Devin Zuckerman
Indian and Tibetan Buddhism | Contemplative Studies | Buddhist Environmental Thought and Practice
Cirriculum Vitae
I'm a teacher and scholar of religion. My research explores Buddhist philosophies of materiality, the human body, the senses, the environment, and the convergence of these themes in Buddhist practices of meditation. I'm currently an assistant professor in the department of religious studies at the University of Virginia.
Education
Ph.D. Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, 2024
M.Div. Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, 2016
B.A. Department of Religious Studies, Naropa University, 2013
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
The Chapter on The Theory of The Elements (‘byung ba’i gnas) in Klong chen pa’s Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (Theg mchog mdzod)” in Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines no. 75 (Mars 2025) “New Directions and Emergent Conversations in Tibetan Studies,” p.233-254. https://d1i1jdw69xsqx0.cloudfront.net/digitalhimalaya/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_75_12.pdf
“Sky Divination: An Elemental Practice from the Unimpeded Sound Tantra.” Journal of Contemplative Studies 3 (2025) “Special Issue on Contemplative Ecology,” p.109-123. https://contemplativejournal.org/article/kmhb1827/
Book Chapters
Elemental Ways of Knowing, Sensing, and Being in the Unimpeded Sound Tantra (Sgra thal ‘gyur) inContemplative Practice in Tibetan Contexts, Brill Tibetan Studies Library, forthcoming.
Special Issues Edited
Christie, Kotva, Mayse, & Zuckerman, Journal of Contemplative Studies 3 (2025) "Special Issue on Contemplative Ecology" https://contemplativejournal.org/special-issue/contemplative-ecology/
Calobrisi & Zuckerman, Journal of Dharma Studies 3, no. 2 (2020). Special Issue on Buddhism and the History of Science, p.215-348.
In Submission
The Remedies of Body, Speech, and Mind: Contemplative Medicine in the Unimpeded Sound Tantra (Sgra thal ‘gyur) in the Journal of Contemplative Studies 7 Special Issue on Dzogchen, forthcoming.
Elemental Natures: Sensory Ecological Ethics in a Tibetan Buddhist Listening Meditation, in Religiographies, Special Issue on Materiality at the Intersection of Religion and Ecology, Vol. 3 n. 2, forthcoming.
Teaching
University of Virginia, Instructor of Record
Religion, Ethics, and Global Environments (Fall 2025)
Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy (Fall 2025)
Buddhist Environmental Thought and Practice (Spring 2023)
James Madison University, Instructor of Record
Introduction to Buddhism (Spring 2025)
University of Virginia, Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Eastern Religious Traditions (Spring 2021)
Buddhist Meditation and the Modern Secular World (January 2021)
Religion, Ethics, and Global Environments (Spring 2019)
Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (Fall 2017/2018 Spring 2018)
Harvard University, Teaching Assistant
Buddhism Through Its Scriptures (Summer 2016)
Public Talks and Research Presentations
Conference Presentations
2025
Panelist on “The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global Mindfulness Roundtable.” International Association of Buddhist Studies. Leipzig, Germany, August 13.
“Sensory Relations with Land, Water, and Air in Early Great Perfection (Rdzogs chen) Contemplation.” International Association of Buddhist Studies (Buddhist Responses to Nature, Ecology, and the Climate Crisis). Leipzig, Germany, August 12.
Panelist on “Staying with the Trouble: Crisis, Coordination, & Reciprocity,” Finding the Way: Religion, Ecology, and the Future of the Applied Humanities, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, March 2-4.
2024
“Healing the Body, Speech, and Mind: A Great Perfection (Rdzogs chen) Take on Buddhist Contemplative Medicine in the Unimpeded Sound Tantra (Sgra thal ‘gyur),” American Academy of Religion (Contemplative Studies Unit), San Diego, CA, November 24.
“Hearing the Voices of the Ḍākinī in the Water: Tibetan Buddhist Elemental Meditations and their Environmental Contexts,” Materiality at the Intersection of Ecology and Religious Studies, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venezia, Italy May 21-23.
