Associate Professor Mark Allon
Mark Allon teaches Sanskrit and other ancient languages of South Asia (Pali and Gandhari) and Buddhist and Asian studies. His primary research interests are the composition and transmission of early Buddhist literature, the ways in which texts have been used by Buddhist communities, and the Indic languages of early Buddhist texts (Pali, Gandhari, Sanskrit).
- Early Buddhist literature, particularly of the ‘Mainstream’ schools, preserved in Pali, Gandhari, Prakrit, Buddhist Sanskrit and Chinese
- Recent discoveries of Buddhist manuscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly those in the Gandhari language
- Buddhism in South, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, with a special interest in ancient Gandhara
- Buddhist Sanskrit and the Middle Indo-Aryan languages, particularly Pali and Gandhari
Teaching
- Sanskrit (and Pali and Gandhari)
- Buddhist literature
- Buddhism in Gandhara and Central Asia
- Buddhism in South and South-east Asia
- Buddhist thought and practice
- Buddhist art, particularly Gandharan art
Supervision
- Pali, Gandhari, and Sanskrit
- Buddhist literature
- Buddhism in South, South-east and Central Asia
- Buddhist thought and practice
- Buddhist art
His main projects concern the creation of editions, translations, and studies of the texts of the newly discovered Buddhist manuscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Current projects include a catalogue and study of the Robert Senior Kharosthi manuscript collection to be published as Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara II: The Senior Kharoṣṭhī Fragments (Gandharan Buddhist Texts series. Seattle: University of Washington Press) and the publication of manuscripts in the Senior collection, the first being A Gandhari Version of the Śrāmaṇyaphala-sūtra, the Discourse on the Fruits of Living the Ascetic Life: Senior Kharoṣṭhī Fragment 2 (Seattle: University of Washington Press)(see https://vimeo.com/769172750; orhttps://youtu.be/0GO_oaz0_b4).
A second major project involves the conservation, photographing, and study of the Kuthodaw Pagoda recension of the Pali Buddhist canon in Mandalay, Myanmar, which was carved on 729 marble stelae in the 1860s at the command of King Mindon, the second last king of Burma (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNqeivcBHhc).
In collaboration with scholars and digital humanities specialists at the University of Sydney, Australian National University, University of Washington (USA), and elsewhere, he has been developing major digital resources for the publication and study of Gandhari, Pali, and Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions. This includes:
His publications can be downloaded from Academia.edu.
- President of the Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies.
- Board Member (Director at Large) of the International Association of Buddhist Studies.
- Editorial board member of the following academic journals: Buddhist Studies Review: Journal of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies; International Journal of Jaina Studies; Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University; Journal of Gandhāran Buddhist Texts; Ancient Punjab (University of the Punjab, Pakistan).
- Member of the Sydney Southeast Asian Centre.
- Senior member of the Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project.
- Advisory Board member of the Dhammakaya Tipitaka Project (a new critical edition of the Pali canon).
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Anthropology in Bhutan: Modernity Animal Health and Human Society in a Himalayan Buddhist State | Catherine SCHUETZE |
Selected publications
(Projekt Verlag, 2021)
(University of Washington Press, 2001)
(International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 1997)
Publications
Books
- Allon, M. (2021). The Composition and Transmission of Early Buddhist Texts with Specific Reference to Sutras. Bochum/Freiburg: Projekt Verlag. [More Information]
- Allon, M. (2001). Three Gandhari Ekottarikagama-Type Sutras: British Library Kharosthi Fragments 12 and 14. United States: University of Washington Press.
- Allon, M. (1997). Style and Function: A Study of the Dominant Stylistic Features of the Prose Portions of Pali Canonical Sutta Texts and their Mnemonic Function. Tokyo: International Institute for Buddhist Studies.
