Associate Professor
Contact details
• Phone: (+81) (0)75-762-2126
• E-mail: deroche.marchenri.6u[at]kyoto-u.ac.jp
• Office at Kyoto University Higashi Ichijo-Kan
Research fields
- Philosophy
- Religious studies
- Buddhist studies
- Tibetan and Himalayan studies
Research topics
- The idea of wisdom across cultures
- Philosophical anthropology of mindfulness-based programs
- Buddhist philosophy of mind, Buddhist psychology, Buddhist theories and manuals of meditation
- Mindfulness according to the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: philology of canonical sources, exegesis, and philosophy of self-awareness (JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C, No. 23K00048, FY 2023-2027)
Profile
Born in France, I have focused my studies and research on living Buddhist traditions, particularly in Tibet and the Himalayas where I have travelled extensively, as well as in Japan, my country of adoption since 2008. I carry Bachelor and Maîtrise in social anthropology (Bordeaux University) with minor in philosophy; Diploma in Tibetan language and civilization (INALCO, Paris); DEA and then PhD (2011) in Religious and Asian studies (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris). I have also researched in the Department of Buddhist studies at Kyoto University as grantee of the scholarship of the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) from 2008 to 2013. My doctoral publication and book, Une quête tibétaine de la sagesse: Prajñāraśmi (1518-1584) et l’attitude impartiale (ris med), and many publications have investigated ecumenism in Tibet by studying eclectic works on Indo-Tibetan lineages of scholastic exegesis and yogic practices, with the analysis of the traditional model of threefold wisdom: “study, reflection, and meditation.” From 2013, as a Hakubi Assistant Professor in Buddhist studies at Kyoto University, I have researched and published about the philosophy of mind of the “Great Perfection” (Tib. rDzogs chen).
In 2015, I took my current position as Associate Professor in GSAIS, Shishu-Kan, in the section of philosophy and humanities. There, my contribution aims at bridging classical humanities —from the standpoint of “philosophy as a way of life” (Pierre Hadot) and especially of Buddhist philosophy—, with psychological and medical sciences around the notion and techniques of mindfulness. Those are of Buddhist origins but have been researched scientifically in the last decades, giving rise to innovative –and thus sometimes questionable– social applications in order to alleviate suffering and enhance human flourishing. In relation to this aim, I have been a collaborator and then fellow of the Mind and Life Institute (USA). At GSAIS, I supervise the Research Group on Mindful Living, in search for more resilient, ethical and sustainable ways of life. I work presently on two interrelated book projects on mindfulness, the first as an essay in anthropological philosophy of mindfulness, the second as a monograph on mindfulness according to the great masters of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and Dzogchen teachings.
Given the interdisciplinary context of GSAIS, students work together with me and a co-supervisor on mindfulness from diverse and complementary perspectives, especially Buddhist studies, Japanese philosophy, education, psychology, etc.
Selected Publications
Book
- Deroche, M.-H. 2023. Une quête tibétaine de la sagesse: Prajñāraśmi (1518-1584) et l’attitude impartiale (ris med). Louvain: Brepols Publishers, Collection des Hautes Etudes, Section des sciences religieuses. 724 pages. ISBN: 978-2-503-60337-7Edited volume
- Deroche, M.-H. (ed.). 2023. Study, Reflection, and Cultivation: Integrative Paths to Wisdom from Buddhist and Comparative Perspectives, Special Issue of the Journal Religions.Articles in Journals
- Deroche, M.-H. 2022. “Ethos of the Great Perfection: Continual Mindfulness According to Patrul’s Foundational Manual” Journal of Buddhist Ethics 29, pp. 177-204. ISSN 1076-9005- Deroche, M-H., and Sheehy, M. 2022. “The Distinctive Mindfulness of Dzogchen: Jigme Lingpa’s Advice on Meta-Awareness and Nondual Meditation.” Religions 13, no. 7: 573, pp. 1-30. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13070573
- Deroche, M.-H. 2021. “Living Mindfully Through Crisis: Searching for Life Advice in the “Philosophy-Medicine” of Buddhism.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 5, no. 1, pp. 50-69. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2021.0004
- Deroche M.-H. 2021. Mindful Wisdom: The Path Integrating Memory, Judgment, and Attention. Asian Philosophy, 31:1, pp. 19-32, DOI: 10.1080/09552367.2021.1875610
- Deroche, M.-H. 2021. The Conversion of Attention: Mindfulness in Classical Dzogchen. Philosophy East and West. 71, no. 4: pp. 872-896, DOI: 10.1353/pew.2021.0060
Classes taught at Kyoto University
At GSAIS/Shishu-Kan- 1001000 Introduction to Human Survivability Studies (Part on Philosophy & Humanities)
- H139001 The Kyōto School: Tradition and Potentialities (Part on Asian and Buddhist studies)
- 2014000/M111001 Philosophy of Mind: East and West
- 2017000/M112001 Buddhism across Asian Civilizations
- 1653005/1853001/1653006/1853002 Reading French Academic Literature in Indian, Tibetan & Buddhist studies
- 1831007 Theories of Meditation in Tibetan Buddhism