Dr. Georgios T. Halkias | Associate Professor & Chair of Master of Buddhist Studies Programme

Centre of Buddhist Studies, Rm. 404, 4/F, Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, The University of Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3917–2846 | Email: [email protected] Web site: https://hku-hk.academia.edu/GeorgiosHalkias

Education

DPhil, Oriental Studies. Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, UK. MA, Comparative Philosophy. Philosophy Department, University of Hawaii, USA. MA, Film and Television Studies. Department of Film Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. BA, Philosophy. University of Hawaii, USA.

Areas of research

Fellowships/Scholarships

Tianzhu Visiting Scholarship. Centre of Buddhist Studies, Universiteit Gent, Belgium Research Fellow. Käte Hamburger Kolleg Research Fellowship. “Dynamiken der Religionsgeschichte zwischen Asien und Europa.” Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Center for Religious Studies, Germany. British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. “A cultural history of 17th century Tibetan Buddhist canons. ”School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Jōdo-Shinshū Otani-ha Doctoral Fellowship in Buddhist Studies. Kyoto, Japan.

Editorship

Oxford Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Oxford University Press. Co-editor-in-chief URL: http://religion.oxfordre.com/page/buddhism/ Entangled Religions: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Religious Contact and Transfer, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Area editor on Asian religions and Buddhism. URL: https://er.ceres.rub.de

Publications (selection)

Books

Luminous Bliss: A Religious History of Pure Land Literature in Tibet. With an Annotated Translation and Critical Analysis of the Orgyen-ling golden short Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra. University of Hawai‘i Press, 368 pages. Paperback edition 2017. | Book reviews: Vesna Wallace, The International Journal of Asian Studies 12(1): 2015; Charles B. Jones, H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences, February, 2014; Michael Zrenner, Religions of South Asia 8(2): 2014; Kendall Marchman, Pacific World 16: 2014.

Edited volumes

In preparation Oxford Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Oxford University Press, 2020. Co-edited with Richard Payne. Estimated 2-3 volumes, approx. 200 entries. 2021 Tibetan Representations of Enlightenment: The Linda Lau Collection of Buddhist Thangka. Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, 360 pages & 293 images. 2019 Pure Lands in Asian Texts and Contexts: An Anthology. University of Hawaii Press, 728 pages. Co-edited with Richard Payne.

1-5 2018 Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and Corporeality. Routledge Religion Series, 196 pages. Co-edited with Alexandra Cuffel & Ana Echevarria. 2007 Contemporary Visions in Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the First International Seminar of Young Tibetologists SOAS, London 2007. Serindia Press, 416 pages. Co-edited with Brandon Dotson, Tim Myatt, & Kelsang N. Gurung.

Journals

2019 “The Heritage Buddhist Manuscripts of Ladakh: Tibetan Buddhist Canons and the Perfection of Wisdom Sūtras.” Himalaya Journal, Vol 39, No. 2, 1–9. 2019 “Heavenly Ascents after Death: Karma Chagme’s Commentary on Mind Transference.” Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 52, 70–89. 2018 “Great Journeys in Little Spaces: Buddhist Matters in Khyentse Norbu’s Travellers and Magicians.” International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture, Vol. 28. No. 2, 205– 223. 2017 “A History Worth Remembering: An Expedition to the Fortress of Basgo.” Orientations, Vol. 48, No. 2, 150–155. 2015 “The Self-immolation of Kalanos and other Luminous Encounters among Greeks and Indian Buddhists in the Hellenistic world.” Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, Vol. VIII, 163–186. 2014 “With and without Titles in Sanskrit: Indo-Tibetan Pure Land Texts in the Kangyur.” JCBSSL, Vol. XI, 195–206. 2012 “Aspiring for Sukhāvatī in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Entering the dhāraṇī and buddhakṣetra of Buddha Aparimitāyus.” JCBSSL, Vol. XI, 77–110. 2012 “Από τον Μέγα Αλέξανδρο στο Βούδα: Ασύμμετρες Επιδράσεις Βουδισμού και Ελληνικού Πολιτισμού στην Κεντρική Ασία” [From Alexander the Great to the Buddha: Asymmetrical influences between Buddhism and Hellenism in Central Asia]. Conference Proceedings, Alexander, The Greek Cosmos-System and Contemporary Global Society, Academy of Institutions and Cultures, Athens, 215–228. 2009 “Until the Feathers of the Winged Black Raven Turn White: Sources for the Tibet-Bashahr Treaty of 1679–1684.” In Mountains, Monasteries and Mosques: Recent Research on Ladakh and the Western Himalaya, eds. John Bray et al. Supplement to Rivista Degli Studi Orientali, Nuova Serie, Volume LXXX, 61–86. 2004 “Tibetan Buddhism Registered: Imperial Archives from the Palace-Temple of ’Phang-thang.” The Eastern Buddhist, Kyoto. Vol. XXXVI, Nos. 1 and 2, 46–105.

