Dr. Orna Almogi

Orna Almogi studied Tibetology (major) and Religious Studies and Psychology (minors) at the University of Hamburg (MA 1998). She received her PhD in Tibetology from the same University in 2006 (doctoral thesis: “Rong-zom-pa’s Discourses on Traditional Buddhology: A Study on the Development of the Concept of Buddhahood with Special Reference to the Controversy Surrounding the Existence of Gnosis (ye shes: jñāna) at the Stage of a Buddha”). From 1999 until 2004 she had been working for the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP) and the Nepalese-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project (NGMCP), where she had been responsible for the Tibetan materials. From 2008 to 2011 she has been a member of the Researcher Group “Manuscript Cultures in Asia and Africa” with the subproject “The Manuscript Collections of the Ancient Tantras (rNying ma rgyud ’bum): An Examination of Variance.”

Currently she is working at the “Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures” as a leader of the subproject “C02: Doxographical Organisational Schemes in Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Collection of the Ancient Tantras.”

• 2013. Review of Anne Chayet, Christina Scherrer-Schaub, Franҫoise Robin & Jean-Luc Achard (eds.), Edition, éditions: l′écrit au Tibet, évolution et devenir. [The process of editing and the editions/edited texts: the problematic of the written in Tibet, evolution/history and transformation/change]. Colectanea Himalayica 3. Munich: Indus Verlag, 2010. The Journal of Asian Studies 72/4: 992–993.
• 2013. “Yogācāra in the Writings of the Eleventh-Century Rnying ma Scholar Rong zom Chos kyi bzang po.” In Ulrich Timme Kragh (ed.), The Foundation for Yoga Practitioners: The Buddhist Yogācārabhūmi Treatise and Its Adaption in India, East Asia, and Tibet. Harvard Oriental Series 75. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1330–1361.
• 2012. “Guides to Holy Places as Sources for the Study of the Culture of the Book in the Tibetan Cultural Sphere: The Example of Kaḥ thog si tu Chos kyi rgya mtsho's gNas yig.” Historical and Philological Studies of China’s Western Regions 5: 505–530.
• 2011. “Tibetische Manuskriptkultur” / “Tibetan Manuscript Culture.” In the catalogue to the exhibition “Faszination Handschrift: 2000 Jahre Manuskriptkulturen in Asien, Afrika und Europa,” Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg. Manuscript Cultures 4: 126–132.
• 2011. Review of Tibetische Handschriften und Blockdrucke, Teil 13 (Die mTshur-phu-Ausgabe der Sammlung Rin-chen gter-mdzod chen-mo, nach dem Exemplar der Orientabteilung, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Hs or 778, Bände 40–52). Peter Schwieger. Indo-Iranian Journal 54, 2011, pp. 178–184.
• 2010. “Māyopamādvayavāda versus Sarvadharmāpratiṣṭhānavāda: A Late Indian Subclassification of Madhyamaka and its Reception in Tibet.” Journal of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies 14, pp. 135–212.
• 2009. Rong-zom-pa’s Discourses on Buddhology: A Study of Various Conceptions of Buddhahood in Indian Sources with Special Reference to the Controversy Surrounding the Existence of Gnosis (jñāna: ye shes) as Presented by the Eleventh-Century Tibetan Scholar Rong-zom Chos-kyi-bzang-po. Studia Philologica Buddhica Monograph Series 24. Tokyo: International Institute for Buddhist Studies. 549 pages.
  The publication is available from the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies Library.
• 2009. “The Materiality and Immanence of Gnosis in Some rNying-ma Tantric Sources.” In Eli Franco (ed.) in collaboration with Dagmar Eigner, Yogic Perception, Meditation and Altered States of Consciousness. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, pp. 241–262.
• 2008. (ed.) Contributions to Tibetan Buddhist Literature. PIATS 2006: Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter 2006. Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung 14. Halle: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies. 569 pp.
• 2008. “How Authentic Are Titles and Colophons of Tantric Works in the Tibetan Canon? The Case of Three Works and Their Authors and Translators.” In Orna Almogi (ed.), Contributions to Tibetan Buddhist Literature. Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter 2006. Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung 14. Halle: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, pp. 87–124.
• 2006. Online NGMPP Title List: Tibetan Manuscripts (34,221 entries). Compiled by Orna Almogi with the assistance of Alexander Schiller, Jan-Ulrich Sobisch, Katja Thiesen, Jörg Heimbel, Mathias Fermer. (Hamburg: University of Hamburg, Asia-Africa Institute, Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies.) http://catalogue.ngmcp.uni-hamburg.de:3000
• 2005. “Analysing Tibetan Titles: Towards a Genre-based Classification of Tibetan Literature.” Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie 15: Fabienne Jagou (ed.), Conception et Circulation des Textes Tibétains, pp. 27–58.
• 2003. Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP). Preliminary List of Manuscripts, Blockprints and Historical Documents Microfilmed by the NGMPP. Part 2: Tibetan Material (Release 1). Compiled by Orna Almogi with the assistance of Alexander Schiller and Jan-Ulrich Sobisch. Hamburg: University of Hamburg, Asia-Africa Institute, Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies. Approx. 13,000 entries (CD-ROM).
• 2003. Manual to the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project (NGMPP). Preliminary List of Manuscripts, Blockprints and Historical Documents Microfilmed by the NGMPP. Part 2: Tibetan Material (Release 1). Hamburg: University of Hamburg, Asia-Africa Institute, Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies. 33 pages.
• 2002. “Sources on the Life and Works of the Eleventh-Century Tibetan Scholar Rong-zom Chos-kyi-bzang-po: A Brief Survey.” In Henk Blezer (ed.), Tibet, Past and Present. Tibetan Studies 1. PIATS 2000: Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000. Leiden: Brill, pp. 67–80.
  
