T. Gidwani, Acharya J. B. Kripalani, Kaka Kalelkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and</br>Prof. Dharmananda Kausambi. The last-named teacher impressed upon him the glory of the ancient lore of</br>India.</br></br>Prabhubhai then come to Visva-bharati, Santiniketan with some other students from that part of the country. Indeed, it was owing to his personal influence that at that time a good number of Gujarati students came to Santiniketan and joined the different departments of Visva-bharati. In due time Prabhubhai was admitted to the Yidya-bhavana, the Research Department of the institution of which I was then the Principal. I had there the good fortune of teaching students coming not only from the different parts of the country, but also from such distant lands as Japan and Germany.</br></br>As a student Prabhubhai endeared himself to all his teachers and inmates of the Asrama including our revered Gurudeva, Rabindranath. He was very intelligent and promising. In the Vidya-bhavana he was one of those students who studied under my personal guidance and I felt fortunate and proud to have him as a pupil. His subject of study here was Buddhism with special reference to its Tibetan and Chinese sources.</br></br>Here in Yisva-bharati he lived for more than seven years and made it almost his permanent home. Once again come the call from Mahatma Gandhi, and Prabhubhai left his studies for the time being in order to serve his motherland and courted arrest and was imprisoned. This proved too much for him, for after two years of jail life he came out a total wreck in health. His robust constitution broke down and he developed hemiplagia from a little strain in his spine. Best of India's doctors, physicians, surgeons and specialists in nature-cure could do no better than giving some temporary relief. He removed to the house of his nephew Dr. G. B. Patel, already referred to, at Navasari. He was now a complete invalid, crippled and confined to his wheel-chair and bed, but his mind was clear till the end which came on the 30th December, 1942. He was taken to his village home where he breathed his last after an agony of red sores and now lies buried in his family land. He remained unmarried after the divorce from his wife with whom he was married at a very tender age according to the social custom prevailing there at the time. (Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya, foreword to ''Cittavisuddhiprakarana of Aryadeva'', vi–vii)tavisuddhiprakarana of Aryadeva'', vi–vii))
  • Mkhan chen zla zer  + (he was from Rahor, a branch of Dzogchen mohe was from Rahor, a branch of Dzogchen monastery founded by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche in Gyalrong near Dergé. He was a student of Pöpa Tulku. He escaped from Tibet together with his former classmate Rahor Khenpo Tupten and went together with him to Sikkim via Bhutan.</br></br>He taught at Namdroling in South India, where he also compiled a collection of prayers and liturgies used in Nyingma rituals, and eventually returned to Tibet, where he taught at the Shri Singha Shedra at Dzogchen Monastery. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Khenpo_Daw%C3%A9_%C3%96zer Source Accessed on January 24, 2024])</br></br>'''Read more: '''</br>:Marilyn Silverstone, 'Five Nyingmapa Lamas in Sikkim', Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies, 1973, vol. 1.1</br>:Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems, Padma Publishing, 2005, p. 480</br></br>'''Writings:'''</br>*དོན་རྣམ་འགྲེལ་པ་ལུང་རིགས་དོ་ཤལ་, don rnam 'grel pa lung rigs do shal (Necklace of Scripture and Reasoning: A Commentary on Mipham Rinpoche's Sword of Wisdom for Thoroughly Ascertaining Reality, ཤེས་རབ་རལ་གྲི་དོན་རྣམ་ངེས) (composed in 1982): https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:MW1KG4451</br>*ཆོས་སྤྱོད་བསྡུས་པ་ཕན་བདེའི་དགའ་སྟོན་, chos spyod bsdus pa phan bde'i dga' ston (editor)yod bsdus pa phan bde'i dga' ston (editor))
  • Ǔich'ǒn  + (Ǔich'ǒn. (C. Yitian) (1055-1101). Korean pǓich'ǒn. (C. Yitian) (1055-1101). Korean prince, monk, and bibliophile, and putative founder of the Ch’ōnt’ae chong (C. Tiantai zong) in Korea. Ǔich'ǒn was born the fourth son of the Koryǔ king Munjong (r. 1047-1082). In 1065, Ǔich'ǒn was ordained by the royal preceptor (wangsa) Kyǒngdǒk Nanwǒn (999-1066) at the royal monastery of Yǒngt’ongsa in the Koryǒ capital of Kaesǒng. Under Nanwǒn, Ǔich'ǒn studied</br>the teachings of the ''Avatamsakasūtra'' and its various commentaries. In 1067, at the age of twelve, Ǔich'ǒn was appointed 'saṃgha overseer' (K. sǔngt’ong; C. sengtong). Ǔich'ǒn is known on several occasions to have requested permission from his royal father to travel abroad to China, but the king consistently denied his request. Finally, in 1085, Ǔich'ǒn secretly boarded a Chinese trading ship and traveled to the mainland against his father’s wishes. Ǔich'ǒn is said to have spent about fourteen months abroad studying under various teachers. His father sent his friend and colleague Nakchin (1045-1114) after Ǔich'ǒn, but they ended up studying together with the Huayan teacher Jingyuan (1011-1088) of Huiyinsi in Hangzhou. Ǔich'ǒn and Nakchin returned to Korea in 1086 with numerous texts that Ǔich'ǒn acquired during his sojourn in China. While residing as the abbot of the new monastery of Hǔngwangsa in the capital, Ǔich'ǒn devoted his time to teaching his disciples and collecting works from across East Asia, including the Khitan Liao kingdom. He sent agents throughout the region to collect copies of the indigenous writings of East Asian Buddhists, which he considered to be the equal of works by the bodhisattva exegetes of the imported Indian scholastic tradition. A large monastic library known as Kyojang Togam was established at Hǔngwangsa to house the texts that Ǔich'ǒn collected. In 1090, Ǔich'ǒn published a bibliographical catalogue of the texts housed at Hǔngwangsa, entitled ''Sinp'yǒn chejong kyojang ch’ongnok'' ('Comprehensive Catalogue of the Doctrinal Repository of All the Schools'), which lists some 1,010 titles in 4,740 rolls. The Hǔngwangsa collection of texts was carved on woodblocks and titled the ''Koryǒ sokchanggyǒng'' ("Koryǒ Supplement to the Canon"), which was especially important for its inclusion of a broad cross section of the writings of East Asian Buddhist teachers. (The one exception was works associated with the Chan or Sǒn tradition, which Ǔich'ǒn refused to collect because of their "many heresies.") Unfortunately, the xylographs of the supplementary canon were burned during the Mongol invasion of Koryǒ in 1231, and many of the works included in the collection are now lost and known only</br>through their reference in Ǔich'ǒn’s catalogue. In 1097, Ǔich'ǒn was appointed the founding abbot of the new monastery of Kukch’ǒngsa (named after the renowned Chinese monastery of Guoqingsi on Mt. Tiantai). There, he began to teach Ch'ǒnt’ae thought and practice and is said to have attracted more than a</br>thousand students. Ǔich'ǒn seems to have seen the Tiantai/Ch’ǒnt’ae synthesis of meditation and doctrine as a possible means of reconciling the Sǒn and doctrinal (kyo) traditions in Korea. Ǔich'ǒn’s efforts have subsequently been regarded as the official foundation of the Ch’ǒnt’ae school in Korea; however, it seems Ǔich'ǒn was not actually attempting to start a new school, but merely to reestablish the study of Ch’ǒnt’ae texts in Korea. He was awarded the posthumous title of state preceptor (K. kuksa; C. Guoshi) Taegak (Great Enlightenment). (Source: "Ǔich'ǒn." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 935–36. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa'i rdo rje  + (1708. founds bkra shis 'khyil rgyal rabs l1708. founds bkra shis 'khyil</br>rgyal rabs lo tshigs shes bya mang 'dus mkhas pa'i spyi nor (p. 357)</br>1668. To Dbus and enters 'Bras-spungs Sgo-mang.</br>1674. Final ordination from 5th DL.</br>1676. Enters Rgyud Smad.</br>1680. Meditates at Ri-bo Dge-'phel.</br>1690. Becomes bla-ma [abbot] of 'Bras-spungs Sgo-mang.</br>Attempts to make peace between the Sde-srid and Lha-bzang Khan.</br>1709. Founds the Bkra-shis-'khyil Monastery with the patronage of Ju-nang Dpon.</br>1720. Granted title PaNDi-ta-e-rti-no-min-han by the Gong-ma Khang-shis Rgyal-po.</br>Year of death 1721 or 1722 (according to Ming mdzod); dates according to Tshad ma'i 'byung khungs: 1648-1722.</br>Gsung-'bum in 15 volumes.ungs: 1648-1722. Gsung-'bum in 15 volumes.)
  • A paM gter ston chos dbyings rdo rje  + ('''Apang Terchen Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa (189'''Apang Terchen Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa (1895-1945)'''</br></br>Choktrul Lozang Tendzin of Trehor studied with the lord Kunga Palden and the Chö</br>master Dharma Seng-gé, and Apang Terchen in turn studied with Lozang Tendzin.</br>Apang Terchen, also known as Orgyen Trinlé Lingpa, was renowned as the rebirth of</br>Rigdzin Gödem. He was reputed to have been conceived in the following way: Traktung</br>Dudjom Lingpa focused his enlightened intent while resting in the basic space</br>of timeless awareness, whereupon Apang Terchen's mother experienced an intense</br>surge of delight. This caused all ordinary concepts based on confusion to be arrested</br>in her mind for a short time, and it was then that Apang Terchen was conceived in her</br>womb.2 From that moment on, his mother constantly had dreams that were amazing</br>omens. For example, she found herself among groups of dakinis enjoying the splendor</br>of ganachakras, or being bathed by many dakas and dakinis, or dwelling in pavilions</br>of light, illuminating the entire world with her radiance.</br></br>The child was born one morning at dawn, in the area of Serta in eastern Tibet, his</br>mother having experienced no discomfort. Her dwelling was filled with [2.188a] and</br>surrounded by light, as though the sun were shining brightly. There were also pavilions</br>of light, and a fragrance pervaded the entire area, although no one could tell</br>where it came from. Everyone saw numerous amazing signs on the child's body, such</br>as a tuft of vulture feathers adorning the crown of his head.3 The mother's brother,</br>Sönam Dorjé, asked, "What will become of this boy who has no father? How shameful</br>it would be if people saw these feathers!"4 But although he cut the feather tuft</br>off the child's head several times, it grew back on its own, just as before. This upset</br>Sönam Dorjé even more, and he berated his sister angrily, saying on numerous occasions,</br>"How could your child have no father? You must tell me who he is!" His</br>sister retorted, "With the truth of karma as my witness, I swear I have never lain with</br>a flesh-and-blood man of this world. This pregnancy might be a result of my own</br>karma." She became so extremely depressed that her fellow villagers couldn't bear it</br>and used various means to bring a halt to her brother's inappropriate behavior.</br></br>From an early age, this great master, Apang Terchen, felt an innate and unshakable</br>faith in Guru Rinpoché and had a clear and natural knowledge [2.188b] of the ''vajra guru'' </br>mantra and the Seven-Line Supplication. He learned how to read and write</br>simply upon being shown the letters and exhibited incredible signs of his spiritual potential</br>awakening. For example, his intelligence, which had been developed through</br>training in former lifetimes, was such that no one could compete with him. As he</br>grew up, he turned his attention toward seeking the quintessential meaning of life.</br>He studied at the feet of many teachers and mentors, including the Nyingtik master</br>Gyatsok Lama Damlo and Terchen Sogyal, studying many of the mainstream traditions</br>of the sutras and tantras, especially those of the kama and terma.</br></br>The most extraordinary lord of his spiritual family was Trehor Drakar Tulku,5</br>with whom he studied for a long time, receiving the complete range of empowerments,</br>oral transmissions, and pith instructions of the secret Nyingtik cycles of utter lucidity.</br>He went to solitary ravines throughout the region, making caves and overhangs</br>on cliffs his dwelling places, taking birds and wild animals as his companions, and</br>relying on the most ragged clothing and meager diet. He planted the victory banner</br>of spiritual practice, meditating for a long period of time. He was graced by visions of</br>an enormous array of his personal meditation deities, [2.189a] including Tara, Avalokiteshvara,</br>Mañjushri, Sarasvati, and Amitayus. He was not content to leave the</br>true nature of phenomena an object of intellectual speculation, and his realization</br>progressed in leaps and bounds.</br></br>Apang Terchen bound the eight classes of gods and demons — including such spirits</br>as Nyenchen Tanglha, Ma Pomra, and Sergyi Drong-ri Mukpo6 — to his service.</br>He communicated directly with Tsiu Marpo, the white form of Mahakala, Ganapati,</br>and other protective deities, like one person conversing with another, and enjoined</br>them to carry out his enlightened activities. So great was his might that he also bound</br>these protective deities to his service, causing lightning to strike and so forth, so that</br>those who had become his enemies were checked by very direct means, before years,</br>months, or even days had passed.</br></br>Notably, he beheld the great master of Orgyen in a vision and was blessed as the</br>regent of Guru Padmakara's three secret aspects. On the basis of a prophecy he received</br>at that time, Apang Terchen journeyed to amazing holy sites, such as Draklha</br>Gönpo in Gyalrong, Khandro Bumdzong in the lowlands of eastern Tibet, and Dorjé</br>Treldzong in Drakar, where he revealed countless terma caches consisting of teachings,</br>objects of wealth, and sacred substances. He revealed some of them in secret,</br>others in the presence of large crowds. In these ways, he revealed a huge trove of profound</br>termas. [2.189b] Those revealed publicly were brought forth in the presence of</br>many fortunate people and in conjunction with truly incredible omens, which freed</br>all present from the bonds of doubt and inspired unshakable faith in them. Apang</br>Terchen's fame as an undisputed siddha and tertön resounded throughout the land, as</br>though powerful enough to cause the earth to quake. His terma teachings are found</br>in the numerous volumes of his collected works and include ''The Hidden Treasure of Enlightened Mind: The Thirteen Red Deities'', </br>practices focusing on the Three Roots, cycles concerning guardian deities and the </br>principle of enlightened activity, and his large instruction manual on Dzogchen teachings.</br></br>Apang Terchen's students, from Dartsedo in the east, to Repkong in Amdo to the</br>north, to the three regions of Golok and other areas, included mentors who nurtured</br>the teachings and beings, masters such as those known as the "four great illuminators</br>of the teachings," the "four vajra ridgepoles,11 the "four named Gyatso," the "great</br>masters, the paired sun and moon," and Jangchub Dorjé (the custodian of Apang</br>Terchen's termas).7 He also taught important political figures who exerted great</br>influence over the people of their areas, including the "four great chieftains of the</br>region of Dza in the north," [2.190a] that is, Getsé Tsering Dorjé of Dza in the northern</br>reaches of eastern Tibet, Gönlha of Akyong in Golok, Mewa Namlo of the Mé</br>region of Golok, and the chieftain of Serta in Washul. Apang Terchen's students also</br>included countless monks, nuns, villagers, and lay tantric practitioners. He transmitted</br>his own termas and the great Nyingtik cycles of the Dzogchen teachings, and so</br>numerous were those he guided that he truly embodied the enlightened activity of</br>one who held sway over the three realms. In these times of spiritual degeneration, he</br>alleviated problems caused by disease, famine, border wars, and civil unrest. In such</br>ways, Apang Terchen rendered great service to the land of Tibet. His kindness to the</br>Tibetan people as a whole was truly extraordinary, for he worked to ensure a glorious</br>state of peace and well-being.</br></br>During a pilgrimage to Jowo Yizhin Norbu, the statue of the lord Shakyamuni in</br>Lhasa, Apang Terchen paid respect to many tens of thousands of ordained members</br>of the sangha, sponsoring ganachakras, making offerings, and offering meals, tea,</br>and donations at such monastic centers as Sera, Drepung, and Ganden. He sponsored</br>the gilding of statues in these centers and in such ways strove to reinforce his positive</br>qualities. Everyone could see that no matter how many avenues he found to extend</br>generosity, his resources of gold, silver, and other valuables [2.190b] continued to</br>increase, as though he had access to a treasure mine.</br></br>Among his heart children and intimate students were his sons, Gyurmé Dorjé,</br>Wangchen Nyima, and Dotrul Rinpoché; his daughter, Tare Lhamo; and the custodian</br>of his termas, Jangchub Dorjé. Until recently, Tare Lhamo lived in eastern Tibet,</br>maintaining the teachings.8</br></br>Thus did Apang Terchen benefit beings with his incredible compassion and activities.</br>As his life was nearing an end, he remarked, "For the sake of the teachings and</br>of beings, I must enter the bloodline of the glorious Sakya school." This fearless lion's</br>roar proved to be his last testament, spoken with an unobscured awareness of past,</br>present, and future. He then manifested incredible miracles and departed for the</br>great palace of Pema Ö.</br></br></br>Source: Richard Barron translation of Nyoshul Khenpo, A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage, Padma Publications, 2005, pages 488-491., Padma Publications, 2005, pages 488-491.)
  • Decleer, H.  + ('''In Memoriam: Hubert Decleer (1940–2021)'''In Memoriam: Hubert Decleer (1940–2021)'''</br>:by Andrew Quintman</br></br>With great sadness, we share news that our incomparable teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend Hubert Decleer passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 25. He was at his home with his wife, the poet Nazneen Zafar, in Kathmandu, Nepal, near the Swayambhū Mahācaitya that had been his constant inspiration for nearly five decades. His health declined rapidly following a diagnosis of advanced-stage lung cancer in May, but he remained lucid and in high spirits and over the past weeks he was surrounded by family members and close friends. Through his final hours, he maintained his love of Himalayan scholarship and black coffee, and his deep and quiet commitment to Buddhist practice.</br></br>Hubert’s contributions to the study of Tibetan and Himalayan traditions are expansive, covering the religious, literary, and cultural histories of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and India. For nearly thirty-five years he directed and advised the School for International Training’s program for Tibetan Studies, an undergraduate study-abroad program that has served as a starting point for scholars currently working in fields as diverse as Anthropology, Art History, Education, Conservation, History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Public Policy. The countless scholars he inspired are connected by the undercurrent of Hubert's indelible "light touch" and all the subtle and formative lessons he imparted as a mentor and friend.</br></br>Hubert embodied a seemingly inexhaustible curiosity that spanned kaleidoscopic interests ranging from Chinese landscapes to Netherlandish still lifes, medieval Tibetan pilgrimage literature to French cinema, 1940s bebop to classical Hindustani vocal performance. With legendary hospitality, his home, informally dubbed “The Institute,” was an oasis for scholars, former students, artists, and musicians, who came to share a simple dinner of daal bhaat or a coffee on the terrace overlooking Swayambhū. The conversations that took place on that terrace often unearthed a text or image or reference that turned out to be the missing link in the visitor's current research project. When not discussing scholarship, Hubert inspired his friends to appreciate the intelligence and charm of animals—monkeys and crows especially—or to enjoy the marvels of a blossoming potted plum tree. His attentiveness to the world around him generated intense sensitivity and compassion. He was an accomplished painter and a captivating storyteller, ever ready with accounts of the artists’ scene in Europe or his numerous overland journeys to Asia. The stories from long ago flowed freely and very often revealed some important insight about the present moment, however discrete. </br></br>Hubert François Kamiel Decleer was born on August 22, 1940, in Ostend, Belgium. In 1946, he spent three months in Switzerland with a group of sixty children whose parents served in the Résistance. He completed his Latin-Greek Humaniora at the Royal Atheneum in Ostend in 1958, when he was awarded the Jacques Kets National Prize for biology by the Royal Zoo Society of Antwerp. He developed a keen interest in the arts, and during this period he also held his first exhibition of oil paintings and gouaches. In 1959 he finished his B.A. in History and Dutch Literature at the Regent School in Ghent. Between 1960 and 1963 he taught Dutch and History at the Hotel and Technical School in Ostend, punctuated by a period of military service near Köln, Germany in 1961–62. The highlight of his military career was the founding of a musical group (for which he played drums) that entertained officers’ balls with covers of Ray Charles and other hits of the day. </br></br>In 1963 Hubert made the first of his many trips to Asia, hitchhiking for thirteen months from Europe to India and through to Ceylon. Returning to Belgium in 1964, he then worked at the artists’ café La Chèvre Folle in Ostend, where he organized fortnightly exhibitions and occasional cultural events. For the following few years he worked fall and winter for a Belgian travel agency in Manchester and Liverpool, England, while spending summers as a tour guide in Italy, Central Europe, and Turkey. In 1967 he began working as a guide, lecturer, and interpreter for Penn Overland Tours, based in Hereford, England. In these roles he accompanied groups of British, American, Australian, and New Zealand tourists on luxury overland trips from London to Bombay, and later London to Calcutta—excursions that took two and a half months to complete. He made twenty-six overland journeys in the course of fourteen years, during which time he also organized and introduced local musical concerts in Turkey, Pakistan, India, and later Nepal. He likewise accompanied two month-long trips through Iran with specialized international groups as well as a number of overland trips through the USSR and Central Europe. In between his travels, Hubert wrote and presented radio scenarios for Belgian Radio and Television (including work on a prize-winning documentary on Nepal) and for the cultural program Woord. The experiences of hospitality and cultural translation that Hubert accumulated on his many journeys supported his work as a teacher and guide; he was always ready with a hint of how one might better navigate the awkward state of being a stranger in a new place. </br></br>With the birth of his daughter Cascia in 1972, Hubert’s travels paused for several years as he took a position tutoring at the Royal Atheneum in Ostend. He also worked as an art critic with a coastal weekly and lectured with concert tours of Nepalese classical musicians, cārya dancers, and the musicologist and performer Michel Dumont.</br></br>In 1975, during extended layovers between India journeys, Hubert began a two-year period of training in Buddhist Chinese at the University of Louvain with pioneering Indologist and scholar of Buddhist Studies Étienne Lamotte. He recalled being particularly moved by the Buddhist teachings on impermanence he encountered in his initial studies. He also worked as a bronze-caster apprentice and assistant to sculptor—and student of Lamotte—Roland Monteyne. He then resumed his overland journeying full time, leading trips from London to Kathmandu. These included annual three-month layovers in Nepal, where he began studying Tibetan and Sanskrit with local tutors. He was a participant in the first conference of the Seminar of Young Tibetologists held in Zürich in 1977. In 1980 he settled permanently in Kathmandu, where he continued his private studies for seven years. During this period he also taught French at the Alliance Française and briefly served as secretary to the Consul at the French Embassy in Kathmandu. </br></br>It was during the mid 1980s that Hubert began teaching American college students as a lecturer and fieldwork consultant for the Nepal Studies program of the School for International Training (then known as the Experiment in International Living) based in Kathmandu. In 1987 he was tasked with organizing SIT’s inaugural Tibetan Studies program, which ran in the fall of that year. Hubert served as the program’s academic director, a position he would hold for more than a decade. Under his direction, the Tibetan Studies program famously became SIT’s most nomadic college semester abroad, regularly traveling through India, Nepal, Bhutan, as well as western, central, and eastern Tibet. It was also during this period that Hubert produced some of his most memorable writings in the form of academic primers, assignments, and examinations. In 1999 Hubert stepped down as academic director to become the program’s senior faculty advisor, a position he held until his death.</br></br>Hubert taught and lectured across Europe and the United States in positions that included visiting lecturer at Middlebury College and Numata visiting faculty member at the University of Vienna. </br></br>Hubert’s writing covers broad swaths of geographical and historical territory, although he paid particular attention to the Buddhist traditions of Tibet and Nepal. His research focused on the transmission history of the Vajrabhairava tantras, traditional narrative accounts of the Swayambhū Purāṇa, the sacred geography of the Kathmandu Valley (his 2017 lecture on this topic, “Ambrosia for the Ears of Snowlanders,” is recorded here), and the biographies of the eleventh-century Bengali monk Atiśa. His style of presenting lectures was rooted in his work as a musician and lover of music—he prepared meticulously to be sure his talks were rhythmic, precise, and yet had an element of the spontaneous. One of his preferred mediums was the long-form book review, which incorporated new scholarship and original translations with erudite critiques of subjects ranging from Buddhist philosophy to art history and Tibetan music. His final publication, a forthcoming essay on an episode contained in the correspondence of the seventeenth-century Jesuit António de Andrade (translated by Michael Sweet and Leonard Zwilling in 2017), uses close readings of Tibetan historical sources and paintings to complicate and contextualize Andrade’s account of his mission to Tibet. This exemplifies the spirit and method of his review essays, which demonstrate his deep admiration of published scholarship through a meticulous consideration of the work and its sources, often leading to new discoveries. </br></br>In addition to Hubert’s published work, some of his most endearing and enduring writing has appeared informally, in the guise of photocopied packets intended for his students. Each new semester of the SIT Tibetan Studies program would traditionally begin with what is technically called “The Academic Director’s Introduction and Welcome Letter.” These documents would be mailed out to students several weeks prior to the program, and for most other programs they were intended to inform incoming participants of the basic travel itinerary, required readings, and how many pairs of socks to pack. The Tibetan Studies welcome letter began as a humble, one-page handwritten note, impeccably penned in Hubert’s unmistakable hand. </br></br>Hubert’s welcome letters evolved over the years, and they eventually morphed into collections of three or four original essays covering all manner of subjects related to Tibetan Studies, initial hints at how to approach cultural field studies, new research, and experiential education, as well as anecdotes from the previous semester illustrating major triumphs and minor disasters. The welcome letters became increasingly elaborate and in later years regularly reached fifty pages or more in length. The welcome letter for fall 1991, for example, included chapters titled “Scholarly Fever” and “The Field and the Armchair, and not ‘Stage-Struck’ in either.” By spring 1997, the welcome letter included original pieces of scholarship and translation, with a chapter on “The Case of the Royal Testaments” that presented innovative readings of the Maṇi bka’ ’bum. Only one element was missing from the welcome letter, a lacuna corrected in that same text of spring 1997, as noted by its title: Tibetan Studies Tales: An Academic Directors’ Welcome Letter—With Many Footnotes.</br></br>Hubert was adamant that even college students on a study-abroad program could undertake original and creative research, either for assignments in Dharamsala, in Kathmandu or the hilly regions of Nepal, or during independent-study projects themselves, which became the capstone of the semester. Expectations were high, sometimes seemingly impossibly high, but with just the right amount of background information and encouragement, the results were often triumphs. </br></br>Hubert regularly spent the months between semesters, or during the summer, producing another kind of SIT literature: the “assignment text.” These nearly always included extensive original translations of Tibetan materials and often extended background essays as well. They would usually end with a series of questions that would serve as the basis for a team research project. For fall 1994 there was “Cultural Neo-Colonialism in the Himalayas: The Politics of Enforced Religious Conversion”; later there was the assignment on the famous translator Rwa Lotsāwa called “The Melodious Drumsound All-Pervading: The Life and Complete Liberation of Majestic Lord Rwa Lotsāwa, the Yogin-Translator of Rwa, Mighty Lord in Magic Intervention.” There were extended translations of traditional pilgrimage guides for the Kathmandu Valley, including texts by the Fourth Khamtrul and the Sixth Zhamar hierarchs, for assignments where teams of students would race around the valley rim looking for an elusive footprint in stone or a guesthouse long in ruins that marked the turnoff of an old pilgrim’s trail. For many students these assignments were the first foray into field work methods, and Hubert's careful guidance helped them approach collaborations with local experts ethically and with deep respect for diverse forms of knowledge. </br></br>One semester there was a project titled “The Mystery of the IV Brother Images, ’Phags pa mched bzhi” focused on the famous set of statues in Tibet and Nepal and based on new Tibetan materials that had only just come to light. Another examined the “The Tibetan World ‘Translated’ in Western Comics.” Finally, there was a classic of the genre that examined the creative nonconformity of the Bhutanese mad yogin Drugpa Kunleg in light of the American iconoclast composer and musician Frank Zappa: “A Dose of Drugpa Kunleg for the post–1984 Era: Prolegomena to a Review Article of the Real Frank Zappa Book.”</br></br>Frank Zappa was, indeed, another of Hubert’s inspirations and his aforementioned review included the following passage: “If there’s one thing I do admire in FZ, it is precisely these ‘highest standards’ and utmost professional thoroughness that does not allow for any sloppiness (in the name of artistic freedom or spontaneous freedom)…. At the same time, each concert is really different, [and]…appears as a completely spontaneous event.” Hubert’s life as a scholar, teacher, and mentor was a consummate illustration of this highest ideal. </br></br>Hubert is survived by his wife Nazneen Zafar; his daughter Cascia Decleer, son-in-law Diarmuid Conaty, and grandsons Keanu and Kiran Conaty; his sister Annie Decleer and brother-in-law Patrick van Calenbergh; his brother Misjel Decleer and sister-in-law Martine Thomaere; his stepmother Agnès Decleer, and half-brother Luc Decleer. A traditional cremation ceremony at the Bijeśvarī Vajrayoginī temple near Swayambhū is planned for Friday.</br></br>Benjamin Bogin, Andrew Quintman, and Dominique Townsend</br></br>Portions of this biographical sketch draw on the introduction to [[Himalayan Passages]]: Newar and Tibetan Studies in Honor of Hubert Decleer (Wisdom Publications, 2014))
