Alexander Berzin (scholar)

Alexander Berzin
Recent photo of Alexander Berzin, April 2015
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism
Education	Ph.D., Harvard University (1972) MA, Harvard University (1967) BA, Rutgers University (1965)
Personal
Born	1944 Paterson, New Jersey
Religious career
Works	Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship (2000), Developing Balanced Sensitivity (1998), Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra (1997), Taking the Kalachakra Initiation (1997)
Website	berzinarchives.com

Alexander Berzin (born 1944) is a scholar, translator, and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism.

Early years

Berzin was born in Paterson, New Jersey, United States.^[1] He received his B.A. degree in 1965 from the Department of Oriental Studies, Rutgers University in conjunction with Princeton University; his M.A. in 1967; and, his Ph.D. in 1972 from the Departments of Far Eastern Languages (Chinese) and Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University.

Work

From 1969 to 1998, he resided primarily in Dharamsala, India, initially as a Fulbright scholar, studying and practicing with masters from all four Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

His main teacher was Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, the late master debate partner and assistant tutor of the Dalai Lama. Berzin served as his interpreter and secretary for nine years, accompanying him on several world tours. He has also served as occasional Dharma interpreter for the Dalai Lama.

A founding member of the Translation Bureau of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Berzin has developed a new terminology for translating, into English, Tibetan technical terms that have often been misunderstood. Working with translators in many other languages, he has helped them to revise and develop their terminology according to the same principles.

Since 1983, Berzin has been traveling around the world, teaching various aspects of Buddhist practice and philosophy, as well as Tibetan-Mongolian history and astro-medical theory, at Dharma centers and universities in more than seventy countries. His travels focus primarily on the former and present communist world, Latin America, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to his numerous published writings and translations, many of his lectures have been published in the languages of these areas.

Berzin has served as unofficial liaison for several international projects of Tibetan-Mongolian culture, such as a Tibetan medical aid program for Chernobyl victims with the Russian Ministry of Health and a project in Mongolia for the Gere Foundation to produce books on Buddhism in the colloquial language to help revive the traditional culture. He has also been instrumental in establishing and furthering a Buddhist-Islamic dialogue.

In 1998, Berzin moved back to the West to have conditions more conducive for writing. Traveling occasionally, he teaches at several Dharma centers, but devotes most of his time to preparing his unpublished materials for the Berzin Archives website. The website contains Buddhist material otherwise unavailable in Western languages. Inspired by the open-source movement and the information revolution, his writings are available free of charge. It is also possible to listen to recorded weekly teachings in the form of podcasts. Berzin's explanations of Buddhist teaching are notable for their use of distinctive translations of many Buddhist terms; such as the use of "safe direction" for the more common term "refuge" and "forceful" instead of "wrathful". Berzin believes that much of the misunderstanding concerning Buddhism in the West comes from incorrect and misleading translations of Buddhist terminology.^[2] He currently lives in Berlin, Germany.

Publications

Books and monographs

Lam-rim - Outlines. London: Wisdom Publications, 1977. Reprint, Munich: Aryatara Institut, 1986.
Guidelines for Receiving the Kalacakra Empowerment. Seattle: Dharma Friendship Foundation, 1989.
(Coauthor with Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron) Glimpse of Reality. Singapore: NUS Buddhist Society, 1989. Reprint, Hinsdale, Illinois: Buddhadharma Meditation Center, 1991; Second reprint, Singapore: Amitabha Buddhist Centre, 1999.
Buddhism and Its Impact on Asia. Asian Monographs, no. 8. Cairo: Cairo University, Center for Asian Studies, June 1996.
The Historical Interaction between the Buddhist and Islamic Cultures before the Mongol Empire. Unpublished, 1996.
Coauthor with the 14th Dalai Lama, Translator, and Editor) The Gelug/Kagyü Tradition of Mahamudra. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1997.
Taking the Kalachakra Initiation. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1997.
Kalachakra and Other Six-Session Yoga Texts. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1998.
Developing Balanced Sensitivity. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1998.
Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2000

