Symposium Lecture Archive

Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi will look at social injustice, climate change, and related issues from a Buddhist perspective, exploring ways that Buddhists can truly embody compassion and make a difference--both in our country and in the world.

We are excited to share the schedule of student presentations for this year's Student Symposium. Students will be presenting a recitation or academic paper with allowed time for Q&A. Please see attached poster for more details.

Join us for a lecture by Dr. Katharina Kaiser on Hannah Arendt

Join Dr. Charles DiSimone for a lecture on meant for both specialist and general audiences alike

Professor Mattia Salvini is currently Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Dean of Scriptural Languages at the International Buddhist College, Sadao Campus, Thailand.

During the two-thousand year history of Buddhism in China, Guanyin has remained as the most famous Buddhist deity. A Chinese saying aptly describes the great popularity of this savior bodhisattva, “Everybody knows how to chant A-mi-tuo-fo, and every household worships Guanyin.” This talk will discuss how and why this came to pass.

DRBU students will be presenting written work from an academic course. We look forward to celebrating student discoveries in close reading and shared inquiry!

Lecture by Rev. Robert McKnight on Black Lives Matter and Its Historical Context

All students, both BA and MA, are eligible (and strongly encouraged!) to present written work from any DRBU class to the entire university.

In this lecture, Dr. Orsborn explores the hermeneutics and translation of Prajñāpāramitā texts, tracing their lineage from Indian Sanskrit, through classical Chinese, and into modern English.

Lecture by Dr. Michael Nylan on "Politics of the Common Good in Early China." In this lecture, the Shangshu, and its companion piece, the Yi Zhoushu, will be explored for the evidence they provide against contemporary rationales that casts human rights and democracy as antithetical to Chinese tradition. This lecture will show how early thinkers in China argued that the stability of empires rested on democratic notions.

Lecture by Dr. Kristi Wiley on "An Introduction to Jainism." In this lecture, the basic beliefs of Jainism will be discussed, including the concept of the 24 Jinas or “Spiritual Victors” in our cycle of time, Mahāvīra’s teachings regarding the nature of reality, and the emergence of the four main sectarian traditions: Śvetāmbara, Digambara, Sthānakavāsī, and Terāpanthī.