Associate Professor in the Divinity School (and in The College),
University of Chicago
EDUCATION
BOOKS
Brains, Buddhas, and Believing: The Problem of Intentionality in Classical Buddhist and Cognitive-Scientific Philosophy of Mind (Columbia University Press, 2012; paperback edition, 2014). Winner of the 2013 Toshihide Numata Book Prize in Buddhism. Reviews: Charles Goodman, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, September 2012; Richard Nance, H-Buddhism, May 2013; Mark Siderits, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, November 2012; Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database, September 2012; Thomas Leahey, PsychCRITIQUES 57/49, 2012 (DOI 10.1037/a0030847); L. Harrington, Choice, 2012; Urmila Nair, Religion and Society: Advances and Research 4/1 (2013); Jonathan Gold, Philosophy East & West 64:4 (2014; feature review, with author's response); Patrick McAllister, Journal of the American Oriental Society 134/4 (2014); Bronwyn Finnigan, Journal of Religion 95/1 (2015); John Holder, Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies 8 (2015)
A Reader on Madhyamaka: A Historical Sourcebook in Buddhism's "Middle Way" Philosophy (under contract with Columbia University Press for the series "Historical Sourcebooks in Classical Indian Thought," ed. Sheldon Pollock)
ARTICLES
"Where in the Brain Does Buddhism Come From? Thoughts regarding Iain McGilchrist's Reflections on Religion," forthcoming in Religion, Brain & Behavior
"Givenness as Corollary to Nonconceptual Awareness: Thinking about Thought in Buddhist Philosophy," forthcoming in Jay Garfield, ed., Sellars and Buddhism (Routledge Studies in American Philosophy)
"What Religious Studies Can Teach the Humanities: A Philosophical Perspective," forthcoming in David Eckel, ed., The Future of the Philosophy of Religion (Springer)
"Should Buddhists Deny that We are Conscious? Revisiting Madhyamika Critiques of Self-awareness," forthcoming in a volume of essays from the international workshop Buddhist Philosophy of Consciousness: Tradition and Dialogue (National Chengchi University, Taipei)
"Orthodoxy, Heterodoxy, and the Argumentative Indian: Jayanta Bhatta and the Question of a Philosophical Case for Religious Pluralism in India," in Sudipta Kaviraj and Rajeev Bhargava, eds., Religion, Conflict and Accommodation in India (Columbia University Press, forthcoming)
"Philosophy of Mind's 'Hard Problem' in Light of Buddhist Idealism," forthcoming in Steven Emmanuel, ed., Philosophy's Perennial Questions: Comparing Buddhist and Western Approaches
"Madhyamaka Critiques of Epistemology," in Matthew Kapstein, ed., The Columbia Guide to Classical Indian Philosophy (Columbia University Press, forthcoming)
"The Sense Madhyamaka Makes as a Buddhist Position: Reflections on a 'Performativist Account of the Language of Self'," forthcoming in a special issue of the Journal of Indian Philosophy
"Why Are We Surprised When Buddhists Are Violent?" (with Alicia Turner), New York Times, March 5, 2018
"Ethics without Norms? Buddhist Reductionism and the Logical Space of Reasons," in Daniel Cozort and James Mark Shields, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, pp.359-381 (Oxford University Press, 2018)
"The Philosophical Works and Influence of Dignaga and Dharmakirti," in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, 2017
"Pushing Idealism Beyond its Limits: The Place of Philosophy in Kamalasila's Steps of Cultivation," in Jonardon Ganeri, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2017), pp.379-399
[Response to Jonathan Gold, review of Brains, Buddhas, and Believing], Philosophy East & West 64:4 (2014):1057-1067
"The Deceptive Simplicity of Nagarjuna's Arguments against Motion: Another Look at Mulamadhyamakakarika Chapter 2," Journal of Indian Philosophy 40/5 (2012):553-591
"Reaching Bedrock: Buddhism and Cognitive-Science," Berfrois.com, April 2012
"The Philosophical Works and Influence of Dignaga and Dharmakirti," Oxford Bibliographies Online, February 2012
"For Whom is the 'Naturalness' of Language a Problem? Thoughts on Re-framing a Buddhist-Mimamsaka Debate," in Yigal Bronner, Whitney Cox, and Lawrence McCrea, eds., South Asian Texts in History: Critical Engagements with Sheldon Pollock, pp.245-266 (Association for Asian Studies, 2011)
"Mimamsa," in Jay Garfield and William Edelglass, eds., The Oxford Handbook of World Philosophy, pp.138-46 (Oxford University Press, 2011)
"Nagarjuna's 'Middle Way': A non-eliminative understanding of selflessness," Revue Internationale de Philosophie vol. 64, no.253 (2010, no.3): 367-395