Chapters

2021 “Śrī Siṃha’s Final Upadeśa: Seven Nails that Strike the Essence of Awakening.” In Illuminating the Dharma: Buddhist Studies in Honour of Venerable Professor KL Dhammajoti, ed. Toshiichi Endo. Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, 181-194. 2021 “Pure Land Buddhism in Tibetan Contexts.” Oxford Encyclopaedia of Religion, Oxford University Press, 2014. Article published March 25, 2021. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acregore/9780199340378.013.639 2020 “Yavanayāna: Scepticism as Soteriology in Aristocle’s Passage.” In Buddhism and Skepticism: Historical, Philosophical, and Comparative Perspectives, eds. Hanner, Oren. Hamburg Buddhist Studies Series 13, 83-108. 2019 “Buddhist Meditation in Tibet: Exoteric and Esoteric Orientations.” In Oxford Handbook of Meditation, eds. Miguel Farias, et al. Oxford University Press, 1–27. 2019 “Editor’s Introduction.” In Pure Lands in Asian Texts and Contexts: An Anthology, eds. Georgios T. Halkias and Richard Payne. University of Hawaii Press, 1–25. 2019 “Liberating Desire: An Esoteric Pure Land Text by Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna.” In Pure Lands in Asian Texts and Contexts: An Anthology, eds. Georgios T. Halkias and Richard Payne. University of

2-5 Hawaii Press, 159–187. 2019 “Visions of the Pure Land from the Mind Treasury of Namchö Migyur Dorje.” In Pure Lands in Asian Texts and Contexts: An Anthology, eds. Georgios T. Halkias and Richard Payne. University of Hawaii Press, 139–156. 2018 “Introduction: from reflections to membranes, transcripts on the body in religious discourse.” In Religious Boundaries for Sex, Gender, and Corporeality, eds. Alexandra Cuffel, Anna Echevarria and Georgios Halkias. Routledge, 1–10. 2017 “The Mirror and the Palimpsest: The Myth of Buddhist Kingship in Imperial Tibet.” In Locating Religions: Contact, Diversity and Translocality, eds. Reinhold F. Glei and Nikolas Jaspert. Brill, 123–150. 2015 “Fire Rituals in the Tibetan Tengyur: The Aparimitāyur-homa-vidhi-nāma by the Queen of Siddhas.” In Homa Variations: The Study of Ritual Change across the Longue Durée, eds. R. Payne and M. Witzel. Oxford University Press, 225–245. 2015 “Invoking Protection from the Buddha of Infinite Light and Wisdom.” In Tibetan and Himalayan Healing: An Anthology of Anthony Aris, eds. Charles Ramble and Ulrike Roesler. Vajra Books, 299–320. 2013 “When the Greeks Converted the Buddha: Asymmetrical Transfers of Knowledge in Indo- Greek Cultures.” In Religions and Trade: Religious Formation, Transformation and Cross- Cultural Exchange between East and West, ed. Volker Rabens. Brill, 65–115. 2013 [Reprint 2009]. “Until the Feathers of the Winged Black Raven Turn White: Sources for the Tibet-Bashahr Treaty of 1679–1684.” In Critical Readings on the History of Tibetan Foreign Relations, vol. 2, ed. Saul Mullard. Brill, 573–604. 2013 “Early Himalayan Kingdoms: Political and Cultural History up to 1700.” In Himalaya: The Exploration and Conquest of the Greatest Mountains on Earth, ed. Philip Parker. Anova Publishers, 25–35. 2013 “The Enlightened Sovereign: Kingship and Buddhism in Indo-Tibetan Traditions.” In A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy, ed. Steven Emmanuel. John Wiley & Sons, 491–511. 2010 “The Muslim Queens of the Himalayas: Princess Exchange in Ladakh and Baltistan.” In Islam- Tibet: Interactions along the Musk Routes, eds. Anna Akasoy et al. Ashgate Publications, 231–252. 2009 “Compassionate Aspirations and their fulfilment: Dol-po-pa’s A Prayer for Birth in Sukhāvatī.” In As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kālachakra Tantra in Honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, ed. Edward Arnold. Snow Lion Publications, 259–275. [Chinese translation by Wei Jiandong, 2014] Ta kong jian yu ru lai zang: jue nang pai ren wu, jiao fa, yi shu he li shi yan jiu [Other-emptiness and the Buddha-Matrix: contributions to the study of Jo-nang-pa figures, doctrine, iconography and history]. Beijing da xue chu ban she, 287– 308. 2008 “Buddhist Meditation Traditions in Tibet: The Union of the Three Vehicles.” In Buddhist Meditation: An Introduction, Chapter Eight, ed. Sharah Shaw. Rutledge Press, 159–186. 2006 “Pure-Lands and other Visions in Seventeenth-Century Tibet: a Gnam-chos sādhana for the pure-land Sukhāvatī revealed in 1658 by Gnam-chos Mi-’gyur-rdo-rje (1645–1667).” In Power, Politics and the Reinvention of Tradition: Tibet in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century, eds. Brian Cuevas et al. Brill, 121–151.

