CHARLES S.PREBISH
 

PROFESSIONAL ADDRESS:

The Pennsylvania State University                       Office Telephone: 814/865-1121
Religious Studies Program                                   Home Telephone: 814/237-9458
108 Weaver Building                                           E-Mail:  csp1@psu.edu
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
U.S.A.

BIRTHDATE : 11 October 1944

MARITAL STATUS : Married, 2 Children

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

  B.A.         (Chemistry) Western Reserve University, 1966
  M.A.         (Religion) Case Western Reserve University, 1968
  Ph.D.        (Buddhist Studies) University of Wisconsin, 1971

EMPLOYMENT :

1999-present: Professor of Religious Studies, The Pennsylvania State University.

1993: Yehan Numata Distinguished Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies, University of Calgary.

1977-1999: Associate Professor of Religious Studies,  The Pennsylvania State University.

1971-1977: Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, The  Pennsylvania State University.

Summer 1975: Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,  Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado.

Summer 1974: Visiting Professor of Sanskrit, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado.

1968-1970: Research Assistant to Professor Richard H. Robinson, The University of Wisconsin,
Department of Indian Studies.

Spring 1967: Teaching Assistant to Professor David M. Miller, Case Western Reserve University,
Department of Religion.

MAJOR PUBLICATIONS:

BOOKS

Buddhism-The eBook. Journal of Buddhist Ethics Online Books, 2004, 392 pages.
Co-Authored with Damien Keown. URL: www.jbeonlinebooks.org.

Buddhism-The American Experience. Journal of Buddhist Ethics Online Books, 2004,
165 pages. URL: www.jbeonlinebooks.org.

Co-Editor. Buddhist Encounters with Modernity: Traditional Buddhist Schools and
Their Modern Manifestations . New York: Oxford University Press, 2003, 287 pages.
Co-Edited with Steven Heine.

Co-Editor. Action Dharma: New Studies in Engaged Buddhism. Surrey, England:
Routledge Curzon Press, 2003, 365 pages. Co-Edited with Christopher Queen and Damien
Keown.

Co-Editor. Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 2002, 425 pages. Co-Edited with Martin Baumann.

The A to Z of Buddhism. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2001, 281 pages.

Luminous Passage : The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America. Berkeley: University
of California Press, 1999, 334 pages.

Co-Editor: The Faces of Buddhism in America. Berkeley: University of California Presss,
1998, 370 pages. Co-edited with Kennth K. Tanaka.

Co-Editor: Buddhism and Human Rights. Surrey, England: Curzon Press, 1997, 239 pages.
Co-edited with Damien Keown and Wayne Husted.

A Survey of Vinaya Literature.  Originally, Volume I of The Dharma Lamp Series.
Taipei, Taiwan: Jin Luen Publishing House, 1994, 157 pages. Now published by Curzon Press.

Historical Dictionary of Buddhism. Volume I of Historical Dictionaries: Religions, Philosophies,
and Movements. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1993, 386 pages. First Indian Edition,
Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1995.

Editor: Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred and Profane. Volume 36 of Studies in Popular
Culture. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1992, 243 pages.

Editor: Buddhist Ethics: A Cross-Cultural Approach. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company,1992, 228 pages.

American Buddhism . North Scituate, Massachusetts: Duxbury  Press, 1979, 220 pages.

Editor: Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. University Park: The  Pennsylvania State University
Press, 1975, 330 pages. Fourth printing, 1989. First Indian Edition, Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications,
1995.

Buddhist Monastic Discipline: The Sanskrit Pratimoksa Sutras of the Mahasamghikas and
Mulasarvastivadins . Volume I of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions Series.
University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1975, 156 pages. First Indian
Edition, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1996.

Co-editor (with Jane I. Smith): Introduction to Religions of the East: Reader. Dubuque, Iowa:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1974, 182 pages.

REFEREED ARTICLES

Spiritual Kinship in the Global Buddhist Community. Religious Studies and Theology, 22, 1
(2003), 27-43..

Ambiguity and Conflict in the Study of Buddhist Ethics. Journal of Religious Ethics , 24, 2
(Fall 1996), 295-303.

Saiksa-dharmas Revisited: Further Considerations of Mahasamghika Origins." History of
Religions , 35, 3 (February, 1996), 258-270.

