By Press Office
Front, from left: Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Karma Lekshe Tsomo; back, from left: Dr. Eun-so Cho, Christine Chang (former president of Sakyadhita), Lien Bui (treasurer of Sakyadhita), at the 14th Sakyadhita International Conference, Indonesia, 2015. Photo by Olivier Adam
Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women will host its next conference from 22–28 June 2017 at The University of Hong Kong, with support from the university’s Centre of Buddhist Studies (CBS).
The theme of the 15th conference, “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action,” highlights the diversity of contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world. The Sakyadhita website states: “Buddhism is a significant cultural force in our world, influencing virtually every sphere of human activity from business to popular music. This global spread of Buddhist ethics, iconography, meditation, and philosophy is having an impact on science, psychology, government, and the arts. Today, women have more pathways to self-enrichment than at any time in recorded history. Whether the choice is career, family, or monastery, women are expanding beyond traditional roles in creative and beneficial ways.
“Women also take different paths and approaches to spirituality. Depending on their cultural backgrounds and personal interests, they may be inclined to meditation, scholarship, social activism, or the arts. The 2017 conference theme is broad enough to encompass the many aspects of what Buddhism means to women and to embrace the range of Buddhist women’s experiences.”
Sakyadhita is inviting submissions for panel presentations and workshops on topics related to the conference theme. The deadline for proposals has been extended to 15 June 2016. Notification of acceptance will be sent within a month. Final papers (2,500 words maximum) are due by 15 August 2016.
Further information about the conference theme is available at the Sakyadhita website. Proposals should be sent to hongkong2017@sakyadhita.org, with a copy totsomo@sandiego.edu. All speakers and workshop presenters must register for the conference and are responsible for their own expenses. Requests for special dates for presentations must be included with the proposal.
Topic suggestions encompass three rubrics, and ideas for panel presentations are listed below:
Contemplation, which addresses personal introspection, mindfulness practice, meditation, and reflection on contemporary life issues.
Cultural exchange, which looks at interreligious dialogue, indigenous Buddhist experience, inter-generational dialogue, and Buddhist transcultural exchange, expressed through music, literature, drama, painting, social media, and the martial arts.
Social action, which examines charitable activities, social entrepreneurship, community leadership, and other ways of transforming society.
