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DR. ALEXANDER BERZIN
BIOGRAPHY
Alexander Berzin, born in 1944 in Paterson, New Jersey, received his B.A. degree in 1965 from the Department of Oriental Studies, Rutgers University in conjunction with Princeton University; and his M.A. in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1972 from the Departments of Far Eastern Languages (Chinese) and Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Harvard University. 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 His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He served as his interpreter and secretary for nine years, accompanying him on several world tours. He has also served as occasional Dharma interpreter for His Holiness 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 have focused 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 Traveling occasionally, he teaches at several Dharma centers, but devotes most of his time to preparing his unpublished materials for the Berzin Archives website. He currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
In the video at the right, "Becoming Convinced of Rebirth - A Personal Story (Part 5 of 6)," Alex Berzin discusses what continues from lifetime to lifetime. What type of continuity of experience do I want to have? According to Buddhism, there is no external force that decides this for us.
This talk includes personal thoughts that led Dr. Berzin to become personally convinced of the Buddhist concept of rebirth.
SCHEDULE
CONTINUING WEEKLY COURSES
The Bodhisattvacaryavatara of Shantideva, chapter 9 on Discriminating Awareness (Wisdom) Time: Every Tuesday, 7 to 9 P.M. Place: Buddhistische Gesellschaft Berlin, Wulffstr.6, 12165 Berlin, Germany. Contact: DrNoack@aol.com
Training Course in Developing Balanced Sensitivity Time: Every Monday, 7 to 9 P.M. Place: Swinemünderstr. 14 (bei S. Frosch), 10435 Berlin, Germany. Contact: gotama@web.de
BOOKS
(Below the list, see Alex Berzin's comments on these texts)
Alex Berzin discusses why he decided to write each book:
Developing
Balanced Sensitivity Although the
Dharma contains innumerable methods for dealing with and overcoming problems
and suffering, it is not obvious, from the traditional language and manner of
presentation, how to apply them to daily life, particularly in a modern
Western context. The traditional Asian Buddhist languages lack words that
correspond to our most basic emotional problems, such as insensitivity,
hypersensitivity, insecurity, low self-esteem, alienation from our feelings,
and the inability to say no. Drawing upon elements from various Tibetan
Buddhist traditions, I devised a training course of practical exercises and
wrote this book to help both Dharma practitioners and people without a
Buddhist background to apply the Dharma to these common problems.
Gelug/Kagyu
Tradition of Mahamudra HH the Dalai Lama has unequaled breadth and depth to
explain clearly the most sophisticated topics in Tibetan Buddhism and to place them in the
context of its varied traditions. Having orally translated HH's teachings on Mahamudra, I
realized how full his explanations were and what a small percentage of that can ever be
translated orally. With the wish to translate every word that HH said and to convey his full
meaning in clear and precise language, I prepared this book to make HH's wisdom more accessible
to all.
Kalachakra
and Other Six-session Yoga Texts One of the commitments from receiving the
Kalachakra initiation is to recite and meditate on the six-session yoga practice six times daily
for the rest of one's life. I prepared this new translation of the four different-length
versions of the text in an attempt to make them available in easily understandable language that
both preserves accuracy and flows easily when recited.
Relating to a
Spiritual Teacher (Updated as Wise Teacher, Wise Student) Although the
Buddhist traditions emphasize the importance of relying on a spiritual mentor,
many Western seekers have experienced difficulties in their relationships with
both Asian and Western teachers. Sometimes, misunderstanding has arisen due to
cultural differences. Often, the confusion has been compounded by
misinterpretation of the Tibetan Buddhist teaching to see the spiritual mentor
as a Buddha, particularly in tantra. Consequently, students have either
deified their teachers into infallible masters or demonized them when they
have discovered abuse. I wrote this book to help clarify the confusing issues
and to help students to establish a healthy relationship with a spiritual
teacher that accords with their own and the teacher's levels of qualification,
so that they might derive the most benefit.
Taking the
Kalachakra Initiation (Updated as Introduction to the Kalachakra Initiation) Having translated at several Kalachakra initiations HH the Dalai Lama has conferred and, with his permission, given explanations before, during, and
after the ceremony, I had a good idea of the questions that many people had. I asked many of
them personally to HH and decided to write this book to share his answers and his advice
concerning how best to prepare for receiving the initiation. Since the majority who attend come
as observers, not yet ready to take the vows and commitments, I particularly wished to indicate
levels at which they could participate and how they could benefit more fully from the
experience.
