International Association of Buddhist Studies

International Association of Buddhist Studies
Name	International Association of Buddhist Studies
Formation	1990s

International Association of Buddhist Studies is an international learned society dedicated to the scholarly study of Buddhism across historical, philological, archaeological, and textual domains. The association serves as a nexus for researchers working on Pāli Canon, Mahāyāna texts, Theravāda manuscripts, Tibetan translations, and archaeological findings from sites such as Sarnath and Bodh Gaya. Its activities intersect with institutions like University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Tokyo, University of Vienna, and museums such as the British Museum and the Louvre.

History

The association emerged from gatherings of scholars affiliated with centers such as the International Congress of Asian and North African Studies, the Association for Asian Studies, the European Association for South Asian Studies, and national societies like the Pali Text Society and the Royal Asiatic Society. Early figures connected to its founding include academics associated with Trinity College, Cambridge, Columbia University, SOAS University of London, Heidelberg University, and the University of Copenhagen. Influences on its development trace to the editorial projects of Max Müller, the fieldwork of Alexander Cunningham, the philology of Friedrich Schlegel, and the textual criticism exemplified by editors of the Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō and the Buddhist Text Translation Society.

Objectives and Activities

The association promotes collaboration among specialists in Sanskrit paleography, Pāli studies, Tibetan philology, Chinese Buddhist canon research, and Central Asian archaeology. It coordinates with research projects at institutions such as École française d'Extrême-Orient, Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Academia Sinica, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and libraries holding collections like the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the Vatican Library. The association fosters comparative work linking studies of figures like Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Asanga, Dōgen, Huen Tsang, and Ananda.

Publications and Conferences

The association sponsors peer-reviewed publications and collaborates with presses including Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Brill Publishers, Routledge, and University of California Press. Conference themes have ranged from manuscript studies involving the Dunhuang and Khotan repositories to doctrinal inquiries into Yogācāra, Mādhyamaka, and Buddhist logic found in works by Dharmakīrti and Dignāga. Major conferences attract delegates from universities such as Peking University, National University of Singapore, Seoul National University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and research centers like the International Dunhuang Project and Getty Research Institute.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises scholars affiliated with departments of Religious Studies and faculties at institutions like Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Leiden University, and McMaster University. Governance structures reflect models used by bodies such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society, and the European Research Council, and include elected officers, editorial boards, and standing committees. The association maintains partnerships with libraries and institutes including the Tibet House US, Nalanda University, Banaras Hindu University, and the Sanskrit Commission.

Awards and Grants

The association administers awards and small grants to support projects in manuscript digitization, field excavation, and critical editions, comparable in scope to fellowships from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Grant recipients have undertaken work on materials such as the Gandhāra sculptures, Ajanta frescoes, and editions of the Jātaka tales, often in collaboration with archives like the Asian Civilisations Museum and research libraries including the Bodleian Libraries.

Influence and Criticism

The association has influenced curricula at universities such as Columbia University, University of British Columbia, and Australian National University and informed museum exhibitions at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum. Critics have challenged aspects of its work by invoking debates familiar from interactions between scholars tied to the Orientalism critique associated with Edward Said, methodological concerns raised in comparative studies involving Indology and Sinology, and tensions over resource allocation evident in discussions involving funding bodies like the European Commission and national research councils.

Category:Buddhist studies organizations