The Humanistic Buddhism Centre, Nan Tien Institute, together with colleagues from Deakin and Western Sydney universities, is hosting a series of webinars to explore Buddhism in Pacific contexts. The webinars will run from June through to October 2021. Please find details about the webinars below.
Buddhism in the Sea of Islands Webinar series (third Thursday of the month, June - October 2021)
The Asia-Pacific region is home to by far the largest number of Buddhists in the world. While Buddhism in Asian societies has been extensively studied, Buddhism in the Pacific region remains under-explored, despite the fact that Buddhists comprise a significant proportion of the populations in these countries. This project aims to bring together an international, multidisciplinary group of researchers to examine Buddhism in Pacific contexts, with a particular focus on transnational flow and counterflow of Buddhism and interactions between immigrants and the indigenous people, both in historical and contemporary societies in the region.
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buddhism-in-the-sea-of-islands-webinar-series-registration-151432341209
Format: Online Zoom meeting, 45-min presentation + 45-min Q&A
17 June (4.00-5.30pm AEST)
Buddhism in the Far North of Australia pre-WWII: (In)visibility, colonialism and lived religion
Anna Halafoff, Kim Lam, Enqi Weng (Deakin University) Sue Smith (Charles Darwin University)
15 July (4.00-5.30pm AEST)
Flows of Innovation in Fo Guang Shan Oceania: transregional dynamics behind the Buddha’s Birthday Festival
Juewei Shi, Sioh Yang Tan (Nan Tien Institute of Higher Education)
19 August (4.00-5.30pm AEST)
Buddhism in Hawai’i: Stories of Spiritual and Cultural Resilience
Karma Lekshe Tsomo (University of San Diego)
16 September (4.00-5.30pm AEST)
Casting Indra’s Net across the Pacific: Robert Aitken and the Growth of the Diamond Sangha as a Trans-Pacific Zen Movement
Helen Baroni (University of Hawaii)
21 October (4.00-5.30pm AEDT)
Social and Cultural Forms of Buddhism in Aotearoa
Sally McAra, Mark Mullins (University of Auckland)
Contact Info: buddhism_network@nantien.edu.au; buddhism_network@nantien.edu.au; https://www.nantien.edu.au/applied-research-projects