Conference Proceedings & Workshops (selection)

2021 Panel Chair. “Chinese Cosmological and Religious Expansions and Appropriations in South and West Asia.” The 12th International Convention of Asian Scholars. Kyoto, Japan (online). 2021 Speaker. “Buddhism Across the Contested Borders of the Himalayas.” The 12th International Convention of Asian Scholars. Kyoto, Japan (online). 2021 Invited Speaker. “Teaching Buddhism in Higher Education in Hong Kong: A non-sectarian approach.” International Scientific Conference on Buddhist Education: Problems and Perspectives of Development. Elista, Russia (online).

3-5 2021 Invited Speaker. “Terrestrial Pure Lands in Hidden Valleys: Ecology and Soteriology in Himalayan Perspectives.” Webinar Series on “Religious Practices in the Himalayan Spaces.” Salesian College and the University of Hong Kong. 2019 Invited Speaker. “Jambhala in Tibetan Ritual Contexts: Vajrayāna Practices for ‘Summoning the Forces of Prosperity.’” Buddhist Values and Economics: Investing in a Sustainable Future. The University of Hong Kong. 2018 Invited Speaker. “The Zhitro Festival: a Tribute to the Ngagpas of Rebkong.” Second International Conference on Vajrayāna Buddhism. Centre for Bhutan Studies. 2017 Invited Speaker. “The Soteriology of Scepticism: Historical and Philosophical Readings on Pyrrhonism and Buddhism.” Scepticism & Buddhism: Historical, Philosophical and Comparative Perspectives, Numata Centre for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg. 2017 Invited Speaker. “The Distinctiveness of Guru-Yoga Meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist Traditions.” International Conference on Buddhist meditation across traditions and disciplines: Theories and Practices, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2017 Plenary Speaker and Panel Chair. “Historical and Cultural Notes on the Buddhist Canonical Heritage of Ladakh: Current Research and Future Prospects.” 18th Colloquium of the International Association for Ladakh Studies Current Western Himalayan Research, Humboldt University Berlin, and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun Poland, Bedlewo. 2016 Speaker. “Reading Pure Land Texts in Tibetan Literature, Gnosis with and beyond the Senses.” 14th International Association of Tibetan Studies, The University of Bergen, Norway. 2016 Invited speaker. “Travelling Spells: scriptures, incarnations and other visibilities of the dhāraṇī of Aparimitāyurjñāna in Tibetan contexts.” Moving Objects: Authorship, Ownership and Experience in Buddhist Material Culture, NYU Shanghai. 2016 Invited speaker. “Reflections on Pure Lands in Tibetan Buddhist Texts and Contexts: Humanitarian Ideals in Hermeneutic Perspectives.” The International Conference on Humanistic Pure Land and Amitabha Pure Land. The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2014 Invited speaker. “The ‘Art of Dying’ in Tibetan Buddhism: Concepts and Practices.” 10th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society (ICGB), HKU. 2014 Round-table respondent. Body Trouble: The Ambivalence of Sex, Gender and Desire in Religious Discourse. San Millán de la Cogolla, Spain. 2013 Keynote speaker. “Three Paths to Amitabha’s Pure Land: ‘Sutra,’ ‘Tantra’ and ‘Great Perfection’ Interpretations of Sukhavati in Tibet.” Keynote Address, The Pure Land in Buddhist Cultures: History, Image, Praxis, Thought, University of British Columbia. 2013 Lead speaker. “A Hidden Soteriology of Tibetan Texts: Duplicating the Words and Engendering their Sound.” The Saved and the Damned: Soteriology and Religious Encounter,” John Cabot University, Rome. 2013 Keynote speaker. “Politics and Buddhism: A Historical Perspective with Reference to Vipassana.” Importance of Vipassana in Politics and Administration, Amravati’s Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Mahavidyalaya College and Indian Institute of Buddhist Studies, Pune. 2012 Invited speaker. “Buddhism and Islam in the Himalayas: Diplomacy, Challenges and Continuity.” Buddhism and the Dynamics of Transculturality, Universität Heidelberg. 2012 Invited speaker. “Buddhist Models of Self: Politics when People Matter.” Buddhism without Borders, Bhutan Center of Buddhist Studies, Bhutan. 2012 Lead speaker. “The Monotheistic Tradition of Buddhism: Pure Land and Central Eurasia” The Influence of Central Asian Beliefs on the Cultures of the Periphery, KHK, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. 2012 Speaker. “Ancestral Myths, Hidden Lands, and Deified Cults: Soteriology and Kingship in 17th Century Tibet.” Locating Religions: Contact, Plurality and Translocality, KHK, Ruhr- Universität Bochum. 2011 Speaker. “The Greek Buddhists of Asia: A Revision of Sources based on Kroeber’s theory of “Stimulus Diffusion.” Annual Conference of the American Academy of Religion, USA. 2011 Speaker. “Other Worlds in this World: Pure Land Orientations in Tibetan History.” XVIth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Taiwan. 2010 Invited speaker. “Translating the Foreign into the Local: Production and Reproduction of Buddhist Texts from Imperial Tibet.” The Fourth Asian Translation Traditions Conference:

4-5 Appropriation and Transformation in Asian Translation Traditions, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2010 Speaker. ‘‘The Rites of Pacifying, Enriching, Attracting, and Subjugating in the Aparimitāyur- homa-vidhi-nāma by the Queen of Siddhas.’’ Variations of Homa: from Vedic to Hindu and Buddhist, Harvard University. 2010 Speaker. “The Hellenistic Buddhism of Asia: Survey of Themes and Sources.” Contact Zones of Empires in Asia and Europe: Complexity, Contingency, Causality, European Science Foundation, Kyushu University, Japan. 2010 Speaker. “The Greek Buddhists of Asia: A Case Study in Reciprocal Assimilation.” Trading Religions: Religious Formation, Transformation and Cross-Cultural Exchange between East and West, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. 2009 Invited speaker. “Muslim-Buddhist Matrimonial Alliances in the Himalayas.” Buddhism and Islam: Encounters, Histories, Dialogue and Representation, McGill University, Canada. 2007 Invited speaker. “The State and its Language of Conversion: Translation and Classification of Buddhist Texts in Ninth-Century Tibet.” East-Asia and the West, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. 2007 Invited speaker. “Modern Pasts: Tracing the 1679 Tibet-Bashahr Treaty.” XIIIth International Association of Ladakhi Studies, Universitá di Roma, Italy.

Invited Lectures (selection)

2019 “Meditation in the Tibetan Tradition: The View, The Path, and the Result.” The Buddha- Dharma Centre of Hong Kong Ltd. Hong Kong, India. 2019 “A Cross-cultural Exploration of Hellenism and Buddhism in India and Central Asia.” University of North Bengal, Philosophy Department & Salesian College Sonada, India. 2019 “Hellenistic Narratives and Buddhist Visual Programmes: Some Aspects for Consideration,” Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Kolkata, India. 2018 “Hellenism and Buddhism in Central Asia: A Cross-cultural Exploration in Narratives, ideas and Images, Part I and Part II.” The Dunhuang Research Academy, Mogao Grottoes, China. 2018 “The Shitro Ceremony and Lay Tantric Buddhism in Amdo, Qinghai Province.” Centre of Buddhist Studies, Universiteit Gent, Brussels. 2016 “Reflections on the dhāraṇī of Aparimitāyurjñāna in Tibetan Buddhist Literature.” Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Universität Hamburg, Germany. 2014 “The Buddhist Response on Climate Change.” Li Hall, St. John’s Cathedral, Central, Hong Kong. 2013 “The Buddha of Infinite Light and his Legacy in Tibet.” Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Nepal. 2012 “Self and Other Sovereignty in Buddhism: Drawing some Implications from the Buddha’s Philosophy.” Philosophy Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2012 “The Greek Origins of the Buddhist Art in Gandhāra: A Case Study in Religious Conversion.” History Department, University of Macau. 2011 “The Greek Assimilation of Buddhism in Central Asia,” Department of Inner Asian and Altaic Studies, Harvard University. 2011 “Enlightenment in Paradise: Pure Land Buddhism in Tibet,” Department of Religious Studies, University of Santa Barbara. 2011 “From Pella to Kandahar: Aśoka and the formation of Greco-Buddhism,” KHK, Ruhr- Universität Bochum. 2010 “Buddhist Monastic Festivals in Ladakh,” Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation, Leh, India. 2010 “Tibetan Pure Land Buddhism: Texts, Images and Practices,” Oxford Centre of Buddhist Studies, Balliol College. 2010 “The Greek Buddhist Interface: Evidence and Speculations,” Oxford Centre of Buddhist Studies, Balliol College. 2010 “The Earliest Tibetan Buddhist Canons: A History of their Origins, Divisions and Contents,” Department of Indology, Universität Freiburg. 2010 “The importance of proto-canonical collections for Kanjur research: Observations on the Taxonomy of the Dkar-chag ’Phang-thang-ma,” Department of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Universität Wien. 2009 “The Greek Buddhists of Asia: Studies in Cultural Hybridization and Reciprocal Proselytism,” IKGF, Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

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