Book Chapters
- Allon, M. (2024). Notes on a Gandhari Version of the Discourse on the Fruits of Living the Ascetic Life (Pali Sāmaññaphala-sutta, Sanskrit Śrāmaṇyaphala-sūtra): Robert Senior Kharoshthi Manuscript RS 2. In Charles DiSimone and Nicholas Witkowski (Eds.), Buddhakṣetrapariśodhana: A Festschrift for Paul Harrison, (pp. 1-28). Marburg: Indica et Tibetica Verlag. [More Information]
- Allon, M. (2020). A Gandhari Saṃyukta-agama version of the 'Discourse on Notself' (Pali Anattalakkhaṇa-sutta, Sanskrit *Anatmalakṣaṇa-sutra). In Dhammadinna (Eds.), Research on the Saṃyukta-agama, (pp. 201-258). Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation. [More Information]
- Allon, M. (2019). The Formation of Canons in the Early Indian nikayas or Schools in the Light of the New Gandhari Manuscript Finds. In Naomi Appleton and Peter Harvey (Eds.), Buddhist Path, Buddhist Teachings Studies in Memory of L.S. Cousins, (pp. 249-268). Sheffield: Equinox Publishing.
Journals
- Allon, M. (2024). The Gandhari Buddhist Manuscript Collection at the Islamabad Museum: Preserving Pakistan's Unique Buddhist Literary Heritage. TAASA Review, 33(2), 7-9.
- Allon, M., Mccrabb, I., Skinner, M. (2023). Digital Engagement and Scholarship: The Case of the Year 5 Buddha Triad, A Gandharan Masterpiece. TAASA Review, 32(1), 22-23.
- Allon, M. (2022). Early Buddhist Texts: Their Composition and Transmission. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 50(4), 523-556. [More Information]
Edited Journals
- von Hinüber, O., Gethin, R., Allon, M. (2007). Journal of the Pali Text Society (Festschrift in Honour of the 80th Birthday of K.R. Norman in 2005 and the 125th Anniversary in 2006 of the founding of the Pali Text Society). Journal of the Pali Text Society, 29.
Conferences
- Allon, M. (2014). The Senior Kharosthi Manuscripts. The Conference Indic Buddhist Manuscripts: The State of the Field Stanford, 2009, Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences.
- Allon, M. (2009). Recent Discoveries of Buddhist Manuscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan and their Significance. Fifth Conference of the Australian Society for Inner Asian Studies (A.S.I.A.S.), Sydney: Brepols Publishers.
Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Allon, M. (2019). Buddha's words a gift to humanity. Daily News (Sri Lanka).
- Allon, M. (2006). 'Dead Sea scrolls' may be missing link in Buddhism. The New Zealand Herald.
- Allon, M. (2006). Buddhism's missing link. Geelong Advertiser.
Other
- Allon, M. (2019), ABC Radio National Soul Search, interviewed by Meredith Lake: "The ancient communities of Gandhara and their priceless Buddhist manuscripts". Radio interview.
- Allon, M. (2006), Radio Interview: ABC News Radio.
- Allon, M. (2006), Radio Interview: ABC Radio - 'The World Today'.
2024
- Allon, M. (2024). Notes on a Gandhari Version of the Discourse on the Fruits of Living the Ascetic Life (Pali Sāmaññaphala-sutta, Sanskrit Śrāmaṇyaphala-sūtra): Robert Senior Kharoshthi Manuscript RS 2. In Charles DiSimone and Nicholas Witkowski (Eds.), Buddhakṣetrapariśodhana: A Festschrift for Paul Harrison, (pp. 1-28). Marburg: Indica et Tibetica Verlag. [More Information]
- Allon, M. (2024). The Gandhari Buddhist Manuscript Collection at the Islamabad Museum: Preserving Pakistan's Unique Buddhist Literary Heritage. TAASA Review, 33(2), 7-9.
2023
- Allon, M., Mccrabb, I., Skinner, M. (2023). Digital Engagement and Scholarship: The Case of the Year 5 Buddha Triad, A Gandharan Masterpiece. TAASA Review, 32(1), 22-23.