2023
“Inside, Outside: Elemental Bodies and Environments in the Seventeen Tantras (Rgyu bcu bdun),”American Academy of Religion (Tibetan and Himalayan Religions Unit), San Antonio, TX, November 20.
“Elements of Experience: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind in the Seventeen Tantras (Rgyud bcu bdun),”American Academy of Religion (Tantric Studies Unit), San Antonio, TX, November 18.
2022
“Elemental Theory in Longchenpa’s Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (Theg mchog mdzod),” International Seminar of Young Tibetologists, Charlottesville, VA, July 31-August 6.
“‘When There’s Fire in the Time of Fire’: Elemental-Sensory Contemplative Practices in 12th Century Great Perfection Seminal Heart Literature,” International Association of Tibetan Studies, Prague, Czech Republic, July 3-8.
2021
“‘No One Does this Anymore’: Shifting perspectives on Matter, Materiality, and the Elements in Tibet’s Great Perfection Tradition,” Institute of Buddhist Studies Symposium, Berkeley, CA, October 22.
2020
“The Sound of Earth, Water, Fire and Wind: Elemental Theory and Practice in 11th-12th Century Great Perfection Literature,” (w/ Adam Liddle), American Academy of Religion, Online November 29-December 10.
2020
“Five Element Theory and the Environmental Imagination in 12th Century Nyingma Tantra,” International Conference on Vajrayana Buddhism, Thimphu, Bhutan (Canceled Covid-19).
Public Talks and Presentations
2025
“Tibetan Texts and Text Processing,” Goodrich Classical Club, University of Vermont, online, February 20.
2024
“Bodies, Environments, and their Elemental Entanglements in the Seventeen Great Perfection Tantras” Buddhism & the Body in Tibet Symposium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, April 19.
“Buddhist Elemental Environments” Touching Earth Series on Buddhism and the Environment, Buddhist Studies Institute, April 6
“The Environmental Imagination” Touching Earth Series on Buddhism and the Environment, Buddhist Studies Institute, April 5
2023
“Buddhist Elemental Thought Across Time, Place, and Genre,” Mangalam Research Institute, Berkeley, California, October 3.
2021
“Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Traditions,” Insight Meditation Society, Charlottesville, Virginia, October 5.
Environmental Humanities Research
2024-
“From Fear to Flourishing: Climate Anxiety & Wellbeing” Co-sponsored Initiative between the Environmental Institute, Contemplative Sciences Center, and Environmental Humanities, University of Virginia.
2023-
Applied Collaborative for Religion and Ecology (ACRE), Stanford Changing Human Experience Initiative, Stanford University.
2023
"Environmental Repair and Relatedness in Himalayan Buddhism" Speaker Series. Unviersity of Virginia. With Dr. Kalzang Bhutia (UC Riverside) and Dr. Pasang Sherpa (UBC). Sponsored by UVa Tibet Center and the Virginia Center for the Study of Religion. Convener.
"Copper in Virginia" The tranSci Lab for Real World Chemistry and Creative Communication, University of Virginia. Object-oriented story-telling project.
2022
"Pedagogy of Awe" Seminar. Religion, Race and Democracy Lab, University of Virginia. Dark skies conservation.
2021
“Fugitive.” Page-Barbour Workshop. University of Virginia. Seminar on "fugitive" chemicals. Project Assistant.
2019
Sanctuaries: Bhutan. Religion, Race and Democracy Lab, University of Virginia & The Royal University of Bhutan. Environmental humanities field research.
2018
Sanctuaries: Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park. Environmental humanities field research.
2017
Listening Lab. Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center, University of Virginia. “Ecoacoustics” as an approach to coastal conservation research.
Languages
Modern Tibetan: Advanced reading, writing, and speaking
Classical Tibetan: Advanced reading and writing
Sanskrit: Advanced reading and writing
French: Intermediate reading and writing
