Nancy G. Lin

Nancy G. Lin serves as Associate Professor of Tibetan and South Asian Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS), a member institution of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). She joined the faculty in 2021 after prior teaching appointments at Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (2011)
• M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies (Tibet specialization) from Columbia University (2003)
• A.B. in Government, cum laude, from Harvard University (2000)

Dr. Lin's research examines how literary and visual cultures shape Buddhist traditions across Tibet and the Himalaya, with particular focus on worldly engagement within monastic frameworks. Her work investigates karma and rebirth narratives, poetic language in religious texts, Buddhist material culture, translation dynamics, and courtly networks. She emphasizes how communities draw from historical and living traditions through rituals, cosmologies, and environmental interactions.

Her publication record reveals consistent scholarly output on Tibetan Buddhist materiality and courtly traditions since 2008, progressing from literary adaptations of the Ramayana to monastic ideals and Fifth Dalai Lama-era reliquary practices. Current research centers on seventeenth-eighteenth century Tibetan courtly cultures and worldly Buddhist practices.

Dr. Lin teaches courses including Buddhism and World Religions, Buddhist Pastoral Care, and leadership topics within religious contexts, emphasizing practical applications of historical traditions.

Information regarding Dr. Lin's student advising and research grant activities was not provided in available sources.

No laboratories or research teams are documented in the source material.