Rolf Scheuermann

Rolf Scheuermann erwarb 2004 zunächst ein Diplom in Buddhistischer Philosophie und Meditation am Karmapa International Buddhist Institute in Neu-Delhi sowie 2010 dann einen Magister und 2016 einen Doktortitel in der Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde an der Universität Wien. Er war Wissenschaftlicher Koordinator an den Käte Hamburger Kollegs Erlangen und Heidelberg und versah Professurvertretungen im Bereich der Tibetologie an den Universitäten Leipzig (2017-2018) und München (2024). Seit 2013 ist er Präsident der Karmapa International Buddhist Society Europe e.V., einem gemeinnützigen Verein, der buddhistische Bildung, Kultur und Wohltätigkeitsprojekte fördert.

In seiner Dissertation untersuchte Rolf Scheuermann die „Vier Dharmas des Gampopa“, einen einflussreichen tibetisch-buddhistischen Quellentext aus dem 10. Jahrhundert und dessen Kommentarliteratur. Neben buddhistischer Philosophie und den tibetischen Meditationstraditionen befassen sich seine jüngeren Forschungsarbeiten mit öko-buddhistischen Bewegungen, (tibetisch-)buddhistischen Strategien der Zukunftsbewältigung, Übersetzungsfragen und kulturellen Austauschprozessen.

• Vortrag: “Buddhism in a Changing World: Strategies for Coping with the Climate Crisis”, 20th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Leipzig, 10.-15.8.2025. (upcoming)
• Vortrag: “Climate Change and Compassion (karuṇā): Reflections on Buddhism and Environmental Stewardship”, International Conference on “Buddhism and Global Governance: Artificial Intelligence, Regional Conflicts, and Climate Change”, Inalco (Paris), 9.7.2025.
• Worldmaking Digital Dialogue #22: “Where Water Falls. Perspectives on Man and his Environs: Crisis Culture, and Change.” With Shih-Hui Chen, J. Marc Reichow, Barbara Mittler, and Rolf Scheuermann. 2.7.2025
• Vortrag: “Walking for Change: Buddhist Walking Meditation as a Form of Climate Change Protest”, International Conference of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienkunde’s Young Scholars’ Group “Thinking Futures in Asia”, Universität Leipzig, 9.5.2025.
• Vortrag: “Zwischen Leid und Erwachen - Die Rolle des Körpers im Buddhismus”, Studientag des Masterstudiengangs “Interreligiöse Studien”, Universität Heidelberg, 24.4.2025.
• Vortrag “From Religion to Politics. On the Evolution of the Tibetan Tulku (sprul sku)-System”, Workshop “Narrating ‘China’s Borders’–Global Perspectives”, CATS, University of Heidelberg. 27.3.2025.
• Vortrag: “The Parting from the Four Attachments. A Tibetan, Indic or Indian Buddhist System of Meditation?”, Workshop “Perspectives of Buddhist Sanskrit Literature in India and Tibet”, School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI), New Delhi, 20.-21.3.2025.
• Vortrag: “Tod, Trauer und Terror: Überlegungen zum Umgang mit Sterben und Gedenken in den buddhistischen Traditionen”, Joint Workshop des Käte Hamburger Kollegs für Apokalyptische und Postapokalyptische Studien und des Diakoniewissenschaftlichen Instituts der Universität Heidelberg “Kultursensibler Umgang mit Tod und Gedenken in den Religionen nach einem terroristischen oder extremistischen Anschlag”, CAPAS, 20.-21.2.2025.
• Vortrag: “Meditating for a Better World: Eco-Buddhist Responses to the Climate Crisis”, Workshop “Ecotopia, Mapping and Mobilising Post-Apocalyptic Ecological FImaginaries, CAPAS, 28.11.2024.
• Special Lecture: “The Transmission of Buddhist Literature from India to Tibet and Beyond”, Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Neu-Delhi, 21.11.2024.
• Vortrag: “Buddhist Strategies for Coping with Water Emergencies”, Interdisciplinary Symposium „Precarious Water Futures and the End(s) of World(s) – An Integrative Dialogue Across Disciplines and Societies”, India International Centre, New Delhi, 15.11.2024.
• Panelist: Fireside Chat at the Interdisciplinary Symposium „Precarious Water Futures and the End(s) of World(s) – An Integrative Dialogue Across Disciplines and Societies”, India International Centre, New Delhi, 13.11.2024.
• Panel Chair: International Workshop “Tibetan Buddhism in the Tangut State”, LMU München, 12. Juni 2024.
• “Walking for Change: Buddhist Walking Meditation as a Form of Climate Change Protest”, BASR Annual Conference 2023 in Collaboration with CenSAMM on “Environmental Endings and Religious Futures”, Oxford, 11.–13. September 2023.
• Diskutant: Round Table “Apokalypse & Apathie Revisited”, Ringvorlesung Climate Thinking, Universität Kassel, 08.02.2023.
• Diskutant und Organisation: Workshop “Navigating Interdisciplinarity”, Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies Heidelberg, Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re) Aachen und Marsilius Kolleg Heidelberg, 19.-20.1.2023. 

