Amber Marie Moore

• BA (Buddhist Philosophy & Himalayan Languages), Kathmandu University
• MA (Religion & Culture), Wilfrid Laurier University
• PhD (Buddhist Studies), University of Toronto

Amber Marie Moore is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Philosophy, working with Jonardon Ganeri. Her areas of specialization are Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan, Newar, and Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts and narratives, Caryā dance, and the intersection of philosophy and Buddhist tantra. Her postdoctoral research looks at the idea of philosophy as a practice and draws on Vajrayāna Buddhist sources to envision new positions on the nature of being, the self, and the idea of liberation. She is currently working on her forthcoming book, tentatively titled “The Legend of Vajrayoginī: The Vaṃśavalī of Samkhapura in the Maṇiśailamahāvadāna.”

At the University of Toronto, Amber teaches courses on topics such as South Asian religions; South Asian philosophy; Buddhist studies; Tibetan language; Buddhism and science; practices of mind, body, and breath; Buddhism and the environment; and Buddhist dance.

Select Publications:

• “Sūtrapūjā, Sūtrapāṭha: Worshipping, Reading and Listening to Avadānas in Newar Buddhism.” Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies, no. 19 (2024). (BNAC Annual Award)
• “The Legend of Ugratārā Vajrayoginī: A Study of the Newar Buddhist Maṇiśailamahāvadāna.” PhD diss., University of Toronto 2024, 315-446, ProQuest (31562473).
• “Abodes of the Vajra-Yoginīs: Mount Maṇicūḍa and Paśupatikṣetra as Envisaged in the Tridalakamala and Maṇiśailamahāvadāna.” European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 55 (2020).
• With Austin Simoes-Gomes, “Tārā, Dhāraṇī, Mañjuśrīnāmasaġīti and a Sanskrit Reading with Rev. Professor Naresh Man Bajracharya at the University of Toronto.” Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies 14 (2019).