2022
- Allon, M. (2022). Early Buddhist Texts: Their Composition and Transmission. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 50(4), 523-556. [More Information]
2021
- Allon, M. (2021). The Composition and Transmission of Early Buddhist Texts with Specific Reference to Sutras. Bochum/Freiburg: Projekt Verlag. [More Information]
- Wiles, R., Clark, C., Ditrich, T., Allon, M. (2021). The Pali Tipitaka Recension Carved on the Kuthodaw Pagoda Stelae and Its Relation to Other Burmese Versions. Journal of the Pali Text Society, XXXIV(2021), 155-226.
2020
- Allon, M. (2020). A Gandhari Saṃyukta-agama version of the 'Discourse on Notself' (Pali Anattalakkhaṇa-sutta, Sanskrit *Anatmalakṣaṇa-sutra). In Dhammadinna (Eds.), Research on the Saṃyukta-agama, (pp. 201-258). Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation. [More Information]
- Allon, M., Majcher, S., Mccrabb, I. (2020). Anatvalaksana Sutra. Journal of Gandharan Buddhist Texts. [More Information]
2019
- Allon, M. (2019). A Unique Gandhari Monastic Ledger Recording Gifts by Vima Kadphises (Studies in Gandharî Manuscripts 2). Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 42(2019), 1-46. [More Information]
- Allon, M. (2019), ABC Radio National Soul Search, interviewed by Meredith Lake: "The ancient communities of Gandhara and their priceless Buddhist manuscripts". Radio interview.
- Allon, M. (2019). Buddha's words a gift to humanity. Daily News (Sri Lanka).
2018
- Allon, M. (2018). The Formation of Canons in the Early Indian Nikayas or Schools in the Light of the New Gandhari Manuscript Finds. Buddhist Studies Review, 35(1-2), 225-244. [More Information]
2017
- Allon, M., Silverlock, B. (2017). Sutras in the Senior Kharosthi Manuscript Collection with Parallels in the Majjhima-nikaya and/or the Madhyama-agama. In Dhammadinna (Eds.), Research on the Madhyama-agama, (pp. 1-54). New York: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation.
2016
- Allon, M. (2016). 'The World's Biggest Book': The Kuthodaw Pagoda Marble-stelae Inscriptions, Mandalay, Myanmar. TAASA Review, 25(4), 7-8.
- Allon, M., Reade, W., Clark, C., Mccrabb, I., Ditrich, T., Wiles, R., Hudson, B. (2016). The Kuthodaw Pagoda Marble-stelae Inscriptions, Mandalay, Myanmar: Conservation, Photographing, and Study of a Neglected Recension of the Pali Buddhist Canon. Bulletin of the Chuo Academic Research Institute, 45, 222-249.
2015
- Allon, M. (2015). Progress Report for Kuthodaw Pagoda Project (Mandalay, Myanmar) for Work Undertaken to September 2015: Presented to Chuo Academic Research Institute of Rissho Kosei-Kai. Bulletin of the Chuo Academic Research Institute, 44, 188-199.
2014
- Allon, M. (2014). The Conservation and Photographing of the Kuthodaw Pagoda Marble-stelae Recension of the Pali Buddhist Canon in Mandalay, Myanmar. Bulletin of the Chuo Academic Research Institute, 43, 186-193.
- Allon, M. (2014). The Senior Kharosthi Manuscripts. The Conference Indic Buddhist Manuscripts: The State of the Field Stanford, 2009, Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences.
2013
- Allon, M. (2013). A Gandhari Version of the Story of the Merchants Tapussa and Bhallika. Bulletin of the Asia Institute, 23, 9-19.
- Allon, M. (2013). Karuna: compassion. In K.L. Seshagiri Rao (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Hinduism, (pp. 533-534). New Delhi: India Heritage Research Foundation in association with Rupa & Co.