  https://www.capas.uni-heidelberg.de/navigating_interdisciplinarity.html

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• Vortrag: “Mit entschlossenen Bestrebungen dem Klimawandel entgegenwirken? Eine tibetisch-buddhistische Perspektive”, Lecture Series “Apokalypse & Apathie”, Ringvorlesung Climate Thinking, Universität Kassel, 23.11.2022.
• Vortrag: “Countering Climate Change with Prayers? On Tibetan sMon lam Practice, EcoDharma, and Extinction Rebellion”, Konferenz “The Dharma-Ending Age: The Climate Crisis through the Lens of Buddhist Eschatology, Past and Present”, Yin-Cheng Buddhist Studies Network und From the Ground Up Project, University of British Columbia, 7.-9.10-2022. 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbeuhW6txVg&t=130s

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• Vortrag: “The Magic that lies within Prayer. Invoking a Utopia through sMon lam”, 16^th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Prag, 3.-10.7.2022.
• Diskutant, Interdisciplinary Workshop, Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies, Heidelberg University, 20.5.2022.
• Vortrag: “On the Archive of Imaginaries of the Apocalypse”, Workshop “Talking Apocalypse and Pandemics”, Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies, Heidelberg University, 2021.
• Vortrag: “Reincarnation Lotteries, Books of Fate, and Potluck Soups: Casting Lots in Tibet”, Interdisziplinärer Workshop “Divination and Decision-Making by Lot and Randomization in East Asia and Europe”, IKGF Erlangen, 2019.
• Panel chair und Vortrag: “Aspiring to become like Maitreya – The Maitreyapraṇidhāna and its Tibetan commentaries” (Panel “Eschatology in Tibet and Mongolia”, co-organized mit Olaf Czaja), 15^th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Paris, 2019.
• Vortrag: “Let me have a look! Traditional Tibetan Medicine, Divination and Demonic Forces”, ISYT Conference, St. Petersburg, 2018. 
• Vortrag: “Tibetan Buddhist Dystopian Narratives and their Pedagogical Dimension”, International Conference “End(s) of Time(s)”, IKGF, Erlangen, 2017.
• Vortrag: “Enemies and Thieves: Varying Perspectives Found in Tibetan Divination Manuals”, Workshop “Violence in Tibetan Divination”, IKGF, Erlangen, 2017.
• Panel Chair und Vortrag: “What can we learn from Tibetan Buddhist divinatory manuals” (Panel “Concepts and Techniques of Prognostication”, co-organized mit Esther-Maria Guggenmos), 18^th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Toronto, Canada, 2017.
• Panel Diskutant: “Erzeugung und Zerstörung von Macht”, Abschlusskonferenz „Sacrality and Power“ der DFG-Forschergruppe „Sakralität und Sakralisierung in Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit,“ Erlangen, 2017.
• Gastvortrag: “Coping with the future. Tibetan Divinatory Practices”, Karmapa International Buddhist Institute, Neu-Delhi, 2016.
• Vortrag: “Of Brahmins, Elephants and Lotus Ponds. Vibhūticandra’s Svapnohana and the Examination of Dreams”, 14^th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Bergen, 2016.
• Vortrag: “Der Einfluss dämonischer Kräfte auf die Gesundheit. Durch Geister verursachte Krankheiten in der traditionellen tibetischen Medizin, ” International Conference “(Un-)heilige Krankheiten. Besessenheit in Medizin, Religion, Dämonologie” der DFG-Forschergruppe “Sakralität und Sakralisierung in Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit”, Erlangen, 2016.
• Vortrag: “You will die soon – Predictions of Death in Tibetan Divination Manuals”, International Conference “Fate, Longevity, and Immortality: Europe – Islam – Asia”, IKGF and the International Union of Academies (UAI), Erlangen, 2016.
• Vortrag: “Purifying Karma by Reciting Sūtras? A Tibetan Perspective”, XXI IAHR World Congress, Erfurt, 2015.
• Vortrag: “sGam po pa’s Doctrine: A Systematic Way of Coping with the Future for Beings of Varying Capacity, Both Gradual and Sudden?” ISYT Conference, Leipzig, 2015.