Articles

"Structure of the Gelug Hierarchy." Tibet Journal (Dharamsala, India), vol. 2, no. 3 (autumn 1977).
"An Introduction to Tibetan Astronomy and Astrology." Tibet Journal (Dharamsala, India), vol. 12, no. 1 (spring 1987).
"Working with Emotions: How to Deal with Anger." In Three Drops of Nectar to Cool the Mind. Speech Series, no. 1. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Crazy Wisdom Publications, 1987.
"Kuan Yin - A Meditation on Compassion." In Three Drops of Nectar to Invigorate the Heart. Speech Series, no. 2. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Crazy Wisdom Publications, 1988.
"Tibetan Astrology and Astronomy." Maitreya Magazine (Emst, Holland), vol. 11, no. 4 (1989).
"Tibetan Astro Studies." Chö-Yang, Year of Tibet Edition (Dharamsala, India), (1991).
"Bön Monasteries," "Nyingma Monasteries," "Kagyü Monasteries," "Sakya Monasteries," and "Gelug Monasteries." Chö-Yang, Year of Tibet Edition (Dharamsala, India), (1991).
"Practical Advice Regarding Spiritual Teachers.” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (New York), vol. 9, no. 3 (spring 2000).
"A Comparison of the Five Tibetan Traditions.” Snow Lion Newsletter (Ithaca, New York), vol. 17, no. 1 (winter 2002).
"Holy Wars in Buddhism and Islam: The Myth of Shambhala.” Mandala: Buddhism in Our Time (Taos, New Mexico), March – May 2002.
"A Healthy Relationship.” Mandala: Buddhism in Our Time (Taos, New Mexico), June – August 2002.
"Renunciation – Determination to Be Free.” Snow Lion Newsletter (Ithaca, New York), vol. 17, no. 3 (summer 2002).
"The Dharma of Islam: A Conversation with Snjezana Akpinar and Alex Berzin.” Inquiring Mind (Berkeley, California), vol. 20, no. 1 (fall 2003).

Books translated from Tibetan

Panchen Lama I. The Guru Puja. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1976.

(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku, and Editor) Akya Yongdzin. A Compendium of Ways of Knowing, with Commentary by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1977.

(Translator and Editor) Karmapa IX. Mahamudra Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance, with commentary by Beru Khyentze Rinpoche, Supplemented with Ashvaghosha, "Fifty Stanzas on Guru-Devotion," with Commentary by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1978.
(Co-translator with Matthew Kapstein, and Editor) Longchenpa. Dzog-chen: The Four-Themed Precious Garland, with Commentary by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and Beru Khyentze Rinpoche. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1979. Also published in The Jewel in the Lotus: A Guidebook to the Buddhist Traditions of Tibet, ed. Stephen Batchelor. London: Wisdom Publications, 1987.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Dharmarakshita. The Wheel of Sharp Weapons. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1980.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku, and Compiler and Editor) Dhargyey, Geshe Ngawang. An Anthology of Well-Spoken Advice, vol. 1. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1984. Also published as Princeton: Recordings for the Blind, 1988.
Maitreya. Gyu Lama (The Furthest Everlasting Stream). Soest, Holland: Netherlands Stichting Ontmoeting met Tibetaanse Cultuur, 1986.

