Pramit Shrestha, Author at Rangjung Yeshe Institute

UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL COURSES:

Himalayan Languages

CLASS	TITLE	FORMAT	TIME
CLAN 101	Buddhist Literary Chinese I	OL	W, F 6:45p-8:15p
ELAN 102	Academic English I	OC	T, Th, F 3:15p-4:15p
NLAN 101	Nepali I – MC 1 Nepali I – MC 1 ALI 1 Nepali I- Boost Class 1	OC	M, W, F 10:15a-11:15a
		OC	T, Th 10:15a-11:15a/1:30p-2:30p/3:15p-4:15p
		OC	F 4:30p-5:30p
	Nepali I – MC 2 Nepali I – MC 2 ALI 3 Nepali I -Boost Class 2	OL	M, W 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	T, Th 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	F 7:45p-8:45p
NLAN 201	Nepali III – MC 1 Nepali III – MC 1 ALI 1 Nepali III- Boost Class 1	OC	M, W 3:15p-4:15p
		OC	T, Th 3:15p-4:15p
		OC	F 11:30a-12:30p
	Nepali III – MC 2 Nepali III – MC 2 ALI 3 Nepali III- Boost Class 2	OL	T, Th 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	W, F 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	F 9:00p-10:00p
SLAN 101	Sanskrit I – Lecture 1 Sanskrit I – Traditional 1 Sanskrit I – Review 1	OC	T, F 9:45-11:15a
		OC	Th 10:15a-11:15a
		OC	F 3:15p-4:15p
	Sanskrit I – Lecture 2 Sanskrit I – Traditional 2 Sanskrit I – Review 2	OL	M, W 6:15p-7:45p
		OL	M 8:00p-9:00p
		OL	Th 6:30p-7:30p
SLAN 201	Sanskrit III – Lecture 1 Sanskrit III – Traditional 1 Sanskrit III – Review 1	OC	M, W 9:45-11:15a
		OC	T 10:15a-11:15a
		OC	Th 10:15a-11:15a
	Sanskrit III – Lecture 2 Sanskrit III – Traditional 2 Sanskrit III – Review 2	OL	T, Th 7:45p-9:15p
		OL	W 6:45p-7:45p
		OL	F 6:45p-7:45p
SLAN 301 Lec 1	Sanskrit V – Lecture 1	OL	M ,W 8:00p-9:30p
TLAN 101	Classical Tibetan I – Lecture 1 Classical Tibetan I – Traditional 1	OC	M, W 3:15p-4:45p
		OC	T 3:15p-4:15p
	Classical Tibetan I – Lecture 2 Classical Tibetan I – Traditional 2	OL	M, W 9:00p-10:30p
		OL	T 9:00p-10:00p
OL TLAN 101	Classical Tibetan I	OL AS	N/A
OL TLAN 102	Classical Tibetan II	OL AS	N/A
TLAN 103	Colloquial Tibetan I – MC 1 Colloquial Tibetan I – MC 1 ALI 1 Colloquial Tibetan I – Boost Class 1	OC	M, W 11:30a-12:30p
		OC	T, Th 11:30a-12:30p/4:30p-5:30p
		OC	F 11:30a-12:30p
	Colloquial Tibetan I – MC 2 Colloquial Tibetan I – MC 2 ALI 3 Colloquial Tibetan I – Boost Class 2	OL	M, W 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	T, Th 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	F 7:45p-8:45p
TLAN 201	Classical Tibetan III- Lecture 1 Classical Tibetan III – Traditional 1	OC	M, W 8:00a-9:30a
		OC	F 8:00a-9:00a
	Classical Tibetan III- Lecture 2 Classical Tibetan III – Traditional 2	OL	T, Th 6:45p-8:15p
		OL	M 9:00p-10:00p
TLAN 203	Colloquial Tibetan III – MC 1 Colloquial Tibetan III – MC 1 ALI 1 Colloquial Tibetan III – Boost Class 1	OC	M, W 11:30a-12:30p
		OC	T, Th 11:30a-12:30p/10:15a-11:15a
		OC	F 11:30a-12:30p
	Colloquial Tibetan III – MC 2 Colloquial Tibetan III – MC 2 ALI 3 Colloquial Tibetan III – Boost Class 2	OL	T, Th 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	W, F 7:45p-8:45p
		OL	F 9:00p-10:00p
TLAN 301	Classical Tibetan Translation Project I – Lecture 1	OC	T, Th 4:30p-6:00p
TLAN 301	Classical Tibetan Translation Project I – Lecture 2	OL	M, W 6:45p-8:15p
TLAN 303	Colloquial Tibetan V – MC 1 Colloquial Tibetan V – MC 1 ALI 1 Colloquial Tibetan V – MC 1 ALI 2	OC	M, W, F 3:15p-4:15p
		OC	T, Th 3:15p-4:15p
		OC	W, F 10:15a-11:15a
TLAN 401	Advanced Classical Tibetan Seminar I- Lecture 1	OC	T, Th 4:30p-6:00p
TLAN 401	Advanced Classical Tibetan Seminar I- Lecture 2	OL	M, W 6:45p-8:15p