• Gastvortrag: “Karma Tuning. Tibetan Strategies for Coping with the Future”, IKGF-Vortragsreihe, IKGF Erlangen, 2015.
• Panel chair und Vortrag: “A Seventeenth-Century Criticism on the Tibetan Reception of Buddhism – Tāranātha’s Ornament of gZhan stong Madhyamaka“ (Panel “Transference and Transmission in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist ‘Philosophical’ Traditions”, co-organized mit Gregory Forgues und Casey Kemp), 17^th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Wien, 2014.
• Vortrag: “Translating the Dharma(s): Some Notes on the Translation of the Four Dharmas of sGam po pa”, Workshop “Translating and Transferring Buddhist Literature”, Universität Wien, 2014.
• Vortrag: “Solving the Unsolvable: Padma dkarpo’s Commentary on the Four Dharmas of sGampo pa”, 13^th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Ulaanbaatar, 2013.
• Vortrag: “From Result Mahāmudrā to Path Mahāmudrā. Some Remarks on the Influence of Gampopa’s Doctrinal System on the Development of Preliminary Practices for Mahāmudrā”, Konferenz “Buddhist History and Philosophy of Tibet” anlässlich der Eröffnung des Institutes von Dhagpo Kagyu Ling, Saint-Léon sur Vézère, am 14.6.2013.
• Vortrag: “The bKa’ gdams pa Connection: A Fourfold Topos for the Gradual Path and its Journey of Transformation throughout the Religious Landscape of Tibet”, Workshop “Sacred Topography and Cultural Transfers in the Himalayas”, Universität Wien, 2012.
• Gastvortrag: “Educating Translators for Buddhist Texts”, Karmapa International Buddhist Institute, Neu-Delhi, 2012.
• Special Lecture: “Tracing Cultural Transfers Between the Tibetan Buddhist Traditions and India”, Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Neu-Delhi, 2012.
• Vortrag: “When Buddhist Teaching Meet. Preliminary Remarks on the Relationship between the Four Dharmas of sGam po pa and Kun dga’ snying po’s Parting from the Four Attachments”, 3^rd International Seminar of Young Tibetologists, Kobe, 2012.

• “Walking Meditation and Slow Marches: Buddhist Responses to Climate Change Protest”, Asien– the German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Issue 172 (2025). (angenommen, geplantes Erscheinen Ende 2025).
• Mit Philipp Schrögel. “From Comets in Tibet to Cometary Panic Depicted on German Postcards in the Early 20th Century”, in: Geomythology: Apocalyptic Pasts to Eschgatological Futures. Duane Hamacher und Richard Wilman (Hgg.). (geplantes Erscheinen: 2025)
• “Sterben und Tod aus religiöser Perspektive. Aspekte für einen kultursensiblen und menschenwürdigen Umgang”. Mit Johannes Eurich. In: Öffentliches Erinnern und Gedenken nach terroristischen und extremistischen Anschlägen. Pascal Kober, Federal Government Commissioner for Persons Affected by Terrorist and Extremist Attacks Committed on National Territory (Hg.). Münster: LIT-Verlag. (geplantes Erscheinen: 2025).
• “Countering Climate Change with Prayers? Tibetan sMon lam Practice, Buddhist Ecoactivism, and Extinction Rebellion”. In: Yin-Cheng Journal of Contemporary Buddhism, Issue 1.2 (2024), 137–175: 

  https://journal.yincheng.org/en/article/view/Countering-Climate-Change-with-Prayers/31

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• “The Magic that lies within Prayer. On Patterns of Magicity and Resolute Aspirations (smon lam)”. In: Tibetan Magic. Aleksandra Bozena und Cameron Bailey (Hgg.) London: Bloomsbury, 2023. London: Bloomsbury, 2024, 85–102, 

  https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/tibetan-magic-9781350354944

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• “Tibetan Buddhist Dystopian Narratives and Their Pedagogical Dimensions”. In: The End(s) of Time(s) (Prognostication in History 6). Hans-Christian Lehner (Hg.). Leiden: Brill, 2021, chapter 4, 91–114.  

  https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004462434_006

  . (peer-reviewed).

