Urs AppUrs App was born in 1949 in Rorschach on the Swiss shore of the Lake of Constance and studied in Freiburg, Kyoto and Philadelphia psychology, philosophy and religious studies. In 1989 he obtained a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (Chinese Buddhism) from Tmple University in Philadelphia. From 1989 to 1999 he was full professor of Buddhism at Hanazono University in Kyoto and Associate Director of the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University (Director Seizan YANAGIDA). He has since devoted himself to writing books and producing documentaries while engaging in research at various academic institutions in Asia and Europe, for example at the Research Institute for Zen Culture (Zenbunka kenkyujo, Kyoto; 2005-2007), the Swiss National Science Foundation (2007-2010), the Scuola Italiana di Studi sull'Asia Orientale (Italian School of East Asian Studies, 2010-2011), and the École Française d'Extrême-Orient (2012-). Read More Read Less