15 February, 2023
We are deeply honoured to welcome Charles Manson, Librarian for the Tibetan Collections at Bodleian Libraries and British Library, UK, to lead a session of the International Interfaith Reading Group on Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts.
Here are the details of this fascinating session.

Topic: Serendipitous Manuscripts: Karma Pakshi’s Memoirs, Past Lives, and Poetry
Abstract: In researching the life/lives and writings of an acknowledged primary mover for the beginnings of the ‘Living Buddha’ reincarnate lamas tradition of Tibet – a tradition which famously culminated in the rule of the Dalai Lamas for 300 years – 3 manuscripts were crucial in informing the lives and writings of Karma Pakshi (1204-1283), accredited as the major influence in the early development of this tradition. The manuscripts were accessed by fortuitous circumstances. The three manuscripts – each of them has illustrations – are to be presented, described and discussed.



Speaker: Charles Manson is librarian for the Tibetan Collections at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford) and at British Library in London. He spent several years as a Buddhist monk and meditation retreatant. He later studied at Harvard University where he received a master’s in theological studies. Manson is the author of The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi: Tibetan Mahāsiddha, (November 29, 2022), a new addition to Shambhala Publications’ Lives of the Masters series. His current research is on a newly available manuscript of Karma Pakshi’s songs.
Chair: Professor Ulrike Roesler, Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, UK.
Date: 15 February, 2023
Time: 18:00-19:00 GMT | 19:00-20:00 CEST | 10:00-11:00 PST | 13:00-14:00 EST
Venue: Online
After registering, you will receive a Zoom email containing information about joining the meeting. If you do not see the zoom email in your inbox, please, check your spam/junk Folder.
If you would like to join the International Interfaith Reading Group on Manuscripts in Interfaith Contexts please register HERE.
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