An interview with
Peter Verhagen
Position & Affiliation: University Lecturer of Language and Culture of Tibet, Leiden University
Date: May 31, 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Interviewed by: Anna Sehnalova
Cite this archive
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Oral History of Tibetan Studies project.
Timestamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:35 Where do you come from?
- 6:31 Meeting with Ronald Herman Poelmeijer
- 9:33 Early interest in Tibet
- 12:25 Beginning of Tibetan Studies at Leiden University
- 16:31 MA theses at Amsterdam and Leiden University
- 25:05 Could you say something more about your mentor Ronald Herman Poelmeijer?
- 29:21 Why did you find these cultures interesting?
- 32:15 How did you study with him?
- 35:17 Could you say more about your university studies? How did you learn? What did your classes look like?
- 46:34 What did you like about Tibetan grammar?
- 49:49 Could you say more about your PhD?
- 1:01:40 Could you say more about what happened after your PhD?
- 1:03:46 Participation in the IATS conferences
- 1:22:59 Can you share some memories of people who are not with us?
- 1:29:19 Meeting Gene Smith
- 1:36:30 Continuing research after PhD
- 1:45:17 Could you say more about your research focus has been changing or developing? What were the incentives or reasons behind?
- 1:48:36 Why do you regard the linguistic element so important in Tibetan culture and religion?
- 1:53:25 Could you say more about your different roles as a teacher?
- 1:56:21 Have you had students who you consider your successors?
- 2:00:27 Could you say a bit about Tibetan studies in the Netherlands in general?
- 2:10:48 Did you have the opportunity to travel to Tibet or other areas of Tibetan culture?
- 2:14:10 Have you been observing changes of theoretical discourses in Tibetan studies or Tibetan grammar through your career?
- 2:16:57 Have the studies in Tibet or Indo-Tibetan studies changed in some ways since you were a student?
- 2:19:29 Have Tibetan studies existed or exist now as a discipline or are they a part of Area studies?
- 2:24:47 Could you say a bit about Indian studies in the Netherlands?
- 2:28:58 You also mentioned the IABS, can you say more about your involvement?
- 2:31:38 You have worked on a number of Tibetan scholars; do you have a favourite and why?
- 2:35:35 What would you say your career in Indo-Tibetan or Tibetan studies has given to you?
- 2:42:35 What did you find the most interesting and challenging in your work?
- 2:51:26 What do you see as your most significant contributions and why?
- 2:53:50 Are there still topics you would like to pursue?
- 2:56:02 We are conducting this project for current and future students in Tibetan studies, do you have a message for them?
Additional info
Curriculum vitae
| 1957 | born in Amsterdam on September 1957 |
| 1976–1984 | studied Indic and Iranian languages and cultures, with Sanskrit, Tibetan and general linguistics, University of Amsterdam |
| 1987–1991 | PhD researcher, Leiden University |
| 1991 | PhD under the supervision of T.E. Vetter and J. Bronkhorst (Lausanne), Leiden University |
| 1991–1996 | research fellow on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Leiden University |
| 1996–2009 | university lecturer for Indic religious history, in particular later Buddhism and Tibetan language and literature, Leiden University, 0.5 fte |
| 1996–1998 | replacement teaching tasks of Prof. dr T.E. Vetter, on behalf of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), 0.3 fte |
| 1998–2003 | post-doc researcher on behalf of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), 0.5 fte |
| 2003–2007 | replacement teaching tasks for vacant Buddhology chair, Leiden University, 0.3 fte |
| 2008–2009 | researcher on behalf of the Jan Gonda Foundation, 0.5 fte |
| 2009-present | university lecturer for the language and culture of Tibet, Leiden University, 0.5 fte |
Special activities and positions
- Participant to many conferences all over the world from 1987 to the present
- Full member of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, since 1989
- Full member of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, since 1994
- Member of the advisory board of the “Stichting Hulp Aan Tibetanen” (SHAT) foundation, since 1997
- Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai visiting professor, SOAS, University of London, autumn 2000
- Extra-ordinary visiting lecturer in Buddhism, Theology Faculty, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, terms in 2001–2003
- Member of the founding committee dept. ‘World Religions’, June 1999-May 2000
- Member of the advisory committee Jan Gonda Foundation, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), April 1999–2010
- Member of the editorial board of the “Indo-Tibetan Lexical Resource” database (Hamburg University), since 2011
1988
“Tibetan expertise in Sanskrit grammar – a case study: grammatical analysis of the term Pratītya-samutpāda.” Journal of the Tibet Society 8 [appeared 1996]: 21–48.
1989
“Een Tibetaanse vertelling geschilderd, de eerste boeddhistische koning van Tibet.” In: Hugo Kreijger (samenstelling), Godenbeelden uit Tibet: Lamaïstische kunst uit Nederlands particulier bezit, ’s Gravenhage-Amsterdam, SDU Uitgeverij-Openbaar Kunstbezit, pp. 28–33.
