Ngawang Samten | |
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| Born | (1956-07-07)7 July 1956 (age 69) Dokhar, Tibet |
| Occupations | Educationist Tibetologist |
| Known for | Central University for Tibetan Studies |
| Awards | Padma Shri |
Ngawang Samten is a Tibetan educationist,Tibetologist and the vice chancellor of theCentral University for Tibetan Studies.[1] Besides editing publications such asAbhidhammathasamgaho,Pindikrita,Pancakrama andManjusri, he is the co-translator ofJe Tsongkhapa's commentary onNagarjuna’sMūlamadhyamakakārikā.[2] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Education.[3]
Ngawang Samten was born in the Central Tibetan town of Dokhar on 7 July 1956 but grew up in India since the age of three when his parents migrated to there in the wake of the1959 Tibetan uprising.[4] His early schooling was at Chandragiri, inOdisha, after which he did higher education at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, (the present dayCentral University for Tibetan Studies CUTS), from where he passed theShastri andAcharya grades. He also pursued his monastic education atGanden Shartse Monastery,Mundgod,Karnataka, and secured theGeshe degrees ofDhorampa andLharampa, the latter one, a doctoral degree equivalent to a PhD.[4] He started his career as a research assistant at his alma mater, CUTS, and rose to the position of the head of the Research Department. During this period, he was involved in the translation of ancient Buddhist texts intoSanskrit. His post graduate research on the philosophy ofNagarjuna was later published by him as a critical edition ofRatnavali (Precious Garland), with his own commentary.[5]
Later, Samten became the director of the Research and Publications Division of CUTS before being appointed as the vice chancellor of the institution.[6] His efforts have been known to have assisted many universities in designing their curricula in Buddhist Studies and have helped in popularizing the topic in India.[4] He has published three critical editions of Buddhist texts,Abhidhammattha-sangaha,Pindidrita andPancakrama ofNagarjuna, all with his own commentary. His work,The Ocean of Reasoning, is anOxford University Press-published English translation with annotations of the commentary ofMūlamadhyamakakārikā written byJe Tsongkhapa.[2] He is a former member of the Editorial Board of theInternational Association of Tibetan Studies and has served as the visiting professor at theHampshire College,Amherst College,Smith College and theUniversity of Tasmania, besides travelling many places in India and abroad for delivering orations[7] and participating in seminars, conferences and workshops onTibetan Buddhism.[8] He also serves as the Principal Teacher at Vajrayana Institute,New South Wales.[9] In 2009, he received the civilian honour of thePadma Shri from the Government of India for his contributions to Education.[3]
Ngawang Samten was invited along with Tsewang Tamdin and Tsering Thakchoe Drungtso for a hearing on July 21, 2010 by an Indian permanent parliamentary committee composed of thirty-two deputies and chaired by Amar Singh, playing a role in the recognition ofSowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) in India in conjunction with theMinistry of Ayush.[10][11]
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