Yi (Allan) Ding

Yi (Allan) Ding received his bachelor's degree from Fudan University (2008) and his PhD in Religious Studies from Stanford University (2020). As a scholar of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, he has published several articles that deal with Buddhist materials from Dunhuang and Sino-Tibetan Buddhism, including “‘Translating’ Wutai Shan into Ri bo rtse lnga (‘Five-peak Mountain’): The Inception of a Sino-Tibetan Site in the Mongol-Yuan Era (1206–1368)” (2018), “The Transformation of Poṣadha/Zhai in Early Medieval China (2nd–6th Centuries CE)” (2019), and “By the Power of the Perfection of Wisdom: The ‘Sūtra-Rotation’ Liturgy of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā in Dunhuang” (2019). He is currently working on a book project that focuses on the zhai feast and relevant liturgical scripts from the eighth to the tenth century. In connection to his interest in consumption rituals, he is also working on early Sanskrit and Tibetan materials concerning the practice of the Tantric feast (gaṇacakra).​​

Research Interests

- Buddhist ritual
- Tantric Buddhism
- Sino-Tibetan Buddhism

Courses Frequently Taught

REL 143 Buddhist Religious Worlds
REL 220 Religion and Psychology
REL 249 Religion in Manga and Anime
HON 104 Religious Worldviews and Ethical Perspectives