1989
“De oceaangelijke goeroe.” Trouw, 8 december 1989, p. 17.
1990
“The mantra ‘Om mani-padme hum’ in an early Tibetan grammatical treatise.” JIABS 13,2: 133–138.
1991
Sanskrit grammatical literature in Tibet: a study of the Indo-Tibetan canonical literature on Sanskrit grammar and the development of Sanskrit studies in Tibet, [s.l.]. – unpublished PhD thesis Leiden; slightly altered published A history of Sanskrit grammatical literature in Tibet vol. 1: Transmission of the canonical literature, Leiden 1994.
–“Herman Buiskool: Sanskritist en lexicoloog.” In: Hanneke van den Muyzenberg en Thomas de Bruijn (red.), Waarom Sanskrit? Honderdvijfentwintig jaar Sanskrit in Nederland: tien lezingen, Leiden (Kern Institute Miscellanea 4), pp. 30–36.
–“Sanskrit grammatical literature in Tibet: a first survey.” In: J.G. de Casparis (ed.), Sanskrit outside India, Leiden etc. (Panels of the VIIth World Sanskrit Conference, Leiden 1987, vol. 7), pp. 47–63.
–Review of: Tom J.F. Tillemans and Derek D. Herforth, Agents and actions in classical Tibetan: the indigenous grammarians on bdag and gzhan and Bya byed las gsum, Wien 1989 (Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 21). BSOAS 54,1: 208–210.
1992
“ ‘Royal’ patronage of Sanskrit grammatical studies in Tibet.” In: A.W. van den Hoek, D.H.A. Kolff and M.S. Oort (eds), Ritual, state and history in South Asia: essays in honour of J.C. Heesterman, Leiden-New York-Köln (Memoirs of the Kern Institute 5), pp. 375–392.
–“A ninth-century Tibetan summary of the Indo-Tibetan model of case-semantics.” In: S. Ihara and Z. Yamaguchi (eds), Tibetan studies: proceedings of the 5th seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies Narita 1989, Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji (Monograph Series of Naritasan Institute for Buddhist Studies, Occasional Papers 2), pp. 833–844.
1993
“Mantras and grammar: observations on the study of the linguistical aspects of Buddhist ‘esoteric formulas’ in Tibet.” In: K.N. Mishra (ed.), Aspects of Buddhist Sanskrit: proceedings of the international symposium on the language of Sanskrit Buddhist Texts, Oct. 1–5, 1991, Sarnath: Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (Samyag-Vak Series 6), pp. 320–346.
–“Sgra-sbyor-bam-po-gñis-pa on the term Mandala: ‘Seizing the essence’ [title erroneously printed as: The Sgra-sbyor-bam-po-gñis-pa on the Mandala: ‘Seeing the essence’].” Studies in Central and East Asian Religions 5,6 (1992–1993): 134–138. – No proofs were received by the author.
1994
A history of Sanskrit grammatical literature in Tibet, vol. 1: Transmission of the canonical literature, Leiden-New York-Köln (Handbuch der Orientalistik 2,8). – Revised PhD thesis, Leiden 1991.
–“Portret van een Lama in het Rijksmuseum.” Aziatische Kunst 24,3: 26–30.
–Review of: Thomas Oberlies, Studie zum Candravyākaraṇa: eine kritische Bearbeitung von Candra IV.4.52–148 und V.2, Stuttgart 1989 (Alt-und Neu-Indische Studien 38). IIJ 37,2: 171–175.
1995
“Studies in Tibetan indigenous grammar (2): Tibetan phonology and phonetics in the Byis-pa-bde-blag-tu-”jug-pa by Bsod-nams-rtse-mo (1142–1182).” AS/EA 49,4: 943–968.
1996
“Tibetan expertise in Sanskrit grammar (2): ideology, status and other extra-linguistic factors.” In: Jan E.M. Houben (ed.), Ideology and status of Sanskrit: contributions to the history of the Sanskrit language, Leiden (Brill’s Indological Library 13), pp. 275–287.
–“Influence of Indic vyākaraṇa on Tibetan indigenous grammar.” In: Cabezón, J.I. & Jackson, R. (eds), Tibetan literature: studies in genre: essays in honor of Geshe Lhundup Sopa, Ithaca, New York (Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism), pp. 422–437.
–“Studies in Tibetan indigenous grammar (1): CG 16 = Q3?” WZKS 40: 115–122.
1997
“Tibetan expertise in Sanskrit grammar (3): on the correct pronunciation of the ineffable.” In: Dick van der Meij (ed.), India and beyond: aspects of literature, meaning, ritual and thought: essays in honour of Frits Staal, London-New York-Leiden-Amsterdam (Studies from the International Institute for Asian Studies [2]), pp. 598–619.
