Janice Dean Willis, or Jan Willis (born 1948) is Professor of Religion at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, where she has taught since 1977; and the author of books on

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. She has been called influential by ''

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'', ''

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'' (cover story), and ''

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''.

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's 2011 African American History Calendar features professor Willis as one of thirteen distinguished leaders of faith-based health initiatives in the United States. Willis grew up in

Docena, Alabama Docena is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. Docena is west-northwest of downtown Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham and has a post office with ZIP code 35060. Hi ...

(near Birmingham), as the daughter of a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

deacon and steelworker. While traveling through Asia during the early 1970s, she became the student of Tibetan lama

Thubten Yeshe Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) was a Tibetan lama who, while exiled in Nepal, co-founded Kopan Monastery (1969) and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (1975). He followed the Gelug tradition, and was considered unconventio ...

, who encouraged her academic pursuits. She received BA and MA degrees in philosophy from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

(thesis: ''History, Faith, and Kerygma; A Critique of Bultmann's Existentialist Theology.''), and a Ph.D. in Indic and Buddhist Studies from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(dissertation: ''A Study of the Chapter on Reality Based Upon the Tattvartha-patalam of Asanga's Bodhisattvabhumi.''). Since 2006, she has contributed to the group blog ''On Faith'' (sponsored by ''Newsweek'' and the ''

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'') alongside Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, and

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

, among others. In 2003, she was awarded Wesleyan University's Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Publications

She is the author of the following books: *''Dreaming Me: An African American Woman's Spiritual Journey.'' New York: Riverhead Books, 2001. *''The Diamond Light: An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972. *''On Knowing Reality: The Tattvartha Chapter of Asanga's Bodhisattvabhumi.'' Columbia UP, 1979. *''Enlightened Beings: Life Stories from the Ganden Oral Tradition.'' Wisdom Publications, 1995. *''Feminine Ground: Essays on Women and Tibet.'' (Editor, and contributor of two of six, essays) Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1989.

References

External links

Personal site

Other sources

* Paine, Jeffrey. ''Re-Enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West.'' Norton, 2004. Willis's experience with

Lama Yeshe Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) was a Tibetan lama who, while exiled in Nepal, co-founded Kopan Monastery (1969) and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (1975). He followed the Gelug tradition, and was considered unconventio ...

is discussed on pp. 64–70. {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Jan 1948 births Living people Gelug Buddhists Cornell University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Converts to Buddhism Wesleyan University faculty African-American philosophers Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Tibetan Buddhism writers American Buddhists African-American writers Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition American scholars of Buddhism American women philosophers Religious philosophers 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers