David Seyfort Ruegg (August 1, 1931 – February 2, 2021) was an eminent American-British

Buddhologist Buddhist studies, also known as Buddhology, is the academic study of Buddhism. The term ''Buddhology'' was coined in the early 20th century by the Unitarian minister Joseph Estlin Carpenter to mean the "study of Buddhahood, the nature of the Budd ...

with a long career, extending from the 1950s to the present. His specialty was

Madhyamaka Mādhyamaka ("middle way" or "centrism"; ; Tibetan: དབུ་མ་པ ; ''dbu ma pa''), otherwise known as Śūnyavāda ("the emptiness doctrine") and Niḥsvabhāvavāda ("the no ''svabhāva'' doctrine"), refers to a tradition of Buddhist ...

philosophy, a core doctrine of

Mahayana Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

Education

Ruegg graduated from École des Hautes Etudes in 1957, with degrees in historical science and Sanskrit. He published his thesis "Contributions à l'histoire de la philosophie linguistique indienne" ("Contributions to the History of Indian Linguistic Philosophy") in 1959. He received a second doctorate in linguistics from the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris, where his thesis was "La théorie du tathâgatagarbha et du gotra : études sur la sotériologie et la gnoséologie du bouddhisme" ("The Theory of Gotra and Tathâgatagarbha: A Study of the Soteriology and Gnoseology of Buddhism"), with a second half thesis on

Buton Rinchen Drub Butön Rinchen Drup (), (1290–1364), 11th Abbot of Shalu Monastery, was a 14th-century Sakya master and Tibetan Buddhist leader. Shalu was the first of the major monasteries to be built by noble families of the Tsang dynasty during Tibet's gre ...

's approach to tathâgatagarbha.

Career

Ruegg joined the faculty of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient in 1964, where he researched the history, philology and philosophy of India, Tibet and Buddhism. From 1966 to 1972, Ruegg occupied the Chair of Languages and Cultures of India and Tibet at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

. His predecessor was

Jan Willem de Jong Jan Willem (J. W.) de Jong (15 February 1921 – 22 January 2000) was a 20th-century indologist and buddhologist. Birth and Education J. W. de Jong was born in Leiden. He attended primary school and ''gymnasium'' in Leiden, and went on to s ...

and his successor was

Tilmann Vetter Tilmann is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Tilmann Buddensieg (1928-2013), German art historian * Tilmann Wröbel (born 1964), Franco-German fashion designer See also *Tillmann Tillmann is a surname and given name of Germ ...

. He then became associated with the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Ruegg was president of the

International Association of Buddhist Studies International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(IABS) from 1991 to 1999.

L. S. Cousins Lance Selwyn Cousins (7 April 194214 March 2015) was a British scholar who specialised in the field of Buddhist studies, Buddhist Studies. Biography Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, he studied history and oriental studies at Cambridge Universit ...

called Ruegg "certainly the leading scholar today" on the subject of tathâgatagarbha doctrine.Book Review, ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'' (1992), 55: 347

Death

Ruegg died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in London on February 2, 2021, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in England The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England are NHS England and Public ...

. He was 89.Obituary: x
/ref>

Publications

* ''Contributions à l'histoire de la philosophie linguistique indienne'', Paris, Éd. de Boccard (Public. de l'Institut de civilisation indienne, 7). 1959 *''The life of Bu ston Rin po che'', Roma, Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente. 1966 *''The study of Indian and Tibetan thought: some problems and perspectives'', Inaugural lecture, Chair of Indian Philosophy, Buddhist Studies and Tibetan, University of Leiden, E. J. Brill. 1967 *''La théorie du tathâgatagarbha et du gotra : études sur la sotériologie et la gnoséologie du bouddhisme'', Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 70). 1969 *''Le traité du tathâgatagarbha de Bu ston Rin chen grub'', Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 88). 1973 *''The literature of the Madhyamaka school of philosophy in India'', Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz (History of Indian Literature, 7/1). 1981 *''Buddha-nature, Mind and the problem of Gradualism in a comparative perspective: On the transmission and reception of Buddhism in India and Tibet'' (Jordan Lectures 1987), London, SOAS, University of London. 1989 *''Ordre spirituel et ordre temporel dans la pensée bouddhique de l'Inde et du Tibet, Paris, Collège de France'' (Public. de l'Institut de civilisation indienne, 64). 1995

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruegg, David Seyfort 1931 births 2021 deaths Buddhist translators Tibetan Buddhism writers People from New York City Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England