Christopher Key Chapple
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Christopher Key Chapple
Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor
of Indic and Comparative Theology
Department of Theological Studies
Loyola Marymount University
1 LMU Drive, Suite 3700
Los Angeles, CA 90045-2659, USA
University Hall 3763
Email: cchapple@lmu.edu
Phone: 310 338 2846
Fax: 310 338 1947 |
Academic Background
Ph.D., 1980, Theology, Fordham University, History of Religions Program
Dissertation: "The Concept of Will in the Yogavasistha"
M.A., 1978, Fordham University
Thesis: "Tson Kha Pa and the Synthesis of Buddhism in Tibet"
B.A., 1976, summa cum laude, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Comparative Literature and Religious Studies
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Current Areas of Research
Dr. Chapple has several research projects in motion, including a study of nature themes in classical Sanskrit literature. This project explores Samkhya philosophy as inherently world-affirming when viewed in conjunction with meditative practice.
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Courses Currently Teaching
Religions of the World (THST 180)
Religions of India (THST 382)
Religions of the Far East (THST 384)
Buddhism (THST 384)
Hindu and Jaina Theology (THST 498)
Manitou, Mormons, Masala (THST 398/AMCS 398)
Religion and Ecology (THST 398/POLS 398)
Comparative Religious Ethics (THST 681)
Comparative Mysticism (THST 682)
Indic Traditions: Vedanta and Yoga (THST 698)
Elementary Sanskrit (CLAS 298)
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Professional Bio
Christopher Key Chapple is the Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Chapple received his undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature and Religious Studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his doctorate in the History of Religions through the Theology Department at Fordham University. He served as Assistant Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions and taught Sanskrit, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism for five years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook before joining the faculty at LMU. He co-founded LMU’s program in Asian and Pacific Studies, chaired the Department of Theological Studies for five years, and served as Associate Academic Vice President for four years. In 2002, he established the Yoga Philosophy Certificate Program through LMU’s Center for Religion and Spirituality.
Dr. Chapple's research interests have focused on the renouncer religious traditions of India: Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism.
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Selected Publications
Editor, Yoga and Ecology: Dharma for the Earth. Hampton, Virginia: Deepak Heritage Books, 2009.
Editor. The Bhagavad Gita. 25th Anniversary Edition. Winthrop Sargeant, translator. Foreword by Huston Smith. Editor's Preface by Christopher Key Chapple. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2009.
Author. Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali's Spiritual Path to Freedom. Albany: State
University of New York Press, 2008.
Associate Editor. Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. Bron R. Taylor, Editor. London: Continuum, 2005.
Author. Reconciling Yogas: Haribhadra’s Collection of Views on Yoga. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003.
Editor. Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, 2002. Korean language edition published in Seoul, Korea, Hanna Tec, 2005. Indian edition. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2006. Lata S.I. Jain Research Series, Vol. 22.
Co-Editor. Hinduism and Ecology: The Intersection of Earth, Sky, and Water. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, 2000. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Editor. Ecological Prospects: Scientific, Religious, and Aesthetic Perspectives. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. Delhi, Indian Books Centre, 1995.
Author. Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions. Albany, New York:State University of New York Press, 1993. Delhi: Indian Books Centre, 1995.
Editor. The Jesuit Tradition in Education and Missions. Scranton: University of Scranton Press, 1993.
Co-translator. The Yoga Sütras of Patañjali: An Analysis of the Sanskrit with Accompanying English Translation. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1990.
Author. Karma and Creativity. Albany: State University of New York (SUNY) Press, 1986.
Editor. Religious Experience and Scientific Paradigms: Proceedings of the IASWR Conference, 1982. Stony Brook, New York: IASWR, 1985.
Editor. The Bhagavad Gïta. Winthrop Sargeant, translator. Second Edition. Albany:
SUNY Press, 1984.
Editor. Samkhya-Yoga: Proceedings of the IASWR Conference, 1981. Stony Brook, New York: IASWR, 1982.
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Latest News
As Doshi Professor, Dr. Chapple helps organize the annual Bridgebuilder Award, which has been presented to Dr. Deepak Chopra (2005-2006), Maestro Zubin Mehta (2006-2007), Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh (2007-2008), author Greg Mortenson (2009-2010), and Professor Huston Smith (2010-2011).
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Personal Message
The study of religion from a theological perspective requires taking seriously the ethics and worldviews of the world’s faith traditions. Two interests have held my attention for several years: the philosophy, psychology, and practice of meditation, and global environmental ethics.
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Personal Website
http://myweb.lmu.edu/cchapple
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Related Websites
www.environment.harvard.edu/religion
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