  • Sperling, E.  + ('''Obituary: Elliot Sperling (1951-2017)'''''Obituary: Elliot Sperling (1951-2017)''' by Tenzin Dorjee. (''HIMALAYA''. Volume 37, Number 1, pp 149-150)</br></br>Professor Elliot Sperling’s death was a colossal tragedy by</br>every measure. He was only 66 years old, and he exuded</br>life, health, and purpose—the antithesis of death. After</br>retiring from a long professorship at Indiana University</br>in 2015, where he was director of the Tibetan Studies</br>program at the department of Central Eurasian Studies,</br>Sperling moved back to his native New York. He bought an</br>apartment in Jackson Heights, where he converted every</br>wall into meticulously arranged bookshelves—only the</br>windows were spared. He was clearly looking forward to</br>a busy retirement, living in what was basically a library</br>pretending to be an apartment.</br>Sperling was the world’s foremost authority on historical</br>Sino-Tibetan relations. For his landmark work “on the political, religious, cultural, and economic relations between</br>Tibet and China from the fourteenth through seventeenth</br>centuries,” he was awarded a MacArthur genius grant at</br>the age of 33.1</br></br>He accumulated a compact but enduring body of work that defined and shaped Tibetan studies</br>over the last three decades. No less important, he was also</br>a phenomenal teacher, storyteller, entertainer, whiskey connoisseur (he delighted in teaching us how to enjoy</br>the peaty Scotch whiskies), and a passionate advocate for</br>Tibetan and Uyghur causes.</br>Through his seminal writings on Tibet’s relations with</br>China during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, he</br>became arguably the first historian to use both Chinese</br>language archives and Tibetan language sources extensively, bringing to light the separation and independence that</br>characterized the relationship between the two nations.</br>Until he came along, most Western academics viewed</br>Tibet through Chinese eyes, largely because they could</br>not access Tibetan sources. Sperling, fluent in Tibetan as</br>well as Chinese, upended the old Sino-centric narrative</br>and transformed the field. Roberto Vitali, who organized a</br>festschrift for Sperling in 2014, writes that Sperling’s work</br>“will stay as milestones” in Tibetan studies.2 His writings</br>have become so central to the field that any scholar who</br>writes a paper about historical Sino-Tibetan relations cannot do so without paying homage to Sperling’s work. He is,</br>so to speak, the Hegel of Sino-Tibetan history.</br></br>One can imagine the joy many of us felt when Professor</br>Sperling chose to make his home in Jackson Heights, the</br>second (if unofficial) capital of the exile Tibetan world—</br>after Dharamsala, India. We saw him at demonstrations at</br>the Chinese consulate, art openings at Tibet House, poetry</br>nights at Little Tibet restaurant, and sometimes at dinner</br>parties in the neighborhood. At every gathering, he held</br>court as the intellectual life of the party. His friends and</br>students bombarded him with questions on topics ranging</br>from art to politics to linguistics, for his erudition was</br>not limited to history alone. Unfailingly generous and</br>eloquent, he supplied the most intriguing, insightful and</br>exhaustive answers to every question. Each conversation</br>with him was a scholarly seminar. Among the circle of</br>Tibetan activists and artists living in New York City,</br>Sperling quickly fell into a sort of second professorship, an</br>underground tenure without the trappings of university.</br>We weren’t about to let him retire so easily.</br>Some of Professor Sperling’s most influential early works</br>include: The 5th Karma-pa and Some Aspects of the Relationship</br>Between Tibet and the Early Ming (1980); The 1413 Ming</br>Embassy to Tsong-ka-pa and the Arrival of Byams-chen chos-rje</br>Shakya ye-shes at the Ming Court (1982); Did the Early Ming</br>Emperors Attempt to Implement a ‘Divide and Rule’ Policy in</br>Tibet? (1983); and The Ho Clan of Ho-chou: A Tibetan Family in</br>Service to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties (1990) among others.</br>One of my personal favorites in his corpus is The 5th Karmapa and Some Aspects of the Relationship Between Tibet and the</br>Early Ming. In this text, Sperling argues that in the early</br>years following the collapse of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in</br>1367, the Ming rulers of China adopted a non-expansionist</br>foreign policy, displaying greater interest in drawing clear</br>boundaries to keep the ‘barbarians’ out of China than</br>in expanding its boundaries to encroach into non-Ming</br>territories. Ming China was initially conceived more as</br>an inward-looking state than an outward-looking empire,</br>partly in critique of the ruthless expansionism of their</br>predecessors, the Mongol Yuan rulers. In fact, Sperling</br>quotes from the very proclamation carried by the first</br>mission that Ming Taitsu, or the Hongwu Emperor, sent to</br>Tibet:</br></br>:Formerly, the hu people [i.e. the Mongols] usurped</br>:authority in China. For over a hundred years caps</br>:and sandals were in reversed positions. Of all</br>:hearts, which did not give rise to anger? In recent</br>:years, the hu rulers lost hold of the government….</br>:Your Tibetan state is located in the western lands.</br>:China is now united, but I am afraid that you have</br>:still not heard about this. Therefore this proclamation [is sent].3</br> </br>Sperling goes on to write that this “first mission is acknowledged by Chinese records to have met with no</br>success,” and that necessitated the dispatching of a second</br>mission.4</br></br>In ''Did the Early Ming Emperors Attempt to Implement a “Divide and Rule” Policy in Tibet?''5</br>Sperling defies decades of conventional wisdom with a bold argument when he writes:</br>:The Chinese court was never, in fact, able to mount</br>:a military expedition beyond the Sino-Tibetan</br>:frontier regions. This fact becomes strikingly</br>:obvious as one glances through both Tibetan and</br>:Chinese sources for the period in question…. Unable</br>:to protect its embassies or even to retaliate against</br>:attacks on them, China was hardly in a position to</br>:manifest the kind of power needed to implement a</br>:policy of “divide and rule” in Tibet.</br></br>For many Tibetans who care about seemingly inconsequential details of the murky Sino-Tibetan relations from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, a historical period that has become a domain of highly charged information battles between Dharamsala and Beijing, Sperling’s writings are like a constellation of bright lamps illuminating the tangled web of Sino-Tibetan history. He excavated critical pieces of Tibet’s deep past from the forbidding archives of antiquity, arranged them in a coherent narrative, and virtually placed in our hands several centuries of our own history.</br></br>Elliot Sperling’s academic stature would have allowed</br>him to be an ivory tower intellectual. Instead, he chose</br>to be a true ally of the Tibetan people and an unwavering</br>champion of Tibetan freedom. While he studied with</br>Taktser Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama’s elder brother, he</br>maintained lifelong friendships with the people he met</br>in Dharamsala: Tashi Tsering (the preeminent Tibetan</br>historian), Jamyang Norbu (the rebel intellectual and</br>award-winning author), Peter Brown (the ‘American</br>Khampa’ and a brother in the Tibetan struggle). Sperling</br>joined many of us in the trenches of activism, always</br>encouraging us to embark on bigger and bolder advocacy</br>campaigns for Tibet. Speaking in his Bronx-accented</br>Tibetan, he told us that if only Tibetans studied our history</br>more seriously, we would be able to believe that Tibet will</br>be free again.</br></br>A sharp and fearless critic of Beijing, Sperling neither</br>minced his words nor censored his writings under fear of</br>being banned from China. Even when he taught in Beijing</br>for a semester, where he developed a close friendship with</br>the Tibetan poet Woeser, he successfully avoided the trap</br>of self-censorship that has neutered so many scholars in </br>our time.6</br></br>While railing against Beijing’s atrocities in Tibet, he managed to be critical of Dharamsala’s excessively conciliatory stance toward Beijing.7</br></br>His provocative critiques of the Tibetan leadership sometimes made us uncomfortable, but that was exactly the impact he was seeking as a teacher who cared deeply about Tibet: to awaken and educate us by pushing us into our discomfort zone. “Having a teacher like Sperling was a bit like having access to a genius, a father, and some sort of bodhi all in one,” says Sara Conrad, a doctoral student at Indiana University who studied with Sperling for many years. “A walking encyclopedia, I felt I could learn a lot just being near him—and he took every opportunity to teach me. I benefited learning from him about Tibet and Tibetan of course, but also about parenthood and morality, music and comedy. In terms of academia he told me I must be able to live with myself after I write, and therefore it is always best to be honest.”</br></br>In recent years, Sperling took up the case of Ilham Tohti,</br>the Uyghur intellectual sentenced to life imprisonment</br>by Beijing. He played a key role in raising Tohti’s profile</br>as a prisoner of conscience, nominating him for human</br>rights awards. He took Tohti’s daughter, Jewher, under</br>his wing and oversaw her wellbeing and education. In</br>Jewher’s own words, Elliot Sperling became “like a second</br>father” to her. His friendship with Ilahm Tohti and Jewher</br>exemplified the compassion and generosity with which he</br>treated everyone. Sure, he made his mark in this world as a</br>scholar, but his monumental intellect was matched by his</br>unbounded kindness, altruism, and humanity.</br></br>“Professor Sperling was the moral compass of Tibetan studies,” said fellow historian Carole McGranahan at Sperling’s March 11 memorial in New York. His untimely death</br>has left an abyss in our hearts and a chasm in the world of Tibetology. Christophe Besuchet, a fellow activist, remarked that it is “as if a whole library had burned down.”</br></br>Even so, it is worth remembering that Sperling has already done far more than his fair share of good in the world, and he deserves a rest (or a break, if you consider it from a Buddhist perspective). In the course of 66 years, he lived multiple lifetimes—as a taxi driver, hippie, scholar, mentor, activist, father—each one more productive and meaningful than the last. He has engraved his spirit so deeply in the lives of so many of us that, in a way, he is still alive. And while one library has burned down, there are thousands of libraries where his words still live and breathe.</br></br>''Endnotes''<br> </br>1. MacArthur Foundation, <https://www.macfound.org/</br>fellows/236/> (accessed 6 March 2017).</br></br>2. Roberto Vitali, “For Elliot from a Friend,” International</br>Association for Tibetan Studies. Also see Trails of the Tibetan</br>Tradition: Papers for Elliot Sperling, edited by Roberto Vitali</br>(Amnye Machen Institute: 2014).</br></br>3. Elliot Sperling, “5th Karmapa and Some Aspects of</br>the Relationship Between Tibet and the Early Ming,” in</br>Michael Aris and Aung San Suu Kyi, eds., Tibetans Studies</br>in Honour of Hugh Richardson, Warminster, 1980 (published</br>in translation as Shiboling, “Wushi Gamaba yiji Xizang</br>he Mingchu de guanxi yaolue,” in Guowai Zangxue yanjiu</br>yiwenji, vol. 2, Lhasa, 1987), pp.279-289.</br></br>4. Ibid.</br></br>5. Elliot Sperling, “Divide and Rule Policy in Tibet,” in</br>Ernst Steinkellner, ed., Contributions on Tibetan Language,</br>History and Culture. Proceedings of the Csoma de Koros</br>Symposium Held at Velm-Vienna, Austria, 13-19 September</br>1981, Vienna, 1983, pp.339-356.</br></br>6. See Tsering Woeser, “A Chronicle of Elliot Sperling,”</br>in Trails of the Tibetan Tradition: Papers for Elliot Sperling,</br>Roberto Vitali eds., (published by Amnye Machen Institute,</br>2014).</br></br>7. He has criticized the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way</br>Approach’ to dealing with China as too conciliatory. See</br>his article Self-Delusion, <http://info-buddhism.com/SelfDelusion_Middle-Way-Approach_Dalai-Lama_Exile_CTA_</br>Sperling.html#f1>.</br></br>'''Tenzin Dorjee''' is a writer, activist, and a researcher at Tibet</br>Action Institute. His monograph The Tibetan Nonviolent</br>Struggle: A Strategic and Historical Analysis was published</br>in 2015 by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.</br>His writings have been published in various forums including</br>Global Post, Courier International, Tibetan Review, Tibet</br>Times, and the CNN blog. He is a regular commentator</br>on Tibet-related issues for Radio Free Asia, Voice of</br>America, and Voice of Tibet. He served as the Executive</br>Director of Students for a Free Tibet from 2009 to 2013.</br>An earlier version of this obituary was published in the</br>Huffington Post <https://www.huffpost.com/entry/remembering-elliot-sperling-personal-reflections-on_b_5899c990e4b0985224db59cb>.t-sperling-personal-reflections-on_b_5899c990e4b0985224db59cb>.)
  • Sarvajñamitra  + (''Sarvajñamitra'' was a famous Buddhist mo''Sarvajñamitra'' was a famous Buddhist monk of Kashmir, described by ''Kalhaṇa'' as one 'who set himself as another ''Jina'' (''Buddha'')'. He lived in a monastery, called ''Kayyavihāra'', founded by ''Kayya'', the king of ''Lāta'' owing allegiance to king ''Lalitāditya'' of Kashmir (701–738 A.D.)[31]. Thus, ''Sarvajñamitra'' would appear to have lived in the later half of the 8th century. He was a worshipper of ''Tārā'' and was known for his generousness. ''Tārānātha'' gives the following biographical account of ''Sarvajñamitra'':</br></br>He was an extra-(marital) son of a king of Kashmir (probably the contemporary of king ''Lalitāditya'' or his predecessor). When still a baby he was carried away by a vulture when his mother had left him on the terrace, herself having gone to pluck flowers. The baby was taken to a peek of Mount ''Gandhola'' in Nalanda. There he was received by some ''Pandits'' under whose protection he grew-up and became a monk well-versed in the ''Piṭakas''. He propitiated the goddess ''Tārā'' by whose favour he received enormous wealth which he distributed among the needy. At last when he had nothing left to donate he left towards the South fearing that he would have to send the suppliants back without giving alms to them which would be against his wishes. On his journey to the South he met an old blind ''brāhmaṇa'' led by his son. He was going to Nalanda to implore aid from ''Sarvajñāmitra'', about whose generosity he had heard a lot.</br></br>''Sarvajñāmitra'' told him that he was the same person but had exhausted all his wealth. Hearing this the ''brāhmaṇa'' heaved an afflictive sigh with which ''Sarvajñāmitra'' felt boundless compassion for him and decided to get money for him anyhow. While searching for money he found a king named ''Saraṇa'' who was passionately attached to false views. This king wanted to purchase 108 men for offering them to sacrificial fire. He had already procured 107 men and was in search of one more. ''Sarvajñāmitra'' sold himself for the gold equal to the weight of his body. He gave this gold to the ''brāhmaṇa'' who returned happy.</br></br>''Sarvajñāmitra'' was put in the royal prison. The other prisoners were overpowered by grief seeing that the number was complete and their death was quire [quite?] near. When fire was kindled, they started wailing. Again. the great ''Ācārya'' felt boundless compassion and he earnestly prayed to the goddess ''Tārā''. The goddess flowed a stream of nectar over the fire and people could see rains coming down only on the fire. When the fire was extinguished the place turned to be a lake. Seeing this wonderful event, the king was filled with admiration for the ''Ācārya''. The prisoners were released with rewards.</br></br>The ''Ācārya'' after the lapse of a long time, wished to be at his birth place. So he prayed to the goddess. He was asked to catch hold of the corner of her clothes and shut the eyes. When he re-opened his eyes he found himself in a beautiful land in front of a magnificent palace. He could not recognise this place and asked the goddess why she had not taken him to Nalanda. She told him that this was his real birth place. He stayed in Kahemir [Kashmir?] and founded a big temple of goddess ''Tārā''. ''Tārānātha'' further states that he was a disciple of ''Süryagupta'' or ''Ravigupta''[32]. The same tradition is found with minor variations in the commentary on the ''Sragdharāstotra'' by ''Jinarakṣita''[33].</br></br>''Sragdharāstotra'' is a hymn containing 37 verses which ''Sarvajñamitra'' wrote in praise of goddess ''Tārā''. '' 'Sragdharā' '' is an epithet of ''Tārā'' which means 'wearer of the wreath' or 'the garland bringer' and it is also the name of the metre in which the hymn was written. ''Bstan—'gyur'' contains three translations of the text. The hymn, with its commentary and two Tibetan versions, is edited by S. C. Vidyabhusana in ''Bibliotheca'' series, 1908.</br></br>Besides '' 'Sragdharāstotra' '' other texts attributed to ''Sarvajñamitra'' are all in praise of goddess ''Tārā'', viz.,<br></br>1. ''Devītarākuvākyādhyesana nāma stotra''<br></br>2. ''Āryatārāsādhanā'', and<br></br>3. ''Aṣṭabhayatrānatārosādhanā''[34]. (Kaul, ''Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'', 19–21)ādhanā''[34]. (Kaul, ''Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'', 19–21))
  • Tilakakalaśa  + (''Tilakakalaśa'': ''Tilakakalśa'' or ''Til''Tilakakalaśa'': ''Tilakakalśa'' or ''Tilakalaśa'' is known in Tibetan as ''Thig-le bum-pā''. The name is sometimes rendered as ''Bindukalaśa''. He occupied himself mostly in the Mādhyamika philosophy, and composed four hymns. He collaborated with ''Ñi-ma grags'' and ''Blo-ldan śes-rab''.</br></br>Before going to Tibet, he translated in Kashmir, with ''Ñi-ma grags'' the ''Mādhyamakāvatāra'' of ''Candrakīrti'' and the self-commentary in 3550 [?] ''ślokas''. Together, both re-arranged the translation of the ''Mādhyamakāvatārakārikā'' done by ''Kṛṣṇapāda'' and ''Chul-kḥrims rgyal-pa''. They also translated ''Śrīguḥyasāmājamaṇḍalopāyikāviṃśavidhi'' of ''Nāgabodhi''. The work is attached to the school of the ''Guhyasamāja'' of ''Nāgārjuna''.</br></br>In collaboration with ''Blo-ldan śes-rab'', ''Tilakakalaśa'' reviewed the interpretation of the ''Śikṣāsamuccaya'' of ''Śāntideva'' done by ''Dānaśīla'', ''Jinamitra'' and ''Ye-śes sde'' during the 9th century. Together they also translated two texts dealing with the ''Prajñāpāramitā'' ('Perfection of Wisdom') in 8000 stanzas. The texts include: ''Āryaprajñāpāramitāsaṃgrahakārikā'' of ''Dignāga'', also known as ''Aṣṭasāhasrikāpinḍārtha'', and its commentary in 540 ''ṣlokas'' by ''Triratnadāsa''. He also translated the following fifteen hymns:<br></br></br>1. The ''Vāgiśvarastotra,<br></br>2. The ''Āryamañjuśrīstotra'',<br></br>3. The Āryavāgiśvarastotra'',<br></br>4. The ''Lokeśvarasiṃhanāda nāma stora [stotra?]'',<br></br>5. ''Prajñāpāramitastotra''<br></br>6. ''Acintyastava'', <br></br>7. ''Stutyatītastava'',<br></br>8. ''Niruttarastava'',<br></br>9. ''Āryabhattārakamañjuśrīparmārhastuti'',<br></br>10. ''Āryamañjuśrībhattārakakarunāstotra'',<br></br>11. ''Aṣṭamahāsthanacaityastotra'',<br></br>12. ''Aṣṭamahāsthanacaityastotra'' [Listed 2x in source as nos. 11 and 12]<br></br>13. ''Dvādaśakāranayastotra'',<br></br>14. ''Vandanāstotra'', and<br></br>15. ''Narakoddhāra''.<br></br></br>Of these, the first four are attributed to ''Tilakakalaśa'' himself and the rest to ''Nāgārjuna''. (Kaul, ''Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'', 47–48)e, the first four are attributed to ''Tilakakalaśa'' himself and the rest to ''Nāgārjuna''. (Kaul, ''Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'', 47–48))
  • Rong zom chos kyi bzang po  + ( *https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Rongzom_Ch%C3%B6kyi_Zangpo *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rongzom_Chokyi_Zangpo )
  • Gzhon nu rgyal mchog  + (1. (from kong sprul gsan yig @ v. 1, f. 161. (from kong sprul gsan yig @ v. 1, f. 16v)</br>important master in the bka' ma transmission lineage of the rgyud bzhi.</br></br>2. important bka' gdams/sa skya master in lineage of the blo sbyong teachings; he was involved with his student sems dpa' chen po dkon mchog rgyal mtshan in the compilation of the blo sbyong brgya rtsa. ([https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P1943 Source Accessed June 12, 2022])/bdr:P1943 Source Accessed June 12, 2022]))
  • Fynn, C.  + (===Active Projects=== *Working as a consul===Active Projects===</br>*Working as a consultant for the [http://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/ Dzongkha Development Commission]</br>*[http://www.thlib.org/ Tibetan & Himalayan Library - Sections on Tibetan Script]</br>*[http://sites.google.com/site/chrisfynn2/tibetanscriptfonts/jomolhari Jomolhari Font]</br>*[https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/free-tibetan/ Free Tibetan Fonts Project]</br>===Some Previous Projects===</br>*Worked as a consultant for the National Library of Bhutan</br>*Bhutan National Digital Library</br>*Oversaw the text input for a new edition of Padma Lingpa's zab gter chos mdzod for HE Gangteng Tulku's Padmasambhava Project.</br>:([https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Christopher_Fynn Source: Chris Fynn, RyWiki Entry])</br>===Other Links===</br>*[http://sites.google.com/site/chrisfynn2/home/tibetanscriptfonts Tibetan script info]</br>*[http://sites.google.com/site/chrisfynn2/ Web site]</br>*[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cfynn Chris Fynn] at Wikimedia Commonski/User:Cfynn Chris Fynn] at Wikimedia Commons)
  • Vajrācārya, D.  + (A Newar Pandit, Divyavajra was born in theA Newar Pandit, Divyavajra was born in the family of a very well known Vajrāchārya family of Nila Vajra and Bal Kumari in Māhābaudha, Kathmandu, Nepal on ''Jestha 24th Astami'', 1976 Vikram Sambat (1919AD).</br></br>He tied up his married life with Miss Keshari, the daughter of Meer Subba Heera Man Vajrachrāya at the age of nine. They had four sons and five daughters.</br></br>Pandit Divyavajra's life consists of two phases: the first half dedicated to the traditional, herbal and naturalopathic (Ayurvedic) medicine and the second half to the preservation of Nepalese Buddhist philosophy and literature. Towards the end of first half period of his life (around the year 2013 VS/ 1956AD) he suffered from diabetes and tuberculosis. That forced him to stay away from his traditional profession of naturopathic treatment which he had started by establishing the Piyusvarshi Aushadhālaya (Medical Center) in Māhābaudha Tole, Kathmandu, Nepal in the year 2001 VS(1944AD). This change in his life had inspired him to study the Buddha's philosophy and to take a teaching job. In addition, he also taught the Pāli language to several Newar Buddhist monks.</br></br>Until the year 2010 (1953), he was very active in teaching naturalopathy by visiting villages such as Thaiba, Baregāũ etc in the valley, and opened the health related Ayurvedic traditional schools. Besides this, in 2017 VS(1960), he also coordinated the opening of the first National Museum in Kathmandu and in the same year, organized a health and vocational exhibition.</br></br>From the very beginning of his adulthood, his eyesight was very weak, however he was bold and possessed a sharp memory. He never gave up studying Buddhist texts. By the year 2036 (1979) he had recited the whole text of ''Avidharma'', and collected, translated and explained the Sanskrit Buddhist texts such as ''Bodhi Charyāvatār'', ''Langkāvatār'', and so on to the public. He became an advisory member to several Buddhist organizations and became the president of the Dharmodaya Sabha, the National Buddhist Association in Kathmandu, Nepal.([http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/jns/pdf/JNS_03.pdf Source Accessed Mar 15, 2021])/JNS_03.pdf Source Accessed Mar 15, 2021]))
  • Dharmaruci  + (A fifth-century monk from Central Asia. InA fifth-century monk from Central Asia. In 405 he went to Ch'ang-an in China. He completed the Chinese translation of The Ten Divisions of Monastic Rules with Kumārajīva. Kumārajīva and Punyatāra earlier had begun to translate this work from Sanskrit into Chinese, but due to Punyatāra's death the translation had been suspended. Upon the request of the priest Hui-yüan and the ruler Yao Hsing of the Later Ch'in dynasty, Dharmaruchi, who was well versed in rules of monastic discipline, completed the translation with Kumārajīva. Later aspiring to disseminate the rules of monastic discipline to areas where they were still unknown, he embarked on a journey. His life after that is not known. ([https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/D/59 Source Accessed Aug 27, 2021])ontent/D/59 Source Accessed Aug 27, 2021]))
  • Amtzis, J.  + (A long term student of the Dharma, Judith A long term student of the Dharma, Judith met both Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in 1976, and has lived in Asia since then, primarily in Kathmandu, Nepal. On the request of Holiness Penor Rinpoche, she collaborated with Khenpo Sonam Tsewang of Namdroling Monastery in Mysore to translate the Liberation Story of Namcho Migyur Dorje, the terton who discovered the treasures that make up the core of the Palyul tradition. This biography is entitled ''The All-Pervading Melodious Sound of Thunder'', and was written by the first Karma Chagme Rinpoche. ([http://levekunst.com/team_member/judith-amtzis/ Adapted from Source July 20, 2022])mtzis/ Adapted from Source July 20, 2022]))
  • Helm, A.  + (A long–term student of Chogyam Trungpa RinA long–term student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ann joined the Nalanda Translation Committee in 1986. She studied Tibetan at Naropa University, mainly with Dzigar Kongtrul, and she taught Tibetan and Foundations of Buddhism at Naropa from 1991-2004. After 30 years in Boulder, Ann lived as a retreatant for eight years at Padma Samye Ling, the monastery in upstate New York of Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal. From 1997 to 2014, she translated primarily with Ringu Tulku and for Dharma Samudra, the Khenpo Brothers’ publication group. In 2014 Ann moved to Portland, Oregon, where she continues her Buddhist practice and study under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. ([http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Ann_Helm Source Accessed Sept 9, 2020])hp/Ann_Helm Source Accessed Sept 9, 2020]))
  • LaFleur, W.  + (A native of Patterson, New Jersey, LaFleurA native of Patterson, New Jersey, LaFleur received his BA from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He earned two master’s degrees, one in comparative literature from the University of Michigan and another in the history of religions from the University of Chicago. He also completed his doctoral work at the University of Chicago, where he studied with Joseph Kitagawa and Mircea Eliade. After completing his PhD in 1973, LaFleur taught at Princeton University; University of California, Los Angeles; Sophia University, Tokyo; and University of Pennsylvania, where he was the E. Dale Saunders Professor of Japanese Studies. </br></br>LaFleur was a groundbreaking figure in the interdisciplinary study of Buddhism and culture in Japan and trained two generations of graduate students in these fields. His seminal work ''The Karma of Words: Buddhism and the Literary Arts in Medieval Japan'' (University of California Press, 1986) broke away from a traditional focus on specific Buddhist figures and lineages and instead approached Buddhism as the “cognitive map” by which medieval Japanese of all Buddhist schools and social levels made sense of their world. He also uncovered an intimate relation between the Japanese Buddhist episteme and medieval literary arts. The innovative studies now emerging from a generation of younger scholars working at the intersections of Buddhism and literature owe much to LaFleur’s influence.</br></br>A scholar of far-reaching interests and expertise, LaFleur refused to be confined by any single research area, historical period, or method of approach. In addition to his work on Buddhist cosmology and the “mind” of medieval Japan, he was a gifted translator and interpreter of poetry and published two volumes on the medieval monk-poet Saigyō. He was deeply interested in Zen, especially as a resource for contemporary thought. He wrote and edited several books and essays, introducing to Western readers the work of the thirteenth century Zen master Dōgen, the Kyoto-school figure Masao Abé, and the twentieth century philosopher and cultural historian Watsuji Tetsurō. In 1989, he became the first non-Japanese to win the Watsuji Tetsurō Cultural Prize.</br></br>LaFleur’s ''Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan'' (Princeton University Press, 1994) expanded his earlier attention to Buddhist notions of the body and catalyzed his growing interest in comparative public philosophy and social ethics. In his later career, while continuing to study medieval Japanese religion and literature, he produced pioneering studies of Japanese bioethics, highlighting contrasts with Western approaches to such issues as abortion, organ transplants, and medical definitions of death. Altogether, he wrote or edited nine books. He left several other projects still in progress; some of which will be published posthumously. ([http://rsnonline.org/index7696.html?option=com_content Source Accessed Jan 16, 2020])com_content Source Accessed Jan 16, 2020]))
  • Chodron, T.  + (A native of the U.S., Ven. Chodron, whose A native of the U.S., Ven. Chodron, whose Chinese Dharma name is De Lin, is particularly qualified to teach Western monastics. She trained in Asia for many years, receiving novice ordination from Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in 1977 and full ordination in Taiwan in 1986. Her teachers include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and Lama Thubten Yeshe and many others.</br></br>In addition to founding Sravasti Abbey, Ven. Chodron is a well-known author and teacher. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation, including four volumes (so far) in The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, co-authored with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with whom she has studied for nearly forty years. Find info on the first four volumes in the series here: Volume 1, ''Approaching the Buddhist Path''; Volume 2, ''The Foundation of Buddhist Practice''; Volume 3, ''Samsara, Nirvana, & Buddha Nature'', and Volume 4, ''Following in the Buddha’s Footsteps''.</br></br>Ven. Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her practical (and humorous!) explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She was resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore and Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. Ven. Chodron is also actively involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. ([https://sravastiabbey.org/community-member/thubten-chodron/ Source Accessed Nov 1, 2021])thubten-chodron/ Source Accessed Nov 1, 2021]))
  • Bodhiruci  + (A renowned Indian translator and monk (to A renowned Indian translator and monk (to be distinguished from a subsequent Bodhiruci [s.v.] who was active in China two centuries later during the Tang dynasty). Bodhiruci left north India for Luoyang, the Northern Wei capital, in 508. He is said to have been well versed in the Tripiṭaka and talented at incantations. Bodhiruci stayed at the monastery of Yongningsi in Luoyang from 508 to 512 and with the help of Buddhaśānta (d.u.) and others translated over thirty Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, most of which reflect the latest developments in Indian Mahāyāna, and especially Yogācāra. His translations include the ''Dharmasaṃgīti'', ''Shidijing lun'', ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'', ''Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra'', and the ''Wuliangshou jing youpotishe yuansheng ji'', attributed to Vasubandhu. Bodhiruci’s translation of the ''Shidijing lun'', otherwise known more simply as the ''Di lun'', fostered the formation of a group of Yogācāra specialists in China that later historians retroactively call the Di lun zong. According to a story in the ''Lidai fabao ji'', a jealous Bodhiruci, assisted by a monk from Shaolinsi on Songshan named Guangtong (also known as Huiguang, 468–537), is said to have attempted on numerous occasions to poison the founder of the Chan school, Bodhidharma, and eventually succeeded. Bodhiruci is also said to have played an instrumental role in converting the Chinese monk Tanluan from Daoist longevity practices to the pure land teachings of the ''Guan Wuliangshou jing''. (Source: "Bodhiruci." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 133. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Ware, J.  + (A specialist in the study of pre-Tang BuddA specialist in the study of pre-Tang Buddhism and Daoism, James Ware was the first student to receive a Ph.D. at Harvard in the field of Chinese studies. He completed his dissertation in 1932, on the representation of Buddhism in the historical chronicle of the Wei dynasty known as the Weishu. He then taught courses in the Chinese language and Chinese history at Harvard, and was, together with Serge Elisséeff, one of the founding faculty members of the Department of Far Eastern Languages. In this capacity, he supervised the Chinese language program for much of the 1930s and 40s.</br></br>Much of the material for Ware’s early studies was drawn from the Weishu. He wrote on problems relating to the Toba rulers of the Wei, the history of Buddhism and Daoism in the Northern Dynasties, and the textual history of the ''Fanwang jing'' and other scriptures from the Buddhist canon. In the same years, he also published selected translations from several Buddhist sutras. He worked together with Serge Eliseeff to establish the ''Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies'' in 1936, and contributed numerous articles and book reviews to the journal over the course of the next decade. He also developed a series of Chinese language textbooks and wrote on aspects of modern Chinese linguistics.</br></br>In the latter years of his career, Ware turned his attention his attention to translating, primarily for a non-specialist audience. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he published selections from the Analects, Zhuangzi, and Mencius. His final significant work was a complete translation of Ge Hong’s fourth century ''Baopuzi'' (1967). ([https://ealc.fas.harvard.edu/james-ware Source Accessed July 28, 2021])james-ware Source Accessed July 28, 2021]))
  • Muller, C.  + (A. Charles Muller (born September 19, 1953A. Charles Muller (born September 19, 1953) is an academic specializing in Korean Buddhism and East Asian Yogacara, having published numerous books and articles on these topics. He is a resident of Japan, currently teaching at Musashino University. He is one of the earliest and most prolific developers of online research resources for the field of Buddhist Studies, being the founder and managing editor of the online Digital Dictionary of Buddhism, the CJKV-English Dictionary, and the H-Buddhism Scholars Information Network, along with having digitized and published numerous reference works.</br></br>Muller's academic study of Buddhism began as an undergraduate at Stony Brook University, where he majored in Religious Studies under the guidance of Sung Bae Park, a specialist in Seon and Korean Buddhism. After graduating, he spent two years studying in Japan, after which he spent one year in the graduate program in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. In 1988, he left UVa to return to Stony Brook, where he completed a PhD in Comparative literature, once again with Sung Bae Park as his principal advisor. He also studied Christian Theology with Peter Manchester, Islam with William Chittick, and Postmodern literary criticism with Michael Sprinker and Hugh Silverman. His dissertation, "Hamhŏ Kihwa: A Study of His Major Works," was accepted in 1993, after which he spent six months in Korea as a research associate at the Academy of Korean Studies, before taking up an academic position in Japan, at Toyo Gakuen University.</br></br>From 1994 to 2008, Muller taught courses in philosophy and religion at Toyo Gakuen University, during which time he published numerous books and articles on Korean Buddhism, Zen, East Asian Yogacara, and Confucianism. While active in numerous academic organizations such as the American Academy of Religion and the Japanese Association for Indian and Buddhist Studies, he also became known as one of leading figures in the creation of online research resources. In 1995, he set up his web site called Resources for East Asian Language and Thought (still in active service today), featuring online lexicons, indexes, bibliographies, and translations of classical texts. In 1996, he started the Budschol listserv for the academic study of Buddhism, which would, in 2000, become part of H-Net, under the name of H-Buddhism, the central internet organ for communication among scholars of Buddhism. He also initiated two major dictionary projects, the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism and the CJKV-E Dictionary, which have become basic reference works for the field of Buddhist and East Asian studies, subscribed to by universities around the world. His work in the area of online reference works and digitization led him into the field of Digital Humanities, with his principal area of expertise lying in the handling of literary documents using XML and XSLT. In 2008, Muller was invited to join the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tokyo, where he taught courses in Digital Humanities, Chinese Philosophy, and Korean Philosophy and Religion. He retired from UTokyo in March 2019 and moved to Musashino University, where he is director of the Institute of Buddhist culture and teaches courses in Buddhist Studies. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Charles_Muller Source Accessed July 21, 2021])les_Muller Source Accessed July 21, 2021]))
  • Sumatikīrti  + (According to Akasoy, Burnett, and Yoeli-TlAccording to Akasoy, Burnett, and Yoeli-Tlalim (eds.) in their book ''Islam and Tibet'' (2011, 125), Sumatikīrti "is well known as a pundit who worked on translations, belonging to the 'later spreading' (''phyi-dar'') period, which begins in the last decades of the tenth century. He stayed in the Nepal Valley, and it is not certain if he ever set foot in Tibet, perhaps not. Given the dates of the Tibetan translators with whom he worked, he must have been active in the last part of the eleventh century. It is known that Mar-pa Do-pa Chos-kyi-dbang-phyug (dates not certain, but perhaps 1042–1136) studied with Sumatikīrti, among others, in Nepal. Rngog Lo-tsā-ba Blo-ldan-shes-rab (1059–1109) also is known to have worked with Sumatikīrti." </br></br>Sumatikīrti is responsible, along with Rngog blo ldan shes rab, for a second revision of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra''.cond revision of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra''.)
