Dear friends and colleagues,

  We're excited to host two sessions of our seminar on Language, Poiesis, and Buddhist Experiments with the Possible at the San Diego AAR on the theme of “"Emergent Forms: Buddhist Poetical Language and Its Contexts." We will meet on Sunday, November 24th from 3:00–4:30 PM and 5:00–6:30 PM in Convention Center-1B (Upper Level West). 

 In this third year of our seminar, we delve into key questions for the study of Buddhism and literature: did poetical language and Buddhism co-create each other around the turn of the Common Era in South Asia? If so, how? What are the implications for the beginnings of Indic literature and for the development of Buddhist, Vedic, Jain, and other literary and religious traditions of Asia? Might any of these lead us to rethink major scholarly paradigms concerning the history and development of Indic and Chinese literature?

 FIRST SESSION (3:00–4:30 PM)

(Session and Papers’ Abstracts)

 Presiding: Roy Tzohar, Tel Aviv University

Stephanie Jamison, University of California, Los Angeles

“Kāvya in the Dark Ages: The Source and the Missing Link”

Charles Hallisey, Harvard University

“Before Literature: Poeisis in the Poems of the First Buddhist Women and Men”

Responding:

Laurie Louise Patton, Middlebury College

Thomas Mazanec, University of California, Santa Barbara

SECOND SESSION (5:00–6:30 PM)

(Session and Papers Abstracts)

 Nancy Lin, Institute of Buddhist Studies, Presiding

Andrew Ollett, The University of Chicago

“Other Kuṣāṇa-period Poets”

Aleksandra Restifo, Florida International University

“The Effect of Drama: Towards a Theory of Aesthetic Experience in Early Jainism”

Responding:

Laurie Louise Patton, Middlebury College

Thomas Mazanec, University of California, Santa Barbara

We look forward to stimulating talks and conversations, all are invited.  

Best wishes,

Nancy Lin and Roy Tzohar (co-chairs)