Buddhist Studies Courses

CLASS	TITLE	FORMAT	TIME
BSTD 101	Buddhist Traditions: History and Culture I	OC	T, Th 8:00a-9:30a
BSTD 203	Fundamentals of Buddhist Philosophy	OC	T, Th 4:30p-6:00p
BSTD 205	Anthropological Study of Nepalese Religions	OC	T, Th 4:30-6:00p
BSTD 209	Buddhist Ethics, Focus on Animal Ethics	OL	M, W 9:00p-10:30p
BSTD 410	Discovering Lumbini and the Annual Fall Seminar led by Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche	OC	M, W 3:15p-4:45p
BSTD 409	Independent Research Project		TBD
BSTD 416	BA Dissertation		TBD

Specialized Textual Studies

CLASS	TITLE	FORMAT	TIME
TSTD 101	The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra): Part I The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra)- Review 1	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
TSTD 101		CC	M 5:00p-6:00p
OL TSTD 101	The Way of the Bodhisattva I – Bodhicaryāvatāra I	OL AS	N/A
OL TSTD 102	The Way of the Bodhisattva II – Bodhicaryāvatāra II	OL AS	N/A
OL TSTD 103	Root Verses of the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā) I	OL AS	N/A
TSTD 201	Gateway to Knowledge – Volume I	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
OL TSTD 201	Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature (Dharmadharmatāvibhāga)	OL AS	N/A
OL TSTD 203	Root Verses of the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā) II	OL AS	N/A
TSTD 301	Gateway to Knowledge – Volume III	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
OL TSTD 301	Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature (Dharmadharmatāvibhāga)	OL AS	N/A
TSTD 401	Gateway to Knowledge – Volume V	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
OL TSTD 401	Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature (Dharmadharmatāvibhāga)	OL AS	N/A
TSTD 201/301/401 REV 1	Gateway to Knowledge I, III, V – Review 1	CC	M 5:00p-6:00p
TSTD 305	Jewel Ornament of Liberation I (untranslated)	CC	M-F 8:00a-9:00a
TSTD 405	Jewel Ornament of Liberation III (untranslated)	CC	M-F 8:00a-9:00a
TSTD 305/405 REV 1	Jewel Ornament of Liberation I, III – Review 1	OC	F 3:15p-4:15p

GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES:

MA in Buddhist Studies

CLASS	TITLE	FORMAT	TIME
ATSE 501	Advanced Textual Study English I	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
ATSE 601	Advanced Textual Study English III	CC	M-F 1:30p-3:00p
ATSP 501	Advanced Textual Study Primary I	OC	M-F 8:00a-9:00a
ATSP 502	Advanced Textual Study Primary II	OC	M-F 3:15pm-4:15p
ATSP 601	Advanced Textual Study Primary V	OC	M-F 8:00a-9:00a
BSTD 505	Research Seminar I	OC	T 9:15a-12:15p
SLAN 501	Sanskrit Language Study I		TBD based on student
TLAN 501	Tibetan Language Study I		TBD based on student
BSTD 601	MA Thesis Workshop	OC	W 9:15a-12:15p
BSTD 603	Research Seminar III	OC	T 9:15a-12:15p
BSTD 610	MA Thesis		TBD

MA in Translation, Textual Interpretation, and Philology

CLASS	TITLE	FORMAT	TIME
TSTD 701	Buddhist Philosophical Traditions I		TBD based on student
BSTD 705	Methodology Seminar I	OC	T 8:15a-11:15a
BSTD 707	Translation Workshop I	OC	M, Th 9:15a-11:15a
BSTD 801	Independent Readings	OC	M, Th 9:15a-11:15a
BSTD 802	Guided Studies	OC	M 3:15p-6:15p
BSTD 803	Methodology Seminar III	OC	F 8:15a-11:15a
BSTD 810	MA Thesis		TBD