  • Pāramiti  + (According to the account in the Chinese caAccording to the account in the Chinese cataloguer Zhisheng's ''Xu gujin yijing tuji'', the ''Śūraṃgamasūtra'' was brought to China by a śramaṇa named Pāramiti. Because the ''Śūraṃgamasūtra'' had been proclaimed a national treasure, the Indian king had forbidden anyone to take the sūtra out of the country. In order to transmit this scripture to China, Pāramiti wrote the sūtra out in minute letters on extremely fine silk, then he cut open his arm and hid the small scroll inside his flesh. With the sūtra safely hidden away, Pāramiti set out for China and eventually arrived in Guangdong province. There, he happened to meet the exiled Prime Minister Fangrong, who invited him to reside at the monastery of Zhizhisi, where he translated the sūtra in 705 CE. Apart from Pāramiti's putative connection to the ''Śūraṃgamasūtra'', however, nothing more is known about him and he has no biography in the ''Gaoseng zhuan'' ("Biographies of Eminent Monks"). (Source: "*Śūraṃgamasūtra." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 873–74. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Bower, E.  + (Acharya Emily Bower started meditating andAcharya Emily Bower started meditating and studying with the Shambhala community in 1987 in Berkeley, California. She went on to live on staff at Karme Chöling for three years, and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts to work as a book editor specializing in Buddhism, yoga, and other spiritual traditions.</br></br>She worked for Shambhala Publications for a total of ten years. She is fortunate to have been able to work on books with many spiritual teachers, including Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.</br></br>She lives and works now in Los Angeles as a book editor and publishing consultant, and is a co-founder of Dharma Spring, a curated online Buddhist bookshop, launching in 2017. She is an editor for 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, an international non-profit initiative to translate all of the Buddha’s words into modern languages and to make them available to everyone, free of charge.</br></br>In her service as a senior teacher in the Shambhala community, she leads both extended retreats and weekend programs. She especially enjoys presenting on themes that bring practical application to our wisdom traditions. ([https://shambhalaonline.org/acharya-emily-bower/ Source Accessed Mar 18, 2022])mily-bower/ Source Accessed Mar 18, 2022]))
  • Gyaltsen, Tenpa  + (Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen is core facultAcharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen is core faculty at Nitartha Institute and recently retired from [https://www.naropa.edu/faculty/acharya-gyaltsen.php Naropa University].</br></br>Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen was born in Trakar, Nepal, near the Tibetan border. He completed 10 years of traditional scholastic training at [http://www.rumtek.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=400&Itemid=612&lang=en Karma Shri Nalanda Institute] at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India, graduating as acharya with honours (graduated in the same class as [[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche]]). This was followed by traditional yogic training in the first three-year retreat to be conducted at Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche's monastery in Pullahari, Nepal. </br></br>Following the advice of [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche]], Lama Tenpa taught at various Kagyu centers in Europe (Teksum Tashi Choling in Hamburg, Germany), at Nitartha, and centers in Canada. In 2004 he moved to Boulder, CO and began teaching at Naropa University. He retired from Naropa in 2020. </br></br>Learn more about Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen on the [https://nitarthainstitute.org/about/nitartha-faculty/ Nitartha faculty page] and at [https://nalandabodhi.org/teacher/acharya-lama-tenpa-gyaltsen/ Nalandabodhi].hi.org/teacher/acharya-lama-tenpa-gyaltsen/ Nalandabodhi].)
  • Ary, E.  + (Adjunct Professor chez ESSEC Business SchoAdjunct Professor chez ESSEC Business School. Geshe Khunawa, recognized by the 14th Dalai Lama; Discovered by Geshe Pema Gyaltsen. </br>Elijah Sacvan Ary was born in Vancouver, Canada. In 1979, at age seven, he was recognized as the reincarnation, or tulku, of a Tibetan scholar and spent his teenage years as a monk at Sera Monastery in South India. He went on to study at the University of Quebec in Montreal and the National Institute for Eastern Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) in Paris, and he earned his PhD in the Study of Religion from Harvard University. His writings have appeared in the books Little Buddhas: Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Texts and Traditions, Oxford Bibliographies Online: Buddhism, Contemporary Visions in Tibetan Studies, and Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists. He lives in Paris with his wife and teaches Buddhism and Tibetan religious history at several institutions. [http://www.wisdompubs.org/author/elijah-s-ary Source Accessed Jun 12, 2015]elijah-s-ary Source Accessed Jun 12, 2015])
  • Finnegan, D.  + (After a career as a journalist based in NeAfter a career as a journalist based in New York and Hong Kong, Damchö Diana Finnegan ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1999. In 2009, she received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a thesis on gender and ethics in Sanskrit and Tibetan narratives about Buddha’s direct female disciples in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. </br> </br>After completing her dissertation she worked closely with the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, serving as co-editor on various publications, including ''Interconnected: Embracing Life in a Global Society'' and ''The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out''. </br></br>In 2007, she co-founded Dharmadatta Nuns’ Community (Comunidad Dharmadatta), a community of Spanish-speaking Buddhist nuns, based first in India and later in Mexico. Together with the other Dharmadatta nuns, she leads a large Latin American community with a commitment to gender and environmental justice as part of its spiritual practice. </br></br>At the same time, Damchö continues to participate in academic circles, presenting at conferences, editing books, and engaging in various research projects. The most recent publication on which she collaborated, a translation from Sanskrit and Tibetan of the manual for conferring full ordination to women, is forthcoming from Hamburg University’s Numata Center for Buddhist Studies. </br> </br>Damchö has served as a board member of Maitripa College since its founding in 2005. ([https://maitripa.org/damcho-diana-finnegan/ Source Accessed Sep 23, 2021])a-finnegan/ Source Accessed Sep 23, 2021]))
  • Sattizahn, E.  + (After meeting Suzuki Roshi in 1970, Rinso After meeting Suzuki Roshi in 1970, Rinso Ed Sattizahn lived at Tassajara from 1973 to 1977. He spent the next five years at City Center, serving as Zen Center's Vice President and President. From 1983 to 2000 Ed held various executive positions in the microcomputer software industry and developed familiarity with how the world works. In 2003, he served as Shuso (Head Student) at Green Gulch Farm, and in the same year co-founded Vimala Sangha in Mill Valley with Lew Richmond. Vimala Sangha is named after Vimalakirti, the famous householder disciple of the Buddha, and is dedicated to the practice of householder Zen in the tradition of Suzuki Roshi. Ed received Lay Entrustment in 2005, was ordained as a Zen priest in 2010, and received Dharma Transmission in 2012, all from Lew Richmond. Ed previously served on the Zen Center Board for six years (2006-2011) and as board chair for three years (2009-2011). In March 2014, Ed became Abiding Abbot at City Center, and in March 2019 stepped into the role of Central Abbot. He remains the guiding teacher at Vimala Sangha Mill Valley. ([https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/rinso-ed-sattizahn Source Accessed August 13, 2020])attizahn Source Accessed August 13, 2020]))
  • Fox, A.  + (Alan Fox is an Professor of Asian and CompAlan Fox is an Professor of Asian and Comparative Philosophy and Religion in the Philosophy Department at the University of Delaware. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion from Temple University in 1988, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan in 1986-87. He came to the University in 1990. He received the University of Delaware’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1995 and 2006, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Teacher Award in 1999. In 2006 he was named Delaware Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. In 2008 he was named a finalist for the National Inspiring Integrity Award, and in 2012 he was named a Teaching Fellow by the American Association of Philosophy Teachers. He is a former director of both the University Honors Program and the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program, as well as advisor to the undergraduate Religious Studies Minor. He has also served as President of the Faculty Senate at both the College and University levels. He has published on Buddhism and Chinese Philosophy. His research is currently focused on Philosophical Daoism. ([https://udel.edu/~afox/ Source Accessed May 18, 2021]).edu/~afox/ Source Accessed May 18, 2021]))
  • Berzin, A.  + (Alexander Berzin (born 1944) grew up in NeAlexander Berzin (born 1944) grew up in New Jersey, USA. He began his study of Buddhism in 1962 at Rutgers and then Princeton Universities, and received his PhD in 1972 from Harvard University jointly between the Departments of Sanskrit and Indian Studies and Far Eastern Languages (Chinese). Inspired by the process through which Buddhism was transmitted from one Asian civilization to another and how it was translated and adopted, his focus has been, ever since, on bridging traditional Buddhist and modern Western cultures.</br></br>Dr. Berzin was resident in India for 29 years, first as a Fulbright Scholar and then with the Translation Bureau, which he helped to found, at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives in Dharamsala. While in India, he furthered his studies with masters from all four Tibetan Buddhist traditions; however, his main teachers have been His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Practicing under their supervision, he completed the major meditation retreats of the Gelug tradition.</br></br>For nine years, he was the principal interpreter for Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, accompanying him on his foreign tours and training under him to be a Buddhist teacher in his own right. He has served as occasional interpreter for H.H. the Dalai Lama and has organized several international projects for him. These have included Tibetan medical aid for victims of the Chernobyl radiation disaster; preparation of basic Buddhist texts in colloquial Mongolian to help with the revival of Buddhism in Mongolia; and initiation of a Buddhist-Muslim dialogue in universities in the Islamic world.</br></br>Since 1980, Dr. Berzin has traveled the world, lecturing on Buddhism in universities and Buddhist centers in over 70 countries. He was one of the first to teach Buddhism in most of the communist world, throughout Latin America and large parts of Africa. Throughout his travels, he has consistently tried to demystify Buddhism and show the practical application of its teachings in daily life.</br></br>A prolific author and translator, Dr. Berzin has published 17 books, including Relating to a Spiritual Teacher, Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, Developing Balanced Sensitivity, and with H.H. the Dalai Lama, The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra.</br></br>At the end of 1998, Dr. Berzin returned to the West with about 30,000 pages of unpublished manuscripts of books, articles, and translations he had prepared, transcriptions of teachings of the great masters that he had translated, and notes from all the teachings he had received from these masters. Convinced of the benefit of this material for others and determined that it not be lost, he named it the “Berzin Archives” and settled in Berlin, Germany. There, with the encouragement of H. H. the Dalai Lama, he set out to make this vast material freely available to the world on the Internet, in as many languages as possible.</br></br>Thus, the Berzin Archives website went online in December 2001. It has expanded to include Dr. Berzin’s ongoing lectures and is now available in 21 languages. For many of them, especially the six Islamic world languages, it is the pioneering work in the field. The present version of the [https://studybuddhism.com/ website] is the next step in Dr. Berzin’s lifelong commitment to building a bridge between the traditional Buddhist and modern worlds. By guiding the teachings across the bridge and showing their relevance to modern life, his vision has been that they would help to bring emotional balance to the world.</br>([https://studybuddhism.com/en/dr-alexander-berzin Source Accessed Dec 4, 2019])</br></br>Click here for a list of Alexander Berzin's [https://studybuddhism.com/en/dr-alexander-berzin/published-works-of-dr-berzin publications]zin/published-works-of-dr-berzin publications])
  • Lokos, A.  + (Allan Lokos is the founder and guiding teaAllan Lokos is the founder and guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center located on New York City's upper west side. He is the author of ''Pocket Peace: Effective Practices for Enlightened Living'', ''Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living'', and ''Through the Flames: Overcoming Disaster Through Compassion, Patience, and Determination''. His writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, Tricycle magazine, Beliefnet, and several anthologies.</br></br>Among the places he has taught are Columbia University Teachers College, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Marymount Manhattan College, The Rubin Museum of Art Brainwave Series, BuddhaFest, NY Insight Meditation Center, The NY Open Center, Tibet House US, and Insight Meditation Community of Washington. Lokos has practiced meditation since the mid-nineties and studied with such renowned teachers as Sharon Salzberg, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Joseph Goldstein, Andrew Olendzki, and Stephen Batchelor.</br></br>Earlier in this life Lokos enjoyed a successful career as a professional singer. He was in the original Broadway companies of Oliver!, Pickwick (musical), and the Stratford Festival/Broadway production of The Pirates of Penzance. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Lokos Source Accessed May 25, 2021])Allan_Lokos Source Accessed May 25, 2021]))
  • Graboski, A.  + (Allison Choying Zangmo is Anyen Rinpoche'sAllison Choying Zangmo is Anyen Rinpoche's personal translator and a longtime student of both Rinpoche and his root lama, Kyabje Tsara Dharmakirti. She has either translated or collaborated with Rinpoche on all of his books. She lives in Denver, Colorado.</br></br>She has received empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition from Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche, as well as others of his main students, such as Khenpo Tashi from Do Kham Shedrup Ling. She also received an unusually direct lineage of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s chod from the realized chodpa Lama Damphel.</br></br>After moving to the US with Anyen Rinpoche, she received many other empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions in the Secret Mantryana tradition from eminent masters such as Taklong Tsetrul Rinpoche, Padma Dunbo, Yangtang Rinpoche, Khenpo Namdrol, Denpai Wangchuk, and Tulku Rolpai Dorje.</br></br>Allison Choying Zangmo works diligently for both Orgyen Khamdroling and the Phowa Foundation, as well as composing books and translations of traditional texts & sadhanas with Anyen Rinpoche, and spending a portion of each year in retreat. Although she never had any wish to teach Dharma in the west, based on encouragement by Anyen Rinpoche, Tulku Rolpai Dorje and Khenpo Tashi, she began teaching the dharma under Anyen Rinpoche's guidance in 2017. ([https://orgyenkhamdroling.org/rinpoche/allison Source: Orgyen Khamdroling])/rinpoche/allison Source: Orgyen Khamdroling]))
  • Lobsang Tharchin, Sermey Khensur  + (Also known as Geshe Lobsang Tharchin (1921Also known as Geshe Lobsang Tharchin (1921 - 2004). Full Obituary: http://www.acidharma.org/directors/kr_passing.html</br></br>(Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin) Khensur Rinpoche first came to the United States in April 1972; he continued to live and teach here for more than 30 years. He was one of the most senior Tibetan Buddhist masters to bring the holy teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to the west.</br></br>Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin was born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1921. He entered the Mey College of Sera Monastery at an early age and proceeded through the rigorous 25 year program of Buddhist monastic and philosophical studies. Upon successful completion of the public examination by the best scholars of the day, Rinpoche was awarded the highest degree of Hlarampa Geshe with honors. In 1954, he entered the Gyumed Tantric College, completed its course of study under strict monastic discipline, and shortly afterwards attained a high-ranking administrative position.In 1959, Rinpoche escaped to India along with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, and tens of thousands of other Tibetans. Actively involved in Tibetan resettlement, he compiled a series of textbooks for a Tibetan curriculum to be used in refugee schools and also taught in Darjeeling, Simla, and Mussoorie.</br></br>In 1972, Khen Rinpoche was chosen by H.H. the Dalai Lama to come to the United States to participate in a project involving the translation of Buddhist scriptures. Upon its completion, he was invited to serve as the Abbot of Rashi Gempil Ling Temple in New Jersey, a position that he held until his passing, on December 1, 2004. In 1975 Rinpoche founded the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center in Washington D.C., with a branch in New Jersey, as well as, the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Press. Over the years he has offered a vast range of Buddhist teachings.</br></br>In 1991, Khen Rinpoche was asked by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to serve as Abbot of Sera Mey monastery in south India. After a brief appointment there, he returned to the United States, where he continued to teach and direct a number of projects dedicated to the restoration of Sera Mey Monastery in India and to the flourishing of the Mahayana Buddhist Dharma in the West unitl his passing in December of 2004. [http://mstcdharma.org/teachers-history-of-center/ Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center of Washington, DC]Sutra and Tantra Center of Washington, DC])
  • Bo Fazu  + (Also known as Po-yüan or Po Fa-tsu. A prieAlso known as Po-yüan or Po Fa-tsu. A priest and a translator of Buddhist texts during the late Western Chin dynasty (265–316) in China. He built a Buddhist monastery at Ch'ang-an, where he translated and lectured on Buddhist scriptures. In 305 he set out for Lung-yu, where he intended to live in retirement. He was killed along the way, however, because of his refusal to work for Chang Fu, the local governor of Ch'in-chou, and also because of accusations lodged by someone he had defeated in debate. The Buddha's Parinirvāna Sutra, one of the Hinayana versions of the Nirvana Sutra, was translated by Fa-tsu. ([https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/F/14 Source Accessed Sep 3, 2021])Content/F/14 Source Accessed Sep 3, 2021]))
  • Vanaratna  + (Also known by his Tibetan name of nags kyiAlso known by his Tibetan name of nags kyi rin chen (1384-1468), a Bengali Paṇḍita and Māhasiddha, reportedly the "last great Indian Paṇdita to visit Tibet". He was born in Sadnagara, near present-day Chittagong. At age eight he received novice ordination from Buddhaghoṣa and Sujataratna. He took up his studies and perfected them very quickly. At age 20 he received full ordination from the same two masters, and went to Shri Lanka for six years, where he spent most of his time meditating in seclusion. Upon his return to India, he was greatly praised by the famous scholar Narāditya.</br></br>At Śrī Dhānya-kaṭaka mahā-caitya he met, in a vision, with Māhasiddha Shavaripa and received from him his unique transmission of the Sadaṅga-yoga, the Six-limbed Yoga of the Kālacakra tradition. Vanaratna eventually beheld a vision of Avalokiteśvara, who advised him to go to Tibet.</br></br>Vanaratna visited Tibet in 1426, 1433 and 1453 and spread the Kālacakra lineage and instructions of Paṇḍita Vibhūti-candra there, especially the Sadaṅga-yoga according to Anupamarakṣita, and many other teachings. He also assisted in the translation of many texts and treatises. Such famous Tibetan masters as Gö Lotsawa Shönnu Pal (1392-1481) and Thrimkang Lotsawa Sönam Gyatso (1424-1482) were his close students. He also spent time in Bhutan, where even nowadays there is a temple, near Paro, with a sacred statue of his and a rock that bears his name in old Bengali script. Vanaratna spent his final years in the Gopicandra Vihara in Patan/Kathmandu, now known as Pinthu Bahal, and passed away there. (Source: [https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Vanaratna RY wiki])i.tsadra.org/index.php/Vanaratna RY wiki]))
  • Heller, A.  + (Amy Heller is affiliated with CNRS, Paris Amy Heller is affiliated with CNRS, Paris (Tibetan studies unit 7133). She has traveled many times to Tibet, Nepal and along the Silk Road. Her trip to Tibet in 1995 as a part of team for evaluating restoration of monasteries of Gra thang and Zha lu and its subsequent research resulted in her book Tibetan Art (1999) published in English, French, Italian and Spanish. She has been curator for two exhibitions of Tibetan art (Yale University Art Gallery, and Beinecke Library, Yale). Her forthcoming book Hidden Treasures of the Himalaya: Tibetan manuscripts, paintings and sculptures of Dolpo is a study of the cultural history of Dolpo, Nepal, presenting a collection of 650 volumes of 12th-16th century illuminated Tibetan manuscripts conserved in an ancient Dolpo temple.ipts conserved in an ancient Dolpo temple.)
  • Carus, P.  + (An early supporter of Buddhism in America An early supporter of Buddhism in America and the proponent of the "religion of science": a faith that claimed to be purified of all superstition and irrationality and that, in harmony with science, would bring about solutions to the world's problems. Carus was born in Ilsenberg in Harz, Germany. He immigrated to America in 1884, settling in LaSalle, Illinois, where he assumed the editorship of the Open Court Publishing Company. He attended the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and became friends with several of the Buddhist delegates, including Dharmapāla and Shaku Sōen, who were among the first to promote his writing.Later, Shaku Sōen's student, Daisetz Teitaro Susuki, woudld spend eleven years working with and for Carus in LaSalle. In 1894, Carus published ''The Gospel of Buddha according to Old Records'', an anthology of passages from Buddhist texts drawn from contemporary translations in English, French, and German, making particular use of translations from the Pāli by Thomas W. Rhys Davids, as well as translations of the life of the Buddha from Chinese and Tibetan sources. Second only to Edwin Arnold's ''Light of Asia'' in intellectual influence at the time, ''The Gospel'' was arranged like the Bible, with numbered chapters and verses and a table at the end that listed parallel passages from the New Testament. ''The Gospel'' was intended to highlight the many agreements between Buddhism and Christianity, thereby bringing out "that nobler Christianity which aspires to the cosmic religion of universal truth." Carus was free in his manipulation of his sources, writing in the preface that he had rearranged, retranslated, and added emendations and elaborations in order to make them more accessible to a Western audience; for this reason, the translated sources are not always easy to trace back to the original literature. He also makes it clear in the preface that his ultimate goal is to lead his readers to the Religion of Science. He believed that both Buddhism and Christianity, when understood correctly, would point the way to the Religion of Science. Although remembered today for his ''Gospel'', Carus wrote some seventy books and more than a thousand articles. His books include studies of Goethe, Schiller, Kant, and Chinese thought. (Source: The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 2014, 168)inceton Dictionary of Buddhism, 2014, 168))
  • Śāntākaragupta  + (An eleventh-century Buddhist scholar, one An eleventh-century Buddhist scholar, one of the revisors of the ''Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna'', together with Abhayākaragupta, Śākyarakṣita, and Vidyākaraśānti. Śāntākaragupta translated several texts (''Avalokiteśvarasādhana'', ''Ālambanaparīkṣā'', ''Ālambanaparīkṣāvṛtti'', ''Trikālaparīkṣā'') into Tibetan together with Tshul khrims rgyal mtshan, who also collaborated with Abhayākaragupta, who was active during the reign of Rāmapāla (c. 1075–1128). (Adapted from Dezső, "Inspired Poetry:</br>Śāntākaragupta's Play on the Legend of Prince Sudhana and the ''Kinnarī''," ''Indo-Iranian Journal'' 57 (2014): 92)," ''Indo-Iranian Journal'' 57 (2014): 92))
  • Bjonback, A.  + (Anders holds a Bachelors degree from NaropAnders holds a Bachelors degree from Naropa University and joined the Centre for Buddhist Studies in 2006. At CBS Anders graduated with a BA in Buddhist Studies in 2010 and afterwards joined the MA program.</br></br>His thesis supervisor was Dr. Karin Meyers and the external reader was Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes from the University of Vienna, Austria.</br></br>Anders also secured a Tsadra foundation scholarship for his MA studies and recently took ordination. ([http://ryi-student-blog.blogspot.com/2012/12/congratulations-anders-bjonback.html Source Accessed Aug 12, 2020])onback.html Source Accessed Aug 12, 2020]))
  • Doctor, A.  + (Andreas Doctor (PhD 2004, University of CaAndreas Doctor (PhD 2004, University of Calgary) is the director of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee and the editorial co-director of 84000.</br></br>For a number of years, Andreas has studied Buddhist history and philosophy under the guidance of Tibetan monks and lamas, mostly in Nepal at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. As a founding member of Rangjung Yeshe Institute, he spent fifteen years teaching at the Institute and for most of this period he served as director of studies at Kathmandu University’s Centre for Buddhist Studies, located at Rangjung Yeshe Institute.</br></br>As director of the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Andreas has participated in numerous translation projects, most recently in translating sūtras and tantras from the Tibetan canon. He is also a founding member of Rangjung Yeshe Gomde, Denmark. ([https://www.khyentsevision.org/team/dr-andreas-doctor/ Adapted from Source Oct 1, 2022])-doctor/ Adapted from Source Oct 1, 2022]))
  • Quintman, A.  + (Andrew Quintman is a scholar of Buddhist tAndrew Quintman is a scholar of Buddhist traditions in Tibet and the Himalayan world focusing on Buddhist literature and history, sacred geography and pilgrimage, and visual cultures of the wider Himalaya. His work addresses the intersections of Buddhist literary production, circulation, and reception; the reciprocal influences of textual and visual narratives; and the formation of religious subjectivities and institutional identities. He is also engaged in developing new digital tools for the study and teaching of religion. His book, The Yogin and the Madman: Reading the Biographical Corpus of Tibet’s Great Saint Milarepa (Columbia University Press 2014), won the American Academy of Religion’s 2014 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, the 2015 Heyman Prize for outstanding scholarship from Yale University, and received honorable mention for the 2016 E. Gene Smith Book Prize at the Association of Asian Studies. In 2010 his new English translation of the Life of Milarepa was published by Penguin Classics. He is currently working on two new projects, one exploring Buddhist religious and literary culture in the borderlands of Tibet and Nepal, and the other examining the Life of the Buddha through visual and literary materials associated with the seventeenth-century Jonang Monastery in western Tibet. ([https://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/faculty/aquintman/profile.html Source: Wesleyan Website])</br></br>Quintman currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the [https://www.tbrc.org/#!footer/about/newhome Buddhist Digital Resource Center] (BDRC). He is former Co-Chair of the [http://campuspress.yale.edu/thrg/ Tibetan and Himalayan Religions Group of the American Academy of Religion] and co-leads an ongoing collaborative workshop on [http://tibetanlit.org/ Religion and the Literary in Tibet].</br></br>You can see an amazing example of Quintman's [http://lotb.iath.virginia.edu/ contributions to digital scholarship on the Life of the Buddha project website].n the Life of the Buddha project website].)
  • Warder, A.  + (Anthony Kennedy Warder (8 September 1924 –Anthony Kennedy Warder (8 September 1924 – 8 January 2013) was a British Indologist. His best-known works are Introduction to Pali (1963), ''Indian Buddhism'' (1970), and the eight-volume ''Indian Kāvya Literature'' (1972–2011).</br></br>He studied Sanskrit and Pali at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and received his doctorate from there in 1954. His thesis, supervised by John Brough, was entitled ''Pali Metre: A Study of the Evolution of Early Middle Indian Metre Based on the Verse Preserved in the Pali Canon''. (When it was published in 1967, the title was changed to ''Pali Metre: A Contribution to the History of Indian Literature''.)</br></br>For a number of years, he was an active member of the Pali Text Society, which published his first book, ''Introduction to Pali'', in 1963. He based his popular primer on extracts from the Dīgha Nikāya, and took the then revolutionary step of treating Pali as an independent language, not just a derivative of Sanskrit.</br></br>His began his academic career at the University of Edinburgh in 1955, but in 1963 moved to the University of Toronto. There, as Chairman of the Department of East Asian Studies, he built up a strong programme in Sanskrit and South Asian studies. He retired in 1990.</br></br>''Studies on Buddhism in Honour of Professor A. K. Warder'' was published in 1993, edited by Narendra K. Wagle and Fumimaro Watanabe.</br></br>He and his wife, Nargez, died of natural causes almost simultaneously on 8 January 2013. He was eighty-eight, and she was ninety. They had no children. They were buried together following a Buddhist service. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._K._Warder Source Accessed Feb 10, 2021])._K._Warder Source Accessed Feb 10, 2021]))
  • Waley, A.  + (Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David SchlArthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 1889 – 27 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were the CBE in 1952, the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1953, and he was invested as a Companion of Honour in 1956.</br></br>Although highly learned, Waley avoided academic posts and most often wrote for a general audience. He chose not to be a specialist but to translate a wide and personal range of classical literature. Starting in the 1910s and continuing steadily almost until his death in 1966, these translations started with poetry, such as ''A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems'' (1918) and ''Japanese Poetry: The Uta'' (1919), then an equally wide range of novels, such as ''The Tale of Genji'' (1925–26), an 11th-century Japanese work, and ''Monkey'', from 16th-century China. Waley also presented and translated Chinese philosophy, wrote biographies of literary figures, and maintained a lifelong interest in both Asian and Western paintings.</br></br>A recent evaluation called Waley "the great transmitter of the high literary cultures of China and Japan to the English-reading general public; the ambassador from East to West in the first half of the 20th century", and went on to say that he was "self-taught, but reached remarkable levels of fluency, even erudition, in both languages. It was a unique achievement, possible (as he himself later noted) only in that time, and unlikely to be repeated. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Waley Source Accessed Apr 22, 2020])rthur_Waley Source Accessed Apr 22, 2020]))
  • Wangyal, B.  + (BERI JIGME WANGYAL received his Geshe degree in Buddhist philosophy from Drepung Monastery in India in 2004. He is the author of several books on various subjects ranging from poetry to biography and history.)
  • Baizhang Huaihai  + (Baizhang Huaihai (Chinese: 百丈懷海; pinyin: BBaizhang Huaihai (Chinese: 百丈懷海; pinyin: Bǎizhàng Huáihái; Wade-Giles: Pai-chang Huai-hai; Japanese: Hyakujō Ekai) (720–814) was a Zen master during the Tang Dynasty. A native of Fuzhou, he was a dharma heir of Mazu Daoyi (Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu Tao-i).[1] Baizhang's students included Huangbo, Linji and Puhua.</br></br>Hagiographic depictions of Baizhang depict him as a radical and iconoclastic figure, but these narratives derive from at least a century and a half after his death and were developed and elaborated during the Song dynasty.[2] As Mario Poceski writes, the earliest strata of sources (such as the ''Baizhang guanglu'' 百丈廣錄 ) about this figure provide a "divergent image of Baizhang as a sophisticated teacher of doctrine, who is at ease with both the philosophical and contemplative aspects of Buddhism."[3] Poceski summarizes this figure thus:</br></br>:The image of Baizhang conveyed by the Tang-era sources is that of a learned and sagacious monk who is well versed in both the theoretical and contemplative aspects of medieval Chinese Buddhism. Here we encounter Baizhang as a teacher of a particular Chan brand of Buddhist doctrine, formulated in a manner and idiom that are unique to him and to the Hongzhou school as a whole. Nonetheless, he also comes across as someone who is cognizant of major intellectual trends in Tang Buddhism, as well as deeply steeped in canonical texts and traditions. His discourses are filled with scriptural quotations and allusions. He also often resorts to technical Buddhist vocabulary, of the kind one usually finds in the texts of philosophically oriented schools of Chinese Buddhism such as Huayan, Faxiang, and Tiantai. Here the primary mode in which Baizhang communicates his teachings is the public Chan sermon, presented in the ritual framework of “ascending the [Dharma] hall [to preach]” (''shangtang'').[4]</br></br>Regarding his teachings, Poceski notes:</br></br>:A central idea that infuses most of Baizhang’s sermons is the ineffability or indescribability of reality. Ultimate reality cannot be predicated in terms of conventional conceptual categories, as it transcends the familiar realm of words and ideas. Nonetheless, it can be approached or realized—as it truly is, without any accretions or distortions—as it manifests at all times and in all places. That is done by means of intuitive knowledge, whose cultivation is one of the cornerstones of Chan soteriology. Since the essence of reality cannot be captured or conveyed via the mediums of words and letters, according to Baizhang it is pointless to get stuck in dogmatic assertions, or to attach to a particular doctrine or practice. Like everything else, the various Chan (or more broadly Buddhist) teachings are empty of self-nature. They simply constitute expedient tools in an ongoing process of cultivating detachment and transcendence that supposedly free the mind of mistaken views and distorted ways of perceiving reality; to put it differently, they belong to the well-known Buddhist category of “skillful means” (''fangbian'', or upāya in Sanskrit). Holding on rigidly or fetishizing a particular text, viewpoint, or method of practice—even the most profound and potent ones—can turn out to be counterproductive, as it becomes a source of attachment that impedes spiritual progress. The perfection of the Chan path of practice and realization, therefore, does not involve the attainment of some particular ability or knowledge. Rather, in Baizhang’s text it is depicted as a process of letting go of all views and attachment that interfere with the innate human ability to know reality and experience spiritual freedom.[5]</br></br>One of his doctrinal innovations is what are called the “three propositions” (sanju), which are three distinct stages of spiritual realization or progressive ways of knowing:[6]</br></br>*Thoroughgoing detachment from all things and affairs</br>*Nonabiding in the state of detachment</br>*Letting go of even the subtlest vestiges of self-referential awareness or knowledge of having transcended detachment.</br></br>Baizhang's teachings and sayings have been translated by Thomas Cleary in ''Sayings and Doings of Pai-Chang''.[7] The Wild fox koan is attributed to Baizhang. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baizhang_Huaihai Source Accessed July 15, 2021])ng_Huaihai Source Accessed July 15, 2021]))
  • Ba ri lo tsA ba  + (Bari Lotsawa, also known as Rinchen Drak,Bari Lotsawa, also known as Rinchen Drak, was the second throne holder of Sakya school (Tib. Sakya Trizin). At the age of 63, he retained the seat of Sakya for a period of eight years (1102-1110). He is one of the main lineage figures in the transmission and translation of the White Tara practice and tantras that originate from the Indian master Vagishvarakirti. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Bari_Lotsawa Rigpa Wiki])/index.php?title=Bari_Lotsawa Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Pa tshab Tshul khrims rgyal mtshan  + (Belonging to the Pa tshab clan of 'Phan po, Pa tshab Lo tsā ba Tshul khrims rgyal mtshan (d. after 1130), was a translator of the ''Āryasaddharmasmṛtyupasthānasūtra''.)
  • Faure, B.  + (Bernard Faure, Kao Professor in Japanese RBernard Faure, Kao Professor in Japanese Religion, received his Ph.D. (Doctorat d’Etat) from Paris University (1984). He is interested in various aspects of East Asian Buddhism, with an emphasis on Chan/Zen and Tantric or esoteric Buddhism. His work, influenced by anthropological history and cultural theory, has focused on topics such as the construction of orthodoxy and heterodoxy, the Buddhist cult of relics, iconography, sexuality and gender. His current research deals with the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism and its relationships with medieval Japanese religion. He has published a number of books in French and English. His English publications include: ''The Rhetoric of Immediacy: A Cultural Critique of Chan/Zen Buddhism'' (Princeton 1991), ''Chan Insights and Oversights: An Epistemological Critique of the Chan Tradition'' (Princeton 1993), ''Visions of Power: Imagining Medieval Japanese Buddhism'' (Princeton 1996), ''The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality'' (Princeton 1998), ''The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender'' (Princeton 2003), and ''Double Exposure'' (Stanford 2004). ([https://religion.columbia.edu/content/bernard-r-faure Source Accessed Jun 10, 2019]).</br></br>He recently completed a two-volume work on Japanese Gods and Demons: ''The Fluid Pantheon: Medieval Japanese Gods, Volume I'' and ''Protectors and Predators: Medieval Japanese Gods, Volume 2'' (Both volumes by University of Hawai'i Press, 2015).mes by University of Hawai'i Press, 2015).)
  • Kakas, B.  + (Beáta is both an indologist and orientalisBeáta is both an indologist and orientalist. Her research area is Tibetan Buddhism. Her writings are for both popular and professional audiences. Recently she has done interpreting and teaching in Tibetan and Sanskrit languages. She is also keen on translating Tibetan texts, interested in all things related to Tibetan and Indian culture, lifestyle and Himalayan people. Beáta lived in India for a year, and she returns there from time to time, visiting places such as cedar woods and wonderful mountain villages . . . ([http://viewriter.hu/whohelped.html Adapted from Source Mar 23, 2022])ed.html Adapted from Source Mar 23, 2022]))
  • Anālayo  + (Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 196Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. In the year 2000 he completed a Ph.D. thesis on the ''Satipatthana-sutta'' at the University of Peradeniya (published by Windhorse in the UK). In the year 2007 he completed a habilitation research at the University of Marburg, in which he compared the ''Majjhima-nikaya'' discourses with their Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan counterparts. At present, he is a member of the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, as a professor, and works as a researcher at Dharma Drum Institue of Liberal Arts, Taiwan. Besides his academic activities, he regularly teaches meditation. ([https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/en/personen/analayo.html Source Accessed Nov 22, 2019])</br></br>* For a substantial list of Bhikkhu Anālayo's publications, visit his faculty page at the [https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/en/personen/analayo.html University of Hamburg]rsonen/analayo.html University of Hamburg])
  • Dharmamitra, Bhikshu  + (Bhikshu Dharmamitra (ordination name "HengBhikshu Dharmamitra (ordination name "Heng Shou" - 釋恆授) is a Chinese-tradition translator-monk and one of the earliest American disciples (since 1968) of the late Guiyang Ch'an patriarch, Dharma teacher, and pioneer of Buddhism in the West, the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (宣化上人). He has a total of 34 years in robes during two periods as a monastic (1969‒1975 & 1991 to the present). Dharmamitra's principal educational foundations as a translator of Sino-Buddhist Classical Chinese lie in four years of intensive monastic training and Chinese-language study of classic Mahāyāna texts in a small-group setting under Master Hsuan Hua (1968-1972), undergraduate Chinese language study at Portland State University, a year of intensive one-on-one Classical Chinese study at the Fu Jen University Language Center near Taipei, two years of course work at the University of Washington's Department of Asian Languages and Literature (1988-90), and an additional three years of auditing graduate courses and seminars in Classical Chinese readings, again at UW's Department of Asian Languages and Literature. Since taking robes again under Master Hua in 1991, Dharmamitra has devoted his energies primarily to study and translation of classic Mahāyāna texts with a special interest in works by rya Nāgārjuna and related authors. To date, he has translated more than fifteen important texts comprising approximately 150 fascicles, including most recently the 80-fascicle Avataṃsaka Sūtra (the "Flower Adornment Sutra"), Nāgārjuna's 17-fascicle Daśabhūmika Vibhāṣā ("Treatise on the Ten Grounds"), and the Daśabhūmika Sūtra (the "Ten Grounds Sutra") . . . ([https://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Bhikshu-Dharmamitra# Source Accessed July 15, 2021])u-Dharmamitra# Source Accessed July 15, 2021]))
  • Little, H.  + (Binks devoted much of his life to the studBinks devoted much of his life to the study and teaching of religion. Before coming to Williams, he taught religion at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., and served as a teaching assistant at Harvard, where he earned his Ph.D.</br></br>At Williams, he contributed greatly to the life of the college, both inside and outside the classroom. In the 20 years during which he chaired the Department of Religion, starting in 1967, rapid growth of departmental enrollments, followed by new faculty appointments, set the stage for the development of an exciting and rigorous introductory religion course that was both highly popular at Williams and emulated nationally.</br></br>An intellectual who cared deeply about his students, Binks was intensely curious about developments in the full range of liberal arts disciplines. “Almost immediately following his faculty appointment in the Department of Religion, it became apparent that Binks Little had the potential to become a significant leader in his department and in the college generally,” says John Chandler, Williams president, emeritus, who served as dean of the faculty and religion department chair when Binks joined Williams.</br></br>Binks was also the first-ever chair of the Committee of Undergraduate Life when it was conceived in the late 1960s. Under his leadership, the committee recommended and the college implemented major revisions of protocols governing residential life. He also paved the way for student membership on standing committees that, up until then, were strictly composed of faculty. “Binks had a great memory for students and a complete devotion to them,” says Mark C. Taylor, Cluett Professor of Humanities, emeritus.</br></br>Binks became a full professor in 1974. That year he was appointed the managing editor of the American Academy of Religion Dissertation Series, a publishing venture organized to make outstanding doctoral research in the study of religion readily available to the wider scholarly community.</br></br>Shortly before he retired from Williams, Binks participated for two years in an experimental faculty development program, mentoring second-year faculty across the academic divisions and coordinating and directing periodic seminars and conferences that addressed the myriad challenges faced by new faculty members.</br></br>Born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1932, Binks grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and Pasadena, Calif., and attended Deerfield Academy. He graduated from Princeton University in 1954 and earned a B.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1957, having spent the 1954-55 academic year at the University of Edinburgh. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1965. ([https://president.williams.edu/writings-and-remarks/articles-2/the-passing-of-professor-h-ganse-binks-little/ Source Accessed Apr 21, 2022])nks-little/ Source Accessed Apr 21, 2022]))
  • Phuntsok, Tulku Orgyen  + (Birth and Recognition: Tulku Orgyen PhunBirth and Recognition: </br></br>Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok was born in Pemakö, in northeastern India, as the son of Lama Rigdzin Phuntsok. He was recognized at a young age by Dudjom Rinpoche as the reincarnation of Togden Kunzang Longrol, his father’s root guru. Togden Kunzang Longrol was a great Dzogchen yogi from the Powo region who had been a main disciple of Dudjom Rinpoche, and who had been influential in spreading the dharma and the Dudjom Tersar lineage both in Tibet and in upper and lower Pemakö.</br></br>Training: </br></br>Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok spent his early years in retreat in Pemakö, at his own monastery, under the blessings of his first root teacher, the great master Tulku Dawa Rinpoche. Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok underwent vigorous training in multiple fields of study, including various ritual sadhana performances from different terma lineages, with an emphasis on the Dudjom Tersar lineage, all under the care of his previous incarnation’s disciples, including his father Lama Rigzin Phuntsok.</br></br>At the age of 15, Tulku Orgyen commenced advanced studies in southern India at Namdroling Monastery, the largest Nyingma monastery in India, established by Penor Rinpoche. There, Tulku Orgyen completed a nine-year-long program of study, obtaining the degree of Khenpo. While appointed to a teaching position for the duration of his final three years at the monastery, he taught various Buddhist philosophies to monks. Over the course of his nine years of study, he also received empowerments and transmissions from many masters of the Nyingma lineage such as Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, Lama Rigdzin Phuntsok, Penor Rinpoche, and Tulku Dawa Rinpoche.</br>Upon completion of his studies at Namdroling monastery, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok returned to his retreat land in Pemakö, where he engaged in solitary retreat and completed the requisite practices to become a qualified Vajra master in this lineage.</br></br>Activity:</br></br>Since late 1999, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok has assisted his uncle and teacher, Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, by giving teachings, leading practices and retreats, and undertaking various other Dharma activities at Vairotsana Foundation Centers in California and New Mexico and in various cities in North America and Asia. In order to gain a western education and perspective, Tulku Orgyen studied and guest lectured at the University of California, Santa Barbara.</br></br>Currently, Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok splits his time between North America and Asia, spending winters in Pemakö where he oversees reconstruction of the temple. he oversees reconstruction of the temple.)
  • Bokar Rinpoche  + (Bokar Tulku Rinpoche (1940 – 17 August 200Bokar Tulku Rinpoche (1940 – 17 August 2004) was heart-son of the Second Kalu Rinpoche and a holder of the Karma Kagyü and Shangpa Kagyü lineages.</br></br>Bokar Rinpoche was born in western Tíbet not far from Mount Kailash, in 1940 (Iron Dragon year) to a family of nomadic herders. When Rinpoche was four years old, His Holiness the 16th Karmapa recognized him as the reincarnation of the previous Bokar Tulku, Karma Sherab Ösel.</br></br>Bokar Rinpoche was trained at the monastery founded by the previous Bokar incarnation. He continued his studies at Tsurphu Monastery in central Tibet, main seat of the Karmapas. While still a teenager, he assumed full responsibilities for the Bokar monastic community. Then, due to the Communist oppression in Tibet, Bokar Rinpoche fled into exile at the age of 20. In India, he became a close disciple of Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche.</br></br>Under Kalu Rinpoche's guidance in Sonada, Bokar Rinpoche twice completed the traditional three-year retreat. During the first one, he followed the practices of the Shangpa Kagyu; the second was based on the practices of the Karma Kagyu.</br></br>In Mirik, India, Bokar Rinpoche founded a retreat center that is an important centre for Kalachakra practice, now called Bokar Ngedhon Choekhor Ling. </br></br>Brief bio available at [http://www.bokarmonastery.org/mod/data/index.php?REQUEST_ID=cGFnZT1iaW9ncmFwaHktQm9rYXI= bokarmonastery.org]</br></br>Also see [http://www.bokarmonastery.org/mod/data/index.php?REQUEST_ID=cGFnZT1wdWJsaWNhdGlvbnM= Bokar Publications]FnZT1wdWJsaWNhdGlvbnM= Bokar Publications])
  • Loden, Thubten  + (Born in 1924, Geshe Loden became a monk atBorn in 1924, Geshe Loden became a monk at seven years old. After completing extensive Buddhist philosophy studies, he received the Geshe Lharampa degree from Sera Je Monastery in Tibet, and an Acharya degree from Varanasi's Sanskrit university in India. He was also awarded a Master's qualification in Vajrayana Buddhism after many years study at Gyudmed Tantric College. Geshe Loden originally came to Australia in 1976 at the invitation of Lama Thubten Yeshe to be the resident teacher at Chenrezig Institute, Queensland, where he remained for three years before leaving to start his own organization.<br>      Geshe Loden has written many books on Tibetan Buddhism, including: ''Great Treasury of Mahamudra'' (2009); ''Essence of the Path to Enlightenment'' (1997); ''Meditations on the Path to Enlightenment'' (1996); ''The Fundamental Potential for Enlightenment'' (1996); and ''Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism'' (1993). ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geshe_Acharya_Thubten_Loden Source Accessed Jul 27, 2020])sed Jul 27, 2020]))
  • Tegchok, Jampa  + (Born in 1930, Khensur Jampa Tegchok becameBorn in 1930, Khensur Jampa Tegchok became a monk at the age of eight. He studied major Buddhist treatises at Sera Monastic University in Tibet for fourteen years before fleeing his homeland in 1959. The former abbot of the Jé College of Sera Monastic University in India, he was also a beloved teacher at several FPMT centers including the Masters Program at Instituto Lama Tsongkhapa in Italy, Land of Medicine Buddha in California, and Nalanda Monastery in France. (Source: [https://wisdomexperience.org/content-author/khensur-jampa-tegchok/ Wisdom Publications])ensur-jampa-tegchok/ Wisdom Publications]))
  • Das, Sarat  + (Born in Chittagong, eastern Bengal to a BeBorn in Chittagong, eastern Bengal to a Bengali Hindu Vaidya-Brahmin family, Sarat Chandra Das attended Presidency College, as a student of the University of Calcutta. In 1874 he was appointed headmaster of the Bhutia Boarding School at Darjeeling. In 1878, a Tibetan teacher, Lama Ugyen Gyatso arranged a passport for Sarat Chandra to go the monastery at Tashilhunpo. In June 1879, Das and Ugyen-gyatso left Darjeeling for the first of two journeys to Tibet. They remained in Tibet for six months, returning to Darjeeling with a large collection of Tibetan and Sanskrit texts which would become the basis for his later scholarship. Sarat Chandra spent 1880 in Darjeeling poring over the information he had obtained. In November 1881, Sarat Chandra and Ugyen-gyatso returned to Tibet, where they explored the Yarlung Valley, returning to India in January 1883. Along with Satish Chandra Vidyabhusan, he prepared Tibetan-English dictionary.<br></br></br>For a time, he worked as a spy for the British, accompanying Colman Macaulay on his 1884 expedition to Tibet to gather information on the Tibetans, Russians and Chinese. After he left Tibet, the reasons for his visit were discovered and many of the Tibetans who had befriended him suffered severe reprisals.<br></br></br>For the latter part of his life, Das settled in Darjeeling. He named his house "Lhasa Villa" and played host to many notable guests including Sir Charles Alfred Bell and Ekai Kawaguchi. Johnson stated that, in 1885 and 1887 Das met with Henry Steel Olcott, co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarat_Chandra_Das Source Accessed Jan 20, 2021])/wiki/Sarat_Chandra_Das Source Accessed Jan 20, 2021]))
  • Ricard, M.  + (Born in France in 1946, son of philosopherBorn in France in 1946, son of philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le</br>Toumelin, Matthieu Ricard is a Ph.D. in cell genetics turned Buddhist monk who has studied</br>Buddhism in the Himalayas for the last 50 years under respected masters such as Kangyur</br>Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He is a humanitarian, an author, a photographer,</br>and a speaker at various international events.</br> </br>His books in English include ''The Monk and the Philosopher''; ''The Quantum and the Lotus'';</br>''Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill''; ''Why Meditate?''; ''Altruism:</br>The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World'', ''A Plea for the Animals'',</br>''Enlightened Vagabond'', ''Beyond the Self: A conversation between Neuroscience and</br>Buddhism'', ''In Search of Wisdom'', ''Freedom for All and Our Animal Neighbours''.</br></br>As a translator from Tibetan, in English, his works include, </br>:Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel'', Shambhala Publications.</br>:Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones'', Shambhala Publication.</br>:Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Excellent Path to Enlightenment'', Snow Lion Publications.</br>:Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Hundred Verses of Advice'', Shambhala Publications.</br>:Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Heart of Compassion'', Shambhala Publications.</br>:Rabjam Rinpoche, ''The Great Medicine that Vanquishes Ego Clinging'', Shambhala Publications.</br>:''Shabkar, Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin'', SUNY Press, reprinted Snow Lion Publications.</br>:''On the Path to Enlightenment: Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters''. Shambhala Publications, 2013.</br>:''The Enlightened Vagabond, The life and teachings of Patrul Rinpoche'', Shambhala Publications.</br></br>As a photographer, he has published a number of albums in French, including, in English ''Journey to Enlightenment (Aperture)'', ''Tibet: An Inner Journey'' (Thames and Hudson), ''Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas'' (Thames and Hudson), ''Bhutan: Land of Serenity''. Henri Cartier Bresson wrote about his photographic work: "Matthieu's camera and his spiritual life are one. From there, spring these images, fleeting yet eternal."</br></br>As a scientist and Buddhist monk, under the umbrella of the Mind and Life Institute, he has been an active participant in the scientific research on the effects of meditation on the brain and has co-authored a number of scientific publications.</br></br>He presently lives at Shechen monastery in Nepal and devotes all the proceedings of his books and activities to humanitarian projects in India, Nepal and Tibet, through Karuna- Shechen, the organization he founded twenty-one years ago (www.karuna-shechen.org), which benefit over 400,000 people every year. (Source: Matthieu Ricard, personal communication, Oct. 12, 2021.)</br></br>www.matthieuricard.comn, Oct. 12, 2021.) www.matthieuricard.com)
  • Brunnhölzl, K.  + (Born in Germany, Karl Brunnhölzl, M.D. wasBorn in Germany, Karl Brunnhölzl, M.D. was trained as a physician in Germany. He studied Tibetology, Buddhology, and Sanskrit at [[Hamburg University]]. He received training in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa Institute for Translators, founded by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]].</br><br></br>[[The Foliage of Superior Insight|Ashé Journal Article]]</br><br></br>[http://www.nalandabodhi.org/teachers/western-teachers/karl-brunnholzl.aspx Nalandabodhi teacher page]</br><br></br>'''Brief Biography:'''</br></br>Karl was originally trained, and worked, as a physician. He took Buddhist refuge vows in 1984 and, in 1990, completed a five-year training in higher Buddhist philosophy at Kamalashila Institute, Germany, receiving the traditional Kagyü title of "dharma tutor" (Tib. skyor dpon). Since 1988, he received his Buddhist and Tibetan language training mainly at Marpa Institute For Translators in Kathmandu, Nepal (director: Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche) and also studied Tibetology, Buddhology, and Sanskrit at Hamburg University, Germany. Since 1989, Karl served as a translator, interpreter, and Buddhist teacher mainly in Europe, India, and Nepal. Since 1999, he has acted as one of the main translators and teachers at Nitartha Institute (director: Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche) in the USA, Canada, and Germany. In addition, he regularly taught at Gampo Abbey's Vidyadhara Institute from 2000-2007. He is the author of several books on Buddhism, such as The Center of the Sunlit Sky, Straight from the Heart, In Praise of Dharmadhātu, and Luminous Heart (all Snow Lion Publications).</br></br>Karl met Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 1986 during Rinpoche's first teaching tour through Europe, receiving extensive teachings as well as pratimoksha vows from him during the following years in both Europe and Nepal, and later also in Canada and the USA. He served as Rinpoche's personal translator during his teachings tours in Europe (particularly at Nitartha Institute in Germany) from 1999-2005. In 2005, he was appointed as one of five Western Nalandabodhi teachers and given the title "mitra."</br>In 2006, he moved to Seattle and works as a full-time Tibetan translator for Tsadra Foundation. Since his arrival in Seattle, Karl was instrumental in creating the new introductory NB Buddhism 100 Series, leads NB Study Path classes, presents weekend courses and open house talks at Nalanda West, offers selected teachings to the Vajrasattva and Mahamudra practice communities, and provides personal guidance as a PI. He also teaches weekend seminars and Nitartha Institute courses in NB centers in the US, Canada, and Mexico as well as other locations.</br></br>Within the Mitra Council, Karl is the current Dean until 2010 and is mainly supervising and revising the NB Study Path (which includes revising the Hinayana and Mahayana study path and creating a Vajrayana study path). While enthusiastic about all facets of the dharma, his main interests are the teachings on Mahamudra, Yogacara and Buddha Nature, and to make the essential teachings by the Karmapas and other major Kagyu lineage figures available to contemporary Western audiences. [http://www.nalandabodhi.org/teachers/western-teachers/karl-brunnholzl.aspx Source]i.org/teachers/western-teachers/karl-brunnholzl.aspx Source])
  • Dhammasami, K.  + (Born in Shan State, Union of Myanmar and aBorn in Shan State, Union of Myanmar and a Theravada Buddhist monk over thirty years, Venerable Dr. K Dhammasami has studied in Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka where taught Pali, Abhidhamma and meditation.</br></br>Based in Great Britain since 1996, he ran a Sunday School in London for four years before completing his doctorate study at Oxford and setting up a monastery there in 2003 where he is the abbot.</br></br>He served as secretary general of United Nations Day of Vesak in Bangkok (2006-2010), founder-executive of the two Buddhist universities associations: IATBU (2007- present) and IABU (2007- present). Among academic posts he holds are: Fellow and Trustee at the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies (2004- present) and a member of Theology Faculty (2009-present) as well as Buddhist chaplain at Oxford University (2010-present); professor responsible for research, publication in Pali, and international affairs at International TheravadaBuddhistMissionary University, Yangon, Myanmar (2006-present).</br></br>Since 2006, he has supservised and examined a few theses for MPhil and PhD in London, Colombo, Bangkok and Yangon and been a visiting lecturer in India, Indonesia and Thailand.</br></br>He has been teaching midnfulness vipassana meditation since 1996 in Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Spain, Thailand, USA, Canada, Hungary and Serbia. His book Mindfulness Meditation made Easy has been translated into Thai, Korean and Spanish. Its Hungarian and Serbian versions are expected to be out soon. Apart from running regular retreats, he also organises some conferences on meditation. ([https://ebtc.hu/staff/dr-khammai-dhammasami/ Source Accessed May 19, 2021])dhammasami/ Source Accessed May 19, 2021]))
  • Hirakawa, A.  + (Born in Toyohashi City in Aichi PrefectureBorn in Toyohashi City in Aichi Prefecture on January 21, 1915, Hirakawa studied as an undergraduate and then graduate student (1939-1945) at the Department of Indian Philosophy and Sanskrit Philology, Faculty of Letters, Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo), and became Research Assistant of that department in 1946. He was appointed Associate Professor of the newly established Department of Indian Philosophy at Hokkaido University in 1950. After teaching for four years in Hokkaido University, he returned to Tokyo in 1954 to become Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies at his alma mater. Hirakawa was granted a full professorship in 1962, a position he held until reaching the University of Tokyo’s mandatory retirement age of 60 in 1975, at which time he received the title of Professor Emeritus. After his retirement he taught for 10 years (1975-1985) Buddhist Studies at Waseda University, Department of Oriental Philosophy, School of Literature. Hirakawa also served as Chairman of the Directors of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies for eight years (1983-1991), where he made tremendous contributions toward the advancement of the Association. In 1993 he was selected to be a member of the Japan Academy. He went on to become Chairman and Professor at the International College for Advanced Buddhist Studies (established in 1996), where in addition to his duties as the director of research and education, he was responsible for the general administration of the College. He held this position until passing away. ([https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/download/8928/2821/ Source Accessed Dec 5, 2019])</br></br></br>[https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/download/8928/2821/ See also, ''In Memoriam'', Professor Akira Hirakawa]''In Memoriam'', Professor Akira Hirakawa])
  • Fatian  + (Born in central India, Fatian (法天, ?-1001)Born in central India, Fatian (法天, ?-1001), or Dharmadeva, had been a monk in the Nālandā Monastery in the kingdom of Magadha. In 973, the sixth year of the Kaibao (開寶) years of the Northern Song Dynasty, he went to China and stayed in Pujin (蒲津), in Lu County (漉州). He translated the Sūtra of the Infinite-Life Resolute Radiance King Tathāgata Dhāraṇī, the Stanzas in Praise of the Seven Buddhas, and other texts. His translations were recorded and edited by Fajin (法進), an Indian monk of the Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺) in Hezhongfu (河中府).</br></br>In 980, the fifth year of the Taiping-Xinguo (太平興國) years, the county official presented a written recommendation of Fatian to Emperor Taizong (宋太宗). Very pleased with what he read in the report, the emperor summoned Fatian to the capital city and bestowed upon him the purple robe. Furthermore, he decreed the building of an institute for sūtra translation. In 982, at the command of the emperor, Fatian, Tianxizai (天息災), Shihu (施護), and others moved into the institute, starting to translate the Sanskrit texts each had brought. In the seventh month, Fatian completed his translation of the Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Holy Auspicious Upholding-the-World Dhāranī. Then the emperor named him Great Master of Transmission of Teachings. Between 982 and 1000, he translated forty-six sūtras. Fatian died in 1001, the fourth year of the Xianping (咸平) years, his age unknown. The emperor conferred upon him a posthumous title, Great Master of Profound Enlightenment. ([http://www.buddhism.org/Sutras/3/translators.html Source Accessed Aug 25, 2021])lators.html Source Accessed Aug 25, 2021]))
  • Karthar, Khenpo  + (Born in eastern Tibet in 1924, Khenpo KartBorn in eastern Tibet in 1924, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was one of the great masters of the Karma Kagyu tradition. Rinpoche, who received most of his training and education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, was highly accomplished in meditation, philosophy, and monastic arts. As abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmacakra Monastery (KTD) in Woodstock, New York; spiritual guide of thirty-five Karma Thegsum Choling (KTC) affiliate centers; and retreat master at the Karme Ling Retreat Center in Delhi, New York, Rinpoche touched the lives of thousands of students. He was also known for numerous books, including ''The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzokchen''; ''Dharma Paths''; ''Instructions of Gampopa''; ''Bardo: Interval of Possibility''; ''The Wish-Fulfilling Wheel: The Practice of White Tara''; and the five-volume masterwork ''Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma''.erwork ''Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma''.)
