International Symposium on Buddhist Studies

Since 2002, RYI has hosted a series of international symposia on Buddhist Studies. The themes of the symposia have spanned a variety of topics related to Buddhist philosophy and practice and speakers have been some of the foremost international Buddhist scholars and senior teachers from the monastic tradition. This blend of modern academic and traditional monastic scholarship produces a unique environment for exploring the Buddhist tradition in all its facets and multiplicities.

This year, the 12th RYI International Symposium on the Scholar-Practitioners in the Age of AI will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, at the Siddhartha Boutique Hotel, on 16 and 17 November 2024. This symposium will be a unique opportunity for scholars from various disciplines to come together and share their perspectives on AI, Buddhism, and the ideal of a scholar-practitioner. 

To reflect on the meaning of being a scholar, a practitioner, a translator, and an ethically oriented human being has become even more necessary since the arrival of artificial intelligence and other technologies. The use of these technologies is clearly stirring new unprecedented crises. In organizing this symposium, we believe that Buddhism has resources to suggest answers addressing various issues whether they be ontological, epistemological, ethical, pedagogical, or other.