Ideal Types in Indian Buddhism: A New Paradigm (Review Article on Reginald Ray's Buddhist
Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and Orientations). Journal of  the American Oriental
Society, 115, 4 (October-December, 1995), 651-666.

Ethics and Integration in American Buddhism. Journal of  Buddhist Ethics 2 (1995), 125-139.

The Academic Study of Buddhism in America: A Current  Analysis. Religion, 24, 3 (July, 1994),
271-278.

Text and Tradition in the Study of Buddhist Ethics. Pacific World, New Series 9 (1993), 49-68.

Two Buddhisms Reconsidered, Buddhist Studies Review, X, 2 (1993), 187-206.

Buddhist Ethics Comes of Age: Damien Keown and The Nature of Buddhist Ethics. Buddhist
Studies Review , X, 1 (1993), 95-108.

Modern Buddhist Ethics in Asia and America. Pacific World, New Series 8 (1992), 40-47.

Heavenly Father, Divine Goalie: Sport and Religion. The Antioch Review, 42, 3 (Summer, 1984),
306-318. Reprinted in Shirl Hoffman (ed.), Sport and Religion (Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics
Books, 1992), 43-53.

Buddhist Studies American Style: A Shot in the Dark. Religious Studies Review, 9, 4
(October, 1983), 323-330.

Mahasamghika Origins: The Beginnings of Buddhist  Sectarianism. History of Religions , 16, 3
(February, 1977), 237-272. Co-authored with Janice J. Nattier.

The Pratimoksa Puzzle: Fact Versus Fantasy. Journal of  the American Oriental Society , 94, 2
(April-June, 1974), 168-176.

A Review of Scholarship on the Buddhist Councils. Journal of Asian Studies, XXXIII, 2
(February, 1974), 239-254.

Theories Concerning the Skandhaka: An Appraisal. Journal  of Asian Studies, XXXII, 4
(August, 1973), 669-678.

CHAPTERS

Varying the Vinaya: Creative Responses to Modernity." In Buddhist Encounters with Modernity:
Traditional Buddhist Schools and Their Modern Manifestations. Edited by Steven Heine and
Charles  Prebish. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003, 45-73.

Studying the Spread and Histories of Buddhism in the West: The Emergence of Western
Buddhism as a New Sub-Discipline Within Buddhist Studies. In Westward Dharma: Buddhism
Beyond Asia .  Edited by Martin Baumann and Charles Prebish. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2002, 66-81.

Buddhist Studies in the Academy: History and Analysis. In The Wheel and the Web: Teaching
Buddhismin the Western Academy. Edited by Victor Sogen Hori, Richard P. Hayes, and James
Mark Shields. Surrey, England: Curzon Press, 2002, 17-36.

The Promise and Peril of Peer-Reviewed Electronic Publication in Buddhism: A Case Study of the
Journal ofBuddhist Ethics.In Buddhism for the New Millennium. Edited by Lakshman S. Perera.
London: World Buddhist Foundation, 2000, 206-216.

From Monastic Ethics to Modern Society. In Contemporary Buddhist Ethics. Edited by Damien
Keown. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, 2000, 37-56.

The Academic Study of Buddhism in America: A Silent  Sangha. In American Buddhism:Methods
and Findings in Recent Scholarship. Edited by Christopher S. Queen and Duncan Ryåkan Williams.
Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, 1999, 183-214.

American Buddhism: A Retrospective Look. In Hundred Years of the Bengal Buddhist Association .
Edited by Hemendu Chowdhury. Calcutta: Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha, 1992, 140-145.

Buddhism in America: Some Introductory Remarks. In Buddhist Heritage in India and Abroad .
Edited by G. Kuppuram and K. Kumudamani. Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan, 1992, 11-56.

Religion: Approaches and Assumptions. In Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred andProfane ,
edited by Charles S. Prebish. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1992, 3-18.

The Sports Arena: Some Basic Definitions. In Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred and
Profane, edited by Charles S. Prebish, 19-43.

Religion and Sport: Covergence or Identity? In Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred
andProfane , edited by Charles S. Prebish, 45-76.

Training into Transcendence. In Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred and Profane ,
edited by Charles S. Prebish, 217-228.

