Buddhist Ethics Symposium 5 is the fifth in a series of biennial gatherings devoted to exploring Buddhist ethics broadly understood from multiple disciplines and drawing on different methodologies. We gather to learn from each other through informal presentation, discussion, conversation, and exploring questions together rather than formal paper presentations. Facilitators will select and share a small number of readings prior to the gathering, to introduce the theme for a discussion they will lead.
In 2016, Daniel Cozort hosted the first symposium at Dickinson College. Two years later, Rongdao Lai hosted the second symposium at the University of Southern California. Michael Jerryson was preparing to host the third symposium at Youngstown State University in 2020. It was postponed because of Covid-19 and then canceled when Michael died much too young. The third symposium was instead hosted by Jessica Main at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 2022. The fourth was hosted at BCBS in 2024, with William Edelglalss as main organizer.
This fifth event will take place again at BCBS, with Amod Sandhya Lele and William Edelglass as co-lead organizers. A generous grant from the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation provides for facilitators’ expenses, an economic hardship fund, and project management and operational support.
Previous symposium gatherings have been organized around three long workshop sessions, each on a single topic, led by two facilitators. In order to allow for a wider range of topics, this year’s symposium will break these up into six shorter workshop sessions, each led by a single facilitator. We expect the first three sessions to take place on Saturday morning and afternoon and the remaining three on Sunday morning and afternoon. The six sessions will respectively have the following topics, facilitators, and questions for discussion:
- Liberation of what? (Jason Wirth): Who or what experiences dukkha and needs liberating? For example, plants and AI.
- Digital dukkha (Peter Hershock): How do digital tools like AI, algorithms, and social media contribute to suffering? To what extent do Buddhist resources help address these new kinds of suffering
- Buddhism, naturalism and supernaturalism (Karin Meyers): In realms like rebirth that are relevant to Buddhist ethics, what does scientific evidence tell us and not tell us? What is at stake in deploying categories like “supernatural”?
- Karma (Sonam Kachru): As a way of explaining the world, does karma offer us something interesting/useful in ethical practices like seeking justice? if we make sense of the world in karmic terms, does it make us fall prey to a just-world fallacy?
- Abuse of power in Buddhism (Sarah Jacoby): What are the conditions that make abuse of power (e.g. sexual abuse, child abuse, financial abuse) possible? What are our responsibilities as scholars for teaching and writing about abuse of power?
- Teaching and learning about meditation (Jonathan Gold): What is the appropriate role of meditation in teaching and learning about Buddhism? What difference is made by thinking of meditation as ritual, self-help, disciplined habit-formation, moral cultivation, or epistemic inquiry—and what responsibilities follow for those who teach it?
Our first hour on Sunday morning will be with Bhikkhu Anālayo, who is in residence at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Bhikkhu Anālayo was previously professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg and is the author of 35 books, more than 40 book chapters, and over 400 articles. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages. During our time together he will be presenting some of his current research on early Mahāyāna ethics and there will also be time for questions and discussion. Monday morning we will gather one more time to reflect on our time together and make plans for Buddhist Ethics Symposium 6 in 2028.
This gathering at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies involves some protocol for meeting at a Dharma center.
- The food is mostly organic and as much as possible comes from local farms; it is also exclusively vegetarian.
- There will be optional silent meditation sessions every day.
- Room and board at BCBS will cost $149 per night, a total of $447 for three nights.
- Thanks to a generous grant from the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, some subsidy of room, board and travel costs is available for those who might otherwise not be able to afford to make it. Please let us know on your registration form if you require such assistance to attend.
- Alcohol will not be permitted at this year’s gathering.
- There will be space for 28 residential participants and 10 participants online.
- For those participating in person there will be a welcome dinner at 6:00 pm on Friday, June 5.
- Registration requires a deposit of 50% of the payment.
Organized by Amod Sandhya Lele and William Edelglass.