Justin Kelley

Raised on a farm in rural Massachusetts, Justin Kelley studied Environmental Economics as an undergraduate at Tufts University. He subsequently spent ten years living in and around Tibetan refugee communities in India and Nepal, studying Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and meditative practices. In 2015, he began studying in Rice University’s Department of Religion with Dr. Anne C. Klein, professor of Religious Studies. His general interests include meditative and philosophical systems in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, phenomenology, and contemplative studies. His research focuses on the psychophysical transformation that occurs within religious practice, and the associated epistemologies that are both utilized while approaching this goal and born from such transformation. This past year, he taught two undergraduate courses at Rice entitled Buddhist Art and Literature and Tibetan Language, Literature, and Culture. He currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Religion’s mentorship program and is in his third year of coursework.