University Professorship
The Khyentse Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Tibetan Buddhism was established at the University of California at Berkeley in 2006. The Foundation is now exploring opportunities to endow similar chairs of Buddhist studies at major universities in cities worldwide, including Asia, Europe, and Australia. We are also working toward the establishment of cultural and educational exchange programs between traditional Buddhist institutes and major universities. By endowing professorships and chairs of Buddhist studies, the Foundation is helping to present and preserve the authentic Buddhadharma.History of the Khyentse Foundation Distinguished Professorship at UC Berkeley
At the 2004 Khyentse Foundation Board of Directors meeting, a vote was taken based on research data gathered by a selection committee. Rinpoche and the Board selected the University of California at Berkeley as the institution to host the Khyentse Foundation Chair of Buddhist Studies. Berkeley offers an attractive combination of an established Buddhist studies program, an extensive library of texts, enthusiasm for our partnership, and a relatively low cost commitment.In July 2005, UC Berkeley approved the new faculty position in Tibetan Buddhism, formalizing Khyentse Foundation’s commitment to establish the Khyentse Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Tibetan Buddhism.
In his letter to Khyentse Foundation confirming the new faculty position, Anthony Cascardi, Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities, College of Letters and Science, UC Berkeley, wrote, “The addition of a faculty expert in Tibetan Buddhism will advance the campus’s programmatic and intellectual vision to promote teaching, research, and a greater understanding of the central significance of Tibet in the history of Asia, and of Tibetan Buddhism in the history of Buddhism, generally.”
This position, jointly held by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, is further supported by five additional units in the university: the Department of Linguistics; the Department of Art History; the Group in Buddhist Studies; the Berkeley China Initiative; and the Program in Religious Studies. In all, seven separate units are backing this position, an indication of the university’s multidisciplinary approach to the study of Buddhism.
The university has been authorized to begin the search to hire the faculty member in Tibetan Buddhism in the fall of 2007, with the new professor to start in the fall of 2008.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche visited the University of California at Berkeley to celebrate the Professorship in August, 2006. He toasted the efforts of everyone involved, saying, "I feel with this one contribution we've started the equivalent of 100 monasteries."