CURRICULUM VITAE

Alexander von Rospatt

April 2026

University Education

• April 2001 Completion of the post-doctoral habilitation thesis, submitted at the University
of Hamburg, entitled The Periodic Renovations of the Thrice-Blessed Svayambhūcaitya
of Kathmandu.
• 1988-1993 University of Hamburg: Ph.D with a thesis on The Buddhist Doctrine of
Momentariness (published in 1995).
• 1985-1988 University of Hamburg: Master of Arts in Indology with Religious Studies and
Tibetology as minor subjects.
• 1982-85 School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: Bachelor of Arts in
Religious Studies with History

Academic Appointments

• Since August 2003 Appointment as Professor of Buddhist and South Asian Studies in
the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California,
Berkeley. (since July 2021, The Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished
Professor in South and Southeast Asian Studies; since 2012 Director of the Group in
Buddhist Studies)
• June 2024 Visiting Professor at the University of Naples "L’Orientale"
• Visiting Professor at the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich – LMU in summer term
2019, summer term 2016, summer term 2014, academic year 2011/12
• December 2017 Directeur d'études at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Études – Section
des Sciences religieuses, PLS Research University Paris.
• Summer term 2014 Visiting Professor at the International College for Postgraduate
Buddhist Studies, Tokyo.
• 2008 offer of the professorship of Indology and Buddhist Studies at Hamburg University
(declined)
• 2003 offer of the chair of Indologu at Leipzig University (declined)
• February 2002 - July 2003 Visiting Professor for Buddhist Studies (standing in for Prof.
Ernst Steinkellner) at the Institute for South Asian-, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the
University of Vienna.
• September 2001 - December 2001 Visiting Numata Professor in Buddhist Studies at the
University of California, Berkeley.
• April 2001 - July 2001 Visiting Numata Professor in Buddhist Studies at the University of
Oxford, Balliol College.
• April 1993 - March 2001 Assistant Professor (Hochschulassistent) at the Institute for
Indology at Leipzig University, Germany. (March 1997 - February 2000: Three year leave as German Research Council fellow for pursuing a research project in Kathmandu on the Svayambhunath stupa.)
• February 1988 - September 1990 Appointment as researcher (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) at Hamburg University, cataloguing manuscripts microfilmed by the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project.

Select Publications

Books
• The Svayambhū Caitya of Kathmandu and its Renovations. Heidelber: Heidelberg
University Publishing , forthcoming in 2026.
• The Buddhist Doctrine of Momentariness. A Survey of the Origins and Early Phase of this
Doctrine up to Vasubandhu. (Alt- und Neu-Indische Studien 47). Stuttgart: Steiner. 1995.
(US reprint forthcoming with the Institute of Buddhist Studies and Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai
America, Berkeley).

