Grace Brown

Thesis supervisor: Dr. J. F. Marc des Jardins

Thesis title: Contextualizing the Ontology of rNyam med shes rab rgyal mtshan's Sa lam 'phrul gyi sgron ma

Grace Brown is a master's student in Religions and Cultures originally from Boston, Massachusetts. Under the guidance of their supervisor Dr. J. F. Marc des Jardins, Mx. Brown has worked extensively on the g.Yung drung Bon tradition of Tibet, with a particular interest in the tradition's ontology. For their thesis Mx. Brown is currently completing an English-language translation of rNyam med shes rab rgyal mtshan (d. 1415)'s introduction to the theory and practice of the g.Yung drung Bon tradition, the Sa lam 'phrul gyi sgron ma (Magical Lamp on the Grounds of the Path), along with its autocommentary. Mx. Brown's work more broadly evinces wide-ranging intellectual influences across philosophical, religious, and political traditions and contexts, united by a fundamental interest in the practical application of ontology to contemporary ethical issues. In addition to Bon po and Buddhist ontologies, Mx. Brown's work is in conversation with the so-called Western tradition from Plato to Deleuze & Guattari as well as Islamic mystical, philosophical, poetic, and exegetical traditions, particularly the work of Ibn 'Arabi and Mulla Sadra. Ethically Mx. Brown maintains particular interests in gender freedom, ecological and horizontal politics, and animal liberation. Mx. Brown is also an active poet and musician.