–“Studies in Tibetan indigenous grammar (3): Sanskrit nipata, Tibetan tshig-phrad.” In: H. Krasser, M.T. Much, E.Steinkellner & H. Tauscher (eds), Tibetan studies: proceedings of the 7th conference of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz, 1995, vol. 2, Wien (Beiträge zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens 21, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Denkschriften 256), pp. 1011–1022.
–“[Conference report] seminar ‘Pilgrimage in Tibet,’ International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands, 12–13 September 1996.” The Tibet Journal 22,2: 111–113.
–“Tibet.” In: K.R. van Kooij & P. Lunsingh Scheurleer (eds), A companion to Buddhist art: an introductory course in Buddhist Art at Leiden University, Leiden, pp. 80–91.
–Review of: Roy A. Miller, Prolegomena to the first two Tibetan grammatical treatises, Wien 1993 (Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 30). BSOAS 60,1: 173–175.
1999
“Expressions of violence in Buddhist Tantric mantras.” In: J.E.M. Houben & K.R. Van Kooij (eds), Violence denied: violence, non-violence and the rationalization of violence in South Asian cultural history, Leiden (Brill’s Indological Library 16), pp. 275–285.
2000
“31. The classical Tibetan grammarians.” In: S. Auroux, E.F.K. Koerner, H.-J. Niederehe & K. Versteegh (eds), History of the language sciences: an international handbook on the evolution of the study of language from the beginnings to the present, vol. 1, Berlin-New York (Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science 18.1), pp. 207–210.
–“32. The influence of the Sanskrit tradition on Tibetan indigenous grammar.” In: S. Auroux, E.F.K. Koerner, H.-J. Niederehe & K. Versteegh (eds.), History of the language sciences: an international handbook on the evolution of the study of language from the beginnings to the present, vol. 1, Berlin-New York (Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science 18.1), pp. 210–214.
–“Aspekten van hermeneutiek in het Indo-Tibetaans boeddhisme.” In: Jaarverslag 2000, Gebied Geesteswetenschappen, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, ’s Gravenhage, 64–69.
2001
A history of Sanskrit grammatical literature in Tibet, vol. 2: Assimilation into indigenous scholarship, Leiden-Boston-Köln (Handbuch der Orientalistik 2,8,2).
–“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (1): issues of interpretation and translation in the minor works of Si-tu Pan-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas (1699?-1774).” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 24,1: 61–88.
–“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (2): notes apropos to the role of hermeneutics in Buddhist sectarianism in India and Tibet.” Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies 2 (Special issue including proceedings of the colloquium on “Buddhism: schools and sects” held at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) on May 26–27, 2000): 121–134.
2002
“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (3): grammatical models in Buddhist formulas.” In: H. Blezer (ed.), Religion and secular culture, Tibetan Studies II. PIATS 2000: Tibetan Studies: proceedings of the ninth seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, Leiden-Boston-Köln (Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 2,2), pp. 143–161.
2003
“Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (1357–1419), De hymne ‘Essentie van de Goed Geformuleerde [Leer]’.” In: J. Bor & K. van der Leeuw (ed.), Vijfentwintig eeuwen Oosterse filosofie, Amsterdam, pp. 253–263.
2004
“Notes apropos to the oeuvre of Si-tu Paṇ-chen Chos-kyi-‘byuṅ-gnas (1699?-1774) (2): Dkar-chag materials.” In: H.W. Bodewitz and Minoru Hara (eds), Gedenkschrift J.W. de Jong, Tokyo: the International Institute for Buddhist Buddhist Studies (Studia philologica buddhica Monograph series 17), pp. 207–238.
2005
“Personificatie van “het kwaad” in het boeddhisme: vijand of vriend?” In: R. Wiche (red.), Des duivels: het kwaad in religieuze en spirituele tradities, Leuven-Voorburg, pp. 19–29.
–“Hoe leg je de woorden van de Boeddha uit.” Vorm & Leegte: Boeddhisme, mens, samenleving 10,4 [Berichten uit de Academie], p. 9.
–“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (4): the Vyakhyayukti by Vasubandhu.” JA 293,2: 559–602.
–“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (5): the Mkhas-pa-rnams-”jug-pa”i‑sgo by Sa-skya Pandita Kun-dga’-rgyal-mtshan.” JIABS 28,1: 183–219.
2008
“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (6): validity and valid interpretation of scripture according to Vasubandhu’sVyakhyayukti.” In: R. Gombrich & C. Scherrer-Schaub (eds), Buddhist studies: papers of the 12th World Sanskrit Conference, vol. 8, Delhi, pp. 233–258.
