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.

I joined the Penn State faculty in September 1971, following the completion of my Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies
at theUniversity of Wisconsin under Richard H. Robinson. I was the thirteenth member of the Religious
Studies Department, created and organized by Luther H. Harshbarger, and just beginning a new graduate
program focusing on religion in American culture. Now, more than a quarter-century later, I am the last
remaining member of that department. In the early 1980s the Religious Studies Department was
downsized and transformed into the Religious Studies Program. It continues in that form today, residing
in the History Department ( http://www3.la.psu.edu/histrlst ), and although configured far differently than
originally, it remains a vital and exciting unit.

Although my formal training in Buddhist Studies initially centered on early Indian Buddhism, with special
attention to the disciplinary literature known as Vinaya and the development of the monastic system, upon
arriving at Penn State I quickly became interested in Buddhism's development on the North American continent.
In this way I could continue my classical studies of Buddhism while also contributing to the major aspect of
the Religious Studies Department's graduate program. I have maintained those research interests throughout
my career at Penn State. For those interested in the specifics of my publication record, they can examine my vitae.

In addition to my research at Penn State, I have been extremely active in a number of  professional societies.
In this way it has been possible to play an active role in the development of my field while living and working
in a lovely setting away from the hustle and bustle of the modern mega-cities.

The advent of the Internet has further enhanced the ability of scholars in various aspects of international
fields to communicate on a regular basis. This is especially important in a discipline such as Buddhist
Studies, where the majority of scholars lives outside the United States. To facilitate the process of
international communication, and to explore the new process of online publication, in 1994 I co-founded
the Journal of Buddhist Ethics with Damien Keown, a colleague and friend at Goldsmiths College, University
of London. This journal, the first of its kind in Religious Studies, led to other editing responsibilities, and this
aspect of my work now occupies a significant portion of my professional life.

Like all faculty members in the Religious Studies Program, teaching occupies a major component of my
mandated responsibility. I have used this aspect of my career to create courses that reflect and enhance
my research interests, thus allowing my scholarly interests to interpenetrate in a meaningful way that benefits
my colleagues and students alike. Along the way, I have been fortunate enough to hold Visiting Professorships
at Naropa Institute (in the summers of 1974 and 1975) and the University of Calgary (where I held the
Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies in fall 1993). In addition, I had a sabbatical leave in 1978-79 at the
University of California at Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union, where I also taught at Nyingma
Institute. Most recently, I spent the 1997-98 academic year as Rockefeller Fellow at the Centre for the
Study of Religion at the University of Toronto.

During the first year of my Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin, I met my future wife Susan, and
we were married on August 31, 1968. Susan is currently the Executive Assistant to the Director of the
Centre County Visitor and Convention Bureau, and is active in all aspects of promoting travel and tourism
in Central Pennsylvania. Prior to her work with the CCVCB, she was Northeast Regional Representative for
USA Wrestling, the National Governing Body for amateur wrestling in the United States.

                                     SUSAN 

We have two grown children, Jared (born May 14, 1970) and Robinson (born November 11, 1972). Each have
Penn State degrees; Jared's is in General Arts and Sciences and Rob's is in Health Education.

Jared was a talented cross-country runner as a young man, remains an ardent Chicago Cub fan, and currently
manages a store in the Books-a-Million Chain in Virginia. His wife's name is Stephanie.

Rob discovered wrestling at age nine, and began a long and seemingly unending love affair with this amateur
sport. He won a number of national championships in Greco-Roman, eventually earning world championships
in Greco-Roman and Freestyle competition at the 13th World Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1989. His love of
sport led him to pursue a degree in Health Education, and he currently teaches health and physical
education at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and is is the Head Wrestling Coach there
as well.

ROB
 

We've been fortunate enough to also have two miraculous dogs in our family, first a beagle-terrier mix named
"Buddha," who died at age 15; and then Deke, a wonderful golden retriever who died of lymphatic cancer in
1998 shortly after reaching her 14th birthday.

Rounding out our extended family are my mother, brother, and sister-in-law, all of whom live in the Chicago
area

   AND Susan's parents, who lived in Florida prior to their death. 

HOBBIES

Susan and I each had lots of involvement in sports in our childhoods, and we continued our passion for
athletics into adulthood. From 1978 until the mid-1990s we were competetive long-distance runners,
competing in races from 5 kilometers up to the marathon. By the mid-1990s, I began to suffer chronic hip
problems, and we shifted our activity of choice to biking, now actively pursuing both trails and roads.

Because of our younger son's involvement in amateur wrestling, we each became certified officials in
folkstyle/collegiate wrestling and Greco-Roman/Freestyle. Susan is the only woman in Central Pennsylvania
to have ever officated a high school varsity match, and we each were active in college officiating. We both
gained Class I (i.e., highest) ranking with USA Wrestling, and officiated national championships throughout
North America. In addition, we both earned international licenses with the International Amateur Wrestling
Federation (F.I.L.A.). Susan retired from officiating in 1995 and I retired in 1997. Our involvement in officiating
allowed us to travel extensively, and we continue to treasure the friendships we made in our travels.

Now, as we become more sedentary, we travel throughout Central Pennsylvania pursuing antiques. And we
continue to be avid gardeners.

OTHER SITES OF INTEREST

Here are a few of my favorite sites on the World Wide Web:

 Religion, Religions, Religious Studies
 Canadian Society for the Study of Religion
 Buddhist Studies Virtual Library
 DharmaNet International
 Folk Music Home Page
 USA Wrestling
 Pennsylvania Wrestling
 Centre County Visitor and Convention Bureau