Alexander James O'Neill is a specially appointed assistant professor at the Department of Liberal Arts at Musashino University, Tōkyō. He was previously a research fellow at the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto's Department for the Study of Religion.

He has a broad range of interests, including Sanskrit Buddhist texts and manuscripts from South Asia, especially Nepal. He has a passion for Newar Buddhism and the Newar language and culture. In addition, he is interested broadly in Mahāyāna Buddhism, ranging from Sanskrit and Newar literature to Chinese and Japanese Buddhist texts and practices.

For more information about Dr. O'Neill, please see the following links:

https://www.alexanderjoneill.com/

https://www.shingansportal.com/https://www.zonkakuproject.org/

We talked about:

*Zonkaku and creating open source dharma resources

*The Secrets of the Tathāgata and the Buddha meeting us as we are

*Practicing in different traditions and finding Jōdo Shinshū through a connection with Amitabha

*Newar Buddhism, Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, and Buddhist book worship

*And the importance of focused reading and finding a teacher or trusted dharma friend to help guide you along the path