Note:

OC – Oncampus Class, Traditional classes where students attend in person on campus.
CC – Concurrent Class, Taught at the same time to both on‑campus and online students
OL – Online Class, Classes conducted fully over the internet
OL AS – Asynchronous online class, study online classes
MC1 – Main Master Class for on-campus students
MC2 – Main Master Class for online students
L1 – Lecture class for on-campus students
L2 – Lecture class for online students
Rev1 – On-campus review class
Rev2 – Online review class
TR1 – On-campus traditional class (beginning and intermediate levels for Classical Tibetan and Sanskrit), focusing on terminology, pronunciation, and text reading
TR2 – Online traditional class (beginning and intermediate levels for Classical Tibetan and Sanskrit), focusing on terminology, pronunciation, and text reading
Boost Class 1 – On-campus small group practice session
Boost Class 2 – Online small group practice session
ALI1 – Assistant Language Instructor, one-on-one on-campus session
ALI2 – Assistant Language Instructor, one-on-one online session
History Class – History class for CLAN students
Dharma ALI – One-on-one session for language practice and Dharma discussion
Text Class 1 – Oncampus Text class of colloquial class

I participated in RYI’s Translator Training Program (TTP) in 2017-2018, and it was one of the most memorable years of my life. I not only had a chance to deepen my studies in Tibetan language and Buddhism, but most importantly, I made some wonderful friends who have changed my life forever. The exposure I had in Kathmandu to all the Buddhist teachings, teachers, and daily life immersed in dharma has been a shining light for me in my years after the TTP, especially since returning to the U.S. for my Ph.D. I highly recommend enrolling in RYI for any of their programs, including their online ones. If you have a chance to travel and to live in Boudhanath, light lots of butter lamps, make pilgrimages, auspicious connections, and many aspirations at these sacred sites. You might find, like I did, that the aspirations I made by the famous Boudhanath Stupa have followed me for years after, keeping me accountable to my vows to never forget bodhicitta and to serve sentient beings as much as I can.

Assistant Research Professor

Email: daniel.mcnamara@ryi.org

Profile

Daniel Patrick McNamara joined RYI as a researcher in 2018, but first connected with the school and its founder—Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche—in 2001. Daniel earned an MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a PhD in West and South Asian Religions from Emory University. His doctoral dissertation—Nihilists and Noble Ones: Ratnākaraśānti’s Engagement with Nāgārjuna, Mādhyamikas, and the Mahāyāna in the Madhyamakālaṃkāravṛtti—examines the philosophy of the Indian Buddhist scholar-saint Ratnākaraśānti (c. 970-1040), particularly his critiques of Madhyamaka philosophy and his presentation of a single Mahāyāna view. Daniel’s research at RYI concerns the influence of Ratnākaraśānti’s philosophy in Tibet and the development of “other-emptiness” (gzhan stong) doctrines.

Daniel has taught MA-level classes at the Candler School of Theology and BA classes Emory University; he has also taught on the Carleton-Antioch Buddhist Studies in Bodh Gaya Program. Subjects taught include: translation methodology, methodology of Buddhist Studies, Pramāṇa Theory, Madhyamaka Philosophy, Sanskrit, and classical Tibetan.

Select Publications

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Rainfall of Blessing Amṛta: An Homage to the Life and Liberation of Jetsun Dorje Pagmo Combined with an Aspiration for the Stages of the Path. rje btsun rdo rje phag mo’i rnam thar gsol ’debs lam rim gyi smon lam dang bcas pa byin rlabs bdud rtsi’i char ’bebs. ed. Ryan Jones. Khyentse Vision Project, 2023.

The King of Tantras, the Glorious Khasama. dpal nam mkha’ dang mnyam pa’i rgyud kyi rgyal po, *Śrīkhasamatantrarāja. Ed. Andreas Doctor. Toh. 386. http://84000.co. 2022.

Khenpo Appey Rinpoche. “The Passing of Enlightened Beings” and “The Seven-Branch Prayer.” Words of a Gentle Sage, vol. 1. Kathmandu: Vajra Books, 2018.

McNamara, Daniel. “When Madhyamaka is not the Middle Path: Ratnākaraśānti on Yogācāra, Nāgārjuna, and the Madhyamapratipad.” Journal for the International Association of Buddhist Studies 40, pp. 117-135, 2017.

Select Conference Papers and Public Lectures:

“How Deep Does the Rabbit Hole Go? Perspectives from Yogācāra and the Kālacakratantra on the Creation of Human Worlds.” Buddhism, Creativity, and Art: An International Conference. Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal. 28-30 April, 2023.

“The Two Truths are Not Enough: Ratnākaraśānti’s Critique of Mādhyamikas.”

“Yogācāra Themes in Tantric Literature: Hevajratantra ad 1.8.24-56.” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 20-23 November, 2021.

“The Influence of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra on the Sākāra-Nirākāra Debate.” AAR Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 17-20 November 2018.

“Tukdam, an Anthropological Perspective: an Interview with Dr. Dylan Lott.” Public Lecture at the Rangung Yeshe Institute, May 2021

“Buddhism and Philosophy, Buddhism as Philosophy: an Interview with Professor Jay Garfield.” Public Lecture at the Rangung Yeshe Institute, March 2021

“Exploring a 17^th-century thangka of Cakrasaṃvara.” Public Lecture at the Carlos Art Museum at Emory University. April 2016.

“An Inverted Apocalypse: Buddhist and Shi’a Narratives of a Righteous, World-Ending War.” University of Wisconsin-Madison Annual Conference on South Asia, October 2012.

“Phenomenology, Reductionism, and the Academic Study of Buddhism.” Public Lecture at Mahidol University, Bangkok, March 2012.

“On the Status of the Trisvabhāvanirdeśa in Contemporary Conceptions of Yogācāra Thought.” AAR Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA. 30 October-1 November, 2010.

Senior Academic Advisor

Email: john.makransky@bc.edu

Profile

John Makransky, PhD, has been Associate Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology at Boston College, Senior Academic Advisor for Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche’s Centre of Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal, president of the Society of Buddhist-Christian studies, and Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute.

John’s academic writings focus on connections between devotion, compassion, and wisdom in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, on adapting Buddhist practices to meet contemporary minds, and on theoretical issues in interfaith learning. In the 1990s, John was one of the leaders of a scholarly movement in the American Academy of Religion to establish a unit dedicated to Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection (“Buddhist Theology”). John has also developed the Sustainable Compassion Training model of contemplative practice (SCT) to help modern Buddhists, people of diverse faiths, and those in caring roles and professions generate a more sustaining, inclusive and unconditional power of compassion and awareness to support their lives and work (https://sustainablecompassion.org).

Select publications

Books:

Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997). Historical and critical text analysis of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist Perfection of Wisdom literature as basis for Buddhist reflection on the nature of Buddhahood—the kinds of awareness, qualities and activities that constitute enlightenment as understood in diverse Indo-Tibetan traditions.

Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars (Routledge-Curzon: Critical Studies in Buddhism, 2000), co-edited with Roger Jackson. Anthology of articles by scholars trained in Buddhist traditions, to explore what Buddhism can learn from modern academic findings and what the modern world can learn from Buddhism.

Awakening Through Love — Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness (Boston: Wisdom Publications 2007). Seeks to make newly accessible the principles and practices of devotion, love, compassion and wisdom from Tibetan Buddhism for modern Buddhists, deep inter-faith learning, and for people in caring roles and professions.

Articles and Chapters:

“Compassion in Buddhist Psychology” in Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy, ed. by Christopher Germer and Ronald Siegel (New York: Guilford Press, 2012), 61-75.

“Buddhist Constructive Reflection Past and Present: Recurrent Reinterpretation in Meeting New Cultural Needs and Challenges,” Open Access, to be published by the European Academy of Religion in 2024.

“Compassion and Skillful Means: Cultural Adaptation, Psychological Science, and Creative Responsiveness.” Co-authored with Paul Condon. Mindfulness Journal, March 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01866-y

“Synergies of Devotion, Compassion and Wisdom in Śāntideva for Buddhists and Christians.” Buddhist-Christian Studies Journal Vol. 41, November 2021, pp. 169-176.

“Sustainable Compassion Training: Integrating Meditation Theory with Psychological Science,” co-authored with Paul Condon. Frontiers in Psychology 11, September 2020. | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02249

“Contrasting Tsongkhapa and Longchenpa: Buddhist Diversity, Fractal Theory and Comparative Theology,” in New Paths for Interreligious Theology: Perry Schmidt-Leukel’s Fractal Interpretation of Religious Diversity, ed. by Allan Race and Paul Knitter (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2019).

“How Buddhist and Christian Liberation Epistemologies Should Inform and Correct Each Other,” Buddhist-Christian Studies Journal, Vol. 39, November 2019.

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