Conference and DILA Visit

Dr. Julia Stenzel of Rangjung Yeshe Institute delivered a presentation at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, where she spoke on “Perfecting Virtue Through the Practice of Chod (gcod) – Reflections on the Chod Practice of the Longchen Nyingtik Tradition Called Resonance of the Dakini’s Laughter (mkha’ dro gad rgyang), Carried Out in Wild Places According to the Tradition of Nyansa (g.nyan sa).” She attended at the invitation of Prof. Dr. A. S. Po Chi Huang. 

The symposium brought together various scholars in Himalayan and religious studies, co-sponsored by the Taiwan South Asia and Himalayan Studies Association, NCCU’s Institute of Religious Studies, the Institute of Oriental Humanistic Thought of Huafan University, and the Taipei Pure Land Foundation.  

Stenzel’s talk drew from her recent fieldwork in the mountains of Yolmo, where she accompanied a group of chod practitioners on a pilgrimage to sacred sites linked to Guru Padmasambhava. Their practice of nyansa—meditation in remote natural settings—was guided by Khentrul Ngawang Lhundrup, the resident lama of Neding. 

While chod is often perceived as mysterious or esoteric, Stenzel highlighted a central insight preserved in Jigme Lingpa’s commentary: that chod is, at its heart, the cultivation of the six perfections. This interpretive lens, found in Jigme Lingpa’s Explanations on the Way of Chod Practitioners: The Six Perfections’ Youthful Energy, formed the conceptual core of her presentation. 

RYI research affiliate Dr. Man Ching Teresa Yao presented on the revival of Theravada Buddhism in the Kathmandu Valley. Both presentations sparked lively interest among the symposium’s attendees. 

During her visit to Taiwan, Stenzel also met with Professors Ching Hsuan Mei , Weijen Teng, and Matthew Orsborn at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts. Their discussions explored potential academic collaboration between RYI and DILA, especially in the complementary areas of classical literary Chinese and advanced scriptural studies—a dialogue that may open promising new avenues for students and researchers at both institutions. While RYI offers introductory courses in classical literary Chinese (CLAN 101), DILA offers summer intensives in advanced readings of classical scriptures.