Articles translated from Tibetan

(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Kamtrul, Garjang. "The History and Geography of Shambhala." Tibet Journal (Dharamsala, India), vol. 1, no. 1 (July–September 1975).
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Dhargyey, Geshe Ngawang. "Introduction to the Kalacakra Initiation." Tibet Journal (Dharamsala, India), vol. 1, no. 1 (July–September 1975).
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Yong-dzin Ling Rinpoche. "The dGe-lugs Tradition of Buddhism in Tibet." Tibet Journal (Dharamsala, India), vol. 4, no. 1 (spring 1979).
Tsenshab Serkong Rinpoche. "Renunciation." In Teachings at Tushita, ed. Glenn Mullin and Nicholas Ribush. New Delhi: Mahayana Publications, 1981.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) The Second Dalai Lama. "The Steps of Visualization for the Three Essential Moments." In Meditations on the Lower Tantras, ed. Glenn Mullin. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1981.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku, and Editor) The First Panchen Lama. "‘The Great Seal of Voidness: The Root Text of the Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra,’ with Commentary by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey." In H. H. the XIVth Dalai Lama et al. Four Essential Buddhist Texts. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1982.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche Cho-kyi Lodro. "The Opening of the Dharma: A Brief Explanation of the Buddha’s Many Vehicles" In H. H. the XIVth Dalai Lama et al. Four Essential Buddhist Texts. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1982.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Thogmey Zangpo. "The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices." In His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Four Essential Buddhist Commentaries. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1983.
(Translator and Editor) His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, "Commentary on [Thogmey Zangpo’s] ‘The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices’ and [Tsongkhapa’s] ‘Three Principles of the Path.’" In His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Four Essential Buddhist Commentaries. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1983.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Tsongkhapa. "Three Principles of the Path," "Lines of Experience," and "The Prayer of the Virtuous Beginning, Middle and End." In The Life and Teachings of Tsong Khapa, ed. Robert Thurman. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1983.
(Co-translator with Sharpa Tulku) Tsongkhapa. "A Letter of Practical Advice on Sutra and Tantra: A Brief Indication of the Graded Stages of the Path." In The Life and Teachings of Tsong Khapa, ed. Robert Thurman. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1983. Also published as Tsongkhapa. "A Brief Exposition of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment." In The Jewel in the Lotus: A Guidebook to the Buddhist Traditions of Tibet, ed. Stephen Batchelor. London: Wisdom Publications, 1987.
(Translator and Editor) Namkapel. "The Mind-Training Like the Rays of the Sun: A Commentary by Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama." Chö-Yang (Dharamsala, India), vol. 1, no. 1 (spring 1986).

References

↑ Fineman, Mark. "Dalai Lama's Disciples Gather for Peace Prayer Religion: About 150,000 participate in ceremony with the Peace Prize winner.", Los Angeles Times, January 1, 1991. Accessed December 5, 2008.
↑ Methodology for Translating Buddhist Texts from Tibetan and Sanskrit into Modern Languages by Alexander Berzin, Elista, Kalmykia, Russia, October 2009

External links

Berzin Archives A collection of 30,000 pages of material about Tibetan Buddhism for practice and scholarly research.

Buddhism topics

Outline Glossary Index

Foundations	Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way

The Buddha	Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Physical characteristics Footprint Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna (father) Māyā (mother) Mahapajapati Gotamī (aunt, adoptive mother) Yasodhara (wife) Rāhula (son) Ānanda (cousin) Devadatta (cousin) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions

Key concepts	Dharma Three Marks of Existence Impermanence Dukkha Anatta Pratītyasamutpāda Skandha Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Kleshas Ignorance Craving Five hindrances Ten Fetters Indriya Enlightenment Parinirvana Tathātā Dharmas Two truths doctrine Śūnyatā Bodhicitta Bodhisattva Buddha-nature Mindstream

Cosmology	Ten spiritual realms Six realms Heaven Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Hell Three planes of existence

Practices	Refuge Buddhist devotion Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Merit Paritta Dāna Nekkhamma Śīla Five Precepts Bodhisattva vow Prātimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Pāramitā Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Vīrya Four Right Exertions Iddhipada Five Strengths Faith Mindfulness Satipatthana Dhyāna Bhavana Satya Sacca Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassana movement Shikantaza Zazen Kōan Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma

Nirvana	Bodhi Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Bodhisattva Four stages of enlightenment Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat

Monasticism	Bhikkhu Bhikkhuni Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagarika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery

Major figures	Gautama Buddha Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Mulian Ānanda Mahākassapa Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhuti Punna Upali Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa Buddhaghosa Nagasena Bodhidharma Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Atiśa Padmasambhava Nichiren Ambedkar Songtsen Gampo Emperor Wen of Sui Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Karmapa Shamarpa Naropa Xuanzang