Karma and Rebirth in the Land of the Earth-Eaters. In Buddhist Ethics: A Cross-Culutral
Approach, edited by Charles S. Prebish. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt  Publishing
Company, 1992, 216-228. Reprinted from Karma and Rebirth: Post Classical
Developments , edited by Ronald W. Neufeldt. Albany: SUNY Press, 1986.

Vinaya and Pratimoksa: The Foundation of Buddhist  Ethics. In Essays on the History of
Buddhism. Edited by A.K. Narain. Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corporation, 1980, 223-264.

Karma and Rebirth in the Land of the Earth Eaters. In Karma and Rebirth: Post Classical
Developments .Edited by Ronald W. Neufeldt. Albany: State University of New York Press,
1986, 325-338.

Teaching Religion and Sport: The Meeting of Sacred and Profane. In Sport in the Classroom .
Edited by David L. Vanderwerken. Teaneck, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press,
1990, 133-150.

Recent Progress in Vinaya Studies. In Studies in Pali and Buddhism. Edited by A.K. Narain.
Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corporation, 1979, 297-306.

Reflections on the Transmission of Buddhism to America. In Understanding the New Religions.
Edited by Jacob Needleman and George Baker. New York: Seabury Press, 1978, 153-172.

Life of the Buddha. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by Charles S. Prebish.
University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1975, 10-15.

Early History of the Buddhist Order. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by Charles S.
Prebish, 16-20.

Buddhist Councils and Divisions in the Order. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by
Charles S. Prebish, 21-26.

Doctrines of the Early Buddhists. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by Charles S.
Prebish, 29-35.

Major Schools of the Early Buddhists: Mahasamghika. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective.
Edited by Charles S. Prebish, 36-38.

Major Schools of the Early Buddhists: Theravada. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective.
Edited by Charles S. Prebish, 39-41.

Major Schools of the Early Buddhists: Sarvastivada. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective.
Edited by Charles S. Prebish, 42-45.

The Vinaya Pitaka. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by Charles S. Prebish, 49-53.

Monastic Life in Ceylon. In Buddhism: A Modern Perspective. Edited by Charles S. Prebish, 166-169.

India: Hinayana Buddhism. In Introduction to Religions of the East: Reader. Edited by Charles S.
Prebish and Jane I. Smith. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing  Company, 1974, 61-84.
Original translations of thirteen  selections from Pàli and Buddhist Sanskrit.

FELLOWSHIPS:

1. Ford Foundation Fellowship, Summer 1969
2. Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, 1970-71
3. Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellowship, 1997-98, spent at the Centre  for the Study
    of Religion at the University of Toronto, completing Luminous Passage: The Practiceand
    Study of  Buddhism in America.

GRANTS:

1. Research Initiation Grant from the National Science Foundation (administered by
    the Pennsylvania  State University) for the year 1972-73, to complete a volume entitled
    Buddhism: A Modern Perspective.
2. Grant from the College Fund for Research, the Pennsylvania State University, 1975, to
    do research in Vinaya at Harvard University.
3. Grant from the College Fund for Research, the Pennsylvania State University, 1976,
     to do research on Buddhist Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin.
4. Research Grant from the Institute for Arts and Humanistic Studies, the Pennsylvania
    State University, Summer 1977, to finish a volume entitled American Buddhism.
5. Grant from the College Fund for Research, the Pennsylvania State University, 1981, to
    do research on Pudgalavada at the University of Wisconsin.
6. Grant from the College Fund for Research, the Pennsylvania State University, 1982, to
    do research on Karma in American Buddhism at the University of Chicago.
7. Grant from the American Academy of Religion, Research Assistance Program, 1994-95,
    to do fieldwork in an on-going project entitled Contemporary Buddhism in America:
    A New Approach.
8. Grant from the Research and Graduate Studies Office, the Pennsylvania State University,
    1994, for     purchase of  a computer system to facilitate my editorial services to the
    Journal of Buddhist Ethics and Critical Review of Books in Religion.
9. Research Grant from the Institute for Arts and Humanistic Studies, the Pennsylvania State
    University, Summer 1996,  for fieldwork associated with my forthcoming book, The Practice
    and Study of Buddhism in America.
10. Grant from the Research and Graduate Studies Office, the Pennsylvania State University,
     1996, for fieldwork associated with my forthcoming book, The Practice and Study of
     Buddhism in America.
11. Grant from the Research and Graduate Studies Office, the Pennsylvania State University,
     1997, for fieldwork associated with my forthcoming book, The Practice and Study of
     Buddhism in America.

