The Dalai Lama Fellowship for Nalanda Studies focuses on devoted study of the Nalanda traditions in order to offer penetrating insights on its relevance while addressing contemporary predicaments.
Nisheeta Jagtiani
PhD Scholar, Religious Studies, Northwestern University, USA
The Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s Deployment of the Buddha’s Rime Approach
Nisheeta Jagtiani, Doctoral Candidate, Northwestern University, will work on her project titled The Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s Deployment of the Buddha’s rime Approach.
This project examines a Buddhist approach to sectarianism called rimé (ris med), which means “unbiased” or “non-sectarian.” This approach originates in the Buddha’s teachings and sermons in which he encouraged his followers to refrain from all biases and prejudices, as they are obstacles to liberation. Studies on rimé thus far have been text-based, examining the hagiographies of Tibetan Buddhist figures to understand the significance of rimé in Tibet’s religio-political history. This research project will focus on the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s use of rimé in his teachings, broadening its scope through his written works and oral instruction.
Nisheeta Jagtiani, is a graduate of University of Chicago where she earned a Masters’ degree in Religious Studies. She is a recipient of the Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Scholarship, the American Association of University Women’s International Fellowship and the Asian Studies Cluster’s Fellowship at Northwestern University. Nisheeta is fluent in Tibetan and has studied Buddhist Philosophy at the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala.
Nisheeta’s research of rimé is of particular relevance in the twenty-first century when sectarian conflicts afflict all major religious traditions of the world.
Dr. Meenakshi Malhotra
Associate Professor, Department of English, Hansraj College, University of Delhi
They Walked in Faith: Women’s Spiritual Journeys within World Religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity
Meenakshi Malhotra, Associate Professor, Department of English, Hansraj College, University of Delhi will work on her project titled A Truth of Their Own: Selected Life Narratives of Women from 19th Century.
This project is an exploration of issues of truth and truth-claims, both in a philosophical as well as in a psychological sense. Keeping in mind the broad parameters of the Nalanda tradition of holistic, integrated, eclectic and multidisciplinary scholarship and pedagogy, the project aims to discuss the writings and life narratives of four women – Florence Nightingale, Annie Besant, Pandita Ramabai, and Sarala Debi Chaudhurani. The aim in reading a variegated spectrum of life narratives is to explore their potential in promoting feelings of empathy and compassion, ideas of plurality, diversity and heterodoxy, of ‘anekantavada’ (the understanding of reality as multifaceted and many-sided).
Meenakshi Malhotra, a Charles Wallace Scholar and the International Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement at Grinnell College, Iowa, is a widely published scholar with over three decades of teaching experience. She has studied at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi.
Meenakshi believes that ‘anekantavada’ – the understanding of reality as multifaceted and many-sided is a vital ingredient for the growth of any society.