  • Sopa, Lhundub  + (Born in the Tsang region of Tibet in 1923,Born in the Tsang region of Tibet in 1923, Geshe Lhundub Sopa was both a spiritual master and a respected academic. He rose from a humble background to complete his geshe studies at Sera Je Monastic University in Lhasa with highest honors and was privileged to serve as a debate opponent for the Dalai Lama’s own geshe examination in 1959. He moved to New Jersey in the United States in 1963 and in 1967 began teaching in the Buddhist Studies Program at University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he professor emeritus. In 1975, he founded the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin, site of the Dalai Lama’s first Kalachakra initiation granted in the West. He is the author of several books in English, including the five-volume comprehensive teaching, ''Steps on the Path to Enlightenment''. ([https://wisdomexperience.org/content-author/geshe-lhundub-sopa/ Source Accessed April 10, 2020])dub-sopa/ Source Accessed April 10, 2020]))
  • Davis, B.  + (Bret W. Davis is Professor and Thomas J. HBret W. Davis is Professor and Thomas J. Higgins, S.J. Chair in Philosophy at Loyola University Maryland, where he teaches courses on Western, Asian, and cross-cultural philosophy. His research focuses on Japanese philosophy (esp. the Kyoto School and Zen Buddhism), on Continental philosophy (esp. Heidegger, phenomenology, and hermeneutics), and on issues in cross-cultural philosophy and comparative philosophy of religion.</br></br>Along with earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University, he has studied and taught for more than a year in Germany and for more than a dozen years in Japan. In Japan, he studied Buddhist thought at Otani University, completed the coursework for a second Ph.D. in Japanese philosophy at Kyoto University, taught philosophy and related courses in Japanese at various universities, and practiced Zen Buddhism at Shōkokuji, one of the main Rinzai Zen training monasteries in Kyoto.</br></br>In addition to authoring more than 75 articles in English and Japanese, as well as translating many articles from Japanese and German, he is author of Heidegger and the Will: On the Way to Gelassenheit (Northwestern University Press, 2007); translator of Martin Heidegger’s Country Path Conversations (Indiana University Press, 2010, paperback edition 2016); editor of The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2020) and of Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts (Acumen, 2010, Routledge, 2014); coeditor with Fujita Masakatsu of Sekai no naka no Nihon no tetsugaku (Japanese Philosophy in the World) (Shōwadō, 2005); and coeditor with Brian Schroeder and Jason Wirth of Japanese and Continental Philosophy: Conversations with the Kyoto School (Indiana University Press, 2011) and of Engaging Dōgen’s Zen: The Philosophy of Practice as Awakening (Wisdom Publishing, 2017).</br></br>His current projects include a book manuscript on Zen Buddhism and another on the Kyoto School and interpersonal as well as intercultural dialogue. He was the Director of the 2017 Collegium Phaenomenologicum, is Associate Officer of The Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle, serves on the board of directors of the Nishida Philosophy Association (Nishida tetsugakkai) as well as on the editorial boards of several journals and book series, and is coeditor of Indiana University Press’s series in World Philosophies. ([https://loyola.academia.edu/BretDavis Source Accessed Nov 25, 2019])u/BretDavis Source Accessed Nov 25, 2019]))
  • Smith, Brian K.  + (Brian was born in Seattle, Washington, in Brian was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1953 to Gordon and JoAnne Smith who moved to St. Paul Minnesota soon thereafter. His father and grandfather were ordained Baptist ministers and Brian had an abiding interest and education in the Christian tradition. </br></br>He did his undergraduate work at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and went on to earn a Ph.D. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago, where he focused on Hindu and Sanskrit texts. During his academic studies, he cultivated an unorthodox understanding of religion thanks to the influence of such renowned scholars as Mircea Eliade, Wendy Doniger and Jonathan Z. Smith. </br></br>Brian taught for over two decades in the academic world, first at Columbia University’s Barnard College and later, at the University of California, Riverside, where he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2004. </br></br>In 1998, Brian began an intensive study of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gelugpa tradition with Geshe Michael Roach and his teacher, Geshe Lobsang Tharchin. Later he took further teachings and initiations with Lama Christie McNally, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen and Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. He became a Tibetan Buddhist monk and took the ordination name of Sumati Marut, becoming affectionately known by his many students as Lama Marut. He lived as a monk for 8 years. </br></br>Brian – now called Lama Marut – continued his interest in comparative religion, studying the teachings of other spiritual masters, drawing inspiration from many past and contemporary teachers of the Buddhist and yoga traditions. He also returned to his Christian roots through study and personal friendships with Christian priests and ministers. </br></br>In addition to several scholarly studies and translations based on Sanskrit materials, Brian/Lama Marut, authored the popular and award-winning books, ''A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life'' and ''Be Nobody''. ([http://lamamarut.org/lama-maruts-obituary/ Source Accessed May 3, 2021])ts-obituary/ Source Accessed May 3, 2021]))
  • Cuevas, B.  + (Bryan J. Cuevas (Ph.D., University of VirgBryan J. Cuevas (Ph.D., University of Virginia) joined the Department of Religion faculty of Florida State University in Fall 2000. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Asian religious traditions, specializing in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism, Tibetan history, language, and culture. His principal research interests focus on Tibetan history and biography, Buddhist magic and sorcery, and the politics of ritual power in premodern Tibetan societies. He is currently working on the history of the Buddhist Vajrabhairava and Yamāntaka/Yamāri traditions in Tibet, with special focus on the Raluk (Rwa lugs) transmissions and their lineages from the twelfth through early eighteenth centuries. This is a component of a broader long-term study of Tibetan sorcery and the politics of Buddhist ritual magic in Tibet up through the nineteenth century.</br></br>Dr. Cuevas has been a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, and has held visiting appointments at UC Berkeley, Princeton University, and Emory University. His research has been supported by fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), as well as grants from public and private endowments.</br></br>Dr. Cuevas is currently accepting graduate students (M.A. and Ph.D.) interested in pursuing research topics in Tibetan and Buddhist studies for the upcoming 2022-23 academic year.</br>([https://religion.fsu.edu/person/bryan-j-cuevas Source Accessed Feb 23, 2022.])n-j-cuevas Source Accessed Feb 23, 2022.]))
  • Buddhabhadra  + (Buddhabhadra (佛馱跋陀羅, 359–429) means enlighBuddhabhadra (佛馱跋陀羅, 359–429) means enlightenment worthy. Born in northern India, he was a descendent of King Amṛtodana, who was the youngest of the three uncles of Śākyamuni Buddha (circa 563–483 BCE). He renounced family life at age seventeen and became a monk. Studying hard, he mastered meditation and the Vinaya.</br></br>In 408, the tenth year of the Hongshi (弘始) years of the Later Qin Dynasty (後秦 or 姚秦, 384–417), one of the Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439), he went to its capital, Chang-an. The illustrious translator Kumārajīva (鳩摩羅什, 344–413) had arrived there in 401. However, Buddhabhadra did not like Kumārajīva’s students. Together with his own forty-some students, he went to the Lu Mountain (廬山, in present-day Jiangxi Province) and stayed with Master Huiyuan (慧遠, 334–416), the first patriarch of the Pure Land School of China.</br></br>In 415, the eleventh year of the Yixi (義熙) years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (東晉, 317–420), Buddhabhadra went south to its capital, Jiankong (建康), present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. He stayed at the Daochang Temple (道場寺) and began his translation work. Altogether, he translated from Sanskrit into Chinese thirteen texts in 125 fascicles. For example, texts 376 and 1425 were translated jointly by him and Faxian (法顯, circa 337–422). Text 376 (T12n0376) in 6 fascicles is the earliest of the three Chinese versions of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra; text 1425 (T22n1425) in 40 fascicles is the Chinese version of the Mahāsaṅghika Vinaya. Texts 278 and 666 were translated by him alone probably between years 418 and 421. Text 278 (T09n0278) is the 60-fascicle Chinese version of the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of Buddha Adornment (Buddhāvataṁsaka-mahāvaipulya-sūtra); text 666 (T16n0666) in one fascicle is the first of the two extant Chinese versions of the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of the Tathāgata Store.</br></br>In 429, the sixth year of the Yuanjia (元嘉) years of the Liu Song Dynasty (劉宋, 420–79), Buddhabhadra died, at age seventy-one. People called him the Indian Meditation Master. He is one of the eighteen exalted ones of the Lu Mountain. ([http://www.sutrasmantras.info/translators.html#kumarajiva Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021])#kumarajiva Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021]))
  • Tanyan  + (Buddhist monk, writer of Northern Zhou andBuddhist monk, writer of Northern Zhou and Sui. Tanyan’s secular surname was Wang 王. His ancestral home was Sangquan 桑泉 in Puzhou 蒲州 (modern Linjin 臨晉, Shanxi). At the age of sixteen, Tanyan visited a monastery and listened to a monk lecturing on the Niepan jing 涅槃經 (Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra). At that moment he decided to become a Buddhist monk. Tanyan lived in seclusion in the Taihang 太行 Mountains. Yuwen Tai 宇文泰 (505–556) showed great respect to Tanyan while he served in the Western Wei court. During the Jiande period (572–578) of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou, Tanyan went to Chang’an where he was selected to debate with Zhou Hongzheng 周弘正 (496–574), an envoy from the southern Chen court. Tanyan lost the competiton, but Zhou Hongzheng regarded Tanyan as his master. Before Zhou Hongzheng returned to the south, he composed forty poems “Feng yun shan hai shi” 風雲山海詩 (Poems on wind, cloud, mountain and ocean) and sent them to Tanyan, who replied with poems on the same subject.</br></br>Tanyan again became a recluse in the Taihang Mountains when Emperor Wu undertook his proscription of Buddhism. He returned to Chang’an after Emperor Xuan 宣 (r. 579–579) lifted the ban on Buddhism. He died at the age of seventy-three.</br></br>Tanyan has only one extant poem which is preserved in the Xu Gaoseng zhuan 續高僧傳, Shi ji of Feng Weine, and Lu Qinli’s Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi. His only extant prose piece, “Lin zhong yi qi” 臨終遺啟 (Last testament), is preserved in Yan Kejun’s Quan shangguo Sandai Qin Han Sanguo Liuchao wen. (Source: Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang. ''Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide, Part Two''. Leiden: Brill, 2014, p. 1076–77. https://brill.com/display/title/19546)77. https://brill.com/display/title/19546))
  • Amoghavajra  + (Buddhist émigré ācarya who played a major Buddhist émigré ācarya who played a major role in the introduction and translation of seminal Buddhist texts belonging to the esoteric tradition or mijiao. His birthplace is uncertain, but many sources allude to his ties to Central Asia. Accompanying his teacher Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra arrived in the Chinese capital of Chang'an in 720–1 and spent most of his career in that cosmopolitan city. In 741, following the death of his mentor, Amoghavajra made an excursion to India and Sri Lanka with the permission of the Tang-dynasty emperor and returned in 746 with new Buddhist texts, many of them esoteric scriptures. Amoghavajra's influence on the Tang court reached its peak when he was summoned by the emperor to construct an abhiṣeka, or consecration, altar on his behalf. Amoghavajra's activities in Chang'an were interrupted by the An Lushan rebellion (655–763), but after the rebellion was quelled, he returned to his work at the capital and established an inner chapel for homa rituals and abhiṣeka in the imperial palace. He was later honored by the emperor with the purple robe, the highest honor for a Buddhist monk and the rank of third degree. Along with Xuanzang, Amoghavajra was one of the most prolific translators and writers in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Among the many texts he translated into Chinese, especially important are the ''Sarvatathāgatasaṃgraha'' and the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna''. (Source: "Amoghavajra." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 36. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Candrākaragupta  + (Candrākaragupta, often referred to in Tibetan as the Scholar with a Golden Umbrella (paN+Di ta gser gdugs can) was an Indian Buddhist scholar known for his sādhana practice of Mañjuśrī in the form of prajñācakra (''shes rab 'khor lo).)
  • Bendall, C.  + (Cecil Bendall (1 July 1856 – 14 March 1906Cecil Bendall (1 July 1856 – 14 March 1906) was an English scholar, a professor of Sanskrit at University College London from 1895 to 1902 and later at the University of Cambridge from 1903 until his death.</br></br>Bendall was educated at the City of London School and at the University of Cambridge, achieving first-class honours in the Classical Tripos in 1879 and the Indian Languages Tripos in 1881. He was elected to a fellowship at Gonville and Caius College.</br></br>From 1882 to 1893 he worked at the British Museum in the department of Oriental Manuscripts (now part of the British Library).</br>In 1894–1895 he was in Nepal and Northern India collecting oriental manuscripts for the British Museum. During the winter 1898–1899 he returned to Nepal and together with pandit Hara Prasad Shastri and his assistant pandit Binodavihari Bhattacharya from the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, the team registered and collected information from palm-leaf manuscripts in the Durbar Library belonging to Rana Prime Minister Bir Shumsher J. B. Rana, and here he found the famous historical document Gopal Raj Vamshavali, describing Nepal's history from around 1000 to 1600. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Bendall Adapted from Source Mar 18, 2021])Bendall Adapted from Source Mar 18, 2021]))
  • Luk, C.  + (Charles Luk (1898-1978) (simplified ChinesCharles Luk (1898-1978) (simplified Chinese: 陆宽昱; traditional Chinese: 陸寬昱; pinyin: Lù Kuānyù; Wade–Giles: Lu K'uan Yü; Jyutping: Luhk Fūn-Yūk) was an early translator of Chinese Buddhist texts and commentaries into the English language. He was born in Guangdong province, and moved later to Hong Kong, where he wrote most of his books.</br></br>Charles Luk often used the title Upāsaka (居士), e.g. "Upāsaka Lu K'uan Yü" (陸寬昱居士), referring to his role as a devout lay follower of Buddhism. His first Buddhist teacher was a tulku of Esoteric Buddhism, the Khutuktu of Xikang. Later he became a disciple of Hsu Yun, the famous inheritor of all five houses of the Chán school in China.[1] Master Hsu Yun personally asked Charles Luk to translate key Chinese Buddhist texts into English, so that Western Buddhists could have access to authentic teachings to assist their practice. Upon his death in 1978, this task was taken on by his British disciple Richard Hunn (1949–2006), also known as Upasaka Wen Shu - who edited the 1988 Element edition of Charles Luk's book entitled ''Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun''.</br></br>Charles Luk contributed broadly to Buddhist publications in India, London, Paris, and New York.</br></br>Translations:</br></br>*''Shurangama Sutra'' (1966)</br>*''Platform Sutra''</br>*''Vimalakirti Sutra'' (1972)</br>*Some works on Daoist Neidan meditation.</br></br>Other works:</br></br>*''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, First Series'' (1960),</br>*''Secrets of Chinese Meditation'' (1964)</br>*''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, Second Series'' (1971),</br>*''Practical Buddhism'', Rider, (1971)</br>*''Ch'an and Zen Teachings, Third Series'' (1973),</br>*''Taoist Yoga: Alchemy And Immortality'' (1973)</br>*''Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu Yun'' (1974)</br>*''The Transmission of the Mind: Outside the Teaching'' (1974)</br>*''Master Hsu Yun's Discourses and Dharma Words'' (1996) ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Luk Source Accessed Jan 20, 2022])Charles_Luk Source Accessed Jan 20, 2022]))
  • Prebish, C.  + (Charles Prebish came to Utah State UniversCharles Prebish came to Utah State University in January 2007 following more than thirty-five years on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure at Utah State University, he was the first holder of the Charles Redd Endowed Chair in Religious Studies and served as Director of the Religious Studies Program. During his career, Dr. Prebish published more than twenty books and nearly one hundred scholarly articles and chapters. His books Buddhist Monastic Discipline (1975) and Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (1999) are considered classic volumes in Buddhist Studies. Dr. Prebish remains the leading pioneer in the establishment of the study of Western Buddhism as a sub-discipline in Buddhist Studies. In 1993 he held the Visiting Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary, and in 1997 was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation National Humanities Fellowship for research at the University of Toronto. Dr. Prebish has been an officer in the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and was co-founder of the Buddhism Section of the American Academy of Religion. In 1994, he co-founded the Journal of Buddhist Ethics, which was the first online peer-reviewed journal in the field of Buddhist Studies; and in 1996, co-founded the Routledge "Critical Studies in Buddhism" series. He has also served as editor of the Journal of Global Buddhism and Critical Review of Books in Religion. In 2005, he was honored with a "festschrift" volume by his colleagues titled Buddhist Studies from India to America: Essays in Honor of Charles S. Prebish. Dr. Prebish retired from Utah State University on December 31, 2010, and was awarded emeritus status. He currently resides in State College, Pennsylvania.</br>([http://www.amazon.com/Charles-S.-Prebish/e/B001IXTTO6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Source Accessed Oct 21, 2015])_dp_epwbk_0 Source Accessed Oct 21, 2015]))
  • Lin, C.  + (Chen-kuo Lin is Professor Emeritus of BuddChen-kuo Lin is Professor Emeritus of Buddhist Philosophy at National Chengchi University. He also serves as Director of the Sheng Yen Center for Chinese Buddhist Studies. Currently there are four research projects under his supervision: (1) "An Annotated Translation of Dharmapāla’s Cheng weishi baosheng lun," (2) "Exploring Buddhism in Early Modern East Asia through the Manuscripts and Rare Copies," (3) "Mapping the Buddhist Scholasticism during the Edo Period," and (4) "Re-examining the Philosophical Debate between Bhāviveka and Dharmapāla in the Sino-Indic Buddhist Context." His recent research focuses on epistemology in Chinese Buddhism and application of syllogism in Buddhist hermeneutics. He is the author of three books: ''Emptiness and Method: Explorations in Cross-Cultural Buddhist Philosophy'' (Taipei: The NCCU Press, 2012), ''Emptiness and Modernity: From the Kyoto School, Modern Neo-Confucianism to Multivocal Hermeneutics'' (Taipei: New Century Publication, 1999), ''A Passage of Dialectics'' (Taipei: New Century Publication, 2002), and several articles in Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Journal of Indian Philosophy, Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy and Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. His recent edited volumes include (1) ''A Distant Mirror: Articulating Indic Ideas in Sixth and Seventh Century Chinese Buddhism'', co-edited with Michael Radich (Hamburg: University of Hamburg Press, 2014), (2) ''A Collection of the Rare Manuscripts of the Commentaries on Dignāga’s Ālamabanaparīkṣā in Early Modern East Asia'', co-edited with Kaiting Jien (Kaohsiung: Fo Guang Publishing Co., 2018). ([https://buddhica.nccu.edu.tw/people/cklin Source Accessed July 23, 2020])ople/cklin Source Accessed July 23, 2020]))
  • Mchims 'jam pa'i dbyangs  + (Chim Jampé Yang (Tib. མཆིམས་འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས་Chim Jampé Yang (Tib. མཆིམས་འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས་, Wyl. ''mchims 'jam pa'i dbyangs'') (13th century) — author of the most famous Tibetan commentary on Vasubandhu's ''Abhidharmakosha'', ''The Ornament of Abhidharma'', often known simply as the 'Chim Dzö' or 'Chim Chen'. Here large (chen) is referring to the size of his commentary. Some traditions identify the author of this text with Chim Namkha Drak.</br></br>His teacher was Chim Lozang Drakpa, who is known as The Omniscient Chim, and who is the author of the 'Chim chung', the smaller commentary. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Chim_Jamp%C3%A9_Yang Rigpa Wiki])hp?title=Chim_Jamp%C3%A9_Yang Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Nyima, Chökyi  + (Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned teacher and meditation master in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Tibet in 1951 as the oldest son of his mother Kunsang Dechen, a devoted Buddhist practitioner, and his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, an accomplished master of Buddhist meditation. As a young child, Chokyi Nyima—"Sun of the Dharma"—was recognized as the 7th incarnation of the Tibetan meditation master Gar Drubchen.</br></br>In 1959, following the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Rinpoche's family fled to India where Rinpoche spent his youth studying under some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most illustrious masters, such as His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, and his father, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.</br></br>In 1974, Rinpoche left India to join his parents in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he assisted them in establishing Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Upon its completion in 1976, H.H. the Karmapa enthroned Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche as the monastery's abbot. To this day, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling remains the heart of Rinpoche’s ever-growing mandala of activity. (Source: [https://shedrub.org/about-us/ Shedrub.org])ttps://shedrub.org/about-us/ Shedrub.org]))
  • Chos kyi 'od zer (Nom-un gerel)  + (Chos kyi 'od zer (Nom-un gerel, Choiji OdsChos kyi 'od zer (Nom-un gerel, Choiji Odser, or Čosgi Odsir) was a Uighur scholar of the Sakya order who translated the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' into Mongolian in 1305 (other sources say 1312, see Baumann, 2008) and wrote a commentary on the text, of which only a fragment remains. According to Liland's MA thesis (2009), he flourished between 1305–1321. According to Alexander Berzin, "The first Buddhist text translated from Tibetan into Mongolian was Shantideva's ''Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior'' (''Byang-chub sems-dpa’i spyod-pa-la ‘jug-pa'', Skt. ''Bodhisattvacaryavatara''). It was prepared by the Uighur translator Chokyi Ozer (Chos-kyi ‘od-zer), during the reign of the Mongol Yuan Emperor Khaisan Külüg (Chin. Wuzong, Wu-tsung, 1308–1311). ([https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/transmission-of-buddhism/traditional-guidelines-for-translating-buddhist-texts See Berzin]). Vesna Wallace also notes that he was this first to translate the ''Four Medical Tantras'' from Tibetan to Mongolian. His student was Shes rab seng ge.ngolian. His student was Shes rab seng ge.)
  • Charrier, C.  + (Christian Charrier holds a Masters degree Christian Charrier holds a Masters degree in English and a diploma in psycholinguistics. He was a translator for Geshe Tengye in France, and he completed a three-year retreat under Lama Gendun Rinpoche in le Bost, France. He has been a translation consultant for Tsadra Foundation from 2002–2003 and has been a Tsadra Foundation Fellow since 2004.</br></br></br>'''Current Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow:'''<br></br>*''Le Voyage et son but'', Jamgön Kongtrul</br>*''La pratique des tantras bouddhistes'', Jamgön Kongtrul</br></br>'''Completed Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow:'''<br></br>*''Marpa, maître de Milarépa, sa vie, ses chants'', Tsang Nyeun Hérouka</br>*''Vie de Jamgœun Kongtrul, écrite par lui-même'', Jamgön Kongtrul</br>*''L’Ondée de sagesse, Chants de la lignée Kagyu'', Karmapa Mikyeu Dorje, Tènpai Nyinjé</br>*''Rayons de lune, Les étapes de la méditation du Mahamudra'', Dakpo Tashi Namgyal</br>*''Au Coeur du ciel Vol I and II'', Pawo Rinpoche, the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje (from the English translation by Karl Brunnhölzl – ''The Centre of the Sunlit Sky'')</br>*''Lumière de diamant'', de Dakpo Tashi Namgyal</br>*''Mémoires: La Vie et l’œuvre de Jamgön Kongtrul'', by Jamgön Kongtrul, new edition</br>*''Traité de la Continuité suprême du Grand Véhicule - Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, avec le commentaire de Jamgön Kongtrul Lodreu Thayé L'Incontestable Rugissement du lion''. Plazac: Éditions Padmakara, 2019.</br>*''Les Systèmes Philosophiques Bouddhistes'', Éditions Padmakara, 2020.</br></br></br>'''Previously Published Translations:'''<br></br>*''Kalachakra'', Dalai Lama</br>*''La Roue aux lames acérées'', Dharmarakshita, commentary by Geshé Tengyé</br>*''La Voie progressive vers l’éveil'', Jé Tsong Khapa ([http://tsadra-wp.tsadra.org/translators/christian-charrier/ Source: Tsadra.org])dra.org/translators/christian-charrier/ Source: Tsadra.org]))
  • Chos rje gling pa  + (Chöje Lingpa, also known as Rokje Lingpa aChöje Lingpa, also known as Rokje Lingpa as well as several other names, was initially recognized as the rebirth of a Kagyu master by the Seventh Shamarpa and installed at Rechung Phuk, an institution named after Milarepa's disciple Rechungpa and the site where Tsangnyön Heruka wrote his famous biography of Milarepa. Though Chöje Lingpa he would become an important teacher to several important Kagyu hierarchs including the Karmapa and Shamarpa, he we also involved with several Nyingma masters, including the tertön Taksham Nuden Dorje who granted him prophecies and made him the steward of his treasures. He would become a prolific tertön in his own right and came to be considered the penultimate emanation of Gyalse Lhaje, prior to his rebirth as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.to his rebirth as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.)
  • Yates, J.  + (Culadasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is the directCuladasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is the director of Dharma Treasure Buddhist Sangha in Tucson, Arizona and author of The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Using Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science (Dharma Treasure Press, October 6, 2015). A meditation master with over four decades of experience in the Tibetan and Theravadin Buddhist traditions, Culadasa was ordained as an Upasaka (dedicated lay-practitioner) in 1976 and received ordination in the International Order of Buddhist ministers in Rosemead, California in December 2009.</br></br>His principle teachers were Upasaka Kema Ananda and the Venerable Jotidhamma Bhikkhu, both trained in the Theravadin and Tibetan Karma Kagyu traditions with lineage to the Venerable Ananda Bodhi (later recognized by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as the tulku Namgyal Rinpoche).</br></br>For many years, Culadasa taught physiology and neuroscience and worked at the forefront of the new fields of complementary healthcare education, physical medicine, and therapeutic massage. His unique lineage allows Culadasa to provide his students with a broad and in-depth perspective on the Buddha Dharma. He combines the original teachings of the Buddha with an emerging, scientific understanding of the mind to give students a rich and rare opportunity for rapid progress and profound insight.</br></br>In 1996, Culadasa retired from academia and moved with his wife Nancy into an old Apache stronghold in the southeastern Arizona wilderness to live a contemplative life and deepen their spiritual practice together. Culadasa leads retreats on his land in Arizona and across the United States.</br> </br>Source[http://culadasa.com/about/]ates. Source[http://culadasa.com/about/])
  • Stearns, C.  + (Cyrus Stearns has twenty-seven years of exCyrus Stearns has twenty-seven years of experience in the study of Tibetan language, literature, and religion. He has extensive experience in the translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts into English. From 1973 until 1987 he studied with the late Dezhung Tulku Rinpoche, and from 1985 until 1991 he studied with Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. During most of these years he was the principal translator for both teachers. Cyrus lived for about eight years Nepal, India, and Southeast Asia. He has often translated for Tibetan teachers of all traditions during public talks and seminars in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.</br></br>Cyrus was educated at the University of Alabama and received his PhD from the University of Washington in 1996. In 1985 Cyrus was the leader of the Smithsonian Institute's Associates Tour to Tibet and China, one of the first groups allowed into Tibet after many years of travel restriction by the Chinese government. He was a Tsadra Foundation fellow from 2003–2015. He is currently an independent scholar and translator and lives in the woods on Whidbey Island north of Seattle, Washington.</br></br></br></br>'''Completed Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow:'''</br>*''King of the Empty Plain: The Tibetan Iron-Bridge Builder Tangtong Gyalpo'', Lochen Gyurmé Dechen</br>*''Treasury of Esoteric Instructions: A Commentary on Virupa’s "Vajra Lines,"'' Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen</br>*''The Buddha from Dölpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen'', rev. ed.</br>*''Treasury of Esoteric Instructions'', Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, Virupa</br>*''Song of the Road, The Poetic Travel Journal of Tsarchen Losal Gyatso'', Tsarchen Losel Gyatso</br></br></br>'''Previously Published Books:'''</br>*''The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen''</br>*''Luminous Lives: The Story of the Early Masters of the Lam ’Bras Tradition in Tibet''</br>*''Hermit of Go Cliffs: Timeless Instructions from a Tibetan Mystic'', Godrakpa</br>*''Taking the Result as the Path: Core Teachings of the Sakya Lamdré Tradition'' </br></br>([http://tsadra-wp.tsadra.org/translators/cyrus-stearns/ Source Accessed March 29, 2019])-stearns/ Source Accessed March 29, 2019]))
  • Ermakov, D.  + (DMITRY ERMAKOV was born in 1967 in LeningrDMITRY ERMAKOV was born in 1967 in Leningrad, Soviet Union, and trained as a classical musician from the age of six. He was raised in a highly cultural environment, attending after-school classes on ancient history, mythology and art history at the prestigious Hermitage Museum. During his summer holidays he often participated in archaeological digs led by his aunt, the former Head of Archaeology at Kiev University. In 1987 Dmitry joined the University of Leningrad's expedition to Khakassia near the Tuvan (Tyvan) border to excavate Scythian Kurgans. This was his first trip to Siberia.</br></br>His interest in Buddhism began in his childhood, with a book called Gods of the Lotus by Parfionov. The book details the author's trip to the Himalayas and it opened up a whole new world of deities and religions. Later, this interest was combined with martial arts based on Taoism and Zen philosophy, and Qi Gong, disciplines which were strictly forbidden in the Soviet Union. It was only with the coming of Perestroika in 1989 that Dmitry was able to meet Buddhist masters: receiving a blessing for the Lotus Sutra from a Japanese Zen master; and then teachings and initiations from a Tibetan Buddhist lamas: Bakula Rinpoche (1989), Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoches (1991), Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche (1992). </br></br>In 1993 Dmitry moved to the UK and in 1995 he met the great Bönpo master Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. He has been practising Yungdrung Bon and attending Yongdzin Rinpoche's teachings ever since.</br></br>Dmitry first visited Buryatia in 1990 where he struck up a deep friendship with the Buddhist thangka-painter Batodalai Doogarov as well as with a several of the local bo and utgan shamans. </br> </br>Welcomed into their circle, Dmitry was able to gain unique insight into the Buryatian spiritual tradition of Bo Murgel, insight which developed into a detailed study of the similarities and differences between this ancient tradition and Yungdrung Bon. With the patient help of Yongdzin Rinpoche, Dmitry spent years researching a large anthology, Bo and Bon: Ancient Shamanic Traditions of Siberia and Tibet in their Relation to the Teachings of a Central Asian Buddha, (2008), which sheds new light on both traditions. </br></br>Dmitry went on to study Tibetan at Oxford University with Prof. Charles Ramble (2009-2010) and, as well as having articles published in both English and Russian, has been invited to lecture in Oxford, London, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, Cagliari, Budapest etc. His knowledge of Tibetan brings a new level of scholarship to the books and transcripts he and his wife Carol produce for the international Bonpo sangha.</br></br>Dmitry currently lives in the North Pennines, UK, where he works as a freelance translator. Alongside his work for the Bon tradition, he is currently composing pieces for a new fusion album.y composing pieces for a new fusion album.)
  • Cozort, D.  + (Dan Cozort grew up in North Dakota, where Dan Cozort grew up in North Dakota, where he ran cross-country and track and was a successful debater and extemporaneous speaker. At Brown University he majored in religious studies, specializing in Christian theology and ethics. At the graduate school of the University of Virginia, he specialized in Buddhism, learned Tibetan and Sanskrit, and began his collaboration with Tibetan lamas. He did a year of fieldwork in India, traveling broadly and staying in Tibetan monasteries. His teaching career began with a two-year appointment at Bates College in Maine. Coming to Dickinson in 1988, he proposed that the College join the South India Term Abroad consortium, which he directed in Madurai, south India, in 1992-93. In 1991 he organized the Festival of Tibet at Dickinson, which included an art exhibit he curated and was the initial occasion in which Tibetan monks constructed a Buddhist sand painting in the Trout Gallery. The monks returned in 1995 to construct another; he collaborated with Prof. Lonna Malmsheimer on a film to document it. In 2000 he began to teach in the Norwich Humanities Programme in England and in 2003-2005 he was its resident director. Prof. Cozort’s teaching is principally in the area of comparative religion, where he offers courses on Buddhism and Hinduism. However, he has also taught about Native American religions, about love and sex in relation to religion, about happiness, and has taught a variety of courses in the theory of religious studies. Currently, in addition to introductory courses, he frequently offers “Contemplative Practices in Asia,” “Buddhism and the Environment,” and “Spiritual Dimensions of Healing,” a course on the relation of religion and medicine. He is the author of six books: Highest Yoga tantra, Buddhist Philosophy, Unique Tenets of the Middle Way Consequence School, Sand Mandala of Vajrabhairava, Sadhana of Mahakala, and Enlightenment Through Imagination. He also edited the Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics.He has also written numerous book chapters and articles and a film script. From 2006 to 2019, he was the Editor of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. ([https://www.dickinson.edu/site/custom_scripts/dc_faculty_profile_index.php?fac=cozort Source Accessed Apr 14, 2021])?fac=cozort Source Accessed Apr 14, 2021]))
  • Cooper, D.  + (David E. Cooper is a British author and phDavid E. Cooper is a British author and philosopher. He was brought up in Surrey and educated at Highgate School and then Oxford University, where he was given his first job in 1967, as a Lecturer in Philosophy. He went on to teach at the universities of Miami, London and Surrey before being appointed, in 1986, as Professor of Philosophy at Durham University – where he remained until retiring in 2008. During his academic career, David was a Visiting Professor at universities in the United States, Canada, Malta, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Cooper is the former Chair (or President) of the Aristotelian Society, the Mind Association, the Friedrich Nietzsche Society, and the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. He is Secretary and a Trustee of the charity Project Sri Lanka, and he spends time each year visiting and supervising educational and humanitarian projects.</br></br>Cooper has published across a broad range of philosophical subjects, including philosophy of language, philosophy of education, ethics, aesthetics, environmental philosophy, animal ethics, philosophy of technology, philosophy of religion, history of both Western philosophy and Asian philosophy, and modern European philosophy, especially Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. In recent years, Cooper has written widely on environmental and Buddhist aesthetics, music and nature, the relationship of beauty and virtue, cultures of food, the significance of gardens, Daoism, our relationship to animals, and the notion of mystery.</br></br>Cooper is the author of a number of books, including ''World Philosophies: An Historical Introduction''; ''Meaning''; ''Existentialism: A Reconstruction''; ''The Measure of Things: Humanism, Humility and Mystery''; ''A Philosophy of Gardens''; ''Convergence with Nature: A Daoist Perspective''; ''Senses of Mystery: Engaging with Nature and the Meaning of Life''; and ''Animals and Misanthropy''. He has also edited a number of collections, including ''Blackwell Companion to Aesthetics''; ''Philosophy: The Classic Readings''; ''Epistemology: The Classic Readings''; ''Ethics: The Classic Readings''; and ''Aesthetics: The Classic Readings'' – the latter four notable for their inclusion of material from the Indian and Chinese traditions. He is joint editor of ''Key Thinkers on the Environment''. Cooper is a regular reviewer of books for magazines, including ''The Times Literary Supplement'' and ''The Los Angeles Review of Books''. He is also the author of three novels, all set in Sri Lanka: ''Street Dog: A Sri Lankan Story'', its sequel, ''Old Stripe'', and ''A Shot on the Beach''. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_E._Cooper Source Accessed Mar 12, 2021])d_E._Cooper Source Accessed Mar 12, 2021]))
  • Ellerton, D.  + (David Ellerton grew up in Denver, ColoradoDavid Ellerton grew up in Denver, Colorado, and took his first Shambhala Training level in 1995 after reading several of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s books. A few years later he met Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in Boulder and in 1999 participated in Seminary and Warriors Assembly. The following year he attended Kalapa Assembly. After a year on staff at Shambhala Mountain Center, he travelled with the Sakyong as a Continuity Kusung and Secretary (2001-2002). In 2004 he moved to Japan, where he taught English and continued his study of Japanese and Aikido, which he began practicing as an undergraduate student in Boulder.</br></br>Upon returning to the United States he enrolled in [[Naropa University]]’s M.A. program in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism (Shedra Track), and began his study of Tibetan. During this time he received the Vajrayogini Abhisheka from the Sakyong. After graduating, he spent much of 2008 in both India and Nepal studying Tibetan and receiving commentary on the Uttaratantra Shastra at Pullahari Monastery. In 2008 he began a Ph.D. program in Religious Studies at [[University of California, Santa Barbara]]. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at UCSB and is conducting his dissertation research on Tibetan prophecy (lung bstan) at the [[Central University of Tibetan Studies]] in India. </br>([http://nalandatranslation.org/who-we-are/members/david-ellerton/ Source Accessed May 26, 2015])d-ellerton/ Source Accessed May 26, 2015]))
  • Kalupahana, D.  + (David J. Kalupahana (1936–2014) was a BuddDavid J. Kalupahana (1936–2014) was a Buddhist scholar from Sri Lanka. He was a student of the late K.N. Jayatilleke, who was a student of Wittgenstein. He wrote mainly about epistemology, theory of language, and compared later Buddhist philosophical texts against the earliest texts and tried to present interpretations that were both historically contextualized and also compatible with the earliest texts, and in doing so, he encouraged Theravadin Buddhists and scholars to reevaluate the legitimacy of later, Mahayana texts and consider them more sympathetically.</br></br>Born in Galle District, Southern Sri Lanka, Kalupahana attended Mahinda College, Galle for his school education. He obtained his BA (Sri Lanka, 1959), Ph.D (London), and D. Litt (Hon. Peradeniya, Sri Lanka). He was Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawaii. He was assistant lecturer in Pali and Buddhist Civilization at the University of Ceylon, and studied Chinese and Tibetan at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London where he completed a Ph.D. dissertation on the problem of causality in the Pali Nikayas and Chinese Agamas in 1966.</br></br>He left the University of Ceylon (1972) to join the University of Hawaii, serving as the Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Chairman of the Graduate Field in Philosophy (1974–80). He directed international intra-religious conferences on Buddhism, and on Buddhism and Peace.</br></br>Many of his books are published and widely available in India (by Motilal Banarsidass and others), and therefore presumably have a fairly significant influence on the fields of Buddhism and Buddhist Studies in India and other nearby South Asian countries, such as his native Sri Lanka. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kalupahana Source Accessed Apr 21, 2021])_Kalupahana Source Accessed Apr 21, 2021]))
  • Loy, D.  + (David Robert Loy is a professor, writer, aDavid Robert Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism.</br></br>He is a prolific author, whose essays and books have been translated into many languages. His articles appear regularly in the pages of major journals such as ''Tikkun'' and Buddhist magazines including ''Tricycle'', ''Lion's Roar'', and ''Buddhadharma'', as well as in a variety of scholarly journals. Many of his writings, as well as audio and video talks and interviews, are available on the web. He is on the advisory boards of Buddhist Global Relief, the Clear View Project, Zen Peacemakers, and the Ernest Becker Foundation.</br></br>David lectures nationally and internationally on various topics, focusing primarily on the encounter between Buddhism and modernity: what each can learn from the other. He is especially concerned about social and ecological issues. A popular recent lecture is "Healing Ecology: A Buddhist Perspective on the Eco-crisis", which argues that there is an important parallel between what Buddhism says about our personal predicament and our collective predicament today in relation to the rest of the biosphere. You can hear David's podcast interview with Wisdom Publications here. Presently he is offering workshops on "Transforming Self, Transforming Society" and on ''Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Precipice'', which is also the title of a new book forthcoming in early 2019. He also leads meditation retreats.</br></br>Loy is a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy. His BA is from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and he studied analytic philosophy at King’s College, University of London. His MA is from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu and his PhD is from the National University of Singapore. His dissertation was published by Yale University Press as ''Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy''. He was senior tutor in the Philosophy Department of Singapore University (later the National University of Singapore) from 1978 to 1984. From 1990 until 2005, he was professor in the Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University, Chigasaki, Japan. In January 2006, he became the Besl Family Chair Professor of Ethics/Religion and Society with Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, a visiting position that ended in September 2010. In April 2007, David Loy was visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. From January to August 2009 he was a research scholar with the Institute for Advanced Study, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. From September through December 2010 he was in residence at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, with a Lenz Fellowship. In November 2014, David was a visiting professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands. In January through April 2016, David was visiting Numata professor of Buddhism at the University of Calgary. ([https://www.davidloy.org/ Source Accessed Sep 17, 2021])vidloy.org/ Source Accessed Sep 17, 2021]))
  • Bruyat, C.  + (Degree in English, teacher of French, profDegree in English, teacher of French, professional translator; completed two three-year retreats at Chanteloube, France, 1980–1985 and 1990–1993; founding member of Padmakara Translation Group. Tsadra Foundation Fellow since 2002.</br></br>Declaring himself “methodical and particular” to the point of excess, Christian Bruyat is pleased that working with Tsadra allows him the extra time to try and do accurate translations. Coupled with this drive he has an “uncanny ability” to find translation errors “even when I read the works of others who are much more worthy than me, and are big scholars.” He does not mean to be arrogant or irritating, and attributes his knack to “some kind of karma with Tibetan …” Since at age five he informed his parents that he intended to marry a Japanese lady when he grew up—he married a Chinese woman instead—one might well agree that some sort of past-life Asian connection seems to be at play in Christian’s life.</br>He has had the fortunate destiny to spend five years with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Nepal and Bhutan. Appropriately enough, Dzogchen teachings are Christian’s favorite and most inspiring scriptural material, especially the works of Longchenpa, Patrul Rinpoche, and Mipham Rinpoche.</br></br>Previously Published Translations<br></br>• Le Chemin de la Grande Perfection, Patrul Rinpoché (and preliminary work on the draft of its English version, The Words of My Perfect Teacher, with Charles Hastings)</br></br>'''Completed Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow'''<br></br>• Mahasiddhas, La vie de 84 sages de l’Inde, Abhayadatta (with Patrick Carré)</br>• Le Précieux Ornement de la libération, Gampopa</br>• Perles d’ambroisie (3 vols.), Kunzang Palden (with Patrick Carré)</br>• Bodhicaryavatara, La Marche vers l’Éveil, Shantideva (with Patrick Carré)a Marche vers l’Éveil, Shantideva (with Patrick Carré))
  • Sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho  + (Desi Sangyé Gyatso (1653–1705), the heart Desi Sangyé Gyatso (1653–1705), the heart disciple of the Fifth Dalai Lama, became the ruler of Tibet at age twenty-six and held sway over the country for over twenty-five years before his tragic death in a power struggle with the Mongol chieftain Lhasang Khan. A layman his entire life, he was a thorough administrator, overhauling the structure and regulations of the major Geluk monasteries and setting up many new institutions, such as the renowned Tibetan Medical Institute in Lhasa. He famously commissioned a set of seventy-nine medical paintings, and he composed ''White Beryl'', an authoritative work on all aspects of astronomical calculation and divination practiced in Tibet at his time. (Source: [https://wisdomexperience.org/product/mirror-beryl/ Wisdom Publications])roduct/mirror-beryl/ Wisdom Publications]))
  • Dharmacandra  + (Dharmacandra (法月, 653–743) is known to be Dharmacandra (法月, 653–743) is known to be from either eastern India or the kingdom of Magadha in central India. He traveled widely in central India and was accomplished in medical arts and the Tripiṭaka. Then he went to the kingdom of Kucha (龜茲, or 庫車, in present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China), where he taught his disciple Zhenyue (真月) and others.</br></br>At the written recommendation of Lu Xiulin (呂休林), the governor appointed to keep peace with the western region (安西節度使), in 732, the twentieth year of the Kaiyuan (開元) years of Emperor Xuanzong (唐玄宗) of the Tang Dynasty (618–907), Dharmacandra arrived in Chang-an (長安), China. As an offering to the Emperor, he presented Sanskrit texts on alchemy and herbal remedies, as well as the Sūtra of the Mighty Vidya King Ucchuṣma (T21n1227), translated by Ajitasena, who was from northern India. With the help of his disciple Liyan (利言), Dharmacandra translated into Chinese the Sanskrit text of herbal remedies as well as of the Sūtra of the All-Encompassing Knowledge Store, the Heart of Prajñā-Pāramitā (T08n0252).</br></br>During an uprising in China, Dharmacandra moved to the kingdom of Yütian (于闐), or Khotan (和闐), present-day Hetian (和田), in Xinjiang, China. He stayed at the Golden Wheel Temple (金輪寺), teaching people attracted to him, until his death in 743, at the age of ninety-one. ([http://www.sutrasmantras.info/translators.html#dharmacandra Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021])harmacandra Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021]))
  • Suvarṇadvīpa Dharmakīrti  + (Dharmakirti (Skt. Suvarṇadvīpa DharmakīrtiDharmakirti (Skt. Suvarṇadvīpa Dharmakīrti; Tib. ཆོས་ཀྱི་གྲགས་པ་, Chökyi Drakpa, Wyl. chos kyi grags pa) or Dharmapala (Wyl. chos skyong) of Suvarnadvipa (b. 10th century) was the most important of Atisha's teachers. In Tibetan he is known simply as Serlingpa (Tib. གསེར་གླིང་པ་, Wyl. gser gling pa), literally 'the master from Suvarnadvipa'. Atisha is said to have stayed with him for twelve years receiving teachings on Lojong. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dharmakirti_of_Suvarnadvipa Source Accessed Jun 21, 2022])uvarnadvipa Source Accessed Jun 21, 2022]))
  • Dharmakṣema  + (Dharmakṣema. (C. Tanwuchen; J. Donmusen; KDharmakṣema. (C. Tanwuchen; J. Donmusen; K. Tammuch'am 曇無讖 (385-433 CE). Indian Buddhist monk who was an early translator of Buddhist materials into Chinese. A scion of a brāhmaṇa family from India, Dharmakṣema became at the age of six a disciple of Dharmayaśas (C. Damoyeshe; J. Donmayasha) (d.u.), an Abhidharma specialist who later traveled to China c. 397–401 and translated the ''Śāriputrābhidharmaśāstra''. Possessed of both eloquence and intelligence, Dharmakṣema was broadly learned in both monastic and secular affairs and was well versed in mainstream Buddhist texts. After he met a meditation monk named "White Head" and had a fiery debate with him, Dharmakṣema recognized his superior expertise and ended up studying with him. The monk transmitted to him a text of the ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'' written on bark, which prompted Dharmakṣema to embrace the Mahāyāna. Once he reached the age of twenty, Dharmakṣema was able to recite over two million words of Buddhist texts. He was also so skilled in casting spells that he earned the sobriquet "Great Divine Spell Master" (C. Dashenzhou shi). Carrying with him the first part of the ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'' that he received from "White Head," he left India and arrived in the Kucha kingdom in Central Asia. As the people of Kucha mostly studied Hīnayāna and did not accept the Mahāyāna teachings, Dharmakṣema then moved to China and lived in the western outpost of Dunhuang for several years. Juqu Mengxun, the non-Chinese ruler of the Northern Liang dynasty (397–439 CE), eventually brought Dharmakṣema to his capital. After studying the Chinese language for three years and learning how to translate Sanskrit texts orally into Chinese, Dharmakṣema engaged there in a series of translation projects under Juqu Mengxun's patronage. With the assistance of Chinese monks, such as Daolang and Huigao, Dharmakṣema produced a number of influential Chinese translations, including the ''Dabanniepan jing'' (S. ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra''; in forty rolls), the longest recension of the sūtra extant in any language; the ''Jinguangming jing'' ("Sūtra of Golden Light"; S. ''Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra''; in four rolls); and the ''Pusa dichi jing'' (S. ''Bodhisattvabhūmisūtra''; in ten rolls). He is also said to have made the first Chinese translation of the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' (C. ''Ru Lengqie jing'', but his rendering had dropped out of circulation at least by 730 CE, when the Tang Buddhist cataloguer Zhisheng (700–786 CE) compiled the Kaiyuan Shijiao Lu. The Northern Wei ruler Tuoba Tao, a rival of Juqu Mengxun's, admired Dharmakṣema's esoteric expertise and requested that the Northern Liang ruler send the Indian monk to his country. Fearing that his rival might seek to employ Dharmakṣema's esoteric expertise against him, Juqu Mengxun had the monk assassinated at the age of forty-nine. Dharmakṣema's translation of Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese had a significant impact on Chinese Buddhism; in particular, the doctrine that all beings have the buddha-nature (''foxing''), a teaching appearing in Dharmakṣema's translation of the ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'', exerted tremendous influence on the development of Chinese Buddhist thought. (Source: "Dharmakṣema." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 247–48. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Dharmarakṣita  + (Dharmarakṣita is a c. 9th century Indian BDharmarakṣita is a c. 9th century Indian Buddhist credited with composing an important Mahayana text called the ''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' (Tib. ''blo-sbyong mtshon-cha 'khor-lo''). He was the teacher of Atiśa, who was instrumental in establishing a second wave of Buddhism in Tibet.</br></br>''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' is an abbreviated title for ''The Wheel of Sharp Weapons Effectively Striking the Heart of the Foe''. This text is often referenced as a detailed source for how the laws of karma play out in our lives; it reveals many specific effects and their causes. A poetic presentation, the "wheel of sharp weapons" can be visualized as something we throw out or propel, which then comes back to cut us... something like a boomerang. In the same way, Dharmarakṣita explains, the non-virtuous causes we create through our self-interested behavior come back to 'cut us' in future lives as the ripening of the negative karma such actions create. This, he explains, is the source of all our pain and suffering. He admonishes that it is our own selfishness or self-cherishing that leads us to harm others, which in turn creates the negative karma or potential for future suffering. Our suffering is not a punishment, merely a self-created karmic result. In most verses, Dharmarakṣita also offers a suggested alternative virtuous or positive action to substitute for our previous non-virtuous behavior, actions that will create positive karma and future pleasant conditions and happiness.</br></br>Despite the fact that ''Wheel of Sharp Weapons'' has come to be considered a Mahayana text, Dharmarakṣita is said to have subscribed to the Vaibhāṣika view. His authorship of the text is considered questionable by scholars for various reasons. [(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmarak%E1%B9%A3ita_(9th_century) Source Accessed May 18, 2021])th_century) Source Accessed May 18, 2021]))
  • Dharmāgatayaśas  + (Dharmāgatayaśas (曇摩伽陀耶舍, 5th–6th centuriesDharmāgatayaśas (曇摩伽陀耶舍, 5th–6th centuries) means Dharma come to renown (法生稱). He was a Buddhist monk from central India, who could write Chinese. In 481, the third year of the Jianyuan (建元) years of the Xiao Qi Dynasty (蕭齊, 479–501, second of the four successive Southern Dynasties), at the Chaoting Temple (朝亭寺) in Guangzhou (廣州), Guangdong Province, he translated, from Sanskrit into Chinese, the ''Sūtra of Immeasurable Meaning'' (T09n0276). Nothing more is known about him. ([http://www.sutrasmantras.info/translators.html#kumarajiva Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021])#kumarajiva Source Accessed Aug 19, 2021]))
  • Dhongthog Rinpoche  + (Dhongthog Rinpoche Tenpé Gyaltsen (Wyl. gdDhongthog Rinpoche Tenpé Gyaltsen (Wyl. gdong thog bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan) aka T.G. Dhongthog Rinpoche (1933-2015) was one of the foremost Tibetan Buddhist scholars of recent times, noted especially for his work as a historian, lexicographer and prolific author. From 1979 Rinpoche was based in Seattle, USA. He published a number of books in Tibetan and English, especially through the Sapan Institute, of which he was the founding-director.</br></br>After being recognized as the fifth reincarnation of Jampal Rigpai Raldri by the Sakya Dagchen Ngawang Kunga Rinchen, Rinpoche studied Tibetan literature and Buddhist philosophy at Dzongsar Shedra. Before leaving Tibet in 1957, Rinpoche was the head teacher of Dhongthog Rigdrol Phuntsog Ling Monastery, Kardze, Tibet. Rinpoche served the Tibetan Government-in-Exile for 13 years before moving to the United States in 1979. In those 13 years, Rinpoche worked at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala and at Tibet House in New Delhi.</br></br>He wrote several books, including The History of Sakyapa School of Tibetan Buddhism, The Cleansing Water-drops, The Earth Shaking Thunder of True Word, The History of Tibet, and New Light English-Tibetan Dictionary. In addition, he worked as a translator and editor on the Tibetan version of Sogyal Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and translated David Jackson's biography of Dezhung Rinpoche into Tibetan.</br></br>Ven. Dhongthog Rinpoche passed away on the morning of 13th January, 2015 in Seattle, Washington.</br>([http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dhongthog_Rinpoche Source Accessed, April 10, 2015])Rinpoche Source Accessed, April 10, 2015]))