"Self-awareness (svasamvitti) and Related Doctrines of Buddhists Following Dignaga: Philosophical Characterizations of Some of the Main Issues," Journal of Indian Philosophy 38 (2010): 323-378
"Kumarila," in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, published May 2010
"Svasamvitti as Methodological Solipsism: 'Narrow Content' and the Problem of Intentionality in Buddhist Philosophy of Mind," in Mario D'Amato, Jay Garfield, and Tom Tillemans, eds., Pointing at the Moon: Buddhism, Logic, Analytic Philosophy, pp.135-159 (Oxford University Press, 2009)
"On (Non-semantically) Remembering Conventions: Dharmakirti and Dharmottara on Samketakala," in Piotr Balcerowicz, ed., Logic and Belief in Indian Philosophy (Warsaw Indological Studies 3), pp.539-564 (Motilal Banarsidass, 2009)
"Dharmakirti and Dharmottara on the Intentionality of Perception: Selections from Nyayabindu (An Epitome of Philosophy)," in William Edelglass and Jay L. Garfield, eds., Buddhist Philosophy: Essential readings, pp.186-196 (Oxford University Press, 2009)
"Dharmakirti's Dualism: Critical Reflections on a Buddhist Proof of Rebirth," Philosophy Compass 3/5 (2008): 1079-1096, 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2008.00175.x
"Buddhist Idealism, Epistemic and Otherwise: Thoughts on the Alternating Perspectives of Dharmakirti," Sophia 47/1 (April 2008): 3-28
"Transcendental Arguments and Practical Reason in Indian Philosophy," Argumentation 22/1 (March 2008): 135-147
"Justification and Truth, Relativism and Pragmatism: Reflections on Indian Philosophy and its Lessons for Religious Studies," The Religion & Culture Web Forum (of the Martin Marty Center), November 2006
"On Semantics and Samketa: Thoughts on a Neglected Problem with Buddhist Apoha Doctrine," Journal of Indian Philosophy 34 (2006): 415-478
"On How it Can Be Ultimately True That There Is No Ultimate Truth: Thoughts on Mark Siderits's Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy," APA Newsletter (On Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies) 6/1 (Fall 2006): 12-16
"Madhyamaka," The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (published 2006)
"Buddhists on the Brain," in Sightings, November 2005; reprinted in Criterion (special issue on "Celebrating Sightings"), February 2008, pp.29-30; also reprinted at Beliefnet.com, Religionfacts.com
"Materials for a Madhyamika Critique of Foundationalism: An Annotated Translation of Prasannapada 55.11 to 75.13," Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 28/2 (2005): 411-467
"Is svasamvitti transcendental? A tentative reconstruction following Santaraksita," Asian Philosophy 15/1 (2005): 77-111
"Candrakirti on Dignaga on Svalaksanas," Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 26/1 (2003): 139-174
"Verses on Nonconceptual Awareness: A Close Reading of Mahayanasamgraha 8.2-13," Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies No.4 (2003): 9-49
"Intrinsic Validity Reconsidered: A Sympathetic Study of the Mimamsaka Inversion of Buddhist Epistemology," Journal of Indian Philosophy 29/5-6 (2001): 589-675
"How to Do Things with Candrakirti: A Comparative Study in Anti-Skepticism," Philosophy East and West 51/2 (2001): 247-279
"Of Intrinsic Validity: A Study on the Relevance of Purva Mimamsa," Philosophy East and West 51/1 (2001): 26-53
"Can Hartshorne Escape Dharmakirti? Some Reflections with Implications for the Comparative Philosophy of Religion," American Journal of Theology & Philosophy 19/1 (January 1998): 3-33
"Mapping the Middle Way: Thoughts on a Buddhist Contribution to a Feminist Discussion," Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 14/1 (Spring 1998): 63-84
"Much Ado about Nothing: Thoughts on Neville's Ontological Question and Comparative Philosophy," Process Studies 26/3-4 (Fall-Winter 1997): 218-237
BOOK REVIEWS
Donald Lopez, The Scientific Buddha, in Journal of Religion 95/1 (2015): 141-43
Pascale Hugon and Toru Tomabechi, eds., Dharmakirti's Pramanaviniscaya, Chapter 3, in Religious Studies Review 38/4 (2012): 261 (book note)
Sara McClintock, Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason, in History of Religions 52/3 (2013): 288-91
Ilkka Pyysiainen, Supernatural Agents: Why We Believe in Souls, Gods, and Buddhas, in Journal of Religion 90/2 (2010): 262-266
Shoryu Katsura and Ernst Steinkellner, eds., The Role of the Example (Drstanta) in Classical Indian Logic, in Journal of the American Oriental Society (forthcoming)
John Clayton, Religions, Reasons and Gods, in Journal of Religion 89/1 (2009): 129-132
Jonardon Ganeri, The Concealed Art of the Soul, in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, April 2008
Joseph Walser, Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture, in Journal of the American Academy of Religion 75/3 (2007): 684-688
