Biography - Chapla Verma

I am Chapla Verma, I was born and raised in India, have spent several years in Canada and now I live in the US. In my free time I like playing golf, reading books, doing yoga and meditation.

My professional background is in philosophy and Religion. My masters degree is in philosophy and doctoral work in Zen Buddhism. So far I have taught in three different countries, India, Canada and now in US. I have published a book, ‘Zen Buddhism’and have contributed a book chapter in the book ‘Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India,’ Oxford University Press, New York.

In 2009 I went to Japan to do field research about Soto Zen Buddhism, the findings of this study were presented at UC Berkeley in a conference ‘Buddhism without Boarders ‘ in March 2010. The paper presented was ‘Comparative Study of Zen Buddhism in Japan and North America'

In 2010 summer I did field research in Vancouver , Canada and Hawaii, the focus of this study is, to look into how Buddhism established itself and developed at these locations. Both field research projects are supported by APUS research grants. Two articles are forthcoming in 'Encyclopedia of Indian Religion' in March 2011