Teaching
Recorded Talks
The Worship and Recitation of Mahāyāna Sūtras — University of the West REL Distinguished Lecture Series
A lecture and discussion on the worship and recitation of Mahāyāna sūtra literature, both in South Asia broadly and in Nepal among the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley.
The Pañcarakṣā Sūtra: A Living Buddhist Text from Nepal - Hidden Stories Conversations
A conversation between Alexander O'Neill, Jinah Kim (Harvard University), and Sarah Richardson (University of Toronto) on the Pañcarakṣā Sūtra manuscript at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library for the exhibition Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads, held at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.
Long Video (1 hour)
Short Video (11 minutes)
The Centrality of the Prajñāpāramitā in the Development of the Newar Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna (IABS 2020, Seoul)
A talk recorded for the 19th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, held in Seoul (August 2022, originally 2020).
Video_Aug 17_Panel 29_O'Neill.mp4Academic Courses
Courses Taught at the University of Toronto
2020-21
"Advanced Topics in Buddhism: How to Make a God" RLG470, co-instructor with Prof. Christoph Emmrich.
2020-21
"Introduction to Buddhism" RLG 206, co-instructor with Prof. Christoph Emmrich.
Privately Taught Courses
The following groups originally began in person, now they meet online. Please feel free to contact me if you have an interest in attending and times and details can be provided.
Buddhist Sanskrit
2023
Introductory course.
Learning Mahāyāna Literatures Group
2023
Upcoming: Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
2021-2022
Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (T 374; T 375)
2019
Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
2018
Lalitavistara
Laṅkāvatāra
2017
Samādhirāja
Suvarṇaprabhāsa
Daśabhūmika
Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā
Vajracchedikā
2016-2017
Saddharmapuṇḍarīkā
Learning Pure Land Literatures Group
2022
The "Contemplation Sūtra" and commentary by Shandao
Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha