This year’s winner is Roger Jackson, professor emeritus at Carleton College for his book, Mind Seeing Mind: Mahāmudrā and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (Wisdom Publications). Mahāmudrā, the “great seal,” refers to the ultimate nature of mind and reality, to a meditative practice for realizing that ultimate reality, and to the final fruition of buddhahood. It is a significant component of Tibetan Buddhism and is widely studied and taught by contemporary masters such as the Dalai Lama.
The Toshihide Numata Book Award is an annual prize given to the author of the best academic book published on Buddhism in any given year. Administered by the Center for Buddhist Studies at UC Berkeley under the direction of Prof. Robert Sharf, the award is usually presented at a symposium held in Berkeley, but because of the pandemic, it was held online on November 6, 2020.
Named after the late Toshihide Numata, who succeeded his father as the head of the Mitutoyo Corporation and the BDK organization, the award is recognized as the premier prize for scholarly books on Buddhism.