Judith Simmer-Brown is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emerita at

Naropa University Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named after the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university ...

. She has expertise in

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

, Women and Buddhism, Buddhist-Christian dialogue, Western Buddhism and Contemplative Education. She is an

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

— a senior Buddhist teacher — in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and was a senior student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She serves on the board of the Society of Buddhist-Christian Studies, and is on the steering committee of the Contemplative Studies Group of the American Academy of Religion. Previously she was a member of the Lilly Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter.

Life

She was raised as a minister's daughter in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, and graduated from Cornell College in Iowa (BA History and Religion);

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

(MA Religious Studies); and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Religious Studies, ABD. After studying at

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

in Buddhist Studies, she received her PhD from Walden University. Previously, she taught at Bensalem College and at

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

, Fairhaven College, and Whatcom Community College. In 1980, she married Richard Brown and has two children and three grandchildren.

Writings

* Simmer-Brown, Judith and Fran Grace (2011). ''Meditation and the Classroom: Contemplative Pedagogy for Religious Studies.'' SUNY Press. * Simmer-Brown, Judith (2001). ''Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism''. Shambhala Publications. Also published in Spanish, French, Dutch, and Polish translations. * Simmer-Brown, Judith (1999). "Commitment and Openness: A Contemplative Approach to Pluralism," ''in The Heart of Learning: Spirituality and Education'', edited by Steven Glazer. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. * Simmer-Brown, Judith (2000). "A Buddhist Approach to Pluralism: The Dialogue Relationship''," Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars,'' edited by Roger Jackson and John Makransky. Honolulu: Curzon Press. * Simmer-Brown, Judith (2006). “The Prospects for a Bhikṣunī Saṅgha in Tibetan Buddhism,” in ''Buddhist Studies from India to America: Essays in Honor of Charles S. Prebish'', edited by Damien Keown. New York and London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2006.

References

External links

Audio Interview Series
on ''Buddhist Geeks'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmer-Brown, Judith Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Tibetan Buddhism writers Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teachers Converts to Buddhism Buddhist acharyas Naropa University faculty Western Washington University alumni