Lauren Leve is 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 India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. She has published on topics including Buddhism, globalization, women’s empowerment, human rights, cultural heritage, and suffering. She is currently working on projects focused on Buddhist meditation and on gender, health, politics and the rise of Christianity in Nepal, and another that presents Himalayan Buddhism using virtual models and VR. Professor Leve is grateful to friends and strangers and around the world who have opened their lives to her and taught her to (try to) see things through their eyes. She reports that it can be disorienting at first, but that once you learn to learn from others’ perspectives, it’s both a super power and a source of joy!