Padmasambhava, Uḍḍiyāna, and Tibet Seminar: Matthew Kapstein on a recent “gsung ’bum” of Padmasambhava

The Padmasambhava, Uḍḍiyāna, and Tibet seminar series at Oxford's Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Centre looks at Padmasambhava from many angles: history, myth and ritual. It also covers Kashmir, Uḍḍiyāna and Tibet, and how these regions shaped one another during the tantric era. The convenors are Cathy Cantwell and Robert Mayer (University of Oxford) and Yunyao Zhai (Harvard University).

This session

Wednesday 18 November 2026, 17:00–18:00 UK time (18:00 CET, 12:00 US Eastern, 22:45 in Kathmandu)

Matthew Kapstein: “Apropos a recent ‘gsung ’bum’ of Padmasambhava”

In 2013 the Tibet People's Publishing House in Lhasa published a three-volume collection of writings attributed to Padmasambhava. It is part of a series devoted to Padmasambhava, Śāntarakṣita and Emperor Trisong Detsen. Professor Kapstein will look at the selections that relate to the Mañjuśrī-nāma-saṅgīti. All Tibetan traditions accept this tantric scripture, but here it is read in line with a distinctive Great Perfection (Dzogchen) approach.

About the speaker

Matthew Kapstein is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris and Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He formerly directed the Tibetan Studies research team at the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations de l'Asie orientale in Paris. His books include The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism (2000), Reason's Traces (2001), The Tibetans (2006) and Tibetan Manuscripts and Early Printed Books (2024).

How to attend

• Free, with no registration needed.
• Online: join on Zoom at bit.ly/treasureseminar.
• In person: at the Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Centre, Wolfson College, Oxford. Check the series page for the room and other dates; the seminar meets on Wednesdays at 5 pm UK time.

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