ABOUT THE BOOK:
The book titled "What is Buddhist Studies?" resembles a mirror that reflects some outlines of the most important and demanding topic on the academic study of Buddhism, subsuming both Buddhist doctrine and philosophy. The aforesaid term applies to both the traditional and scientific studies. It also applies to the academic field, which is a subset of religious studies, and is distinct from Buddhist Philosophy or Buddhist theology. Hence, Buddhist Studies covers the study of the five major and five minor sciences. These sciences are interconnected like spider-web. Each one of them has its own importance and significance. Each one of them is the supplement for each other and it is done by overcoming some specific discordant factor. Seeing the importance and significance, a plan was made to bring out a publication containing the outlines of some important and significant subject of Buddhist Studies introduced by Gautama the Buddha and his authorized disciples like Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Aryadeva, Santindeva and so on. Accordingly, works were carried out to collect matters for the publication. The entire matter of the said publication has been abridged in fifty articles. which have mostly been prepared by the author while few have been contributed by the eminent Buddhist scholars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born in a middle class in West Bengal, Dr. Sanjib Kumar Das was educated at Chandpara Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya (Amtala) and then in Gobardanga Khantura High School. Meanwhile. due to some of his personal problems. he fled away from home and worked as a waiter in several hotels and sweet shops for about two years in Kolkata. Later, he went to Darjeeling and took shelter in a Buddhist Monastery where he also worked as a helper of mason for about a year. There. an auspicious co-incidence carne upon in his life that also totally changed his life as well. On account of the kindness of the Thupten Sanga Ch ling Monastery. he was admitted in its branch school named 'Drukpa Kagyu Destitute Home' where he studied upto standard VIII. Subsequently, he was sent to Varanasi in 1989 in order to get admission in the then Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (present CUTS). Sarnath for higher studies Getting admission, he obtained M.A. pursuing upon Buddhist Philosophy. Tibetan Language and other prescribed subjects. In 1998, he was awarded with the Kashi Naresh Gold Medal for being the best student of 1998. After completing M.A. he started doing his Ph.D. which he completed in 2002. In 1999, he was invited as a Translator from Tibetan into English to Taiwan where he stayed for about five months. In 2002, he got a temporary job in the Translation Department in the CIHTS. Sarnath and simultaneously a permanent job in Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh where he worked for about six years. In 2008, he got a newjob in Visva-Bharati University. Santinlketan where he has been working on the post of Associate Professor in the Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies since he joined, Dr. Das composed, translated, edited, restored and compiled several books which have been published by different universities, institutions and publishers in India. Apart from translation, compilation, restoration and editing work, Dr. Das attended numbers of Local, National and International seminars, and presented papers. |
