After completing his MA in Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Zim Pickens joined the Buddhist Studies Group at University of California, Berkeley. For his Ph.D dissertation, Zim is exploring the emergence of the tantric preliminary practices (Tib. sngon 'gro). In so doing, Zim hopes to "contribute to an ongoing academic discussion over the roles ritual played in Tibet's assimilation of Buddhism.
