[INDOLOGY] Fwd: Call for Papers for DRBU Conference; April 22-25

Wed Nov 4 21:33:31 UTC 2026

Dear colleagues,

I cordially invite you to submit an abstract about reading (Indian texts)
as transformative practice at the following conference:

Call for Papers:
Opening the Mind, Engaging the World: Reading as Transformative Practice

April 22 to 25, 2027

Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Ukiah, California

In an age of fragmented attention and technological mediation, direct and
embodied encounters with wisdom texts are more precious than ever. Reading
today is rarely understood as an exercise in becoming fully human. As
Pierre Hadot observed, “we have forgotten how to read.”

This conference, held in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Dharma
Realm Buddhist University, explores reading as a transformative encounter.
How might we bridge a theoretical engagement with texts to a practical and
contemplative one? Can reading itself be a transformative practice? And, if
so, how ought we read?

We welcome contributions from scholars, educators, and practitioners from
diverse traditions and fields of study to share research into how our
understanding of what it means to be human shapes, and is shaped by, our
reading choices and practices.

Scholars include professors and graduate students from any field connected
to reading and embodying classical texts—for example, Classics, Religious
Studies, Buddhist Studies, Contemplative Studies, Area Studies, Great
Books, Literature, and Philosophy. Practitioners include monastics and
religious leaders from all faith traditions. Papers relating to the above
theme are strongly encouraged and might address: how to read, putting texts
into practice, philosophy as a way of life, teaching wisdom texts, embodied
learning, or translating what we read.

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925 <18561925>), Resting, c. 1880-1890
<18801890>.

Keynote Speaker
Michael Nylan is Jane K. Sather History Chair at UC Berkeley. She focuses
on three areas: the early empires in China, philosophy, and
art/archaeology. Her
many publications include The Chinese Pleasure Book (2018) and Environmental
Equity in China and Beyond: Past, Present, and Future (2026; co-authored
with Thomas Hahn). Her new research looks at the Four Fathers of History
(Herodotus, Thucydides, Sima Qian, and Ban Gu); the distinctive
sociopolitical and cultural conditions for classical learning in the two
Han dynasties; and "the politics of the common good" in early China. We are
excited to welcome Professor Nylan back to our campus for our 50th
Anniversary to give a keynote on the topic of finding friends in history.
Submit a Paper Proposal
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJe6W0C2c2Q2GgF7azqj6M14z7Dvsi2p_VsE7S1b9HWozRoQ/viewform>

Further Details
For information on conference fees, accommodation, and travel information,
please visit our conference website
<https://www.drbu.edu/academics/conferences-colloquium/opening-the-mind-engaging-the-world/>
.

Key Dates
Submission Deadline: January 8, 2027
Notification of Acceptance: February 8, 2027 (at the latest)
Conference Registration Deadline: February 26, 2027

About Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Dharma Realm Buddhist University is a small private university and
community dedicated to liberal education in the broad Buddhist tradition—a
tradition characterized by knowledge in the arts and sciences,
self-cultivation, and the pursuit of wisdom. The main campus is located
within the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Buddhist community founded by
the Venerable Master Hua. The University offers two degree programs
centered around reading and discussion of classical primary texts at its
Ukiah, California campus: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Master of
Arts in Buddhist Classics. Dharma Realm Buddhist University is accredited
by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
For more information, please visit www.drbu.edu

Contact us

conference at drbu.edu | www.drbu.edu
1991 Virtue Way, Ukiah, CA, 95482
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/1991+Virtue+Way,+Ukiah,+CA,+95482?entry=gmail&source=g>

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All good wishes,
Lauren

Lauren Bausch
Professor
Dharma Realm Buddhist University

"Every moment is a fresh beginning." - T.S. Eliot
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