short biography

Herbert Guenther (1917-2006), a pioneer in the field of Tibetan studies, was Professor Emeritus of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. His translations of Tibetan Buddhist texts were complemented by his analyses, which fuse contemporary philosophical thought with a deep and learned Buddhist perspective. His many published works include his translation of The Life and Teaching of Naropa and The Dawn of Tantra. His works have been translated into numerous languages. The complete bibliography is at buddhistischer-studienverlag.de which has also published German translations by his wife Dr. Ilse Guenther of his work.

He was born in Bremen, Germany and received his PhDs from the universities of Munich and Vienna. From 1950-1962 he taught at Lucknow and Varanasi Sanskrit Universities in India. In 1964 he established and chaired the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. His many years of teaching in Europe, India, Canada and the U.S. have given his work a unique perspective.