New Directions in the Study of Buddhism

Buddhism is a dynamic tradition that changes and updates itself continuously. New research in Buddhist Studies affects how we perceive its art, architecture, practices, and historical context. Dr. von Rospatt will review recent trends in scholarship, while paying particular attention to select areas, notably the anthropology of Buddhism as a religious force on the ground. This will include its rituals and how they relate to non-Buddhist forms of Indian religious practice; the rise of Mahayana Buddhism and within it the differentiation between tantric and non-tantric forms of practice; and the religious context of Buddhist art and architecture in the Nepalese tradition. He will also be available to answer general questions you may have about the history of Indian Buddhism and its teachings.

Dr. von Rospatt is Professor of Buddhist and South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. His scholarly focus has been on the doctrinal history of Indian Buddhism, Newar Buddhism of the Kathmandu Valley – especially its rituals – and Newar paintings and their ritual uses.