Eric Greene

Eric Greene is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University, specializing in medieval Chinese Buddhism. He has held academic positions since 2015, including Director of Graduate Studies at the Council on East Asian Studies. His research focuses on the transmission of Indian Buddhism to China, Chan/Zen Buddhism, and Buddhist meditation practices. He earned his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from UC Berkeley in 2012, with additional research at Kyoto University.

Greene's work bridges historical analysis and textual criticism, particularly in early Chinese Buddhist texts such as the Vimalakīrti Sutra commentaries and meditation manuals. His publications include Chan Before Chan (2021) and The Secrets of Buddhist Meditation (2021), exploring meditation’s role in Chinese Buddhist identity and ritual. He has delivered invited lectures globally, addressing topics like Buddhist image worship, repentance practices, and comparative visions of meditation in medieval China and 19th-century psychology.

Greene’s current research examines early Chinese Buddhist translation and commentary practices (150–350 CE), emphasizing how textual interpretation shaped Buddhist sinicization. His affiliations include the Yale Buddhist Studies Initiative and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.