[Blog] Reflections on Attending the Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (2019)

By Gerjan Altenburg  On March 24th, 2019, I presented a paper on so-called Buddhist bioethics, abortion, and vinaya at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) in Denver, Colorado. The interdisciplinary nature of the AAS provides networking possibilities not found in other scholarly associations. Highlights of the conference included a digital humanities …

[Blog] “Diverse Textual Sources in the Study of Buddhism,” at Congress 2018

By Gerjan Altenburg In an age when, according to Buddhist tradition, the Dharma is in decline, and it often seems as if the Social Sciences and Humanities are too, it was a relief to attend the 2018 meeting of the Congress for Canadian Learned Societies in Regina, Saskatchewan.  The University of Regina hosted over 5200 …

[Blog] Vinaya Studies at the 18th Congress of IABS, in Toronto

By Gerjan Altenburg Studies of Buddhist monastic literature (vinaya) were in full swing at the 18th congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS). This should not surprise anyone familiar with the current academic climate within Buddhist studies in the province of Ontario. This year, IABS took place in Toronto, Ontario from August 20th–25th. …

[Blog] A new Sanskrit manuscript of the Bhaiṣajyavastu: Reflections on a lecture by JSPS Post-Doctoral Fellow Fumi Yao

By Gerjan Altenburg On the ninth of March, 2017, the Religious Studies Department at McMaster University gathered together to attend a lecture from, and bid farewell to, Post-Doctoral fellow Dr. Fumi Yao. Originally from Japan, Yao has become a familiar face in Southern Ontario’s Buddhist Studies community over the last six years. Yao, who researches …