Articles

  •  “Buddhism in Nepal.” In J. A. Silk, R. Bowring and V. Eltschinger (eds.), Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism Leiden, Brill, 2025. Online.  https://doi.org/10.1163/2467-9666_enbo_COM_4117.
  • “Plaque Commemorating the Bhimaratha Old Age Ritual. Icons Marking the Communal Performance of Buddhist Rituals,” Object 85 in Himalayan Art in 108 Objects, Rubin Museum of Art, 2022, pp. 364-367. (published in a more extended version online at https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/plaque-commemorating-the-bhimaratha-old-age-ritual/)
  • “The Svayambhu chaitya of Kathmandu. Shrines as the focal point of Buddhist communities,” Object 3 in Himalayan Art in 108 Objects, Rubin Museum of Art, 2022. pp. 40-43. (published in a more extended version online at https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/the-svayambhu-chaitya-of-kathmandu/)
  • “On the Monumental Scroll of the Svayambhūpurāṇa now kept in the VMFA Collection,”  in Jinah Kim and Todd Lewis, eds. Dharma and Puṇya. Buddhist Ritual Art of Nepal, Leiden-Boston, Hotei Publishing, 2019, pp. 166-186.
  • "Vajracharya Crowns and Diadems: Structure, Iconography, and Function,” in J.H. Rice and J.S. Durham, eds. Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey toward Enlightenment, Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2019, pp. 170-179.
  • “The Collective Sponsorship of the Renovations of the Svayambhūcaitya in the later Malla Era, and its Documentation in Historical Records,” in S. Cubelic, A. Michaels and A. Zotter, eds.  Studies in Historical Documents from Nepal and India. Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing (HeiUP), 2018, pp. 163-191 (https://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/catalog/book/331/chapter/4132)
  • “The Roots of Violence: Society and the Individual in Buddhism and Girard” (together with Jacob Dalton),  in Wolfgang Palaver and Richard Schenk, eds.,  René Girard and World Religions/ East Lansing, Michigan State University Press, 2017, pp. 339-366.
  • “Local Literatures: Nepal,” in Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Ed. Jonathan Silk, Oskar von Hinüber, and Vincent Eltschinger. Leiden: Brill, 2015. Vol. 1 pp. 819-830.
  • “The Mural Paintings of the Svayambhūpurāṇa at the Shrine of Śantipur, and their Origins with Pratāpa Malla.” In Benjamin E. Bogin and Andrew Quintman, eds., New Research in Himalayan Passages in Honor of Hubert Decleer. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2014, pp. 45-68.
  • “Negotiating the Passage beyond a Full Span of Life: Old Age Rituals among the Newars,” in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Volume 37,issue 1, 2014, pp. 104-129.  (http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/csas20/.U32U-FfbAQQ#.U32XFVfbAQQ)
  • “Altering the Immutable. Textual Evidence in support of an architectural history of the Svayambhū caitya of Kathmandu,”  in Franz-Karl Ehrhard and Petra Maurer, eds. Nepalica-Tibetica: Festgabe für Christoph Cüppers. (Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung. Vol. 28) Andias, Switzerland: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2013, vol. 2, pp. 91-116.
  • “Buddhist Strategies of Keeping its Sacred Images and Shrines Alive. The Example of the Svayambhū-caitya of Kathmandu.”  in David Park, Kuenga Wangmo, Sharon Cather (eds).  Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and its Conservation. London: Archetype Publications. 2013, pp. 275-285.
  • "Remarks on the Bhāvanāmayī Bhūmiḥ and its Treatment of Practice." In The Yogācārabhūmi Treatise and Its Adaptation in India, East Asia, and Tibet, edited by Ulrich Timme Kragh, Harvard Oriental Series vol. 75. Cambridge, MA: Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University, 2013, pp. 852-871. (reprint 2015, pp. 74-93)
  • "Past continuity and recent changes in the ritual practice of Newar Buddhism. Reflections on the impact of Tibetan Buddhism and the advent of modernity." In Revisiting Rituals in an Changing Tibetan World. Edited by Katia Buffetrille. Leiden and Boston: Brill. 2012: pp. 209-240.
  • “The Past Renovations of the Svayambhūcaitya,” in Tsering Palmo Gellek and Padma Dorje Maitland (eds.), Light of the Valley. Renewing the Sacred Art and Traditions of Svayambhu. Cazadero, California: Dharma Publishing, 2011, pp. 157-206.
  • "Remarks on the Consecration Ceremony in Kuladatta’s Kriyāsaṃgrahapañjikā and its Development in Newar Buddhism." in Hindu and Buddhist Initiations in Nepal and India, edited by Astrid and Christof Zotter. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2010, pp. 199-262.
  • “The Sacred Origins of the Svayambhūcaitya and the Nepal Valley: Foreign Speculation and Local Myth.” Journal of the Nepal Research Centre vol. 13. Kathmandu: Nepal Research Centre 2009, pp. 33-91.
  • "The Transformation of the Monastic Ordination (pravrajyā) into a Rite of Passage in Newar Buddhism." In Words and Deeds: Hindu and Buddhist Rituals in South Asia. (Ethno-Indology 1). Edited by Jörg Gengnagel, Ute Hüsken and Srilata Raman. Wiesbaden: Harassowitz, 2005, pp. 199-234.
  • "Impermanence and Time. The Contemplation of Impermanence (anityatā) in the Yogacara Tradition of Maitreya and Asanga." In: Walter Schweidler, ed.: Zeit: Anfang und Ende. Ergebnisse und Beiträge des Internationalen Symposiums der Hermann und Marianne Straniak Stiftung. Sankt Augustin: Academia Verlag, 2004, pp.75-91.
  • "On the Conception of the Stūpa in Vajrayāna Buddhism: The Example of the Svayambhucaitya of Kathmandu." In Journal of the Nepal Research Centre 11 (1999), pp. 121-147.
  • "Einige Berührungspunkte zwischen der buddhistischen Augenblicklichkeitslehre und der Vorstellung von der Momentanheit der Akzidenzien (’arad, a’rad) in der islamischen Scholastik“ (Some Commanalities between the Buddhist Doctrine of Momentariness and the Momentariness of the 'accidents' in Islamic scholasticism). In Annäherung an das Fremde: XXVI. Deutscher Orientalistentag vom 25. bis 29. 9. 1995 in Leipzig. Edited by H. Preissler and H. Stein, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag (ZDMG-Suppl. 11), 1999, pp. 523-530.