- Allon, M. (2013). Recent Discoveries of Buddhist Manuscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan and Their Significance. In Wei Shan and Zhang Xuesong (Eds.), Religious Studies 2013, (pp. 28-46). Beijing: Religious Culture Press (Zongjiao Wenhua Chubanshe).
2010
- Allon, M., Salomon, R. (2010). New Evidence for Mahayana in Early Gandhara. Eastern Buddhist, 41(1), 1-22.
2009
- Allon, M. (2009). Primoz Pecenko 1947-2007. Journal of the Pali Text Society, 30, 1-3.
- Allon, M. (2009). Recent Discoveries of Buddhist Manuscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan and their Significance. Fifth Conference of the Australian Society for Inner Asian Studies (A.S.I.A.S.), Sydney: Brepols Publishers.
2007
- Allon, M. (2007). A Gandhari Version of the Simile of the Turtle and the Hole in the Yoke. Journal of the Pali Text Society, 29, 229-262.
- Allon, M. (2007). Introduction: The Senior Manuscripts. In Glass, Andrew (Eds.), Four Gandhari Samyuktagama Sutras: Senior Kharosthi Fragment 5, (pp. 3-25). Seattle and London: University of Washington Press.
- von Hinüber, O., Gethin, R., Allon, M. (2007). Journal of the Pali Text Society (Festschrift in Honour of the 80th Birthday of K.R. Norman in 2005 and the 125th Anniversary in 2006 of the founding of the Pali Text Society). Journal of the Pali Text Society, 29.
2006
- Allon, M. (2006). 'Dead Sea scrolls' may be missing link in Buddhism. The New Zealand Herald.
- Allon, M. (2006). Buddhism's missing link. Geelong Advertiser.
- Allon, M. (2006). Buddhist scrolls proved ancient. The Sydney Morning Herald (AAP).
2004
- Allon, M. (2004). Wrestling with Kharosthi Manuscripts. Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Fellowship Newsletter, (7), 4-8.
2003
- Allon, M. (2003). New Buddhist Manuscripts from Ancient Gandhara. TAASA Review, 11(4), 8-10.
- Allon, M. (2003). Thomas Oberlies, Pali. A Grammar of the Language of the Theravada Tipiaka. With a Concordance to Pischel's Grammatik der Prakrit-Sprachen. Indo Iranian Journal, 46(1), 83-89.
2001
- Allon, M. (2001), Television Appearance: Buddha Realms East and West (ABC Television).
- Allon, M. (2001). Three Gandhari Ekottarikagama-Type Sutras: British Library Kharosthi Fragments 12 and 14. United States: University of Washington Press.
2000
- Allon, M., Salomon, R. (2000). Kharosthi Fragments of a Gandhari Version of the Mahaparinirvana-sutra. In Jens Braarvig (Eds.), Manuscripts in the Schoyen Collection: Volume I - Buddhist Manuscripts, (pp. 243-273). Oslo: Hermes Publishing.
1997
- Allon, M. (1997). An Assessment of the Dhammakaya CD-ROM: Palitext Version 1.0. Buddhist Studies (Bukkyo kenkyu), 26, 109-129.
- Allon, M. (1997). Style and Function: A Study of the Dominant Stylistic Features of the Prose Portions of Pali Canonical Sutta Texts and their Mnemonic Function. Tokyo: International Institute for Buddhist Studies.
- Allon, M. (1997). The Oral Composition and Transmission of Early Buddhist Texts. In Peter Connolly and Sue Hamilton (Eds.), Indian Insights: Buddhism, Brahmanism and Bhakti: Papers from the Annual Spalding Symposium on Indian Religion, (pp. 39-61). London: Luzac Oriental.
Selected Grants
2018
- The dating of a new collection of ancient birch barkBuddhist manuscripts from Gandhara, Allon M, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation/Project Support FPRx4037 SCHx18325
2016
- Sydney Digital Humanities Research Group, Borghesi F, Whiteman S, Byron M, Allon M, Milam J, White S, Barwick L, Mccrabb I, Hammond J, Sun C, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/FASS Collaborative Research Scheme
Other Research Grants
2019. USYD Core Research Facilities User Access Scheme grant for the analysis of ink on ancient Gandharan birch bark Buddhist manuscripts by Sydney Analytical. Value: $2,050. (Project title: Ink analysis of ancient Gandharan birch bark Buddhist manuscripts).
