Jan Willis is a Professor of Religion Emerita at Wesleyan University as well as a visiting professor at Agnes Scott College. She has studied with Tibetan Buddhists in India, Nepal, Switzerland, and the U.S. for five decades, and has taught courses in Buddhism almost as long. Her work has explored meditation, hagiography, women and Buddhism, and Buddhism and race; her most recent book is Dharma Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra.
Jan Willis
Books
Recent Articles
A Professor’s Dilemma
Jan Willis on teaching Buddhism in an academic classroom, and what kind of Buddhist understanding her students are receiving.
Peace Begins With Peaceful Actions
To change the world, says Jan Willis, we need hope. And hope grows from nonviolent actions, no matter how small.
10 Steps to Tame the Elephant
For generations, Tibetan practitioners have been guided by a chart outlining the nine stages of samatha meditation. Jan Willis takes us through the map and introduces us to the characters along the way.
The Four Noble Truths Are a Plan of Action
Buddhist teacher and scholar Jan Willis on the Buddha’s central teaching — his diagnosis and cure for suffering.
We Cry Out for Justice
There will only be justice in America, says Jan Willis, when we see all people as our equals. She offers an ancient Buddhist meditation to help us do that.