Texts	Tripiṭaka Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon

Branches	Theravada Mahayana Chan Buddhism Zen Seon Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Navayana Vajrayana Tibetan Shingon Dzogchen Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna

Countries	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Myanmar Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Kalmykia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil France United Kingdom United States Venezuela

History	Timeline Ashoka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco-Buddhism Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Buddhist crisis Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Women in Buddhism

Philosophy	Abhidharma Logic Buddhology Eschatology Reality God Secular Buddhism Humanism Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Socialism Economics Atomism Evolution Ethics The unanswered questions

Culture	Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Temple of the Tooth Art Greco-Buddhist art Poetry Buddha statue Budai Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Prayer wheel Mala Mudra Mantra Om mani padme hum Funeral Music Holidays Vesak Uposatha Magha Puja Asalha Puja Rains retreat Kassaya Architecture Temple Vihara Wat Stupa Pagoda Candi Thai temple art and architecture Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Bodhi Tree Mahabodhi Temple Calendar Cuisine Vegetarianism

Miscellaneous	Lineage Maitreya Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Amitābha Brahmā Māra Dhammapada Vinaya Sutra Koliya Hinayana Sacred languages Pali Sanskrit Dharma talk Kalpa Abhijñā Ṛddhi Siddhi

Buddhism and:	Science Psychology Hinduism Jainism Judaism East Asian religions Christianity Influences Comparison Theosophy Gnosticism Violence Western philosophy

Lists	Buddhas Twenty-eight Buddhas Bodhisattvas Buddhists Suttas Books Temples Candi

Portal Category

Modern Buddhist writers (19th century to date)

Buddhism Buddhism in the West Buddhist modernism

Theravada / Vipassana movement	Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero B. R. Ambedkar Charles Henry Allan Bennett Thanissaro Bhikkhu Bhikkhu Bodhi P.D. Premasiri Ajahn Chah Anagarika Dharmapala S. N. Goenka Joseph Goldstein Henepola Gunaratana Jack Kornfield Noah Levine Nyanatiloka Walpola Rahula Sharon Salzberg Sangharakshita Rahul Sankrityayan Ajahn Sumedho Ajahn Sucitto Nanavira Thera Nyanaponika Thera

Mahayana	Stephen Batchelor David Brazier Tanaka Chigaku Daisaku Ikeda Nikkyō Niwano Yin Shun

Vajrayana	Pema Chödrön Surya Das Anagarika Govinda Kelsang Gyatso Dalai Lama Namkhai Norbu Thinley Norbu Ole Nydahl Matthieu Ricard Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche Sogyal Rinpoche Thrangu Rinpoche Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Robert Thurman Chögyam Trungpa

Zen	Reb Anderson Gil Fronsdal Steve Hagen Thích Nhất Hạnh Hsuan Hua Nan Huai-Chin Philip Kapleau Dainin Katagiri Taizan Maezumi Kitaro Nishida Shohaku Okumura Paul Reps Seung Sahn Daewon Seongcheol Sheng-yen D. T. Suzuki Shunryu Suzuki Brad Warner Alan Watts Hakuun Yasutani Han Yong-un Hsing Yun

Scholars	Alexander Berzin Lokesh Chandra Edward Conze Heinrich Dumoulin Walter Evans-Wentz Richard Gombrich Herbert V. Guenther Red Pine George de Roerich C. A. F. Rhys Davids T. W. Rhys Davids Theodore Stcherbatsky Lucien Stryk B. Alan Wallace

Westerners influenced by Buddhism	Alexandra David-Néel Helena Blavatsky Henry Steel Olcott Helena Roerich Alan Watts

Lists	List of modern Eastern religions writers List of writers on Buddhism

Buddhism Portal Indian religions Portal

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 79088900 LCCN: n81136143 ISNI: 0000 0000 6306 2023 GND: 123639530 SUDOC: 031905471 BNF: cb123032696 (data)

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