Donald Sewell Lopez Jr. (born 1952) is an American scholar of Buddhism and the Arthur E. Link Distinguished university professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.

Life

Lopez was born in Washington, D.C., and is the son of U.S. Air Force pilot and Smithsonian Institution official Donald Lopez. He was educated at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

, receiving a B.A. (Hons) in Religious Studies in 1974, an M.A. in

Buddhist Studies 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 Bud ...

in 1977, and his doctorate in Buddhist Studies in 1982. He is married to another prominent Religious Studies scholar, Tomoko Masuzawa. Lopez is a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

and has written and edited many books on various aspects of the religions of Asia. He specializes in late Indian

Mahayana Buddhism Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Thera ...

and in

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

and commands classical and colloquial Tibetan. In 2008, he gave four talks on ''The Scientific Buddha: Past, Present, Future'' as part of a Dwight H. Terry Lectureship at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. In 2012, he delivered the Edwin O. Reischauer Lectures at Harvard, "The White Lama Ippolito". He is a long-term associate of Yale professor of New Testament studies Dale Martin.

Works

As author

* ''Buddha Takes the Mound: Enlightenment in 9 Innings''. St. Martin's Essentials. May 5, 2020. . * ''Hyecho's Journey: The World of Buddhism''. University of Chicago Press. 2017. * ''In Search of the Christian Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint''. With Peggy McCracken. W. W. Norton, April 7, 2014. . *
From Stone to Flesh: A Short History of the Buddha
'. The University of Chicago Press. April 11, 2013. . * ''Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary (Lives of the Masters)''. Serindia Publications. 2013. * * *
''The Madman’s Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel''
The University of Chicago Press, 2005. * ''Buddhism: An Introduction and Guide'',

Penguin UK Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

, 2001; published in US as ''The Story of Buddhism'', Harper: San Francisco, 2001 ** Italian translation, ''Che cos'è il Buddhismo'', Rome, Ubaldini Editore, 2002. ** Czech edition, 2003. ** Spanish edition, 2009. * ** Italian translation, ''Prigionieri di Shangri-La'', Rome, Ubaldini Editore, 1999. ** French translation, ''Fascination tibétaine : du bouddhisme, de l'Occident et de quelques mythes'', Paris, Éditions Autrement, 2003. *
Elaborations on Emptiness: Uses of the Heart Sutra
', Princeton University Press, 1996; reprint edition, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1998. * * ''A Study of Svatantrika'', Snow Lion Press, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 1987. * Co-authored and co-edited the award-winning ''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism''. See § As editor for details.

As editor

* Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Strange Tales of an Oriental Idol: An Anthology of Early European Portrayals of the Buddha'', University of Chicago Press, 2016. * Robert E. Buswell Jr. & Donald S. Lopez Jr., authors and editors.
The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism
', Princeton University Press, 2013, .From source mentioned and linked to in the text. Page iv describes them both as both authors and editors. Retrieved August 28, 2016. "Winner of the 2015

Dartmouth Medal The Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association is awarded annually to a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, published during the previous calendar year. The Medal was designed by Rudolph Ruzicka. History Dartmouth Co ...

, Reference and User Services Association of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

. One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles Top 25 Academic Books for 2014." * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism''. University of Chicago Press, 2005, * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Religions of Asia in Practice'', Princeton University Press, 2002, . * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''A Modern Buddhist Bible: Essential Readings from East and West''. Beacon Press, 2002, * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Religions of Tibet in Practice'', Princeton University Press, 1997, . * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Religions of China in Practice'', Princeton University Press, 1996. * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Religions of India in Practice''. Princeton University Press, 1995, * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed
''Buddhism in Practice''
Princeton University Press, 1995, . Abridged edition, 2007, . * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism Under Colonialism''. University of Chicago Press, 1995, * Donald S. Lopez Jr., ed. ''Buddhist Hermeneutics''. University of Hawai'i Press, 1992.

References

External links