An international conference on the academic study of religion is being hosted in Bucharest from 20–25 September. The 22nd Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) and the Regional Conference of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) are being held under the theme “Religions 360°,” with Buddhism receiving broad attention as the forum gets underway in the Romanian capital.
The event brings together academics and delegates—and more than 700 papers—from 57 countries and 315 institutions in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. The conference also marks the 20th anniversary of the first EASR conference in Bucharest on 20–23 September 2006.
“Twenty years ago, the EASR community gathered in Bucharest with a memorable conference. This year, we are back in the city with an extraordinary program, showing all the diversity and the complexity of the academic study of religion today,” the organizers remarked.
“Many things have happened in the world since the previous conference in 2006, and we certainly cannot say that we face smaller challenges today, both within and without academia. What has not changed is the relevance of religion as an object of study. However we choose to define it, religion remains a key factor in contemporary societies around the world, as has been the case throughout history.
“This beautiful event will show once again how we, as scholars of religion, can contribute to the understanding of human interactions in an ever-changing world. In doing that, we will be drawing, as in our best tradition, on the 360° open perspective that makes the study of religion the exciting enterprise it has always been.”
The program takes in the history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, politics, literature, art, and contemporary study of religion, with Buddhism appearing in sessions addressing subjects from European religious identity and medieval Japanese texts to artificial intelligence, politics, caste, ritual, and contemporary art.
One of the highlights of the convocation is a dedicated roundtable, “Buddhism in Europe,” bringing together 11 scholars from across Europe and beyond, including contributors to the forthcoming two-volume Handbook of Buddhism in Europe.
The roundtable takes as its starting thesis the observation that Buddhism has become an established part of Europe’s religious landscape, emphasizing that its contemporary forms and future remain dynamic and diverse. The discussion explores the foundational question: “What, if anything, is distinctively European about Buddhism in Europe?”
Among questions examine are the usefulness of categories such as “migrant” and “convert,” the ways European intellectual traditions, political structures, and cultural imaginaries have shaped Buddhist thought and practice, the dynamics behind secular reinterpretations, and how diasporic communities negotiate Buddhist identity.
The panel also asks “What futures are emerging for Buddhism in Europe?” Its themes include demographic and generational change, migration, social engagement, new ethical debates, and transformations in Buddhist communities.
The Buddhist focus extends to research into communities and practices in Asia. A book discussion examines Multiple Liminalities of Lay Buddhism in Contemporary China, by Kai Shmushko of the University of Amsterdam, and explores contemporary Chinese lay Buddhism and its relationships with material practices, as well as monastic authority and state regulation.
Historical and textual studies are also represented. A panel on Japanese Pure Land Buddhism examines sources for understanding religious life. Korean Buddhism receives attention through a study of the dawn Buddhist ritual performed by monks of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Jongmyung Kim of Geumgang University examines the ritual at T’ongdo Monastery, one of Korea’s Three Jewel Monasteries, including refuge in the Three Jewels, aspirational chants, mantras, and recitations of the Thousand-Hand Sutra and Heart Sutra.
Buddhist encounters with contemporary technology are a prominent theme. An Asia-Pacific panel on “AI, Robots, and Religion” includes research on technology-mediated Buddhism at Ryugan-ji, a Japanese temple, titled “The Temple where Drone Buddhas Fly.”
A separate panel is “The Light and Shadow of Artificial Intelligence: Soka Gakkai’s Buddhist Perspective.” Topics include AI-assisted lethal weaponry, the application of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi’s distinction between intuition and thought to contemporary AI, and whether chatbots trained to answer Buddhist questions can mislead users.
Other sessions explore the breadth of approaches to Buddhism within the congress. Research into contemporary art in East Asia looks at how Buddhist practice influences art and how artistic activity contributes to the contemporary spread and transformation of Buddhism.
The program also features research into Buddhist history and politics, including: the Dhatuvamsa and Sri Lankan accounts of the Buddha’s visits to the island; the reuse of Buddhist critiques of caste in modern discourse; the role of Buddhism in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s domestic and international politics; and the revival of Buddhist heritage in the Indian Himalayas.
Buddhism also appears in the congress’s keynote program. Almut-Barbara Renger of the University of Basel and Free University Berlin presents “A 360° View of Mindfulness: Religious Concepts in Motion,” one of five keynote lectures.
Across the six-day program, Buddhism is represented as a living and changing field of study: a European religious presence, a tradition of textual study and ritual practice, and a source of responses to new technologies and new cultural expression.
At the centre of the European discussion is a question that extends beyond the conference: as Buddhism becomes established in Europe, what forms of Buddhist identity, practice, and community will emerge, and what will make them distinctly European?
See more
Religions 360°
Six Days of Global Dialogue (Religions 360°)
Handbook of Buddhism in Europe (BRILL)
Religions360 (Facebook)
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