  

Papers Presented

• 2013. “The Māyopamādvayavāda–Sarvadharmāpratiṣṭhānavāda Distinction⎯A Survey of Eleventh-Century Indian Sources.” Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 09.10.2013.
  
  
• 2013. “The History of the Transmission of the rNying ma rgyud ′bum in the Light of New Findings.” Renmin University, Beijing, 08.10.2013.
  
  
• 2013. “Scribes and Editors at Work: On the Making of rNying ma rgyud 'bum Editions.” Sichuan University, Chengdu, 23.09.2013.
  
  
• 2013. “Alterations, Omissions, Additions: Scribal And Editorial Interventions and A Typology of Variant.” 11.08.2013. Workshop “From Manuscripts & Xylographs to Modern Editions: Buddhist Textual Scholarship in Theory and  Practice.” Thimphu, Bhutan, August, 10–18, 2013.
  
  
• 2013. “The gDong dkar la Edition of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum: A New Link in the History of the Transmission of the Collection of the Ancient Tantras.” 25.07.2013. Panel: “Nyingma Studies – What's in a Name?,” XIIIth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 21–27.07.2013.
  
  
• 2013. “Tantric Scriptures in the rNying ma rgyud 'bum Believed to have been Transmitted into Tibet by Kāśmirian Paṇḍitas: A Preliminary Survey.” Conference “Around Abhinavagupta Aspects of the Intellectual History of Kashmir 9th -11th century.” University of Leipzig, 07–10.2013.
  
  
• 2013. “The National Archives' (Kathmandu) rNying ma rgyud 'bum Manuscript Edition: Distinctive Features as Clues for Its Origin and History of Transmission.” Conference on “Manuscript and Xylograph Traditions in the Tibetan Cultural Sphere: Regional and Periodical Characteristics.” University of Hamburg, Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS), 15–18.05.2013.
  
  
• 2012. “Manuscripts and Xylographs in motion across the Tibetan Plateau and beyond.” 15.11.2012. Conference “Manuscripts in Motion”, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, 15–17.11.2012.
  
  
• 2012. “Some Highlights of Recent Tibetological and Buddhological Research Findings.” Ati Foundation, Thimphu, Bhutan, 01.10.2012
  
  
• 2012. “Self-Occurring Gnosis (svayaṃbhūjñāna: rang byung gi ye shes): A Mental or a Metaphysical Entity?” Mahidol University, Thailand, 17.09.2012.
  
  
• 2012. “On the Concept of Self-Occurring Gnosis (svayaṃbhūjñāna: rang byung gi ye shes): A Historical Perspective.” Seoul University, Korea, 12.09.2012.
  
  
• 2012. “Tathāgatagarbha in the Tantric Tradition,” 03.09.2012. Intensive Workshop on Tathāgatagarbha, Geumgang University, Korea, 03–07.09.2012.
  
  
• 2012. “Translation as Proofs and Polemics of Authentication: rNying-ma versus gSar-ma Translation Practices.” 24.07.2012. Symposium on “Cross-Cultural Transmission of Buddhist Texts: Theories and Practices of Translation,” University of Hamburg, 23–25.07.2012.
  
  
• 2012. Together with Agnieszka Helman-Wazny & Jeff Wallman, “The role of digitisation in manuscript and textual research as exemplified by their application to Tibetan manuscript culture.” Workshop: Digital Methods in Manuscript Studies, Digital Humanities Conference 2012, May 16–23, 2012, University of Hamburg.
  
  
• 2012. “The Multiple Versions of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum Collection: A Case Study of Organisational Schemes and Compilatory Processes of Tibetan Buddhist Scriptures.” Centro di Studi sul Buddhismo, Università degli Studi di Napoli “L'Orientale.” March 21, 2012.
  