  • Khyentse, Dilgo  + (Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor was one of theDilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor was one of the most prominent Nyingma lamas of the twentieth century, widely known also in the West. The mind reincarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, his seat was Shechen Monastery, which he reestablished in Boudhanath, Nepal, in 1980. After fleeing the Communist takeover of Tibet, Dilgo Khyentse settled in Bhutan. A prolific author and treasure-revealer, his compositions are collected in twenty-five volumes. Although he received novice vows at age ten, he never fully ordained, living the life of a householder with wife and children. ([http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Dilgo-Khyentse-Tashi-Peljor/P625 Source: Treasury of Lives])hi-Peljor/P625 Source: Treasury of Lives]))
  • McKeown, A.  + (Dissertation: [[From Bodhgayā to Lhasa to Beijing: The Life and Times of Śāriputra (c.1335-1426), Last Abbot of Bodhgayā]], byDissertation: [[From Bodhgayā to Lhasa to Beijing: The Life and Times of Śāriputra (c.1335-1426), Last Abbot of Bodhgayā]], by Arthur McKeown. Harvard University. 2010. 570 pp. Primary Advisor: Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp.<br>REVIEW: http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/2362EW: http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/2362)
  • Divākara  + (Divākara (地婆訶羅, 613–87), or Rizhao (日照) inDivākara (地婆訶羅, 613–87), or Rizhao (日照) in Chinese, was born in central India in the Brahmin Caste.</br></br>He became a Monk when he was just a child, and he spent many years at the Mahābodhi Temple and the Nālandā Monastery. He was an accomplished Tripiṭaka master, excelled in the five studies and especially in Mantra practices.</br></br>Already in his sixties, Divākara went to Chang-an (長安), China, in 676, the first year of the Yifeng (儀鳳) years of the Tang Dynasty (618–907).</br></br>Emperor Gaozong (唐高宗) treated him as respectfully as he had treated the illustrious Tripiṭaka master Xuanzang.</br></br>In 680, the first year of the Yonglong (永隆) years, the emperor commanded ten learned Monks to assist Divākara in translating sūtras from Sanskrit into Chinese.</br></br>In six years Divākara translated eighteen sūtras, including the ''Sūtra of the Buddha-Crown Superb Victory Dhāraṇī'' (T19n0970), the ''Sūtra of the Great Cundī Dhāraṇī'' (T20n1077), and the ''Mahāyāna Sūtra of Consciousness Revealed'' (T12n0347).</br></br>Longing to see his mother again, he petitioned for permission to go home.</br></br>Unfortunately, although permission was granted, he fell ill and died in the twelfth month of 687, the third year of the Chuigong (垂拱) years, at the age of seventy-five.</br></br>Empress Wu (武后則天) had him buried properly at the Xiangshan Monastery (香山寺) in Luoyang (洛陽).</br>([http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=Div%C4%81kara Source Accessed Aug 18, 2020])v%C4%81kara Source Accessed Aug 18, 2020]))
  • Sur, D.  + (Dominic D. Z. Sur is an Assistant ProfessoDominic D. Z. Sur is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, teaching courses in world religions and Buddhism. Dr. Sur's recent publications include ''Entering the Way of the Great Vehicle: Dzogchen as the Culmination of the Mahāyāna'' (2017). He is presently working on a study of the rise of scholasticism and sectarian identity in eleventh century Tibet. ([https://history.usu.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/dominic-sur Source Accessed Jan 27, 2020])</br></br>*'''Recent Publications:'''</br>**Constituting Canon and Community in Eleventh Century Tibet: The Extant Writings of Rongzom and His Charter of Mantrins (sngags pa’i bca’ yig). Religions (2017) 8, 40. [https://www.academia.edu/31878104/Constituting_Canon_and_Community_in_Eleventh_Century_Tibet_The_Extant_Writings_of_Rongzom_and_His_Charter_of_Mantrins_sngags_pai_bca_yig_?email_work_card=title doi:10.3390/rel8030040]il_work_card=title doi:10.3390/rel8030040])
  • Wangchuk, Dorji  + (Dorji Wangchuk was born in 1967 in East BhDorji Wangchuk was born in 1967 in East Bhutan. After the completion of his ten year training (1987–1997) in the Tibetan monastic seminary of Ngagyur Nyingma Institute at Bylakuppe, Mysore, South India, he studied classical Indology and Tibetology, with a focus on Buddhism, at the University of Hamburg, where he received his MA (2002) and PhD (2005) degrees. Currently he is professor for Tibetology at the Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Asia-Africa Institute, University of Hamburg. His special field of interest lies in the intellectual history of Tibetan Buddhism and in the Tibetan Buddhist literature. (Source: [http://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/indtib/Personen.html Hamburg University])/indtib/Personen.html Hamburg University]))
  • Matsunaga, D.  + (Dr Matsunagawas born June 22, 1941 and raiDr Matsunagawas born June 22, 1941 and raised in the Eikyoji Buddhist Temple in Fukagawa-shi, Hokkaida Japan. After ordination and Buddhist theological training, he came to the University of Southern California Theology School on a scholarship for further study. He received an M.A. and a Ph.D at the Claremont Graduate University. Appointed as a professor at California State University Northridge, he taught Japanese cultural history and Buddhism for over 13 years. He was called back to Tokyo to establish the International Buddhist Study Center at the Tokyo Honganji by the Supreme Primate of the Jodo Shinshu church and was its current director. At the same time he was the temple master of Eikyoji on Hokkaido, which he succeeded to upon the death of his father. He also held a position of a visiting professorship at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom where he lectured on Budddhism for a dozen years. He and his wife, Alicia Orloff- Matsunaga founded the Reno Buddhist Church in 1989. Alicia preceeded Dr Matsunaga in death in 1998. ([https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/rgj/name/daigan-matsunaga-obituary?id=24894374 Source Accessed Apr 11, 2022])id=24894374 Source Accessed Apr 11, 2022]))
  • Hermann-Pfandt, A.  + (Dr. Adelheid Hermann-Pfandt is a professorDr. Adelheid Hermann-Pfandt is a professor of Religious Studies at Philipps University of Marburg. His main areas of study include, the History of religions in India and Tibet, religious art, iconography of Tibetan Buddhism, religion in Indian film, religious studies on women and gender, religion and violence, and destructive cults.</br></br>Born 1955 in Göttingen.</br></br>1975-1983 studied religious and intellectual history, religious studies, history, classical philology, Indology, Tibetology and Indian art history in Erlangen and Bonn.</br></br>1983 Magister Artium (Religious Studies, Modern History, Tibetology) with the work Investigations into the religious history and mythology of the Dakinis in the Indo-Tibetan region.</br></br>1990 PhD in Bonn (religious studies, Indology, Tibetology) with the dissertation Dakinis: On the position and symbolism of the female in tantric Buddhism (published in 1992 by Indica et Tibetica Verlag, Bonn).</br></br>1991-1994 Research Assistant in the Department of Indology/Tibetology at the University of Marburg.</br></br>1994ff. Lectureships at the Universities of Bremen, Marburg, Hanover, Göttingen, Frankfurt am Main, Fribourg/Switzerland, Siegen.</br></br>1999 year-long intensive study of colloquial Tibetan at the Manjushree Center of Tibetan Culture in Darjeeling, India.</br></br>2001 Habilitation in Marburg in the subject of religious studies with the work A source study of esoteric (tantric) Buddhism in India from the beginnings to the 9th century.</br></br>2002 Appointment as private lecturer for religious studies at the Philipps University of Marburg.</br></br>2004 Collaboration in the DFG project "Destiny Interpretation and Lifestyle in Japanese Religions" (Prof. Dr. Michael Pye, Marburg).</br></br>2006-2008 Planning and management of the special exhibition "Tibet in Marburg" in the religious studies collection of the University of Marburg, including publication of the catalogue.</br></br>2009 Appointment as adjunct professor for religious studies at the Philipps University of Marburg.</br></br>2009 Käthe-Leichter visiting professor for women's and gender studies in the field of religions in South Asia and Tibet at the Institute for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna.</br></br>2009-2014 research grant from the Horst and Käthe Eliseit Foundation, Essen, for the project "Comparative studies on rNying ma pa iconography". ([https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/fb03/ivk/fachgebiete/religionswissenschaft/fach/personen/copy_of_apl-prof-dr-adelheid-herrmann-pfandt Source Accessed Sep 30, 2022])mann-pfandt Source Accessed Sep 30, 2022]))
  • Cantwell, C.  + (Dr. Cathy Cantwell in an Honorary ResearchDr. Cathy Cantwell in an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent's School of Anthropology and Conservation.</br></br>Dr Cathy Cantwell first came to Kent for her undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology in 1975-78 and, after travelling in India the following year, she returned to Kent for her doctoral research. Her PhD (1989) was a study of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Northern India, especially focusing on the annual cycle of ritual practice. Since the 1990s, she has principally worked on Tibetan textual research projects together with her husband, Robert Mayer, including a project at CSAC Kent with Professor Michael Fischer on an eighteenth century Tibetan manuscript collection. </br></br>While keeping her Kent association, Cathy has participated in research projects in Tibetan studies at the University of Bochum as a Mercator Fellow (2018-2019) and as a visiting Research Fellow (2015-2016), working on the theme of Religion and the Senses. She has been involved in the design of and work on a series of AHRC funded research projects at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford (2002-2015), as well as one at the University of Cardiff (2006-2009). Major publications have included: ''A Noble Noose of Methods, the Lotus Garland Synopsis: A Mahāyoga Tantra and its Commentary'' (2012); ''Early Tibetan Documents on Phur pa from Dunhuang'' (2008); and ''The Kīlaya Nirvāṇa Tantra and the Vajra Wrath Tantra: two texts from the Ancient Tantra Collection'' (2007), written jointly with Robert Mayer, and published by The Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna.</br></br>Dr Cantwell retains her passionate interest in Tibetan rituals and tantric practice of all historical periods. As well as delving into archaeologically recovered tantric manuscripts dating from the tenth century, a book is in process on authorship, originality and innovation in Tibetan revelations (the output of a project at Oxford, 2010-2015), looking at textual developments over many generations, with a focus on the productions of Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (1904-1987). </br></br>Recent publications include an article on contemporary Tibetan 'Medicinal Accomplishment' rituals. Her major work on a twentieth-century Tibetan Buddhist master is also in press. A further forthcoming book on a twentieth century revelation of longevity rituals, co-authored with Geoffrey Samuel with contributions from Robert Mayer and P. Ogyan Tanzin, is entitled, ''The Seed of Immortal Life: Contexts and Meanings of a Tibetan Longevity Practice''. ([https://www.kent.ac.uk/anthropology-conservation/people/2909/cantwell-cathy Source Accessed Mar 18, 2021])twell-cathy Source Accessed Mar 18, 2021]))
  • Hartmann, C.  + (Dr. Hartmann joined the Department of PhilDr. Hartmann joined the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies as Assistant Professor of Asian Religions in 2020. She received a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia in 2011, an M.A. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago in 2013, and a Ph.D. from the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University in 2020. She teaches courses about Buddhism and other Asian religions, including History of Non-Western Religions and Buddhist Ethics. </br></br>Professor Hartmann's engagement with Religious Studies arises out of a longstanding interest in religion as a force that shapes our experience of the world, and in the practices religions develop to transform that experience. After growing up in a multi-religious household, she encountered Buddhism as an undergraduate, and hasn't looked back since. She is comfortable in classical Tibetan, modern Tibetan, and Sanskrit, and also reads Chinese and Hindi. She has spent over a year and a half in various communities in Asia, including summers at a Buddhist nunnery in Ladakh, at the Tibetan Library of Works and Archives in Dharamsala, at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, and at Sichuan University in Chengdu. </br></br>Her work focuses on the history of Tibetan pilgrimage to holy mountains and the goal of transforming perception while on pilgrimage, and she is currently working on a book on this topic. She is also interested in Buddhist ethics, vision and visuality, theories of place, and autobiographical writing. ([http://www.uwyo.edu/philrelig/faculty/relig/hartmann.html Source Accessed Oct 5, 2021])artmann.html Source Accessed Oct 5, 2021]))
  • Rdzong sar blo gros phun tshogs  + (Dr. Lodrö Phuntsok is the doctor in chief Dr. Lodrö Phuntsok is the doctor in chief of the Tibetan hospital of Dzongsar, and a very active influence in the preservation of the medical and cultural heritage of Tibet.</br></br>Lodrö Phuntsok began his studies of Tibetan medicine at the age of 16. He also studied Tibetan Buddhism, grammar, poetry, astrology, art, woodcraft, and sculpture. He has published books on Buddhism and medicine, and has written extensively about the history of Dzongsar monastery and the lives of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. Since 1983, he has been promoting community service projects such as environmental protection, medical care for the poor, and cultural preservation, and has introduced classes in traditional Tibetan handicrafts at Dzongsar shedra. (Source: [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Doctor_Lodr%C3%B6_Puntsok Rigpa Wiki])tle=Doctor_Lodr%C3%B6_Puntsok Rigpa Wiki]))
  • Boord, M.  + (Dr. Martin J. Boord (Rig-’dzin rdo-rje) ADr. Martin J. Boord (Rig-’dzin rdo-rje)</br></br>As one of Rinpoche’s (Chimed Rigdzin Rinpoche?) senior students, Martin Boord is well known already to many people within the Khordong sangha.</br></br>Visiting India and Nepal as a teenager in 1967, Martin became a devoted Buddhist and immediately embarked on the study of Sanskrit in order to read the original texts. Receiving teachings from many of the great Tibetan masters of all schools who had become settled in India following the takeover of their country by Chinese communists, he studied the doctrines of both sūtra and tantra. Over the years, he carefully surveyed the entire Buddhist Tripiṭaka with the lamas of Tibet before immersing himself fully in the guhyamantra practices of the Nyingma school under the guidance of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and Lama Khamtrul Yeshe Dorje, the renowned “weather man” of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. It was whilst on a pilgrimage with Yeshe Dorje to Sarnath in 1973 that Martin first met with the Khordong Terchen Tulku, Lama Chhimed Rigdzin, with whom he immediately began to form a close bond of attachment.</br></br>Subsequently, Martin invited Lama Chhimed Rigdzin to Great Britain in order to inaugurate his new Dharma Centre, granting empowerments and teaching the Byang-gter Dorje Phurpa (Northern Treasures Vajrakīla) for the first time in the west.</br></br>Later, moving from Europe back to India, this master and disciple together translated a number of Byang-gter texts, including hundreds of pages of Vajrakīla Sādhana (practice texts), which have remained the major focus of Martin’s life.</br></br>Taking the Byang-gter Phurpa as his theme, Martin went on to study at the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University to London, for which he was awarded a BA in Religious Studies (Buddhism), followed by the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1992. His doctoral thesis was subsequently published as The Cult of the Deity Vajrakīla, by the Institute of Buddhist Studies, Tring, 1993.</br></br>Having completed his studies at SOAS, he was awarded a scholarship from the Stein-Arnold Exploration Fund which enabled him to return to India in order to research the sacred geography of Sikkim, one of the seven “hidden lands” of Rigzin Godem. This work was eventually published in the Bulletin of Tibetology.</br></br>Reading Sanskrit and Tibetan languages, as well as having studied Tibetan art for many years, Martin has acted as a consultant to the Ashmolean Museum, one of the oldest public museums in Europe, helping to identify and arrange their holdings of Tibetan cultural artefacts and paintings, and he continues to work on similar projects at different times when called to do so. The British Museum, for example, requested his assistance when they were offered a collection of Tibetan phurba for purchase, about which they had no specialist knowledge, and he has collaborated with the makers of documentary films for television, etc.</br></br>Having spent many years developing his understanding of the Dharma in meditation retreats, in 1998 Martin was invited by Lama Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche to accompany him as an assistant teacher on his European Dharma tour, in order to give teachings on the Deity Vajrakīla as part of the Pfauenhof retreat in Germany. This was so successful that the invitation was repeated in the following years, so that Martin again gave Vajrakīla teachings in Berlin in 1999 and he accompanied Rinpoche to Oxford, Wales and Vienna in the year 2000, where he taught many aspects of the Vajrayāna path, as well as his special subject — the deity Vajrakīla. Since then Martin has given innumerable teachings on many aspects of the Byang-gter tradition, throughout Europe and the USA.</br></br>He now lives and works in Oxford, pursuing his research interests with like-minded academics and Dharma practitioners at the Oriental Institute, reading manuscripts at the Indian Institute Library and working on an ad hoc basis as Academic Visitor with those studying for doctorates in Buddhist Studies, etc.</br></br>In recent years, he has completed a translation of the most illustrious commentary on Phurba practice, known as The Black 100,000 Words (Phur ‘grel ‘bum nag). This important text is a report of a group retreat that was undertaken by the three masters, Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Silamanju, in Nepal in the 8th century. It was transmitted in Tibet by Padmasambhava to Yeshe Tsogyal and the translation of this text is now available from edition khordong (published 2002). He has also expanded his work on the Northern Treasures texts to include further research on the Hidden Lands of Rigzin Godem, as well as the ritual cycle of the Greatly Compassionate Avalokiteśvara. His text on the Byang-gter funeral ceremonies of Avalokiteśvara will shortly become available from Wandel Verlag.</br></br>About events with Martin Boord please visit our Khordong website in english: http://www.khordong.de/alt/Engl</br></br>Summary of Publications:</br></br>Forthcoming (Editor) The Guhyagarbha Tantra and its Commentary Moonbeams, translated by Gyurme Dorje</br></br>2017 A Cloudburst of Blessings The water initiation and other rites of empowerment for the practice of the Northern Treasures Vajrakīla. Vajrakīla Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition, volume four. edition khordong im Wandel Verlag, berlin, 2017</br></br>2015 A Blaze of Fire in the Dark Homa rituals for the fulfilment of vows and the performance of deeds of great benefit. Vajrakīla Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition, volume three. edition khordong im Wandel Verlag, berlin, 2015</br></br>2014 The Path of Secret Mantra: Teachings of the Northern Treasures Five Nails</br>Pema Tinley’s guide to vajrayāna practice. Explanation of Rigzin Godem’s Jangter Ngöndro Zer Nga (byang gter sngon ‘gro gzer lnga) according to the commentary by Rigzin Pema Tinley, translation and oral transmission by Khenpo Chowang, edited by Martin Boord. edition khordong at Wandel Verlag, Berlin, 2014</br></br>2013 Gathering the Elements. The Cult of the Wrathful Deity Vajrakila (Vajrakila Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition, Volume One), revision and re-publishing of The Cult of the Deity Vajrakīla, 1993</br></br>2012 Illuminating Sunshine: Buddhist funeral rituals of Avalokiteśvara</br></br>2011 Editor The Five Nails – A Commentary on the Northern Treasures Accumulation Praxis edition khordong by Wandel Verlag, Berlin 2011</br></br>2010 A Roll of Thunder from the Void 
(Vajrakīla Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition, Volume 2)</br></br>2010 (Index) Jokhang: Tibet’s most sacred Buddhist temple, Edition Hansjorg Mayer</br></br>2006 Meditations on the Great Guru Padmasambhava, Khordong Newsletter, Berlin</br></br>2006 Entering the Maṇḍala Gates, Tiger’s Nest Dharma Diary for 2007, Sussex</br></br>2005 Editor (Tibetan & Sanskrit) The Complete Tibetan Book of the Dead, translated by Gyurme Dorje, Penguin Books, London</br></br>2003 A Bolt of Lightning From the Blue, edition khordong, Berlin</br></br>2003 “The symbolism of the gCod drum, by ’Gyur-med blo-gsal” (English translation)
 in Dzogchen Journal, London</br></br>2003 “A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Hidden Land of Sikkim: Proclaimed as a Treasure by Rig-’dzin rgod-ldem” in Bulletin of Tibetology 39(1), Gangtok</br></br>1999 (with Stephen Hodge) The Illustrated Tibetan Book of the Dead, Thorsons, London</br></br>1998 A India, Pórtico do Norte Exhibition catalogue (contributor) Auditorio de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela</br></br>1998 “Maṇḍala Meaning & Method: Ritual delineation of sacred space in tantric Buddhism” in Performance Research Vol.3, No.3, Winter 1998, Routledge/ARC, London</br></br>1998 Editor (Tibetan) High Peaks, Pure Earth: Collected Writings on Tibetan History and Culture, by Hugh Richardson, Serindia Publications, London</br></br>1998 East Asian Books, Tibetan MSS, Catalogue 19, Sam Fogg Rare Books, London</br></br>1998 “Tibet” & “Mongolia” in Encyclopaedia of World Mythology, The Foundry Creative Media Company Limited, London</br></br>1996 Manuscripts from the Himalayas and the Indian Subcontinent, Tibetan MSS, Catalogue 17, Sam Fogg Rare Books, London</br></br>1996 (with Losang Norbu Tsonawa) Overview of Buddhist Tantra by Panchen Sonam Dragpa, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala</br></br>1996 Maṇḍala Meaning & Method, Kailash Editions, London (unpublished)</br></br>1994 “Buddhism” in Sacred Space, edited by John Holm with Jean Bowker, Pinter Publishers, London, New York</br></br>1993 The Cult of the Deity Vajrakīla (Buddhica Britannica Series Continua IV), The Institute of Buddhist Studies, Tring. 
This book is re-published as Volume One of Vajrakila Texts of the Northern Treasures Tradition: Gathering the Elements. The Cult of the Wrathful Deity Vajrakila)</br></br>1993 “Tibet and Mongolia” in World Mythology: The Illustrated Guide, Roy Willis, Simon & Schuster, London</br></br>NOTE from Martin: Over the years I have had many book reviews published in The Middle Way (journal of the Buddhist Society, London) and other such journals and, of course, I did a fair amount of work with C.R. Lama, the details of which I have forgotten. These include:</br></br>:Padmasambhava’s teachings on the downfalls of tobacco</br>:The Dragon Roar that fulfills all wishes (Protector text)</br>:The Violent Storm of Meteoric Vajras (sādhana of rDo rje gro lod)</br>:A Gentle Rainfall of Honey (sādhana of Guru mTshan brgyad)</br></br>([https://www.wandel-verlag.de/en/dr-martin-j-boord-rig-dzin-rdo-rje/ Source: Wandel Verlag Berlin Accessed July 1, 2021])dzin-rdo-rje/ Source: Wandel Verlag Berlin Accessed July 1, 2021]))
  • Chattopadhyaya, A.  + (Dr. Mrs. Alaka Chattopadhyaya obtained herDr. Mrs. Alaka Chattopadhyaya obtained her doctorate degrèe of the Calcutta University with her highly acclaimed work based on Tibetan sources published with the title ''Atisa and Tibet''. By</br>profession she was until recently the principal of the Vidyasagar College of Women, Calcutta. Her other published works include the translation (in Bengali) of the ''Caturasitisiddha-pravrtti''—life of</br>the 84 Siddhacaryas available hithertobefore only in its Tibetan version, besides many other Tibetan studies. She has extensively toured abroad, delivering lectures in [the] USSR, China, Oxford, Cambridge, Budapast and other places. (Source: inside jacket, ''Tāranātha's History of Buddhism in India'')āranātha's History of Buddhism in India''))
  • Heine, S.  + (Dr. Steven Heine is Professor of ReligiousDr. Steven Heine is Professor of Religious Studies and History as well as Director of Asian Studies at Florida International University. He specializes in East Asian and comparative religions, Japanese Buddhism and intellectual history, Buddhist studies, and religion and social sciences. Dr. Heine earned his B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and M.A. and Ph.D. at Temple University. Before coming to FIU in 1997, he taught at Pennsylvania State University and directed the East Asian Studies center there. Professor Heine teaches a variety of courses including Modern Asia and Methods in Asian Studies at graduate and undergraduate levels as well as Japanese culture and religion, Zen Buddhism, Ghosts, spirits and folk religions, religions of the Silk Road, and other aspects of Asian society.</br></br>Dr. Heine was a Fulbright Senior Researcher in Japan and twice won National Endowment for Humanities Fellowships plus funding from the American Academy of Religion and Association for Asian Studies in addition to the US Department of Education, the Japan Foundation and Freeman Foundation. He has conducted research on Zen Buddhism in relation to medieval and modern society primarily at Komazawa University in Tokyo. Heine has lectured there institutions in addition to Brown, Cambridge, Columbia, Emory, Florida, Free University, Harvard, Hawaii, Iowa, London, North Carolina, McGill, Ohio State, Oslo, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Stanford, UCLA, Yale, Zurich and many other conferences and institutions. He was chair of the national Japanese Religions Group and the Sacred Space in Asia Group, and he is editor of Japan Studies Review and a former book review editor for Japan for Philosophy East and West published by the University of Hawaii Press.</br></br>Dr. Heine’s research specialty is medieval East Asian religious studies, especially the transition of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan. In addition to 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and outstanding edited volumes, he has published thirty-five books, both monographs and edited volumes. Over a dozen of his books have been reviewed or noted in such publications as CHOICE, Chronical of Higher Education, Booklist, Library Journal, or Times Literary Supplement, in addition to multiple reviews in various academic journals or professional outlets.</br></br>The most recent books include ''From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen: A Remarkable Century of Transmission and Transformation'' (Oxford); ''Zen and Material Culture'' (Oxford); ''Chan Rhetoric of Uncertainty in the Blue Cliff Record: Sharpening the Sword at the Dragon's Gate'' (Oxford); ''Zen Koans'' (Hawaii); ''Like Cats and Dogs: Contesting the Mu Kōan in Zen Buddhism'' (Oxford); ''Dōgen and Sōtō Zen: New Perspectives'' (Oxford); ''Dōgen: Textual and Historical Studies'' (Oxford); and ''Sacred High City, Sacred Low City: A Tale of Sacred Sites in Two Tokyo Neighborhoods'' (Oxford). Three books are forthcoming in 2020: ''Readings of Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye'' (Columbia); ''Flowers Blooming on a Withered Tree: Giun's Verse Comments on Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō'' (Oxford); ''Creating the World of Chan/ Sǒn /Zen: Chinese Chan Buddhism and its Spread throughout East Asia''.</br></br>Other books include ''Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up?'' (Oxford); ''Did Dōgen Go to China? What He Wrote and When He Wrote It'' (Oxford); ''Opening a Mountain: Kōans of Zen Masters'' (Oxford); ''Shifting Shape, Shaping Text: Philosophy and Folklore in the Fox Kōan'' (Hawaii); ''The Zen Poetry of Dōgen: Verses From the Mountain of Eternal Peace'' (Tuttle); ''Dōgen and the Kōan Tradition: A Tale of Two Shōbōgenzō Texts'' (SUNY); ''Existential and Ontological Dimensions of Time in Heidegger and Dōgen'' (SUNY); ''The Zen Canon: Studies of Classic Zen Texts'' (Oxford). His book ''White Collar Zen: Using Zen Principles to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Your Career Goals'' (Oxford) was reviewed by the Harvard Business School, USA Today, and the Washington Post. For more detailed information on his books, please see [https://asian.fiu.edu/about/director/books/ here]. ([https://asian.fiu.edu/about/director/ Source Accessed Jan 17, 2020])t/director/ Source Accessed Jan 17, 2020]))
  • Drupa Rinpoche, 7th  + (Drupa Rinpoche Lobsang Yeshi who is 7th inDrupa Rinpoche Lobsang Yeshi who is 7th in the lineage of Drupa Rinpoches, is the head of Drupa Monastery in Kham, Eastern Tibet. The present Drupa Rinpoche was born in India and recognized by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in the year of 1988 as the reincarnation of 6th Drupa Rinpoche Shedrup Tenpai Gyaltsen.</br></br>Drupa Rinpoche joined Drepung Loselling Monastery in 1988 and completed his monastic studies by receiving his Geshe degree in 2005. Rinpoche is tri-lingual (Tibetan, English and Hindi) which enabled him to successfully pursue a Bachelor in Psychology (Hons) degree from HELP University, Malaysia and thereafter, a Master of Science in Positive Psychology (MSPP) from Life University, GA, USA. Rinpoche presented his research paper titled “Are materialism and spirituality two sides of the happiness coin? A mixed-methods study” at the 31st International Congress of Psychology (ICP), Yokohama, Japan. Rinpoche has been inducted as a member of Psy Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. ([https://www.khacholing.org/w/teachers/drupa-rinpoche-lobsang-yeshi-bio/ Source Accessed Oct 28, 2021])-yeshi-bio/ Source Accessed Oct 28, 2021]))
  • Dudjom Sangye Pema Shepa Rinpoche  + (Dudjom Sangye Pema Shepa (1990-2022) was tDudjom Sangye Pema Shepa (1990-2022) was the head of the Dudjom Tersar tradition and a reincarnation of [[Dudjom Jikdral Yeshe Dorje]] who resided mainly in Tibet and Nepal.</br></br>See the official [https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com Dudjom International Foundation website] for more</br>:Also see [https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dudjom_Sangye_Pema_Shepa_Rinpoche the Rigpa Wiki Entry]</br></br>Dudjom Rinpoche III first traveled to the west in 2018 and visited the United States of America and Canada. (He bestowed the entire Dudjom Tersar cycle of empowerments at Pema Osel Ling in California in 2018.) In 2019 he made his first trip to Spain, Switzerland, France, and Russia and took leadership of a Dudjom center in Valencia, Spain. Up until 2018, Dudjom Rinpoche III had passed his time devoutly focused on practicing and training in Tibet and Nepal. All of this happened under the close supervision of Chatral Sangye Dorje who personally taught him to read and write. It was Chatral who instructed Dudjom Yangsi to undertake a traditional three-year retreat at the famous hermitage of Gangri Tokar in Tibet, which he began in 2008 and completed in 2011. Dudjom Rinpoche III has visited many of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Tibet, China, Nepal, Spiti and Bhutan. His principal seats are in Nepal and Tibet. ([https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com/hh-dudjom-rinpoche-iii-sangye-pema-shepa/ Source Accessed Feb 18, 2022])</br></br>'''Official Statement on the passing of His Holiness the 3rd Dudjom Rinpoche from [http://www.dunzhuxinbaozang.com/ Dudjom Labrang]:'''</br></br>Attention all sublime beings spreading and upholding the precious Buddhadharma, the general sangha, and in particular all students in monasteries and Dharma centers of the New Treasures of Düdjom: </br></br>As everyone knows, the one whose name is hard to say except for good reason, His Holiness Düdjom Rinpoche Sangyé Pema Shepa, never had any kind of sickness from the time he was young up until now. On the evening of the Tibetan 13th he said, “Tomorrow I want to rest and relax. Please all of you be quiet and take care.” Then he went into his bedroom. At that time there was nothing out of the ordinary. The next day, the 14th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan Iron Ox year, when going to call him for his morning tea and breakfast, totally unbelievably, he had passed into parinirvana, to benefit other beings.</br></br>From the perspective of disciples who grasp to permanence, it seems the external appearance of his rüpakaya, his precious form body, has subsided into the great expanse of primordially pure inner space. Right now, his radiant countenance has not declined at all, and he is resting in meditation.</br></br>Later, once his meditation releases, his precious kaya will be taken to Zheyu Monastery (Xie Wu Temple) and there, for forty-nine days, Dorsem Lama Chödpa (''Offering to the Lama as Vajrasattva'') will be offered to fully perfect his wisdom intentions such that there will be no obstacles for traversing the grounds and paths, and his transcendence state of realization will be completely perfected without any hindrance.</br></br>For all his vast intentions for the teachings of Buddha and sentient beings to be accomplished, in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet and countries all over the world, Düdjom Tersar monasteries and all students should please practice guru yoga, the rituals of Lama Chödpa and so on and perform as much virtuous activity as possible to fulfill his wisdom intentions, along with making vast prayers and aspirations.</br></br>All those left behind in the Düdjom Labrang are making this earnest request.m Labrang are making this earnest request.)
