11 Facts About Ngawang Samten

Ngawang Samten is a Tibetan educationist, Tibetologist and the vice chancellor of the Central University for Tibetan Studies.

Ngawang Samten was born in the Central Tibetan town of Dokhar on 7 July 1956 but grew up in India since the age of three when his parents migrated to there in the wake of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

Ngawang Samten pursued his monastic education at Ganden Shartse Monastery, Mundgod, Karnataka, and secured the Geshe degrees of Dhorampa and Lharampa, the latter one, a doctoral degree equivalent to a PhD.

Ngawang Samten started his career as a research assistant at his alma mater, CUTS, and rose to the position of the head of the Research Department.

Later, Samten became the director of the Research and Publications Division of CUTS before being appointed as the vice chancellor of the institution.

Ngawang Samten's efforts have been known to have assisted many universities in designing their curricula in Buddhist Studies and have helped in popularizing the topic in India.

Ngawang Samten has published three critical editions of Buddhist texts, Abhidhammattha-sangaha, Pindidrita and Pancakrama of Nagarjuna, all with his own commentary.

Ngawang Samten's work, The Ocean of Reasoning, is an Oxford University Press-published English translation with annotations of the commentary of Mulamadhyamakakarika written by Je Tsongkhapa.

Ngawang Samten is a former member of the Editorial Board of the International Association of Tibetan Studies and has served as the visiting professor at the Hampshire College, Amherst College, Smith College and the University of Tasmania, besides travelling many places in India and abroad for delivering orations and participating in seminars, conferences and workshops on Tibetan Buddhism.

Ngawang Samten serves as the Principal Teacher at Vajrayana Institute, New South Wales.

Ngawang Samten was invited along with Tsewang Tamdin and Tsering Thakchoe Drungtso for a hearing on July 21,2010 by an Indian permanent parliamentary committee composed of thirty-two deputies and chaired by Amar Singh, playing a role in the recognition of Sowa Rigpa in India in conjunction with the Ministry of Ayush.