Professor Dorji Wangchuk

When Can Buddhism Be Considered Dead and When Living?

“In this talk, I wish to reflect, from an emic perspective, on what would characterize the life and vitality of Buddhism, and when can it be considered dead and when living. I shall do so by exploiting, among other things, the idea of what came to be known as the ‘nine modes of expertise’ (mkhas pa’i tshul dgu). According to one interpretation, these include studying, contemplation, and meditation (thos bsam sgom gsum); exposition, disputation, and composition (’chad rtsod rtsom gsum); and knowledgeability, ethical-ascetical integrity, and goodness (mkhas btsun bzang gsum).”