Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

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upasaka
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Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by upasaka »

Williams?
Powers?
Lopez?
Conze?
Snellgrove?

Did you guys read any of these? :thanks:
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Josef
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Josef »

Jose Cabezon, Sarah McClintock and Holly Gayley are three of the most interesting Buddhist Studies academics around in my opinion.
John Dunne is interesting as well.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
Malcolm
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Malcolm »

Most Interesting: Dan Martin
Most Brilliant: Matthew Kapstein
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Josef
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Josef »

Namdrol wrote:Most Interesting: Dan Martin
Most Brilliant: Matthew Kapstein
Seconded. Especially on Kapstein.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
Huseng
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Huseng »

Robert Thurman does popular books, but also academic monographs. He's a good writer in my opinion.
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mindyourmind
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by mindyourmind »

In addition to some of the above, I also enjoy Karl Brunnholzl (Center of the Sunlight Sky in particular).
Dualism is the real root of our suffering and all of our conflicts.

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tingdzin
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by tingdzin »

I too go along with Malcolm, though I personally find Martin more enjoyable to read. There are many more good Tibetan scholars coming up now, so hopefully the field will continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
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Konchog1
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Konchog1 »

Snellgrove is terrible. He censors his own translations if he doesn't like the content and almost every page is filled with footnotes (80% on some pages!).
Equanimity is the ground. Love is the moisture. Compassion is the seed. Bodhicitta is the result.

-Paraphrase of Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tsephel citing the Guhyasamaja Tantra

"All memories and thoughts are the union of emptiness and knowing, the Mind.
Without attachment, self-liberating, like a snake in a knot.
Through the qualities of meditating in that way,
Mental obscurations are purified and the dharmakaya is attained."

-Ra Lotsawa, All-pervading Melodious Drumbeats
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Wayfarer
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Wayfarer »

Has anyone encountered Georges Dreyfus? I have borrowed two of his books, including the formidable Recognizing Reality, but didn't make a lot of headway with it.

The other current author that strikes me as worth knowing about is Jan Westerhoff. He writes on philosophy and metaphysics as well but has done quite a few recent titles on Madhyamika and various other Buddhist topics. See here for some details.
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
Yudron
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Yudron »

I'm currently most interested in Jacob Dalton, Holly Gayly, and Sam Van Shaik. This reflects my interest in Nyingma History, Dzogchen and Tibetan yoginis.

Scholars who seem to have an agenda to disprove traditional histories, with a "I know better than you" attitude, are of no interest.
Huseng
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Huseng »

Yudron wrote: Scholars who seem to have an agenda to disprove traditional histories, with a "I know better than you" attitude, are of no interest.
In academia you make a name for yourself by disproving others and coming up with innovative new theories. :techproblem:
Namgyal
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Namgyal »

Yudron wrote:I'm currently most interested in Jacob Dalton, Holly Gayly, and Sam Van Shaik.
Sam is an accomplished scholar and a practising Buddhist (Longchen Nyingthig). Amongst Buddhist Buddhologists, the best is probably Professor Geoffrey Samuel (ChNN).
:namaste:
Yudron
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Yudron »

Huseng wrote:
Yudron wrote: Scholars who seem to have an agenda to disprove traditional histories, with a "I know better than you" attitude, are of no interest.
In academia you make a name for yourself by disproving others and coming up with innovative new theories. :techproblem:
Yes. But I'm not interested.
Yudron
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by Yudron »

Namgyal wrote:
Yudron wrote:I'm currently most interested in Jacob Dalton, Holly Gayly, and Sam Van Shaik.
Sam is an accomplished scholar and a practising Buddhist (Longchen Nyingthig). Amongst Buddhist Buddhologists, the best is probably Professor Geoffrey Samuel (ChNN).
:namaste:
Thank you. I just downloaded Prof. Samuael's latest book, available in electronic format, from Barnes and Noble. Holly Gayley is a teacher or Shambhala as well as an academic. She has a new book coming out on Tare Lhamo and her husband, I think this summer.
yegyal
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Re: Best academic studies on (tibetan) buddhism?

Post by yegyal »

Yudron wrote:I'm currently most interested in Jacob Dalton, Holly Gayly, and Sam Van Shaik. This reflects my interest in Nyingma History, Dzogchen and Tibetan yoginis.

Scholars who seem to have an agenda to disprove traditional histories, with a "I know better than you" attitude, are of no interest.
In that case, you might enjoy the work that Sarah Jacoby and Antonio Terrone have been doing, most notably on Sera Khandro and contemporary tertons in Kham, respectively. I think we'll see a lot of good stuff from this married couple in the coming years.
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