Research Bio

Robert Sharf is a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Chair of the Berkeley Center for Buddhist Studies. He works primarily in the area of medieval Chinese Buddhism (especially Chan/Zen Buddhism), but he has also published in the areas of Japanese Buddhism, Buddhist modernism, Buddhist art, ritual studies, Asian philosophy, and methodological issues in the study of religion. He received his B.A. in Religious Studies and his M.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Toronto, and his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Michigan.

Research Expertise and Interest

East Asian languages and cultures, medieval Chinese Buddhism, Chan Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, Buddhist art, ritual studies, Buddhist philosophy, methodological issues in the study of religion