CU Becomes Leader in Study of Tibet
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Belly up to a bar, drop by a caf茅, or sit down at a bus stop and mention Tibet in most any American city, from Baltimore to Boise, Phoenix to Philadelphia, and the ensuing conversation will be short.
鈥淚 would say that in general Americans who pay attention to global events will know something about Tibet, but they might not know much,鈥 says Holly Gayley, assistant professor of religious studies at the 麻豆影院.
鈥淭hey know something bad happened there that might involve China, and that鈥檚 where the Dalai Lama comes from,鈥 says Carole McGranahan, associate professor of Anthropology, who specializes in contemporary Tibet.
But that isn鈥檛 the case in 麻豆影院, a small island of Tibetan and Buddhist culture and home to a thriving community of immigrants and exiles from the Himalayan nation that was invaded by China in 1950.
Tattered, fading Tibetan-style prayer flags flutter from eaves throughout the city and many a Subaru, Volvo or SUV sports a 鈥淪ave Tibet鈥 bumper sticker. Buddhism, considered exotic and mysterious in much of America, is just another belief system in 麻豆影院.
The city also has become a center of academic research into Tibetan religion, culture and the environment. Naropa University, started by the late Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, was the first Buddhist-focused university in the United States.
鈥淚 usually say we have three tenure-track, full-time specialists in Tibet, and that鈥檚 three more faculty specializing in Tibet than you find at most universities,鈥 McGranahan says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a huge group 鈥 but it鈥檚 an incredible opportunity (for research) and also for students.鈥
A joint lecture series between CU and Naropa, named in honor of Chogyam Trungpa, kicked off in 2013 with Janet Gyatso of Harvard University. John Makransky, professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston University and a meditation teacher, will speak in September on compassion, the theme at Naropa鈥檚 40th-anniversary year.
鈥淭his is a step forward in the collaboration between the universities,鈥 Gayley says. 鈥淭here is the perfect nexus for Buddhist studies in 麻豆影院 and (collaborations of this kind) will strengthen both programs.鈥
The lecture series was started with a seed grant from the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies, founded by the late Mahinder Uberoi, former chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at CU-麻豆影院.
In October, the Tibetan Translation and Transmission Conference, sponsored by the Tsadra Foundation, will bring some 200 Tibetan studies scholars and translators to Keystone. Andrew Quintman, assistant professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, will speak in 麻豆影院 as a lead up to the conference.