Contributions to Encyclopedias and other Miscellanea

  • Coeditor of Lambert Schmithausen. Collected Papers. Volume III: 2000-2018. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies, 2026.
  • “Momentariness.” In: Singh, N.N. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Mindfulness, Buddhism, and Other Contemplative Practices. Springer, Cham., 2024 (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90465-4_86-1)
  • “Nepal Turning North: A Reflection on the Role of China in Nepal,” 5 pages) coauthored with Manju von Rospatt, published in the online journal Sinosfere, periodico (ISSN 2612-6982), vol. XVI “Visioni Asiatiche, Sinografie”, 2022. (https://sinosfere.com/2022/10/22/manju-von-rospatt-e-alexander-von-rospatt-la-svolta-a-nord-del-nepal-una-riflessione-sul-ruolo-della-cina-in-nepal/) 8 pp. [the Italian version “La svolta a nord del Nepal. Una riflessione sul ruolo della Cina in Nepal” covers 16pp]
  • Coeditor of Lambert Schmithausen. Collected Papers. Volume II: 1978-1999. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies, 2023.
  • “Padmanabh S. Jaini: Obituary,” Center of Jain Studies Newletter, SOAS, vol. 16, 2021, pp. 56f.
  • “Introduction” to Kamal Prakash Malla (trslt.), Svayambhūpurāṇa. Translation of the original Sanskrit manuscript, Svayaṃbhūcaityabhaṭṭārakoddeśa (Nepal-German Manusript Preservation Project, Reel No. A923/4), Nepal: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 2021, pp. ix-xvi.
  • Co-authored with Niels Gutschow and Andreas Kretschmar,: Kadam Chorten (bka '-gdams-mchod-rten) at Tahaja, Bhaktapur. An Illustrated Documentation of the Construction Process and Related Rituals, 13th February 2000 to 24th December 2002. Mackenheim, 2019.
  • Coeditor of Lambert Schmithausen. Collected Papers. Volume I: 1963-1977. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies, 2016
  • “A Study of Jainism: A Symposium in Honor of Professor Padmanabh Jaini’s 90th Birthday,” Center of Jain Studies Newletter, SOAS, vol. 9, 2014, pp. Xf.
  • “Die Abhidharmatexte. Das ganze Dasein erfassen,” in Tibet und Buddhismus. Magazin für Tibetischen Buddhismus im Westen. Vol. 26.4, 2012: pp. 28-32.
  • Obituary of Professor Bernhard Kölver, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 159,1 (2009), pp. 5-14.
  • “Report on the Conference "Nepal — Current State of Research and Perspectives"held in memory of Prof. Bernhard Kölver in June 2003 in Leipzig.”In European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 24 (2003), pp. 80-82.
  • "Śvetāmbara". In Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Fourth Edition. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003: Vol. 7, p. 1913. (Reprint in Religion Past and Present. Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Leiden: Brill)
  • "Nepal". In Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Fourth Edition. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003: Vol. 6, pp. 192-194. (Reprint in Religion Past and Present. Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Leiden: Brill)
  • "Mahāvīra." In Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Fourth Edition. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003: Vol. 5, p. 682. (Reprint in Religion Past and Present. Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Leiden: Brill)
  • "Der Jinismus." In Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Fourth Edition. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2001: Vol. 4, pp. 596-598.  (Reprint in Religion Past and Present. Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Leiden: Brill).
  • "Momentariness, Buddhist Doctrine of." In Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. 1998: vol. 6, pp. 469-473.
  • “In Remembrance of Pandit Ratnakaji Bajracharya.” In Paṃ Ratnakājī Vajrācāryayā Smṛta Grantha. Kathmandu: Dance Mandal, 2001, pp. 233-235.
  • Introduction to Ratnakajī Vajrācārya: Yeṃ deyā caitya. Vivaraṇātmaka adhyayana. (A Survey of the Caityas of Kantipur). Yala: Nepālamaṇḍalayā Bauddha Saṃskṛti Sammelana Āyojaka Samiti, 1998.

Professional Service
• Member of the editorial board of the Journal of Sanskrit Studies, published by the
Sanskrit Text Society.
• Member of Dottorato di Ricerca di interesse nazionale in “Studi religiosi” - XL ciclo –
Commissione “Buddhismo e Religioni dell’Asia” (Sede Amministrativa: Università degli
Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy)
• Member of the Research Committee "Religions- und rechtsgeschichtliche Quellen des
vormodernen Nepal” (Premodern Nepal: religious and legal sources) at the Academy
Heidelberg).
• Member of the editorial Board of the monograph series Ethno-Indology,
• Member of the editorial board of the Jourrnal of the International Association of Buddhist
Studies
• Member of the editorial board for the Buddhism section of Religion Compass
• Member of the Boards of Advisors for the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC), for
the “Occasional Papers in Buddhist Studies Series) (BOPBS), and for the Buddhist
Universal Digital Archive (BUDA).
• Member on the editorial board (“Comitato Scientifico”) of the series Apavarga. Repertori,
antologie e lemmari del Sudasia.apavarga.
• Advisor of the The Sarnath International Nyingma Institute
• Member of the Board of Advisors for the Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist
Languages
• Member of the editorial board of the Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und
Buddhismuskunde (Vienna Studies in Tibetology and Buddhism) published by the
"Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien" (Association for Tibetan and
Buddhist Studies) at the University of Vienna
• Member of the Editorial Board of The Institute for Śaiva and Tantric Studies, ISTS,
Portland, Oregon.
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust
• Reviewer for the German Union of Academies, the German Research Council, the
Leverhulme Trust (UK), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), the Arcadia
Fund (UK), etc
• Reviewer for the Journal of Indian Philosophy, the Buddhism Compass Journal (which is
part of the Religion Compass Series from Blackwell), the Thai International Journal for
Buddhist Studies (TIJBS) etc.