  • Bhattacharya, D.  + (Durga Mohan Bhattacharya was an Indian schDurga Mohan Bhattacharya was an Indian scholar of Sanskrit. He had served as a professor of Sanskrit at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta.</br></br>He was a key figure in reviving many manuscripts of the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā and its ancillary literature like the Āṅgirasakalpa after painstaking search over years in Orissa and south-west Bengal. Durgamohan Bhattacharya's discovery of a living tradition of the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā, unknown until then, was hailed in the Indological world as epoch making. Ludwig Alsdorf went so far as to say that it was the greatest event in Indology. Bhattacharya died in 1965 leaving his edition of the text incomplete. This task was completed by his son Dipak, whose critical edition of the first 18 kāṇḍas was published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta in three volumes in 1997, 2008 and 2011.</br></br>'''Early Life'''<br></br>In the early 1900 he with other members of his family, migrated to Sahanagar, Lalbag in the district of Murshidabad. The family was poor and could not send its young children to an English medium school. His early education was derived from tols and chatuspathis, where the main subjects taught were Bengali and Sanskrit, the medium of education primarily being Bengali. Durgamohan was an exceptionally brilliant student and by the year 1915 he had appeared at several Sanskrit Upadhi examinations and topped the list of candidates for the several examinations on Sanskrit conducted by the Government of Bengal. He acquired the highest degrees in Kavya, Sankhya and Purana and got the title of Bhagavataratna.</br></br>Durgamohan with his widowed mother (Sarada) and only younger brother moved to his maternal uncle's house in Calcutta. Coming to know about the keen desire of Durgamohan to study English, his senior maternal uncle took him to Suresh Chandra Kundu, then the headmaster of Town School, Calcutta, an institution of great reputation. It was an immense task for Durgamohan to achieve as he had already reached the age of 16 and he was required to complete the normal course of ten years in a single year. He successfully completed the task and in 1917 he sat for the Entrance Examination of the University of Calcutta and was declared successful, obtaining a place in the First Division of successful candidates.</br></br>The Intermediate Examination (F.A.) was achieved in 1919 at the Vidyasagar College, the B.A. Examination with a First Class honours Degree in Sanskrit from the Scottish Church College was gained in 1921 and the master's degree in Sanskrit was obtained in 1923 from the University of Calcutta.</br></br>'''Career'''<br></br>After completing his studies in the University, Durgamohan decided to take up the educational line as his field of activities. Having served as a Professor of Sanskrit in the Narasinha Dutt College of Howrah for some time, he joined the Scottish Church College as a professor of Sanskrit and Bengali and eventually became the head of the department of Sanskrit in the early thirties. In 1952 he was inducted in the West Bengal Senior Educational Service as Professor of Vedic Language, Literature and Culture in the Postgraduate Training and Research Department of the Sanskrit College, which position he occupied till the date of his death.</br></br>He used to be invited by learned societies like the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Asiatic Society of Bombay, the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, and others to deliver talks on specific topics particularly the Vedas. He was awarded gold medals by the Asiatic Societies for his services in the field of Sanskrit.</br></br>'''Work on Paippalāda-Saṃhitā'''<br></br>He had come to infer from many sources that of the four Vedas, the Atharva Veda and its practice had not become extinct in India as many scholars of repute used to hold and propagate. To prove his conviction in this regard he visited a large number of places all over India, and, ultimately a few years before his death, he was able to locate a place in Orissa, Guhiapal to be precise where he found the Atharva Veda to be actively practiced and there he discovered several Oriya manuscripts in which the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā, one of the nine versions of the Atharva Veda was faithfully reproduced. The discovery was made known to the world and the belief about the extinction of the practice of Atharva Veda was proved incorrect. He was hailed for his painstaking effort and perseverance in the unearthing of the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā as an epoch making discovery.</br></br>He started serious work on the Paippalāda-Saṃhitā, and publications also started which received acclamations from scholars all over the world. But unfortunately Durgamohan fell ill with cancer and died on 12 November 1965. His task was completed by his son Dipak Bhattacharya whose critical edition of the first 18 kāṇḍas published by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta came out in three volumes in 1997, 2008 and 2011. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Mohan_Bhattacharyya Adapted from Source Mar 25, 2022])Durga_Mohan_Bhattacharyya Adapted from Source Mar 25, 2022]))
  • Goddard, D.  + (Dwight Goddard was a Christian missionary Dwight Goddard was a Christian missionary to China when he first came in contact with Buddhism. In 1928, he spent a year living at a Zen monastery in Japan. In 1934, he founded "The Followers of Buddha, an American Brotherhood," with the goal of applying the traditional monastic structure of Buddhism more strictly than Senzaki and Sokei-an. The group was largely unsuccessful: no Americans were recruited to join as monks and attempts failed to attract a Chinese Chan (Zen) master to come to the United States. However, Goddard's efforts as an author and publisher bore considerable fruit. In 1930, he began publishing ZEN: A Buddhist Magazine. In 1932, he collaborated with D. T. Suzuki on a translation of the ''Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra''. That same year, he published the first edition of ''A Buddhist Bible'', an anthology of Buddhist scriptures focusing on those used in Chinese and Japanese Zen. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_the_United_States#Dwight_Goddard Source Accessed Dec 3, 2019])</br></br>For an interesting article on Goddard's life, see Robert Aitken's article [https://tricycle.org/magazine/still-speaking/ "Still Speaking"] in the Spring 1994 issue of ''Tricycle: The Buddhist Review''.ssue of ''Tricycle: The Buddhist Review''.)
  • Dzigar Kongtrul, 2nd  + (Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b.1964) — the prDzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b.1964) — the present Dzigar Kongtrul, Jigme Namgyel (འཛི་སྒར་ཀོང་སྤྲུལ་འཇིགས་མེད་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་, Wyl. 'dzi sgar kong sprul 'jigs med rnam rgyal), was born in Northern India, shortly before the Tibetan community settlement at Bir was established by his father, the third Neten Chokling Rinpoche. When Rinpoche was just nine years old, his father passed away. Soon after this His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche recognized him as an emanation of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great and His Holiness the 16th Karmapa confirmed this. He was soon enthroned at Chokling Gompa in Bir.</br></br>Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche grew up in a monastic environment and received extensive training in all aspects of Buddhist doctrine. In particular, he received the teachings of the Nyingma lineage, especially those of the Longchen Nyingtik, from his root teacher, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Rinpoche also studied extensively under Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and the great scholar Khenpo Rinchen.</br></br>Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche then moved to the United States in 1989 with his family and began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University (then Institute) in 1990. Not long after arriving in the United States, he founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization dedicated to furthering the practice of the Longchen Nyingtik lineage. He established a mountain retreat centre, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado, where he spends much of his time in retreat and guides students in long-term retreat practice.</br></br>Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche's students include Pema Chödrön, the best-selling buddhist author, his wife Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, and his son Dungse Jampal Norbu. He is also an avid painter in the abstract expressionist tradition. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dzigar_Kongtrul_Rinpoche Source Accessed Dec 11, 2020])ul_Rinpoche Source Accessed Dec 11, 2020]))
  • 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros  + (Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro was one of Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro was one of the most influential religious teachers in Kham in the first half of the twentieth century. One of multiple reincarnations of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, he served as head of Dzongsar Monastery, which he enlarged, founding the monastic college, Khamshe, in 1918. Chokyi Lodro fled Kham in 1955 during the Communist takeover of Tibet, settling in Sikkim, where he passed away in 1959. ([http://www.treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Jamyang-Khyentse-Chokyi-Lodro/9990 Source: Treasury of Lives]). Also see his collected works at [https://khyentselineage.tsadra.org/index.php/%27jam_dbyangs_mkhyen_brtse_chos_kyi_blo_gros Tsadra Foundation's Khyentse Lineage webiste] and the translations of his texts at [https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/jamyang-khyentse-chokyi-lodro/ Lotsawa House].ang-khyentse-chokyi-lodro/ Lotsawa House].)
  • Dānapāla  + (Dānapāla. (C. Shihu; J. Sego; K. Siho 施護) Dānapāla. (C. Shihu; J. Sego; K. Siho 施護) (d.u.; fl. c. 980 CE). In Sanskrit, lit. "Protector of Giving"; one of the last great Indian translators of Buddhist texts into Chinese. A native of Oḍḍiyāna in the Gandhāra region of India, he was active in China during the Northern Song dynasty. At the order of the Song Emperor Taizhong (r. 960–997), he was installed in a translation bureau to the west of the imperial monastery of Taiping Xingguosi (in Yuanzhou, present-day Jiangxi province), where he and his team are said to have produced some 111 translations in over 230 rolls. His translations include texts from the prajñāpāramitā, Madhyamaka, and tantric traditions, including the ''Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā'', ''Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra'', ''Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha'', ''Hevajratantra'', Nāgārjuna's ''Yuktiṣaṣtikā'' and ''Dharmadhātustava'', and Kamalaśīla's ''Bhāvanākrama'', as well as several dhāraṇī texts. (Source: "Dānapāla." In ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', 212. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)tp://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.))
  • Dōgen  + (Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 19 January 1200– 22 SepDōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 19 January 1200– 22 September 1253), also known as Dōgen Kigen (道元希玄), Eihei Dōgen (永平道元), Kōso Jōyō Daishi (高祖承陽大師), or Busshō Dentō Kokushi (仏性伝東国師), was a Japanese Buddhist priest, writer, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan.</br></br>Originally ordained as a monk in the Tendai School in Kyoto, he was ultimately dissatisfied with its teaching and traveled to China to seek out what he believed to be a more authentic Buddhism. He remained there for five years, finally training under Tiantong Rujing, an eminent teacher of the Chinese Caodong lineage. Upon his return to Japan, he began promoting the practice of zazen (sitting meditation) through literary works such as ''Fukan zazengi'' and ''Bendōwa''.</br></br>He eventually broke relations completely with the powerful Tendai School, and, after several years of likely friction between himself and the establishment, left Kyoto for the mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the head temple of the Sōtō school today.</br></br>Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including his most famous work, the collection of 95 essays called the ''[[Shōbōgenzō]]'', but also ''Eihei Kōroku'', a collection of his talks, poetry, and commentaries, and ''Eihei Shingi'', the first Zen monastic code written in Japan, among others. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen Source Accessed Jan 9, 2020])i/D%C5%8Dgen Source Accessed Jan 9, 2020]))
  • Emmerick, R.  + (EMMERICK, RONALD ERIC, (b. Sydney, 9 MarchEMMERICK, RONALD ERIC, (b. Sydney, 9 March 1937; d. Hamburg, 31 August 2001), distinguished Australian scholar of the ancient civilizations and languages of Iran, India, and Tibet. He was the only son of Eric Steward Emmerick (1905-67) and Myrtle Caroline Emmerick, née Smith (1908-72). Prompted by his keen interest in languages and their history, he studied Latin, Greek, French, and German at Sydney University (1955-58), where he also attended an unofficial Sanskrit course offered by the classicist and linguist Athanasius Pryor Treweek. He took his B.A. degree with First Class Honors and received the University Medal for Classics with a thesis on “Mycenaean Morphology.” Subsequently he was appointed as a teaching fellow in the Latin department in 1959. His choice to write his thesis on Mycenaean Greek, whose script, Linear B, had only been deciphered in 1953, attests to his intellectual curiosity and shows how he was attracted by little explored subjects whose study could open up new vistas and deepen our knowledge of history in general. His chosen field of research, however, to which he devoted most of his life, was to be the Khotanese language and texts. He first heard of this language when, in Sydney, at the age of twenty-two, he read Harold Walter Bailey’s 1938 inaugural lecture, “The Content of Indian and Iranian Studies.” He was so impressed by this lecture that he decided to study Khotanese with Bailey at Cambridge University. There, he first completed his studies in Classics and was instructed in Iranian and Indian studies by Bailey, receiving the Brotherton Sanskrit Prize, the Bhaonagar Medal for Sanskrit and the Rapson Scholarship. Then, in the years 1963-65, he wrote his doctoral dissertation entitled "Indo-Iranian Studies: Saka Grammar" and took his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1965. In the meantime, he had been elected research fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge (1964-67) and lecturer in Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London (1964-71). In addition, he taught Sanskrit at Cambridge while Bailey was on a sabbatical leave (1965-66). He subsequently revised and enlarged his dissertation and published it under the title Saka Grammatical Studies (1968f), which became an indispensable reference work for both ancient and modern Iranian studies.</br></br>(Read more [https://iranicaonline.org/articles/emmerick-ronald-eric-scholar here])ticles/emmerick-ronald-eric-scholar here]))
  • Cowell, E.  + (Edward Byles Cowell, FBA (23 January 1826 Edward Byles Cowell, FBA (23 January 1826 – 9 February 1903) was a noted translator of Persian poetry and the first professor of Sanskrit at Cambridge University.</br></br>Cowell was born in Ipswich, the son of Charles Cowell and Marianne Byles. Elizabeth "Beth" Cowell, the painter, was his sister.</br></br>He became interested in Oriental languages at the age of fifteen, when he found a copy of Sir William Jones's works (including his ''Persian Grammar'') in the public library. Self-taught, he began translating and publishing Hafez within the year.</br></br>On the death of his father in 1842 he took over the family business. He married in 1845, and in 1850 entered Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied and catalogued Persian manuscripts for the Bodleian Library. From 1856 to 1867 he lived in Calcutta as professor of English history at Presidency College. He was also as principal of Sanskrit College from 1858 to 1864. In this year he discovered a manuscript of Omar Khayyám's quatrains in the Asiatic Society's library and sent a copy to London for his friend and student, Edward Fitzgerald, who then produced the famous English translations (the ''Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'', 1859). He also published, unsigned, an introduction to Khayyám with translations of thirty quatrains in the ''Calcutta Review'' (1858).</br></br>Having studied Hindustani, Bengali, and Sanskrit with Indian scholars, he returned to England to take up an appointment as the first professor of Sanskrit at Cambridge. He was professor from 1867 until his death in 1903. He was made an honorary member of the German Oriental Society (DMG) in 1895, was awarded the Royal Asiatic Society's first gold medal in 1898, and in 1902 became a founding member of the British Academy. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Byles_Cowell Source Accessed Mar 22, 2021])yles_Cowell Source Accessed Mar 22, 2021]))
  • Conze, E.  + (Edward Conze (1904-1979) was born in LondoEdward Conze (1904-1979) was born in London and educated in Germany. He gained his Ph.D from Cologne University in 1928, and then studied Indian and European comparative philosophy at the Universities of Bonn and Hamburg. From 1933 until 1960 he lectured in psychology, philosophy and comparative religion at London and Oxford Universities. Between 1963 and 1973 he held a number of academic appointments in England, Germany and the USA, and was also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Lancaster, as well as Vice-President of the Buddhist Society. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Edward_Conze Source Accessed Jul 21, 2020])dward_Conze Source Accessed Jul 21, 2020]))
  • Guarisco, E.  + (Elio was born in Varese, Italy, on 5 AugusElio was born in Varese, Italy, on 5 August 1954 and grew up in Como. He studied art and received a Master of Arts before traveling to India to study Buddhism. On his return from India he moved to Switzerland, where for ten years he learned Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy under one of the Dalai Lama’s philosophical advisors. Elio joined the Dzogchen community in 1986, when he received teachings from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu for the first time.</br></br>Invited by the late Kalu Rinpoche, Elio spent almost twenty years in India working on the large encyclopedia on Indo-Tibetan knowledge known as Shes bya kun khyab (Myriad Worlds,Buddhist Ethics, Systems of Buddhist Tantra, The Elements of Tantric Practice) authored by Kongtrul the Great, published in separate volumes by Snow Lion Publications. During this time Elio continued to actively collaborate with the Dzogchen Community and especially with the Shang Shung Institute in Italy, of which he is a founding member.</br></br>Elio has worked on various translations for the Shang Shung Institute in Italy, including several books by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu relating to Tibetan medicine. He has completed several levels of the Santi Maha Sangha training, and became an authorized teacher of the base, first, and second level. Since 2003, Elio has been one of the three principal translators for the Ka-ter project of the Shang Shung Institute of Austria. Aside from serving as instructor for the Training for Translators from Tibetan program, he also works for the Dzogchen Tantra Translation Project. ([http://skyjewel.org/ Source Accessed March 26, 2020])ewel.org/ Source Accessed March 26, 2020]))
  • Lindmayer, E.  + (Elisabeth Lindmayer comes from a Viennese Elisabeth Lindmayer comes from a Viennese entrepreneurial family. She is a practicing Buddhist and, together with Sunim Tenzin Tharchin, was largely responsible for the construction of the well-known Peace Stupa in Grafenwörth, Austria. She has translated, along with Sunim Tenzin Tharchin, a German translation of the ''Ākāśagarbhasūtra'', ''Das Akashagarbha Sutra: Allumfassende Liebe und Weisheit; Heilend und Wunscherfüllend''. ([https://diamant-verlag.info/autoren/elisabeth-lindmayer/ Source Accessed Nov 30, 2021])-lindmayer/ Source Accessed Nov 30, 2021]))
  • Prophet, E.  + (Elizabeth Clare Prophet (née: Wulf, a.k.a.Elizabeth Clare Prophet (née: Wulf, a.k.a. Guru Ma) (April 8, 1939 – October 15, 2009) was an American spiritual leader, author, orator, and writer. In 1963 she married Mark L. Prophet (after ending her first marriage), who had founded The Summit Lighthouse in 1958. Mark and Elizabeth had four children. Elizabeth, after her second husband's death on February 26, 1973, assumed control of The Summit Lighthouse.</br></br>In 1975 Prophet founded Church Universal and Triumphant, which became the umbrella organization for the movement, and which she expanded worldwide. She also founded Summit University and Summit University Press. In the late 1980s Prophet controversially called on her members to prepare for the possibility of nuclear war at the turn of the decade, encouraging them to construct fallout shelters. In 1996, Prophet handed day-to-day operational control of her organization to a president and board of directors. She maintained her role as spiritual leader until her retirement due to health reasons in 1999.</br></br>During the 1980s and 1990s Prophet appeared on Larry King Live, Donahue and Nightline, among other television programs. Earlier media appearances included a feature in 1977 in "The Man Who Would Not Die," an episode of NBC's In Search Of... series. She was also featured in 1994 on NBC's Ancient Prophecies. ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Clare_Prophet Source accessed March 11, 2020])e_Prophet Source accessed March 11, 2020]))
  • Callahan, E.  + (Elizabeth has been engaged in contemplativElizabeth has been engaged in contemplative training and Tibetan Buddhist studies for more than 35 years. A Tsadra Fellow since 2002, she has engaged in both written translation and oral interpretation including working closely with Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso, as well as completing two three-year retreats at Kagyu Thubten Chöling, New York. Elizabeth specializes in translating texts related to mahāmudrā and esoteric tantric commentaries. Her most recent publication is Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s ''Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā'' (''Phyag chen zla ba’i ‘od zer'') and the Ninth Karmapa’s ''Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance'' (''Ma rig mun sel''). Elizabeth is also the director of advanced study scholarships at Tsadra Foundation and is the executive director of [http://www.ktgrinpoche.org/marpa-network/marpa-foundation Marpa Foundation]. </br></br>'''Current Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow:'''</br>*''The Treasury of Precious Instructions: Essential Teachings of the Eight Practice Lineages of the Tibetan Buddhism, Vol. 7 & 8'' – Marpa Kagyu Tradition, various authors collected by Jamgön Kongtrul.</br></br>'''Completed Projects as a Tsadra Foundation Fellow:'''</br>*''The Treasury of Knowledge: Book VI, Part 3; Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy'', Jamgön Kongtrul</br>*''The Profound Inner Principles'', Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, with commentary by Jamgön Kongtrul</br>*''Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā'', Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, with ''Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance'' by Wangchuk Dorje, the Ninth Karmapa</br></br></br>'''Previously Published Translations:'''<br></br>*''Mahamudra: Ocean of Definitive Meaning'', the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje [http://www.tsadra.org/translators/elizabeth-callahan/ Source: Tsadra.org]/translators/elizabeth-callahan/ Source: Tsadra.org])
  • Martinez-Melis, N.  + (Emeritus Professor at the Autonomous UniveEmeritus Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, PhD in Translation Theory. Since 1998, she has been practicing meditation in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and regularly conducts both group and individual retreats. She has performed accompaniment in the hospital and at home. She has participated in several training seminars on accompaniment in illness and end of life. Since 2010 she has coordinated seminars on suffering, illness and death, including "Viure la pròpia mort i la dels altres" of the CCEB. ([https://www.anitya.es/quienes-somos/ Source Accessed Jan 19, 2021])enes-somos/ Source Accessed Jan 19, 2021]))
  • McRae, E.  + (Emily McRae is an Assistant Professor of PEmily McRae is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico. She specializes in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, ethics, moral psychology, and feminism. She has published articles on issues in comparative moral psychology</br>in both Western and Asian philosophical journals and volumes, including ''American Philosophy Quarterly'', ''History of Philosophy Quarterly'', ''Journal of Religious Ethics'', ''Philosophy East and West'', and ''The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics''. Her translation, with Jay Garfield, of the nineteenth-century Tibetan master Patrul Rinpoche's ''Essential Jewel of Holy Practice'' has been published by Wisdom Publications (2017). She has also coedited, with Dr. George Yancy, a volume entitled ''Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections'' (Lexington Books, 2019). (Adapted from Source: [https://research.tsadra.org/index.php/Ethics_without_Self,_Dharma_without_Atman Ethics without Self, Dharma without Atman])thics without Self, Dharma without Atman]))
  • Steinkellner, E.  + (Ernst Steinkellner (born 1937) studied IndErnst Steinkellner (born 1937) studied Indian philosophy at the University of Vienna under Erich Frauwallner. After a research stay at the University of Pennsylvania (1971–1973), he founded the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna, which he headed until the year 2000. He has been involved in projects at the IKGA and its predecessor institutions since 1986. At the beginning of 1998 he succeeded Gerhard Oberhammer as the director of the IKGA, holding this position until 2006. In 2008 Ernst Steinkellner received the Ludwig Wittgenstein Prize of the Austrian Research Association.</br></br>Most of the projects at the IKGA that Steinkellner initiated and worked on are related to the logico-epistemological tradition of Buddhism. The documentation of this philosophical school dating from the 5th c. CE, especially the works of Dharmakīrti (6th–7th c. CE), represent Steinkellner's most important scholarly achievements. In this context, Steinkellner further developed the historico-philological methods of textual criticism as first introduced by Frauwallner. Steinkellner's interest in the logico-epistemological tradition later led him to doing work on Tibet, where the Buddhist schools of thought within his field of interest are still alive today.</br></br>Thanks to Steinkellner, in 2004 the IKGA began to have access to certain photocopies of manuscripts held by the China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC) in Beijing. This has made it possible to undertake critical editions of the most important Sanskrit texts in this collection, texts that until 2004 had only been accessible in their Tibetan or Chinese translations. The results of this co-operation are being published in a series founded specially for this purpose, the STTAR. ([https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/ikga/institute/former-directors#c109344 Source Accessed Jan 8, 2021])tors#c109344 Source Accessed Jan 8, 2021]))
  • Obermiller, E.  + (Eugene Obermiller (1901–1935), as a BuddhiEugene Obermiller (1901–1935), as a Buddhist scholar, inherited the tradition of Ivan Minayev (1840-1890), the founder of Russian school of Indology and Buddhist studies through his teacher Fyodor Ippolitvich Shcherabatskoy (1866–1942), who was a pupil of Minayev. After obtaining his PhD from the University of Leningrad, he joined Academy of Sciences at Leningrad as an Under Secretary to the Director of the Bibliotheca Buddhica.</br></br>His published works include the translation of Bu-ston's ''Tibetan History of Buddhism'' (1932) in two volumes. He also translated the ''Uttaratantra'' or ''Ratnagotravibhaga'' (of Maitreya Asaṅga) from Tibetan and published it in 1932. Obermiller's other important work is the Sanskrit text and Tibetan translation of the ''Abhisamayālamkara'', which he undertook as a joint venture with his teacher Shcherabatskoy and published in 1929. He also contributed papers to the ''Indian Historical Quarterly''.rs to the ''Indian Historical Quarterly''.)
  • Ziporyn, B.  + (Faculty Mircea Eliade Professor of ChineseFaculty</br>Mircea Eliade Professor of Chinese Religion, Philosophy, and Comparative Thought; also in the College</br>PhD (University of Michigan)</br></br>Brook A. Ziporyn is a scholar of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy. Professor Ziporyn received his BA in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the Divinity School faculty, he has taught Chinese philosophy and religion at the University of Michigan (Department of East Asian Literature and Cultures), Northwestern University (Department of Religion and Department of Philosophy), Harvard University (Department of East Asian Literature and Civilization) and the National University of Singapore (Department of Philosophy).</br></br>Ziporyn is the author of ''Evil And/Or/As the Good: Omnicentric Holism, Intersubjectivity and Value Paradox in Tiantai Buddhist Thought'' (Harvard, 2000), ''The Penumbra Unbound: The Neo-Taoist Philosophy of Guo Xiang'' (SUNY Press, 2003), ''Being and Ambiguity: Philosophical Experiments With Tiantai Buddhism'' (Open Court, 2004); ''Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries'' (Hackett, 2009); ''Ironies of Oneness and Difference: Coherence in Early Chinese Thought''; ''Prolegomena to the Study of Li'' (SUNY Press, 2012); and ''Beyond Oneness and Difference: Li and Coherence in Chinese Buddhist Thought and its Antecedents'' (SUNY Press, 2013). His seventh book, ''Emptiness and Omnipresence: The Lotus Sutra and Tiantai Buddhism'', was published by Indiana University Press in 2016. He is currently working on a cross-cultural inquiry into the themes of death, time and perception, tentatively entitled ''Against Being Here Now'', as well as a book-length exposition of atheism as a form of religious and mystical experience in the intellectual histories of Europe, India and China. ''Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings, translated and with introduction and notes by Brook Ziporyn'' will be published in 2020. ([http://divinity.uchicago.edu/directory/brook-ziporyn Source Accessed Sep 17, 2021])ook-ziporyn Source Accessed Sep 17, 2021]))