  
• 2012. “The Eighteen Major Mahāyoga Tantras and Their Organisation within the Collection of the Ancient Tantras.” The 11th Annual Conference of Asian Studies in Israel, Tel Aviv University.
  
  
• 2011. “Die Buch- und Schriftkultur Tibets: Entstehung, Entwicklung und Instandhaltung.” Lecture held at the opening of the exhibition “Kalligraphie im Dialogue: China - Iran - Tibet”, Gallerie Atelier III, Bramstedt.
  
  
• 2011. “Various Conceptions of Akaniṣṭha in the Tibetan Tradition with Special Reference to rNying-ma Tantric Sources.” Lecture held at the XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Taiwan.
  
  
• 2011. “On the Problem of the Absolute in Madhyamaka.” Lecture held at McGill University, Faculty of Religious Studies, March 2, 2011.
  
  
• 2010. “Travelogues as Sources for the Study of the Culture of the Book in the Tibetan Cultural Sphere: The Example of Kaḥ thog si tu Chos kyi rgya mtsho’s gNas yig.” Lecture held at Renmin University, Beijing.
  
  
• 2010. “Towards a History of the Transmission of the rNying ma rgyud ’bum Manuscript Collections.” Lecture held at the China Tibetology Research Center, Beijing.
  
  
• 2010. “The Circulation of Manuscript and Xylograph Editions of the Tibetan Canon: A Preliminary Survey.” The 12th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, August 15 –21, Vancouver.
  
  
• 2009. “Are Phenomena Illusion-like or Substratum-less? A Late Indian Madhyamaka Controversy.” Lecture held at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
  
  
• 2009. “Epistemological Theories and Their Influence on Buddhological Issues Among Early Tibetan Mādhyamikas.” Lecture held at the Institute for Language and Cultural Studies, Bhutan.
  
  
• 2008. “The bsTan-’gyur and its Patrons and Editors: The History of the Transmission of the ‘Treatises in Translation’ Based on Historical Sources.” Lecture held at the International Institute for Buddhist Studies, Tokyo.
  
  
• 2008. “The Cult and Culture of Sacred Books in Tibet: Doctrinal, Political and Economical Factors.” Lecture held at Tsukuba University, Japan.
  
  
• 2008. “Rong-zom Chos-kyi-bzang-po’s Subclassification of the Madhyamaka School.” XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, within the panel “Tibetan scholasticism in the 11th and 12th centuries,” Emory University, Atlanta, June 23–29, 2008.
  
  
• 2008. “On Some Less Known Tenjur Editions: Filling the Gap in the History of the Transmission of the Translated Treatises.” Lecture held at the Departments of East Asian Languages and Cultures and of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
  
  
• 2007. “Does a Buddha Possess Gnosis (jñāna: ye shes)? A Dispute among Madhyamaka Exponents in India and Tibet.” Lecture held at the Center for Buddhist Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
  
  
• 2007. “What Is a Buddha? An Overview of the Buddhological Concepts Found in Tantric and Non-Tantric Mahāyāna Sources.” Lecture held at the Stanford Center for Buddhist Studies, Stanford University.
  
  
• 2006. “On the Identification of Some Canonical Texts, Their Authors and Translators.” The Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter, August 27 – September 2.
  
  
• 2006. “The Physicality and Immanence of Gnosis in Some rNying-ma Tantric Sources.” Symposium: Yogic Perception, Meditation and Altered States of Consciousness, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, June 27–30.
  
  
• 2006. “Manuskripte und Buchdruck in Tibet” (“Manuscripts and Book Printing in Tibet”). Lecture held within the lecture series “Die Faszination der Handschrift: Manuskriptkulturen in Asien und Afrika” (“The Fascination of Manuscripts: Manuscript Cultures in Asia and Africa”), Asia-Africa Institute, University of Hamburg.
  
  
• 2005. “Sangs rgyas kyi sa chen mo: Rong zom pa on Traditional Buddhology.” Lecture held at the Department for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna.
  
  
• 2003. “Analysis of Tibetan Titles: Towards a Genre-based Classification of Tibetan Literature.” The Tenth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Oxford, September 6–12.
  
  
• 2000. “Der Buchkult in der Tibetischen Kultur” (“The Cult of the Book in Tibetan Culture”). Lecture held at the symposium “Asien und Afrika in Hamburg,” June 5–7, Congress Centrum Hamburg. Organized by the University of Hamburg.
  
  
• 2000. “A Brief Survey of the Life and Works of the Eleventh-Century Scholar and Translator Rong-zom Chos-kyi-bzang-po.” The Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden, June 24–30.
  
  
• 1999. “Ein Tibetischer Gelehrter des 11. Jahrhunderts: Legenden und Entdeckungen” (“A Tibetan Scholar of the 11th Century: Legends and Discoveries”). Lecture held on the occasion of the NGMPP exhibition Buddhas Berge Bücher in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg.