Bhikkhu Cetovimutti “Ceto” Cong, MA’22, of Yantai, China, died June 20, 2023, after enduring a vegetative state resulting from a tragic bicycle accident in November 2022 in Berkeley, CA. He was 34 years old. Ceto was born and raised in China and was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist monastic in Sri Lanka in 2014. He was a 21-22 Disciples Divinity House resident in Hyde Park, and his academic pursuits led him to UC Berkeley, where he had just begun his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies before the accident. Known for his enthusiasm in exploring historical and contemporary religious traditions, Ceto leaves behind a legacy of curiosity and spiritual dedication. He is survived by his mother, Lina Cong.

Alfred John Hiltebeitel (1943-2023)

Alfred (Alf) John Hiltebeitel has died. “Alf,” a specialist in ancient Sanskrit epics and Indian religious tradition and folklore, received his MA (1966) and PhD (History of Religions, 1973) from The Divinity School. An advisee of Mircea Eliade, his distinguished career included authoring several seminal works of scholarship and editing and translating several other works. Among his many honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. He was the Columbian Professor Emeritus of Religion, History, and Human Sciences at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Prof. Hiltebeitel died on March 12, 2023, in Cali, Colombia, where he lived with his wife.