Lauren Leve received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology. Now an associate professor of Religious Studies, she has been living and working in Nepal since 1990; sometimes for a few weeks at a time, sometimes for a few years. Her research has also brought her to Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Singapore. She has written on topics that include Buddhism, globalization, women’s empowerment, theories of rural revolution, human rights, and suffering. Her recent book is titled “The Buddhist Art of Living in Nepal: Ethical Practice and Religious Reform.” She is currently working on a project on gender, health, politics, and the rise of Christianity in Nepal. Professor Leve is grateful to the monks, nuns, householders, newly-literate women, NGO staff, Maoists, Christians and others who have opened their lives to her and taught her to (try to) see through their eyes. She reports that it’s a little disorienting at first, but that once you learn to learn from others’ perspectives, there’s no better way to live in the world!