Khyentse Foundation Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Buddhist Studies

In July of 2014, Khyentse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the study and practice of Buddhism, announced the establishment of its Award for Outstanding Dissertations in Buddhist Studies. The deadline for nominations is December 31, 2014. The award will be presented to the best PhD dissertation in the field of Buddhist Studies written in Europe, including the UK, that was published during the previous two academic years. The dissertation must be based on original research in the relevant primary language, and it should significantly advance understanding of the subject or Buddhist scriptures studied.

The dissertation must be written in English. The award of US$8,000 is intended to enable the recipient to further his or her research.

Accredited institutions that offer PhD programs in Buddhist Studies or Religious Studies in any European country are invited to nominate one dissertation that was completed during the academic year 2012-13 or 2013-14.

Nominations must include four separate documents:

– Letter of recommendation by a member of the faculty and/or the chair of the department or institution

– Summary of the dissertation in English (not more than 2 pages)

– One representative chapter of the dissertation

– Full contact details for the department and for the author of the dissertation

These documents should be submitted by email to jun@khyentsefoundation.org.

A five-person committee will select three dissertations to be read in their entirety by all committee members. The result of the competition will be announced by June 30, 2015.

If circumstances permit, the recipient of the award will be invited to give a lecture based on his or her dissertation at an institution selected by Khyentse Foundation.

Calendar

Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2014 Nominations accepted

Feb. 28, 2015 Three dissertations selected

May 15, 2015 Winning dissertation selected

June 30, 2015 Winner announced

June 30, 2016 Invitation to submit nominations for the next award

Khyentse Foundation sponsors a similar award for dissertations written in Asia. The recipient of the Asian award for 2014 is Mr. Chao Tung Ming, who received his PhD in Philosophy from National Taiwan University in 2011. He won the award for his thesis on the Chinese Yogācāra school of Buddhism. The KF Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation will be awarded annually, alternating between Asia and Europe.

Khyentse Foundation is an international 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The foundation supports individuals and institutions engaged in the practice and study of Buddhism, with beneficiaries in 30 countries. In the past 10 years, the foundation has offered more than US$7 million in grants, directly affecting the lives of people around the world. Projects funded include a chair of Buddhist studies at the University of California at Berkeley, the digitization of the entire Tibetan Buddhist scriptural canon, endowments for traditional monastic colleges in Asia, a worldwide scholarship program, and numerous other innovative initiatives. Learn more about Khyentse Foundation and Dzongsar Khyentse’s activities at khyentsefoundation.org.

CONTACT:

Jun Xie

jun@khyentsefoundation.org

Scholarship Committee

Noa Jones

noa@khyentsefoundation.org

Communications Director