Ph. D. candidate Nisheeta Jagtiani receives SARF fellowship grant

January 29, 2024

Religious studies graduate student Nisheeta Jagtiani has recently earned a South Asia Research Forum grant in support of her doctoral research in Tibetan Buddhism. 

The South Asia Research Forum (SARF) is a interdisciplinary group that unites Northwestern faculty and graduate students who specialize in teaching and research focused on South Asia. 

Jagtiani has a field specialty of Buddhist studies. Her dissertation investigating sectarianism and rimé in Tibetan Buddhism has led her to engage in textual research on the work of figures like the Fourteenth Dalai Lama(right), as well as ethnographic fieldwork. 

Congratulations to Nisheeta Jagtiani for receiving this grant from the South Asia Research Forum!

Read more about Nisheeta's doctoral research below: 

Tibetan Non-Sectarianism (rimé) in Exile Today

"My doctoral research examines the way Tibetan Buddhists practice and deploy a Buddhist approach called rimé in their daily lives in India. My dissertation is based on one year of fieldwork in Tibetan settlements across India including Dharamsala, Bylakuppe, Clement Town, Dehradun, Manduwala, Bir, Chauntra, and Tashi Jong. While in India, I conducted interviews with monastics from all four Tibetan Buddhist sects–Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Geluk. I investigate how Tibetans understand rimé today.

Why is this approach of non-sectarianism still significant in their lives as refugees? Do they extend this approach beyond Buddhism, as they now live in proximity with Hindus, Muslims, and Christians in India? In my dissertation, I highlight the ways Tibetan Buddhist masters have adopted and adapted the Buddha’s rimé approach to foster unity and emphasize the importance of equality in unique ways to address 20th and 21st century problems including displacement, marginalization and destruction of religious and cultural heritage. "

For more information about Nisheeta Jagtiani and her research, click here!Nisheeta Jagtiani