84000 In Conversation is an ongoing weekend series with special guests dropping in to share stories, histories, initiatives, and inspiration, to help us map the sūtras for modern life. This new series is hosted by 84000 associate editor, Joie Chen.
Our first episode is ‘Immeasurable Life’ in which Joie Chen seeks to learn more about two recently translated texts from the Tibetan Buddhist canon, versions of the The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, traditionally recited for longevity.
She will be speaking with Khenpo Choying Dorjee, a senior Khenpo at Dzongsar Chökyi Lodrö Institute, and Dr. John Canti, editorial co-director at 84000, to explore their histories and gain insight into how these texts have been practiced over time in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Listen, ask, and tune in to discover a world of wisdom.
Speakers
Khenpo Choying Dorjee | Senior Khenpo @Dzongsar Khyentse Chöyki Lodrö Institute
Khenpo Choying Dorjee is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar known for his fresh and engaging way of presenting Buddhist philosophy. He was a devoted student of the late Khen Rinpoche Kunga Wangchuk. Khenpo Choying Dorjee joined the Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute (DKCLI) in 1992, receiving his Khenpo title in 2002, and his Khenpo degree (the monastic education equivalent to a PhD in Buddhism) in 2004. He then spent many years in various teaching and leadership roles at DKCLI, and in 2010, was appointed as a teacher to Sakya Dungsay Avikrita Rinpoche.
In 2011 Khenpo was sent to UC Berkeley (USA) as a visiting scholar by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and was also appointed by Rinpoche as the head principal of DCKLI for the 2013-2016 term. Since then Khenpo has been directed by Khyentse Rinpoche to give teachings and to lead practices around Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
Dr. John Canti | Editorial Co-Director @84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
John Canti studied medicine and anthropology at Cambridge University (UK) and qualified as a doctor in 1975. While still a medical student he met and began to study with some of the great Tibetan Buddhist masters of the older generation. In the late 1970s he went to the Dordogne, France, to complete two three-year retreats at Chanteloube, and has remained primarily based there ever since. John is a founding member of the Padmakara Translation Group, was a Tsadra Foundation Fellow from 2001-2012, and was awarded the 2016 Khyentse Foundation Fellowship. In 2009, when 84000 first started, he was appointed Editorial Chair of 84000, and in 2020 has become Editorial Co-Director. His interest in the Kangyur and Tengyur has continued to grow as the project has taken shape, and he feels more and more fascinated by their origins and history, their range of content, and above all by the significance of the extraordinary body of literature the two collections have preserved.
Joie Chen | Associate Editor @84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
Joie is currently a PhD candidate in Buddhist Studies (Study of Religion) at Harvard University, where her research interests include pre-modern Tibetan religious life writing, institutional history, travel literature, and Buddhist art. She holds a BA in Film Studies and English from Yale University and an MPhil in Tibetan & Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford. She is an associate editor at 84000, and the Chinese-language communications coordinator; and the book reviews editor for Buddhadharma magazine.