Mark Siderits, Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy, in Journal of the American Academy of Religion 74/1 (2006): 247-250
David Loy, The Great Awakening, Journal of Buddhist Ethics volume 12 (2005)
Roger-Pol Droit, The Cult of Nothingness, in Journal of Religion 85/1 (2005): 158-160
Karen Lang, Four Illusions, in The Journal of Asian Studies 63/3 (2004): 827-828
Georges Dreyfus, The Sound of Two Hands Clapping, Journal of Religion 84/2 (2004): 314-315
Ronald Davidson, Indian Esoteric Buddhism, in Journal of Religion 84/1 (2004): 147-150
Toni Huber, The Cult of Pure Crystal Mountain, Journal of Religion 81/4 (2001): 684-685
Janet Gyatso, Apparitions of the Self, in Chicago South Asia Newsletter 25/1 (2001): 9
Richard Salomon, Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara, in Chicago South Asia Newsletter 24/3 (2000): 10-11
Gregory Schopen, Bones, Stones and Buddhist Monks, in Philosophy East and West 50/4 (2000): 620-623
John Makransky, Buddhahood Embodied, in Journal of Religion 80/1 (2000): 146-148
Jay Garfield, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, in Philosophy East and West 49/1 (1999): 88-92
Donald Lopez, Elaborations on Emptiness: Uses of the Heart Sutra, in Buddhist-Christian Studies 18 (1998) : 251-257
PRESENTATIONS AND PAPERS
"Personalism and the Madhyamika Recuperation of Conventional Truth: Some Heretical Thoughts," Harvard University, February 2018
Buddhist Reflections on Groundhog Day, Facets Multimedia, for the series "Religion in the Frame," February 2018
"The Philosophical Problems of Religious Diversity: Some Reflections in Light of India's Historical Experience," University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), November 2017
"Thoughts on translating the Vigrahavyavartani," Princeton University, October 2017
"How 'Conventional' is Conventional Truth? Thoughts on the Divergent Intuitions of Candrakirti and Santaraksita," Conference of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Toronto, August 2017
Discussant on the panel "Science, Religion and Philosophy," at the Future of the Humanities symposium, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, March 2017
"On the Question to Which Vasubandhu's Proof of Idealism is the Answer," American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, November 2016
On Thomas Lewis's Why Philosophy Matters for the Study of Religion, American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, November 2016
"Perception and the Perceptible: Candrakirti on the Difference an Adjective Makes," for the conference Conceptuality and Non-Conceptuality in Buddhist Thought, University of California at Berkeley, November 2016
"Personalism and the Madhyamika Recuperation of Conventional Truth," invited talk at Yale-NUS College, Singapore, March 2016
"Ought Madhyamikas to Deny that We are Conscious?," for the international workshop Buddhist Philosophy of Consciousness: Tradition and Dialogue, National Chengchi University, Taipei, March 2016
"A Philosophical Perspective on Religious Studies and the Humanities," for the Symposium on the Future of Philosophy of Religion, Boston University, February 2016
On Tyler Roberts's Encountering Religion, American Academy of Religion, Atlanta, 2015
"The Emptiness of Emptiness," for the conference Introducing Religion, University of Chicago, May 2015 "The Buddhist Doctrine of No-self as Self-Transformative," for the conference Varieties of Self, Scripps College, March 2015
Respondent on a panel on Jonathan Gold, Paving the Great Way: Vasubandhu's Unifying Buddhist Philosophy, American Academy of Religion Conference (San Diego), November 2014
"What Might Idealists Make of Neurophenomenology? Some Thoughts from a Buddhist Perspective," given at the conference Ascetical Practice in a Secular Culture: A New Approach to Prayer and the Brain, Villa Palazzola, September 2014
"Reflections on a 'Performativist Account of the Language of Self', Or: The Sense Madhyamaka Makes as a Buddhist Position," given at the conference Language in the Traditions of Madhyamaka Thought, Huafan University (Taipei), June 2014
"Is Madhyamaka Buddhist? In Defense of a Radical Interpretation of Madhyamaka," given at Tokyo University and at Ryukoku University (Kyoto), June 2014
"A Buddhist Perspective on the Hard Problem in Philosophy of Mind," Marquette University, April 2014, and for the conference Buddhism, Mind, and Cognitive Science, University of California at Berkeley, April 2014
"On the Question to Which Vasubandhu's Proof of Idealism is the Answer," at the American Philosophical Association Central Division Conference, Chicago, February 2014
"Nagarjuna's Critique of Motion as Philosophy of Mind," at the Symposium "Taking Buddhist Philosophy of Mind Seriously" (award symposium for the 2013 Toshihide Numata Book Prize in Buddhism)
"What Kind of Ethics Does Buddhist Thought Recommend?" Al Quds University, East Jerusalem, June 2013
"Why Nagarjuna Cares about Motion"; "How (and Why) Vasubandhu Proves Idealism" -- two presentations given at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, June 2013 (the first also given at Tel Aviv University)
Dean's Forum (with Professors Martha Nussbaum and Alireza Doostdar) on Brains, Buddhas, and Believing, University of Chicago Divinity School, April 2013
"What Nagarjuna Really Has at Stake in Refuting Motion: Thoughts on Action as a Person-level Phenomenon" (College of Charleston, March 2013)
"On the Temporality of Self-Consciousness (svasamvitti)"; "Intentionality and the 'Conventional Truth' of Madhyamaka"; "A Reading of the Vimsatika" -- three presentations given at the National Chengchi University, Taipei, March 2013
Respondent for the panel "Svasamvedana in Indian Buddhist Philosophy: Novel Perspectives, New Directions," American Academy of Religion Conference (Chicago), November 2012
"Buddhism and Cognitive-Scientific Research: Some Lessons for Religious Studies," Eastern Mennonite University, October 2012; also given (as "Buddhism and Cognitive-Scientific Research: A Philosophical Demurral") for the Midwest Faculty Seminar, January 2013, and for the Divinity School Visiting Committee, February 2013
"Thoughts on translating upadaya prajnapti," for Mangalam Research Center's Madhyamaka Studies Symposium, August 2012
"Svasamvitti and the Phenomenology of Temporality," "Madhyamaka and the First-Person Perspective," both given at the NEH Summer Institute Investigating Consciousness: Buddhist and Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives, Charleston SC, May-June 2012
Response to Kevin Hector, Theology without Metaphysics, Dean's Forum, University of Chicago Divinity School, February 2012
Respondent to Prof. Bruce Lincoln, Divinity School faculty retreat, January 2012
"The Problem of Intentionality in Classical Buddhist and Cognitive-Scientific Philosophy of Mind," Stanford University, January 2012 (for the workshop Mythos and Logos: Religion and Rationality in the Humanities
"Orthodoxy, Heterodoxy, and the Argumentative Indian: Jayanta Bhatta, the Mimamsakas, and the Question of a Case for Religious Pluralism in India," for the workshop Religion, Conflict and Accommodation in India, Columbia University, November 2011
"On Keeping Persons in View: Thoughts on Understanding Nagarjuna's Trick," for "Madhyamaka & Methodology: A Symposium on Buddhist Theory and Method," Smith College, April 2010
"'Religion' as What is Tolerable: Jayanta Bhatta and the Issue of a Philosophical Case for Pluralism," for the symposium "What is Religion?", Boston University, Institute for Philosophy of Religion, February 2010
"Staging Dialogue among Indian Philosophers: Thoughts on a Philosophical Play by Jayanta Bhatta," for the conference Deconstructing Dialogue: New Perspectives on Religious Encounters: Ancient, Medieval and Modern, University of Chicago, January 2010
"Philosophy of Language, or Philosophy of Mind? Thoughts on what apohavadins and their critics are arguing about," Columbia Society for Comparative Philosophy, Columbia University, November 2009; also given at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (Pune), September 2010
"Thoughts on a Philosophical Case for Jayanta Bhatta's Cosmopolitanism," for the workshop on Religion, Conflict and Accommodation in India, Columbia University, November 2009
Respondent for the panel "The Science of Meditation? Findings, Problems, and Future Potential," American Academy of Religion Conference (Montreal), November 2009
Midwest Faculty Seminar presentation: "What Kind of Ethics Does Buddhist Thought Recommend?", University of Chicago, April 2009; also given at the National Law School of India University (Bangalore), September 2010
"Buddhist Idealism, Epistemic and Otherwise: Thoughts on the Alternating Perspectives of Dharmakirti," XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Atlanta, June 2008
Respondent for the panel "Analyzing and Advancing Buddhist Philosophy (I): The Two Truths in India and Tibet," XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Atlanta, June 2008
"Truth and Consequences: Some Thoughts on the Future of the Philosophy of Religion," at the Symposium for Younger Scholars, The Future of the Philosophy of Religion, Boston University, April 2008
Invited presentation on svasamvitti, Harvard Comparative Philosophy Workshop, April 2008
