معرفی
Ben Williams is a Core Associate Professor of Hinduism and Yoga Studies at Naropa University, where he serves as faculty lead for the MA program in Yoga Studies. He holds a PhD in South Asian Studies from Harvard University, an MTS in Hindu Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA in Religion from the University of Vermont. In 2025, he became the first scholar-in-residence for the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute while holding the Muktabodha Chair of Yoga Studies at Naropa until Spring 2028.
His educational background includes:
- PhD in South Asian Studies, Harvard University
- MTS in Hindu Studies, Harvard Divinity School
- BA in Religion, University of Vermont
Williams is an intellectual historian specializing in South Asian religions, particularly the history of Śaiva tantra. His research focuses on Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics through Sanskrit sources, with special attention to Abhinavagupta's works. He explores intersections between religious traditions, cognitive science, and contemplative practices, examining how philosophical frameworks from non-dual Śaivism can inform contemporary understanding of consciousness and education.
His scholarly output reveals consistent focus on knowledge transmission across traditions, particularly examining how Abhinavagupta's theories bridge aesthetics, philosophy, and religious practice. Williams' work increasingly explores interdisciplinary connections between classical Indian thought and modern cognitive science, while maintaining deep engagement with textual scholarship and translation of primary sources.
Williams serves as faculty lead for Naropa's MA program in Yoga Studies and is guiding initiatives related to the preservation, translation, and collaborative study of Sanskrit texts through his role with Muktabodha Indological Research Institute. His work with the Muktabodha digital library, which houses a vast corpus of digitized Sanskrit texts focused on Śaiva and Śākta tantric literature, represents a significant contribution to the field.