2019. Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) 2019 award for the radiocarbon dating of two samples of birch bark from a new collection of Kharoṣṭhī Buddhist manuscripts from Gandhāra. Value $1920 (Project title: AP11930: The dating of two new ancient birch bark Buddhist manuscripts from Gandhara).
2018. Robert H. No Ho Family Foundation Grants for Critical Editions and Scholarly Translations 2019–2020. Value US$80,000. (Project title: An edition, translation, and study of a Gāndhārī version of the Śrāmaṇyaphala-sūtra, the Discourse on the Fruits of Living the Ascetic Life: Senior Kharoṣṭhī manuscript RS 2).
2017. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences research support scheme, 18.5.17. Value $5000 (Project title: READ Angkor Project).
2015. Digital Humanities and Social Sciences (DHSS) Scheme 2015 (with Roland Fletcher, Dept. of Archaeology). Value $10,000 (Project title: Digitization and Mapping of Angkor Inscriptions).
2015. Sydney Southeast Asian Centre (SSEAC) Cluster Research Grant 2015–2017 (with Ian McCrabb and Chris Clark). Value $9,860 (Project title: World’s Biggest Book: Textual Transmission of the Pali Canon in Myanmar).
1996. Pali Text Society Research Grant, June 1996 to June 1997. Value: £10,000 (Project title: An analysis of formulas in the Pali nikāyas).
Other Publications
Conferences
“Sanskritisation and the diction of early Buddhist texts.” (1) University of Naples, Italy, 10 November 2017; (2) University of Rome, Italy, 15 November 2017; (3) School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK, 23 November 2017:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DINt32Yelgg
“Accounts of the Buddha’s life in the Senior Kharoṣṭhī Manuscript collection and their counterparts in the art of Gandhāra and ancient India.” Leiden University, Holland, 30 November 2017.
“Uddānas in early Buddhist texts: their origin, function, and importance.”17th World Sanskrit Conference of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies (IASS), Vancouver, Canada, 9–13 July 2018.
“A Gāndhārī Saṃyukta-āgama version of the Discourse on Not-self (PAnattalakkhaṇa-sutta, Skt.*Anātmalakṣaṇa-sūtra) (RS 22, no. 2).”Research on the Saṃyukta-āgama (The IV Seminar of the Āgama Research Group), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 27–28 October 2018.
“Recent discoveries of Buddhist manuscripts from ancient Gandhāra (Pakistan and Afghanistan) and their significance.” Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations, Quaid-i-Azam University, and Asian Studies Group, Marriott Hotel, Islamabad, Pakistan, 19 February 2019.
“A new Gāndhārī fragment of thesaṅghādisesa/saṃghātiśeṣa/saṃghāvaśeṣamonastic rules.”Gāndhārī Manuscript Workshop, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 12–16 August 2019.
“Buddhism in ancient Gandhāra and recent discoveries of Gāndhārī Buddhist manuscripts.” La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, 18 and 25 October 2019.
“The composition and transmission of early Buddhist texts with specific reference to suttas/sūtras.”The Idea of Text in Buddhism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 10−12 December 2019.
“Research on the Kuthodaw Pagoda marble-stelae recension of the Pali canon in Mandalay, Myanmar.”Rainy Season Research Series, King’s College London, UK, 23 October 2020:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNqeivcBHhc
“The Composition and Transmission of Early Buddhist Texts.”2021 DIRI Buddhist Academy Zoominar Series, 27 April 2021.
In the media
Allon, M. (2019), ABC Radio National Soul Search, interviewed by Meredith Lake: "The ancient communities of Gandhara and their priceless Buddhist manuscripts". Radio interview.