PROFESSIONAL PAPERS:

1. The Development of the Pratimoksa in Early Buddhism. Third Annual International Buddhist
    Seminar, New York, March 9, 1974.
2. Early Buddhist Councils. Third Annual International Buddhist Seminar, New York, March 9, 1974.
3. Ritualization of the Pratimoksa: Its Development as an Ethical Instrument. Annual Meeting of the
    Association for Asian Studies, Boston, April 3, 1974.
4. Vinaya and Pratimoksa: The Foundation of the Buddhist Samgha. International Conference on the
    History of Buddhism, University of Wisconsin, August 19, 1976.
5. Mahasamghika Origins: The Beginnings of Buddhist Sectarianism. International Conference on the
    History of Buddhism, University of Wisconsin, August 19, 1976.
6. A New Look at the Origins of Buddhist Sectarianism. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
    Religion, St. Louis, October 28, 1976. I was Chairman of this session entitled Issues in Indian
    Buddhist Sectarianism.
7. Popularization and Sectarianism in American Buddhism. Conference on the Flowering of Buddhism
    in America, Syracuse University, April 16, 1977.
8. Current Research in American Buddhism. Conference on the Study of New American Religious
    Movements, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, June 17, 1977.
9. Buddhist Studies American Style: A Shot in the Dark. Annual Meeting of the American Academy
    of Religion, Dallas, November 8, 1980. I was Chairman of this session entitled Buddhist Studies
    for the 1980s.
10. Karma and Rebirth in the Land of the Earth Eaters. Calgary University Conference on Karma and
      Rebirth: Post Classical Developments, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, September 22, 1982.
11. Sport and Religion: Covergence or Identity. Sports in America Colloquium, Pennsylvania State
      University, Delaware County Campus, Media, Pennsylvania, April 21, 1983.
12. Sport as Religion in America. Clemson University Conference on Sport and Society, Clemson,
      South Carolina, March 30, 1984.
13. Buddhism in America: A Retrospective Look. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion,
      Chicago, December 11, 1984.
14. Sport: The American Nirvana. Keynote Address at the Nichols College Symposium on Sport and
      American Culture, Dudley, Massachusetts, May 5, 1985.
15. Some Reflections on Religion and Sport. Philosophic Society for the Study of Sport.  Pennsylvania
      State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1985.
16. Sport Issues 1987: Sport and Religion in America. Washington Journalism Center Conference on
      Sport, Washington, D.C., February 25, 1987.
17. Modern Buddhist Ethics in Asia and America. Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies,
      Middle Atlantic Region, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1991.
18. Not in Upali's Wildest Dreams: Can Canonical Buddhist Ethics Be Modern. Annual Meeting of the
      Association for Asian Studies, Middle Atlantic Region, West Chester University, West Chester,
      Pennsylvania, November 1, 1992.
19. Canonical Buddhist Ethics and the Problem of Modernity. Annual Meeting of the American Oriental
      Society, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. April 19, 1993.
20. Contemporary Buddhism in America. The University of Calgary Numata Lecture, Calgary, Alberta,
      Canada, October 5, 1993.
21. Asian American and Euro-American Buddhism. The University of Lethbridge Numata Lecture,
      Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, October 25, 1993.
22. The Academic Study of Buddhism in America: A Current Analysis. Annual Meeting of the American
      Academy of Religion, Washington, D.C., November 21, 1993.
23. Text and Tradition in the Study of Buddhist Ethics. The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,
      Canada, December 2, 1993.
24. Saiksa-dharmas Revisited: Further Considerations of Mahasamghika Origins. Annual Meeting of the
      American Oriental Society, Madison, Wisconsin, March 21, 1994.
25. The Development of American Buddhism: Two Overviews. Numata Lecture Series: Buddhisms in
      America-An Expanding Frontier. Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, California, September 12, 1994.
26. Asian American and Euro-American Buddhism: An Increasignly Unfriendly Partnersip. Annual Meeting
      of the American Academy of Religion, Chicago, Illinois, November 19, 1994.
27. The Journal of Buddhist Ethics: A Beginning. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion,
      Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1995.
28. New Approaches in the Development of American Buddhism. Mary Washington College,
      Fredericksburg, Virginia, April 22, 1996.
29. The Academic Study of Buddhism in America: A Silent Sangha. Harvard University Conference
      on Buddhism in America: Methods and Findings in Recent Scholarship. Cambridge, Massachusetts,
      May 23-25, 1997.
30. The Silent Sangha: Buddhism in the Academy. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
      Religion, Orlando, November 23, 1998.
31. The Promise and Peril of Peer-Reviewed Electronic Publication in Buddhist Studies: A Case Study
      of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Twelfth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist
      Studies. Lausanne, Switzerland, August 23-28, 1999.
32. The Study of Buddhism in the West as an Emerging Sub-Discipline of Buddhist Studies: Scope,
      Depth, and Prospects. Twelfth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies.
      Lausanne, Switzerland, August 23-28, 1999.
33. Buddhist Studies in the Academy: History and Anaylsis. McGill University Conference on "Teaching
      Buddhism: State of the Art." Montreal, October 8-9, 1999.
34. Buddhisms in America: An Expanding Frontier. University of California-Davis, May 9, 2000.
35. From Monastic Ethics to Modern Society in Global Buddhism. International Conference of the
      Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, Tacoma, Washington, August 7, 2000.
36. Two Buddhisms/Three Sources in North American Buddhism.International Conference of the
      Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, Tacoma, Washington, August 10, 2000.
37. The Silent Sangha: Scholar-Practitioners in American Buddhism. Third Annual Buddhism in America
      Conference, Estes Park, Colorado, September 30, 2000.
38. Buddhism in the West: From the Counter Culture to Celebrity Buddhists. The Art Gallery of New South
      Wales, Sydney, Australia, November 2001.
39. Japanese American Buddhism and Its Role in the Western Buddhist Community. UCLA Symposium
      on Japanese American Religion, Los Angeles, January 26, 2002.
40. Electronic Journals and Beyond in Buddhist Studies. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
      Religion, Toronto, November 24, 2002.
41. Family Life and Spiritual Kinship in American Buddhist Communities. Emory University Conference
      on American Religions and the Family: How Faith Traditions Cope with Modernity and Democracy.
      Altanta, March 26, 2003.
42. Spiritual Kinship in the Global Buddhist Community. United Kingdom Association of Buddhist Studies
      Annual Meeting. London, July 2, 2003. 
43. The Role of the Sangha in Buddhism's Globalization. Conference on Globalization, Democracy, and
      Ethnicity. West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania. April 16, 2004.
44. The Role of the Pratimoksa Expansion in the Rise of Indian Buddhist Sectarianism. Numata Chairholders
       Symposium. University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. May 14-16, 2004.

SERVICE TO STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS:

Elected to Faculty-Student Good Offices Panel, 1977-78
Faculty Advisor, Chimes Honor Society, 1980-81
Freshman Orientation Program Leader, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987
Presented University-Wide Invited Lecture in The Last Lecture Series, 1983
Faculty Advisor, Religious Studies Honors Program

MISCELLANEOUS :

Senior Member of the Graduate Faculty
Lindback Teaching Award Nominee 1990
Outstanding Alumni Award Nominee, Case Western Reserve University, 1991
Consultant to Pennsylvania Department of Education, Religious Literature of the East Project, 1972
Project Evaluator, The Canada Council, 1977-79
Project Evaluator, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1985-91
Course Initiator, Free University Program
Subject of major article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 16, 1984
Subject of article in Campus Voice, December-January, 1984-85
Member Penn State Wrestling Club
Licensed member Federation Internationale de Lutte Amateur (International Amateur Wrestling
    Federation), Lausanne, Switzerland
Licensed member U.S.A. Wrestling, National Class I Official
Licensed member Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Wrestling Official
Licensed member National College Wrestling Officials Association
Licensed member Eastern Wrestling League Officials Association
A.A.U. Middle-Atlantic Wrestling Officials Chairman, 1987-90
Secretary, Charles Goldthorpe Chapter Wrestling Officials, 1985-87
Vice-President, Rod Tate Chapter Wrestling Officials, 1990-91
President, Rod Tate Chapter Wrestling Officials, 1991-92

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