• “Auf das Innere kommt es an – Die Praxis von Weihegaben bei buddhistischen Statuen”. In: Spurenlese 4, 2021. Angelica Hoffmeister-zur Nedden und Agnes Matthias (Hgg.). Leipzig, Dresden, Herrnhut: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2021, 85–97.

• Glimpses of Tibetan Divination. Past and Present (Prognostication in History 2). Petra Maurer, Donatella Rossi und Rolf Scheuermann (Hgg.). Leiden: Brill, 2019. ISBN: 978-90-04-40737-4. (peer-reviewed).
• “Vibhūticandra’s Svapnohana and the Examination of Dreams”. In: Glimpses of Tibetan Divination. Past and Present (Prognostication in History 2). Donatella Rossi, Petra Maurer und Rolf Scheuermann (Eds.). Leiden: Brill, 2019, chapter 8, 161–180.

  https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004410688_009

  . (peer reviewed).

• “‘One Will Quickly Die!’ – Predictions of Death in Three Tibetan Buddhist Divination Manuals”. In: Longevity and Immortality. Europe – Islam – Asia. Agostino Paravicini Bagliani, Michael Lackner, Fabrizio Pregadio (eds.). Firenze, Sismel Edizioni del Galluzzo (Micrologus - Nature, Sciences and Medieval Societies XXVI), 2018, 113–132. ISBN: 978-88-8450-838-6. (peer-reviewed).
• “sGam po pa’s Doctrinal System: A Programmatic Way to Buddhahood for Beings of Varying Capacity, Both Gradual and Sudden?” In: Revue d’Études Tibétaines 37, Décembre 2016, 335-–351: 

  http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_37_19.pdf

  . ISSN: 1768-2959. (peer reviewed).
• “The Four Dharmas of sGam po pa – A Brief Examination of Padma dkar po’s Famous Dwags poʼi chos bzhiʼi rnam bshad skyes bu gsum gyi lam nyin mor byed pa”. In: Zentralasiatische Studien No. 44. Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2015, 121–144. ISBN 978-3-03809-124-0.
• When Sūtra Meets Tantra – sGam po pa’s Four Dharma Doctrine as an Example for his Synthesis of the bKa’ gdams- and Mahāmudrā-Systems. Doktorarbeit, Universität Wien, 2015 (350 Seiten), 

  http://othes.univie.ac.at/38587/1/2015-04-26_0507668.pdf

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Koordinator des Thematic Research Network "DENK(T)RÄUME - (Re-)Thinking and Doing Futures" 

• Projektbeschreibung: Katastrophen, so bedrohlich sie sind, können auch der Beginn für radikale Metamorphosen, neue Weltenmodelle sein. Welche Handlungsräume ergeben sich aus dem damit verbundenen Umdenken? Wie werden Krisen zu Katalysatoren? Das TRN wirft einen transkulturell ausgerichteten, historisch informierten Blick auf sich wandelnde, bedrohte Umwelten und nutzt die partikularen Stärken der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften, Diskurse anzustoßen, Erzählungen (neu) zu formen und so alternative Modelle für eine „umsetzbare Zukunft“zu entwickeln. In inter- und transdisziplinären Kritischen Dialogen werden Wissenschaftler*innen vernetzt und ein Junges Kolleg etabliert, das bestehende Aktivitäten im Bereich der Transformationsforschung befruchtet und Forscher*innen nach Heidelberg bringt. 

• https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/de/forschung/forschungsprofil/fields-of-focus/field-of-focus-iii/mensch-und-umwelt

- Affiliated Fellow, Worldmaking From a Global Perspective: A Dialogue with China, Sub Project "Epochal Lifeworlds: Narratives of Crisis and Change"

Projekt 1: “Buddhism in a Changing World: Reimagining the Future in the Context of the Climate Crisis” 

• Projektbeschreibung: The effects of the climate crisis are unevenly distributed and already carry severe consequences for India and other traditionally Buddhist countries. With increased heat waves, droughts, floods, and other natural catastrophes, climate change can no longer be neglected, not even in the ‘Global North’. This rapidly changing world and the related environmental emergency challenge the established religious narratives and provoke innovative approaches that respond to the transformation of life worlds. This project examines Buddhist responses from two complementary perspectives: on the one hand, the study explores the dynamic field of contemporary eco-Buddhist movements and activist groups such as XR Buddhists and the shift in their interpretation of Buddhist soteriology from an emphasis on liberation from the world toward stewardship in the form of responsible care for the world. On the other hand, it investigates traditional Buddhist approaches to the environmental crisis, such as resolute aspirations (praṇidhāna), a religious practice grounded in the understanding that adepts can shape or even create utopian environments through the power of their merit combined with continuous aspirations. In this way, the study discusses how Buddhist narratives and techniques shape the future, situating Buddhist environmentalism within broader discussions on the planetary future, interconnectedness, resilience, and hope.

Projekt 2: “Kultursensibler Umgang mit religiösen Riten nach einem terroristischen oder extremistischen Anschlag mit Todesopfern”:

• Projektbeschreibung: The project “Culturally Sensitive Handling of Religious Rites After a Terrorist or Extremist Attack with Fatalities (Kultursensibler Umgang mit religiösen Riten nach einem terroristischen oder extremistischen Anschlag mit Todesopfern)“ examines how different religious and cultural traditions approach death and commemoration, particularly in the aftermath of violent attacks. In many Western societies, including Germany, historically dominant Christian funeral practices are declining while religious diversity is increasing due to various social and migratory factors. This has created complex situations where victims and their bereaved families may adhere to different faiths, making a culturally sensitive approach to death rituals essential. The emotional impact of loss is particularly severe after terrorist or extremist attacks, as survivors also experience powerlessness, fear, and public scrutiny. In such cases, failing to acknowledge religious rites can exacerbate the distress of grieving families. Due to the complex situations, German authorities and support organizations may face challenges in handling such situations in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner. The project is carried out in cooperation with Johannes Eurich (Institute for the Study of Christian Social Services) and aims to develop practical guidelines for institutions involved in victim assistance, ensuring respectful and knowledgeable engagement with diverse religious traditions (including Chinese and Tibetan perspectives). It compiles the outcomes of a workshop with experts into a German language resource to help professionals navigate religious death rituals and commemoration sensitively in times of crisis

• https://www.worldmaking-china.org/people-2/fellows/fellows-2025/Scheuermann-Rolf/index.html

Affiliated Researcher, Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies 

• Projekt: “Buddhism in a Changing World: Exploring Buddhist Eschatology Amidst the Climate Crisis”
• Projektbeschreibung: With increased heat waves, droughts, floods, and other natural catastrophes, climate change can no longer be neglected, not even in the Global North. It influences and impacts public discourse, film, literature, and art. Apocalyptic sentiments increasingly enter the associated narratives, even attributing to climate change the status of an ecological apocalypse that could eventually lead to the extinction of human life on Earth. The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, for example, proclaims that we are already ‘living in the end times’ since ‘the global capitalist system is approaching an apocalyptic zero-point’ (Žižek 2011). In this environment, eco-activist groups like the global movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) or the German Last Generation emerge and gain momentum. Eschatological thought is deeply embedded in Buddhist philosophy and practice, and it is essential to understand how Buddhist groups concerned with the environment interpret and recontextualize these narratives. The study applies a five-part framework to categorize end-time narratives based on their function: preventive, curative, rehabilitative, palliative, and transformative. It further explores the effect of these adaptation processes on Buddhist soteriology, shifting the focus from liberation from the world to preserving the world. Additionally, it investigates how Buddhist and eco-Buddhist approaches can inform broader strategies for addressing the climate crisis. A methodologically pluralist approach will combine textual analysis with qualitative research, including fieldwork and interviews in Germany and other countries. The project builds on prior research on Tibetan Buddhist eschatology and recent fieldwork on Extinction Rebellion Buddhists in Germany. By analyzing Buddhist end-time narratives in the context of the ecological crisis, this study deepens our understanding of religious adaptation in times of crisis It will contribute to scholarship on Buddhist responses to climate change and offer insights into how religious movements evolve in response to existential threats.

• https://www.capas.uni-heidelberg.de/