–“Notes apropos to the oeuvre of Si-tu Pan-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas (1699?-1774) (1): Belles-Lettres in his Opera Minora.” In: O. Almogi (ed.), Contributions to Tibetan Buddhist literature, PIATS 2006: Tibetan studies: proceedings of the eleventh seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Königswinter 2006, Halle: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies (Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung 14), p. 513–548.
2009
“Bsod-nams-rtse-mo.” In: H. Stammerjohann (ed.), Lexicon grammaticorum: a bio-bibliographical companion to the history of linguistics, second ed., revised and enlarged, volume I, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, p. 217.
–“Sa-skya Paṇḍita Kun-dga’-rgyal-mtshan.” In: idem, vol. II, Tübingen, pp. 1331–1332.
–“Si-tu Paṇ-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas’. In: idem, vol. II, Tübingen, pp. 1401–1402.
–“Smṛtijñānakīrti.” In: idem, vol. II, Tübingen, p. 1417.
–“Thon-mi Sambhoṭa.” In: idem, vol. II, Tübingen, p. 1487.
–“Zha-lu Lo-tsā-ba Chos-skyong-bzang-po.” In: idem, vol. II, Tübingen, p. 1683.
2010
“Notes apropos to the oeuvre of Si-tu Pan-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas (1699?-1774) (3): the ‘Editor’ Si-tu Paņ-chen.” In: A. Chayet et al. (eds), Edition, éditions: l’écrit au Tibet, évolution et devenir, München: Indus Verlag (Collectanea Himalayica 3), pp. 465–482.
2011
Review of: Dragomir Dimitrov (nach Vorarbeiten von Thomas Oberlies), Lehrschrift über die Zwanzig Präverbien im Sanskrit. Kritische Ausgabe der Viṃśatyupasargavṛtti und der tibetischen Übersetzung Ñe bar bsgyur ba ñi śu pa’i ‘grel pa (Editionen von Texten der Cāndra-Schule I) , Marburg 2007 (Indica et Tibetica: Monographien zu den Sprachen und Literaturen des Indo-Tibetischen Kulturraumes 49). JA 2011–1: 472–475.
2013
“Notes apropos to the oeuvre of Si-tu Pan-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas (1699?-1774) (4): a Tibetan Sanskritist in Nepal.” Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies 7 (Thematic issue: Si tu pan chen: creation and cultural engagement in eightteent-century Tibet): 316–339. – Proceedings of conference in conjunction with the exhibition “Patron and painter: Situ Panchen and the revival of the encampment style”, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, January 6–8, 2009.
2015
“‘Tools of the trade’ of the Tibetan translators.” In: J. Rheingans (ed.), Tibetan literary genres, texts, and text types: from genre classification to Transformation, Leiden-Boston: Brill (Brill’s Tibetan Studies Library 37), pp. 182–196.
Forthcoming
–What’s in a word in Tibet? Indo-Tibetan scholastics on language and scripture. Place of publication to be determined [probably: Boston: Wisdom Publications (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism)].
–& M.A.G.Th. Kloppenborg (eds), Tibetan, Asian-Archaeological and Buddhist studies in memory of Ronald Poelmeijer. Place of publication to be determined [probably Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde].
–“Studies in Tibetan indigenous grammar (4): a sixteenth-century survey of Sum-rtags and related literature (Appendix: descriptionof Mkhas-pa”i‑kha-rgyan).” In: M.A.G.Th. Kloppenborg & P.C. Verhagen (eds), Tibetan, Asian-Archaeological and Buddhist studies in memory of Ronald Poelmeijer.
–“Tibetan Klog-thabs, ‘Manuals of pronunciation’.” In: G.L. van Driem (ed.), Himalayan linguistics, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter (Trends in Linguistics).
–“Observations on Sanskrit studies in Tibet. [Summary].” In: E. Stutchbury (ed.), Proceedings ‘Tibet in Context’ conference, ANU Canberra, February 1996.
–“Studies in Tibetan indigenous grammar (5): Sum-cu-pa 1 revisited: vowel phonology in Smra-sgo-mtshon-cha-lta-bu and the Sum-rtags tradition.” In: E. Sperling (ed.), Proceedings IATS 1998 Bloomington, Bloomington.
–“Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist hermeneutics (7): Sa-skya Pandita’s Mkhas-‘jug on the Sanskrit-Tibetan interface: synthesis, comparisonand translation.” In: C. Ramble (ed.), Proceedings 10th seminar International Association of Tibetan Studies, Oxford, September 2003.
–“Notes apropos to the oeuvre of Si-tu Pan-chen Chos-kyi-‘byung-gnas (1699?-1774) (5): the ‘Eight-stanza hymn to Mahākāla’: a glimpse of the translator at work’, [to be published in E. Gene Smith memorial volume, ed. J. Silk].