"Is Mind or Language the Fundamental Locus of Intentionality? Thoughts on Framing a Buddhist-Mimamsaka Debate," Columbia University conference, "Language, Culture, and Power: New Directions in South Asian Studies," February 2008
"Transcendental Arguments and Practical Reason," Divinity School faculty retreat, January 2008
"Intentionality," Boston University, November 2007 (in the lecture series "Fundamental Concepts in Buddhist Thought")
"Understanding and/as the Translation of Buddhist Philosophy," at the conference "Text, Translation, and Transmission," UC Berkeley, October 2007
"Thoughts on Madhyamaka," invited presentation at UC Santa Barbara Madhyamaka seminar, February 2007
"Justification and Truth, Relativism and Pragmatism: Reflections on Indian Philosophy and its Lessons for Religious Studies," American Academy of Religion Conference (Buddhist Philosophy Group), Washington, November 2006
"Candrakirti and the Metaphysics of Ordinary Language," American Academy of Religion Conference (Buddhist Philosophy Group), Washington, November 2006
"Transcendental Arguments and Practical Reason in Indian Philosophy," 6th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation, Amsterdam, June 2006
Respondent to Roger-Pol Droit, "The History of Buddhism and Its First Occidental Interpretations: 1820-1880," University of Chicago, May 2006
Dean's Forum (with Professors Margaret Mitchell and James Robinson) on Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief, University of Chicago Divinity School, May 2006
"On Semantics and Samketa: Thoughts on a Neglected Program with Apoha Doctrine," International Seminar on Logic and Belief in Indian Philosophy, Warsaw and Bialowieza (Poland), May 2006
"On How it Can be Ultimately True that there is no Ultimate Truth: Thoughts on Mark Siderits's Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy," American Philosophical Association Central Division conference, Chicago, April 2006
"Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief," a three-day series of talks at the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, Ithaca, NY, February 2006
"Causes and Reasons in Buddhist Philosophy: Reflections in Light of Vincent Descombes's Critique of Cognitivism," American Academy of Religion Conference (Religion and Science section), San Antonio, November 2004; American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Conference, Boston, December 2004
"Are Buddhas Like Calculators? Some Tentative Reflections in Comparative Philosophy of Mind," APA Midwestern Division conference, Chicago, April 2004
"Doing Abhidharma in an Epistemological Key," invited presentation at Smith College / Five Colleges Buddhist Studies Seminar, April 2004
"Buddhas, Brains, and Programs: Buddhist Philosophy of Mind in Light of Some Contemporary Discussions," McGill University, March 2004
"Buddhist Philosophy as a Practice and the Practice of Religious Studies," University of Chicago Divinity School, December 2003
Respondent to Terrence Tilley, "Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: One Catholic Theologian's Inadequate Reactions Extended," Catholic Theological Society of America conference, Cincinnati, June 2003
"Buddhist Philosophy as a Way of Life," McGill University, January 2003; Binghamton University (State University of New York), February 2003
"Reconstructing Madhyamaka as Transcendental Argument," American Academy of Religion Conference (Philosophy of Religion section), Toronto, November 2002
Critical introduction of Schubert Ogden's Is There Only One True Religion or Are There Many?, University of Chicago Divinity School, October 2002
"Madhyamaka and Transcendental Argument," Harvard University, February 2002
"How to Do Things with Candrakirti," University of Chicago Buddhism Across Asia Workshop, April 1999
COURSES TAUGHT
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
University of Chicago: Lecturer in the Divinity School, 2002-2003. (Fall term: Buddhist-Hindu Dialogue: Creativity in Indian Scholasticism; winter term: Indian Philosophy II: The Classical Tradition; spring term: Readings in Philosophical Sanskrit.)
University of Illinois at Chicago: Lecturer in Religious Studies, fall 2002. Taught Eastern and Western Philosophies of Religion.
University of Chicago: Lecturer, department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, summer 2002. Taught intensive course in intermediate Sanskrit.
University of Chicago: Wilson Teaching Fellow in the undergraduate college, spring term 2002. Taught Buddhist Thought in India and Tibet.
Loyola University Chicago: Introduction to Hinduism (two sections), fall semester 2000
LANGUAGES
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS